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I actually wrote a piece on my QRZ for Hams who visit my page and wonder why I have a GMRS license. I have encountered a few Hams who dont think one way or the other about having a Ham license and GMRS. A few I've encountered have both licenses. Then there are the Hams that treat Ham Radio like a "brotherhood" or an "exclusive club" and if they find out you also have a GMRS license, you are then automatically hated and put on an unofficial black list because you crossed over to the dark side, and according to them, you cant do that. Basically what I wrote was how Ham Radio is a hobby, GMRS is a means of communication. It is like people and cars. You have some who use cars as a means of getting places, like a person using GMRS just communicating. Then you have people who go to school for automotive, they work in a garage, they restore old cars and make a hobby or career out of doing things with cars, like a person using Ham Radio doing contesting and working on radios. Some people in this world just need a means of communication and dont care about working on radios and doing contesting. Before anyone gets into radio, they need to ask themselves what they want out of radio, not what someone tells them is best because the radio service needs new members.

Nice! That's awesome, way to jump in with both feet so to speak! Welcome to the forum.

What’s the backup plan for people in Seattle, Detroit, etc?

For anyone who wishes to know what questions are on the technician tests, there are 35 questions drawn from a pool of slightly more than 400 questions. Each category has a certain number of questions on the test. The current pool is valid through 2026. Here is a link to the pool: http://ncvec.org/downloads/Technician Pool and Syllabus 2022-2026 Public Release Errata March 7 2022.pdf I did almost all my studying using the following free website (and an app they make which I gladly paid $5 for): Http://www.hamstudy.org

@nokones Im pretty sure I can help you get through the Technician test and I think I can probably teach you a little bit of algebra along the way. Let my offer percolate. If you change your mind and just want to go over some things I’m happy to try. My daughter and her family live in Phoenix; sometime when we are there I can probably pry myself apart from the grandkids to give you some in-person help, if you want, but absolutely no pressure. Everyone learns differently and math and electronics is a stumbling block for many. Regardless, best wishes!

@OffRoaderX did a video:

Ideally you can look it up and ask permission in the database associated with these forums. Or, If the repeater identifies itself you can find contact information for the operator and contact them for permission to use it. Finally, some radios have a function incorporated that allows you to scan for tones. Most repeaters (but not all) use the same tone for both receive and transmit. If the repeater doesn’t use the same tone on its input then you would have to listen on the input frequency and scan for tones there.

@WRYT304 Change the decimal part to the correct frequency. The rest should look like this. See https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns for documentation on the collumns.

Actually, it's the ARRL that has a Field Day. It's the last full weekend in June. Next year it's June 29 and 30.

I see eager high schoolers and college students designing and building surface mount altimeters with gps and gyroscopes that track the location and control the recovery of high power rockets. They have adjusted just fine. That’s not holding them back.

I’m a big fan of the Yaesu FTM-200dr but I am a fusion repeater owner so I have to have digital. I also have the 100, 400 and FT-70. All of which have excellent receivers. The 200 stands out because of the PMG feature which allows 5 frequencies to be monitored simultaneously with signal levels. Currently I have my repeater, my hotspot (uhf simplex), local repeater, 146.520 and GMRS 19 in the PMG list. I know it’s way more expensive than the FTM-6000 but it’s a much better radio and it has GPS and APRS. Good luck and 73. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes. SO-239 is the SOcket. PL-259 is the PLug. I have no idea why the number is different.

In case anyone is interested, there's a Prime Day sale on the Radioddity DB25-G. $86 at the time of this posting.

Call your VEC.

I'e been checking several times a day. I'm beginning to think my VEC snail mailed my paperwork.

If I had a laptop running windows, I would consider that an option, but the only laptop I run is Linux. It's a lot easier to take a radio to a desktop PC than the other way around.

Ok, I don't believe it. I some how magically unlocked the radio, please don't ask me how. I called the selling Dealer earlier this afternoon and they didn't know how to unlock it. They said, I needed to download the User's Manual from their website, which I did, prior to calling them. That was a hopeless cause calling them. Just a few minutes ago, I decided to tackle it again, I just couldn't leave it alone and give up. I started by just pushing a bunch of radio buttons and turning the channel selector in a sequence that I don't remember and walla, the radio unlocked and I was able to read the radio so I can custom program the radio. So, I now have the unlocked and I no longer need any Wouxun Radio help, at least for the moment. It's a done deal.

