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I love this subject. Mostly because I like both for different reasons and because of the responses I get to what I am about to type... Hopefully I don't catch too much grief for writing an unsolicited novel. LOL Bottom line is, on a peer to peer level, if a CB (HF) radio is properly installed and has a proper antenna and antenna installation, CB radio (HF radio as a technology) absolutely destroys GMRS in overall performance. CB provides great line of site coverage; the same coverage as GMRS, but also provides ground wave propagation, sky wave propagation and weaker signal receive capability. Combined, those propagation methods make CB a much better platform. I dare say far superior segment of the Personal Radio Service, due to having coverage inside of potentially 1,200 to 2,400 mile radius, depending on the propagation models used and atmospheric conditions available at any given moment. A GMRS radio, in a standalone configuration like CB radio, will never be able to compete with CB. Sure, there are very limited conditions that occur throughout the year and solar cycles that allow GMRS radios to cover anywhere from 300 to 600 miles, but they are extremely rare and can't be counted on for day to day use. Reality is, 99.999% of the time, you are bound to RF Line of Sight. Depending on where you are, that can be less than 1 mile or as much as 150+ miles. It just depends on your elevation and the elevation of the other station. Now... that opinion is supported solely on the precedent that the CB radio and antenna are of proper quality and installed correctly. The biggest problem that has led many to believe the CB is not good, is the overwhelming amount of trash radios and short antennas on the market, combined with almost never having the system properly installed. Enter GMRS. Again, just my opinion... people getting frustrated with supposed poor performance of CB, pushed a large segment of the 'license by rule' users to look for another option. With GMRS being on the bottom-end of UHF, the antenna installation is significantly less temperamental, making it so you almost have to try to do a bad install. Combine that with the point that the market has some quality radios that can be purchased easily and for a reasonable price, plus FM sounds more pleasant to listen too, and now people start flocking to FRS and GMRS. For more advanced users, GMRS wins over FRS due to the higher power available, the mobile and base station capability (removing dependencies on AA and AAA batteries and improved range) and the fact that we have networked repeaters available in many locations, and now the masses move to GMRS. In my opinion, is GMRS 'better' than CB? No, but it sure is a lot of fun and provides a much easier platform that fills the need to a larger group of non-technically skilled people, making it better choice than CB for many. And that is an important distinction.

If one wants to think about it a bit differently 11M CB is a license free simple HF service. That goes with the license free MURS and FRS services too. For someone who doesn't want to deal with tests and licenses but wants to sample the RF waters the above is about the easiest and cheapest way to get a taste of the radio hobby and the differences between the bands. Part 95 services has HF, VHF and UHF bands to buy radios for and have fun. CB 11M radio has it's place.

I have bought several of them over the years and all surviving ones still work fine. The UV-5R is my go-to if there is a good chance the radio may not return in one piece (or at all). They're cheap and they work. Good stocking stuffers too. I need a big UV-5R PEZ dispenser.

But no one ever heard him… he should have got a Garmin inReach . The end.

Rather than modifying the 4 person intercom hardware and the work of trying to find and wire the necessary hardware, why not just buy a headset from Paradan and connect it to the radio? I have one of their headsets on my ICOM radios and it is extremely robust and comfortable.

@WRXE944 that is not how Property Rights in the US work. The repeater owners have zero obligation to anyone (beyond FCC rules and state/federal laws, of course). My house is on a public street. It doesn't mean everyone who has the privilege of accessing that street has any business being in my house and I certainly don't have an obligation to make it known that my house is private, not public or they can just come right in. By law, it is assumed private and you can't come in. Those personal Property Rights don't change depending on the property. You have the exact same 'privilege' to use the frequencies as anyone else. Unless you ask the owner of the radio (which is what a repeater is) if you can use their radio, you can't just assume the privilege of using that person's radio is yours. It is their Right to grant or deny access to their personal property. The problem with you sharing your opinion is, while you don't care if you open yourself to criminal trespass charges and FCC fines, not everyone feels the same way. You are giving out bad advice.

This is literally the first time I have ever heard of a UV-5R that was DOA.. I've purchased over a dozen, and know probably 100+ people that have also purchased them, so it is likely not a pattern. That said, virtually anything is a step up.

Depending on how the Trespass Statute is written for the jurisdiction of where the act was committed, it may be possible that an act of using a person's private repeater without permission could be considered trespassing "if" the statute has language to include a "chattel". A trespass to chattels is an intentional interference with another person's lawful possession of a personal property. A "chattel" refers to any personal property, moving or non-moving. However, in order for a violation of a Trespass be enforced, an order must be given to the violator and that Trespass order must be documented/recorded by law enforcement in order to enforce it at a future date. No, I do not consider myself an expert. I'm just a lowly ol' internet user that happens to be in the know and retired playing with my gazillion Part 90 and two Part 95 radios for giggles on both Part 90 & 95 freqs.

Not approved for use in BOTH services. The Type Certification would be for GMRS with an additional statement it meets Part 15 requirements which is needed for Amateur use. Putting the radio onto Amateur frequencies negates the GMRS certification as stated in the regs.

Like it or not, you have to admit the threat of beating or death keeps the child-labor QC results very high on these things!

There may be other ways to get the repeater information such as the local ham/GMRS group or by scanning the input frequency with a radio that can scan for the tone, then connecting to the repeater and calling out/asking for permission, or just using it until someone tells you to not use it.

My opinion, no, not necessarily. That question falls in the jurisdiction of the FCC and the rules are pretty clear that no one has any more or less privilege on a given frequency, and harmful interference rules would then apply.

