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This question has been coming up a lot lately... "My 50w Radio Doesn't Make 50w. Why?" I figured I would post quick highlights of the more common items that lead to low power. This is just a list of a few items. If anyone would like a bit more detail, just ask and myself or one of our seasoned operators will be happy to help with further explanation. One of the most common issues that will prevent you from reaching a full 50 watts is the manufacturer. They have to have their device certified by the FCC in order to be sold in the US. The radio needs to be sold in the configuration as tested and certified. If the radio or any subsequent builds tested exceed 50w, even if it's not intentional due to something like component tolerances, the manufacturer will either not get or lose their certification. To avoid risk of losing certification, when the radios are designed, they are designed to operate at much less power. I know for a fact that many popular brands target 46w, so they can round-up to 50w for advertising. However, manufacturing tolerances allow for +/- 4w. So, a properly running new radio under the absolute best conditions could make as much as 50w or as little as 42w. Again, only under perfect conditions. Those perfect conditions are typically 13.8vdc "at the radio" (not at the power source), almost unmeasurable losses due to test gear insertion, a proper dummy load, and being on the channel/frequency that the manufacturer centered up the transmit power to. The following issues are just a few that will lead to less than ideal conditions. - Not testing on the channel/frequency that the manufacturer tuned for max performance. - The power source is too low. - Power cables are too long, lending to too much voltage loss at the radio. - The power cables are too thin for the current draw and length of the power cables, lending to too much voltage loss at the radio. - Power cables have connections that are crimped instead of soldered. - Corrosion at the battery connectors or other connectors in the power lines. - Improper grounding of the radio. - Improper grounding of the antenna. - A bad or poor performing antenna. - Bad or poor performing antenna cables. - RF interference from something in the vehicle that is close to the radio, causing improper performance. There can be more than this, but in my decades of experience, these are the top problems I have seen. Below is a video showing the difference between my amateur radio on my bench vs installed in my Jeep. Even mine isn't perfect because I wanted to use the factory auxiliary switches, as well as Power Pole connectors for easy removal, and I don't mind losing a few watts compared to the convenience.

Note that GMRS interstitials (current #1-#7) ARE restricted to 5W max. That said, you are seeing the same proportional reduction 50:35 | 5:3.5 -- so 70% of rated power. If the radio has automatic power reduction for high SWR I could see /some/ reduction on the 50W setting, but not on the 5W level (the power transistors should have no problem handling 5W out and a complete reflection of 5W back as that only puts 10W on the finals). Do you have some other radio you can test the meter against? (I just cross-checked my MFJ-847 (VHF/UHF) meter against a Diamond SX-200 (HF-200MHz) using the 2m output of my TS-2000 -- both showed about the same output power (85W when set for 100W). I don't believe two independent meters of different ages would have the same calibration error (maybe a 2% calibration difference -- my old eyes have trouble with needles on a scale... 85vs87W?). Having not heard back from Radioddity, I'm going through the Amazon exchange system -- a "20W" (18W in the manual specs) DB20-G is only showing 10W on repeater channels, and maybe 12W on simplex high power channels. That's a 40% discrepancy against 18W (50% if one insists on advertised 20W) (vs your 30%). The 15W MXT115 that this is to replace reported ~14W on the same meter into a dummy load.

I seriously doubt that. Simplex repeat appears to be not allowed, falls into "store and forward" category. Of course one can set up an external simplex repeater. More fun when you have two nearby.

True, but but you get what you pay for. I have two Daiwa meters and they are pure crap. I always thought Daiwa was a great brand, but the wattmeter movement burned out on the 901 so I either have to find a replacement meter from a scrapped one or just throw it away. The 801 had a diode crap out, which was an easy fix and then I spent some time recalibrating it. All of these are known and documented problems. I'm sticking with Bird since they have been around since the 50s and kept a tried and true design.