Log into the FCC web site and query your FRN on the Universal License System (ULS) to see if your call sign has been issued. The only reason it should take more than 72 hours is the VEC mailed your results to the FCC rather than filing electronically.

I don’t. I will sometimes listen to ham radio though.

16, already using it for off road and I can't be bothered to change the channel but seriously even though I'm no where near line "A" I would not choose to exclude them so if I had to choose I'd say 20 but does anyone really use a road channel for GMRS? Add me to the scanning category.

@nokones, I found their website and app very helpful as well. You may find your confidence build with just a bit of time with it. The app gives you helpfull info and tips on things you may have trouble with and you will know when you are comfortable to take and pass the test.

Thank you. I joined a local amateur radio club and those guys have been great. They have loaned me an Icom IC-208H mobile, a 10 meter radio and a power supply to use until I can get my own equipment. I will be working on installing a Comet GP-9 dual band and 10m wire antenna on one end of my house along with a Comet CA-712EFC on the other end of the house. There will be about 55 feet between each antenna mast so I should be good to go there. I did pick up a pair of Baofeng UV-5R GMRS radios and still have to decide what radio to use for a GMRS base station.

Hello from Missouri. I just received my GMRS license yesterday and passed my amateur technician license last Saturday. I'm still waiting on my amateur call sign. I stepped off into the rabbit hole with both feet since I am getting into amateur radio and GMRS. But it is like any other hobby that I am in. Model trains aren't much better. I look forward to learning as much as my coffee soaked brain can take in.

Ok! I'm WRONG! i guess I do have a problem with staying a specific topic. I sincerely apologize and will try to KIS & TTP when I Post another comment.

I didnt get a chance to post last night, but there was a 10% off coupon you could click under the price too. I ordered one yesterday with the coupon added it was 83.39 after tax. Edit : Quote doesnt seem to be working, this is in response to the Radioddity DB25-G from @WRQC527.

I cannot speak on the 17s display. The 21Rs display is difficult to see in direct sunlight when the backlight is on. When the backlight turns off (not scanning) it’s pretty easy to see. Some of the stock photos are misleading because it will show a white text on black background but in actuality it’s a black text on white background. I hope this helps. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I run the FTM400. Really wanted a second one but didn't get it in time. Its a solid radio. Most likely grab a FTM300 for my second jeep. I only use it on HAM stuff so no need for mods.

SMD components are fine. I used to be able to solder them without any aids, just with my sharp eye and a steady hand. Basically, the same things and skills you use on ladies to get a score. But now, in my advancing age, I need a good loupe or microscope, and have to rest my elbow on a sturdy surface. Works for me for now, both with PCBs and ladies. Surface mounts are not what is holding the youth to join. If anything is holding them.

The 462 number goes in receive, the 467 in transmit. The DPL number is the digital equivalent of a CTCSS frequency and would go in the slot for digital code transmit. Don't worry about the split, you have that between the transmit and receive.

The newer ones with the USB-C connector can be set to Wide-Band.. Older ones cannot.

I blame surface mount electronics and cheap products from over seas. (Halfway joking, here.) Used to be that electronics were these neat parts with through-hole leads which you would wire up with solder or wire wrap and you got a cool product as a result. Like a crystal diode radio or a light sensor. Starting around age 8-10 with the old Radio Shack electronics kits with spring connectors. Now it's tiny black specks of plastic melted onto a PC board, and there is probably a better $20 product already available on the shelf. Now days, fortunately, there are Arduino or R-Pi with soldered or wire wrap I/O, so there is still some hope. And it gets programming into the mix too. (I also find it hard to interest people in learning manual transmission these days. Sigh.)

If i recall correctly (i have given my 5X away to someone) there is no NOAA "mode", you simply select the NOAA channel you want to listen to in channel mode.

You wont find any Part 90 radios that work with a mac. Only hobby stuff.

I don't have this radio, I just looked at the manual for it. Are you in what the manual calls GMRS mode? That was the only place I saw GMRS mode mentioned so I am assuming that means Channel mode not VFO mode. You have probably already tried but maybe hold down the # button for longer than 5 seconds. Hopefully someone who knows what they are talking about will chime in. Good luck. And if you find out let us know.