What repeater contract are you refering to? There's no implied agreement. What are you talking about? The FCC seems to disagree with you. Sounds like you mean entitlement, which is not a thing, legally speaking as far as I know. (2) May allow any person to use (i.e., benefit from the operation of) its GMRS repeater, or alternatively, may limit the use of its GMRS repeater to specific persons; Enhanced Content - Paragraph Tools URL https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/part-95/section-95.1705#p-95.1705(d)(2) Citation 47 CFR 95.1705(d)(2) (3) May disallow the use of its GMRS repeater by specific persons as may be necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this section.

I’m not sure why you think talking down to someone who obviously understands the regulations better than you is called for. It’s not. When radios are certified it’s done as configured from the factory. The configuration in firmware is sometimes adjusted to ensure conformance. Even though the same hardware is used, firmware (and configurations of it) can make a significant difference.

Hello and welcome. There several reasons why you may not get a response. GMRS is primarily intended for family's and friend's to stay in touch and as such many people will just ignore unwanted transmissions. Could also be that they are not in range. If they are using FRS radios they don't have as much power/range and even if they hear you and respond you may not receive them. If you are hearing traffic on a repeater channel and you are not programed for repeater use then they will not hear you. If you are programed for the repeater you may be out of range. Repeaters usually have longer range than hand held radios. It's possible that the folks you are trying to talk to are using "privacy tones" and their radios will ignore transmissions that don't transmit those same tones. That come's back to they just don't want to hear from anyone outside their group. Give us some more details on what you are trying.

I use my Whiskey number from the 70's - 46W194.

I don't know why some people just think the regulations don't apply to them. Even unlocking the radio to operate outside its certified parameters violates the regulation.

I'm not. Never said I was. When was that a requirement to study Law or to help write Bills and ask Congress for consideration? Or a requirement for having a qualified opinion? I mean, I have represented myself in dozens of cases and have never lost. So, obviously being a lawyer doesn't mean they are more qualified to practice law or have an opinion about the legality of any particular issue than someone who has not passed the Bar.

Hard to say. Would depend on usage I suppose. Wouxun is well liked. Retevis are well packaged. Then there is Anytone. Then the Big Three. Others might have a different view of the landscape. What's casual to you and how that matches up with a feature set might take you a while to sort all that out.

Come on man... you make it sound like if I knock on the door of your house for 20 minutes and you don't answer, I can't just walk in, assuming it's okay because you didn't say "don't come in".

After install, I also see it in my menu list: it also shows in here: C:\Program Files (x86)\CHIRP\chirpwx.exe

What do the FARs say? This is an intercom, not navigation or vital avionics. I am not sure that the OP isn’t just wanting to use the same headset for his radio.

Welcome @jswed!

What kind of computer are you on? If you are on a Mac and you downloaded Chirp already it will be in your downloads folder. First plug your radio in to the computer via programming cable and make sure radio is on. Click on Chirp in downloads folder to open. Then click on “Radio” in the upper left corner. Click on “download from radio”.

Why assume I am disagreeing with you? I included your post for context only.

New member here from Indiana. Purchased baofeng uv-5g(5x). Gmrs call sign is wrxy992. Got a few questions but will try and find the proper place in the forum to ask.

Make one.

Thanks Randy, great video.

This is poor advice. You don’t jump on someone’s repeater unless you have permission to do so and you certainly don’t just use it until told otherwise. Some repeaters may still be leftovers from when businesses were licensed on those frequencies, and regardless, at the end of the day, the repeaters are private property of the owners. While the airwaves are not, the repeater or this method of using them is, and by using a repeater without permission is basically unauthorized use of private property. This is the same as coming across someone’s yard or land, and just using it until you are told otherwise or thrown off. Until you identify who’s repeater it is and make contact with the owner or responsible party, treat it as a closed repeater and stay off it.

A lot of my friends have purchased UV5R radios. I’ve only seen one part failure, a microphone jack that no longer connects the built in microphone when the plug is removed. I’ve not seen one DOA.

Take a look at an EMR Corp. Duplexer. They're not cheap but reliable and durable. https://emrcorp.com/product/duplexers/mobile-duplexer/65316-0-mc5g-talsa/

Wouxun KG-UV9GX GMRS SHTF (906 Channels) GMRS Two-Way Radio & VHF/UHF “S#it Hits The Fan” Scanner Custom Programming Chart

I'd say that settles it Lucky for you they both come with the Randy Bee... um I mean Roger Beep

The KG-UV9GX has a sexier wrist-strap.

Greetings all, My apologies for not replying sooner. My schedule has been a bit crazy and I just now had the time to check for any replies.That's not really the answer I was hoping for but I can't say that I'm surprised. Thank you "gortex2" and "TheSidewinder" for replying with all the info, it's greatly appreciated.

My admittedly poor attitude is that if a repeater owner doesn’t respond in a timely manner to access requests they probably won’t notice that you’re accessing their repeater unless you do something wrong. Do as Randy says and scan for the input tone. If they object to you accessing their repeater they can always say so.

I am very familiar with what HAM radios does, however the poster was talking about linking. My comment was the linking in ham radio would not be there either. His comment was - In reality very little ham or GMRS stuff will be working without the cell sites or internet up in regards to linked systems.

Sorry but in the event of a disaster 90% of those links will be down. Most are on consumer internet circuits at homes with no generator. Ham is in the same boat 95% of the time. Unless its a hardened site with hardened internet it can't be relied on for anything. Again if you want to talk across multiple states pick up your cell phone or get your ham radio license.

it exist already, it's called ham.

I heard a rumor that a major GMRS YouTube Hobo will be doing a review of the 50V2 next week.

You find out real quick just how serious people are about it when the repeater owner starts asking for money from the users to pay for it all. Not surprisingly most of the interest fades fast at that point.

Exactly right. There’s little to gain by trying to make GMRS something it isn’t.