One way that I've found repeaters is by setting a GMRS radio listening on one repeater output frequency for a few days with a VOX activated recorder plugged into it. After a day or so I'll listen to the recording. When I hear morse code, I'll take that segment of the recording and either look at it in an audio application (you can pretty easily spot the dots and dashes in the waveform graph) or upload that segment into a morse code translator. That gives me a call sign, which maps back to an individual, and in some cases can help me find the repeater's listing in mygmrs.com. After a day on one frequency, I'll move on to the next. After a week I'm almost done. With this method I've found three repeaters that I hadn't noticed before. You might try that; record each repeater output channel for awhile and listen for morse code identifying the callsign of repeater owners.

I think perhaps there is another way of looking at this, which could be illuminating to people who may be confused about the situation. I paid my fee and I now have a GMRS license... so I have the privilege to use GMRS frequencies. But I do not have a GMRS radio. At a park, I see someone talking on a walkie talkie, and I ask him what kind of radio it is. When he answers 'GMRS', I just take the radio from him without asking permission and start talking. After all, I have a license, and therefore the right... RIGHT? Your license gives you a PRIVILEGE, not a right, to use the airwaves. To maintain your privilege you must follow certain rules. In the case of using a repeater, you must follow the FCC rules, and also the owners rules. And you must remember that the owner has the right to terminate your permission at any time for any reason. Another analogy is the drivers license, which allows you the PRIVILEGE, not the right, to use the roadways. To maintain your privilege you must follow certain rules. Obviously, your drivers license does not give you permission to 'borrow' some else's car without their permission... and the cars owner may withdraw that permission at any time for any reason.

Yes, and I answered the exact question asked. The code goes in the memory for channel 17rp. The radio make and model have no bearing on which memory gets the code.

The OP asked one question, whether to use channel 17 or 17RP to talk to his repeater. It was answered in a straightforward post (use 17 RP) almost immediately afterwards. Why are you guys fighting over this? Go to your rooms.

Dude for have issues. I feel sorry for your family. Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Thank you. That helped me understand. So when the CW ID is transmitted, no CTCSS or DCS tone is transmitted. Anyone who has the tone operated squelch set won’t hear the ID. For all other transmissions the tone is included so those who have the tone operated squelch set will hear them. Thanks again.

Other than clumsy CPS software, and the fact that it is only 20 watts, I know of no other criticisms of the wonderfully useful and low priced Radioddity DB-20-G (haha) a/k/a Anytone AT-779UV.

Cool! Just remember, spark gap transmitters are banned on ham bands since 1920s and internationally since 1930s, and for a good reason.

"some people".. have trouble comprehending anything outside of their own experience and will often demean it in an attempt to compensate for their own social deficiencies.

What hams, or "ham lights" that dabble in GMRS don't understand is that there are groups all over the country that represent the fastest growing segment of GMRS use. And it ain't preppers. It is the off-road community. And they travel the highway, many times cross-country, traveling to their destinations. And most of them use simplex channels and don't care about what frequency it is on. You are going to have a hard fight to resurrect 462.6750 from the 6 foot deep hole it just fell into. Like it or not, there will be convoys of 4wd's heading down highways chatting away on channel 19 before switching over to 16 when they hit the dirt, and driving some of you absolutely bat excrement crazy as they enjoy themselves, blissfully ignorant of what fequency they are on.

Bravo! It makes perfect sense, in my humble opinion.

Proclaiming something on a YouTube channel is adoring. If you were truly interested in the travel channel initiative then you would form a nationwide commission and reach out to the thousands of GMRS operators for a consensus. That's a lot of work and effort. Are you willing to do that? I'm afraid that no one has heard you outside of your YouTube fiefdom. So crow about it all you want. It accomplishes nothing. Oh by the way, take a minute to use your favorite web browser to look up the term "GMRS Travel Channel". Outside this discussion, the preponderance of results will point you towards this ---> Ignore it all you want, I'm sure you will.

There is a repeater near me that requires MDC to use his repeater. It's his way of maintaining controlled access.

wayoverthere and WRAK968 pretty much nailed it. Shame RAS cannot be used on FM sometimes...