As someone somewhat young by this hobby's standards (35) with an elementary school aged kid who can do a better radio check (callsign included) than many others I've heard over the air, I think I can talk a bit about this topic: I send emails via a computer, not letters written on a typewriter. - what does that have to do with anything? Well part of the issue is that "radio" doesn't offer anything different than cell phones, voip, instant message, hell even the POTS network, does. Just like I will likely never bang out a physical letter on a typewriter (unless we experience "the end of the world as we know it currently") again, there is very little need for most younger people to spend the time and money to get into GMRS/HAM/RF... So given there isn't a need there will have to be some other sort of "hook" to get people to pay attention. How do you get people to give up their time and focus on something in the era of the "attention economy"? Make it interesting and worth the time investment. But... GMRS isn't really supposed to be interesting... True, I get it. Without repeaters and good line of sight you'll probably hear... nothing. I know most everyone here "gets it" that GMRS is a bring your own contacts type service, so just sitting around and waiting for someone to speak up/talk to isn't an option for most (especially new) users. So in my opinion we have to go to them but I don't mean physically. GAME-IFICATION. 1. Something similar to geocaching or a scavenger hunt where the radio user has to go find the source of a signal, has to find a log book of others who have done the same hunt or gets to find one of those "take a trinket/leave a trinket" type bounties. Multiple repeater owners/users can provide different clues, etc. 2. A passport or some sort of competition to see how many repeaters you can hit. For example there may be a west coast passport that will have repeaters from Bellingham WA down to San diego CA and as people are out and about/traveling they see how many they can mark off. 3. "game shows" such as a trivia night/jeopardy/family feud or some other voice based game where there is a set time and any participants can listen in/contribute if they choose. IMO that's one piece of the puzzle, but there are who other segments of young people that are "low hanging" fruit to target, those are the "nu age hippies/modern homesteading" crowd. Just about everyone I know in the 30-40yr old age range is tired of the rat race, tired of consumerism, pollution, plastic and overcrowding and wants to get back to a more simple life of both growing their own produce, raising their own poultry but also having access to amazon and heading to the whiskey bar on saturdays. Maybe it's just here in the PNW, but we really, really value our outdoor environment and every single person I know hikes, many times in more remote areas where not all cell carriers have adequate reception. I have never once seen anyone carrying a GMRS radio on the trails. Cyclists, dirtbikers, disc golfers, metal detectorists, there are so many other hobbies that can be complemented with radios, there needs to be some two-way outreach from folks on the radio side of the aisle but also folks already involved in those activities getting into radio so they can take the ideas/enthusiasm back to their respective peer groups. "Preppers/Survivalists" - this one should go without saying but there is a segment of the population primed and ready to get into radio if they only knew about GMRS, and that's those of us who want to be more independent/self sufficient, if covid has thought my age cohort anything its "you cant rely on <insert grocery store> to have XYZ on a seconds notice forever." I know plenty of "kids" who got caught off-guard by covid lockdowns and only had ketchup and ramen in their apartments. I know A LOT more people who are keeping deep pantries, who are making sure to have extra bags of dog food on hand just in case, etc. There are already some GMRS evangelists in most prepper circles, but more knowledgeable folks helping to guide the newbies AND catch them before they become disaffected that their FRS radios only went .5miles and throw them in a box in the garage. Take a look on the prepper subreddit. Finally... politics and radio preachers... I get it, everyone has their own reasons for getting into radios, but I had to drive a total of about 8 hours earlier this week and 80% of what I heard while scanning/listening was some old as dirt sounding fire and brimstone preacher, some foul mouthed "drivers" (truckers) and some racists having a conversation (who the hell knows why, I came in midstream) about whether "Barry White was one of the good ones" if you can read between the lines there. All of those conversations I listened in on were off-putting for one or more reasons, and if that's all someone thinks of when thinking GMRS its only going to appeal to folks already in those mindsets. I don't know exactly what the alternative looks like, but maybe its a "people of color radio users net" or an "LGBT friendly radio net" or even trying to arrange nets for sporting events, TV/streaming show releases, etc. At the end of the day "content is king" and the attention economy is what it is, if there is some reason for people to pay attention to and thusly get involved with GMRS, they will. A "build it and they will come" type situation. At the end of the day I think its outreach, outreach outreach with some excitement and a reason join in and take part.

As you state you have the most problem with the electronics questions in the ham tests have you considered taking an electronics course at your local community college? An electronics course would teach you about AC and DC current, resistance, inductance and capacitance and how they affect both voltage and current. The course would also teach Ohm's Law and how to calculate resistance, voltage or current flow through a circuit or component. You would learn about reactance and its effect on AC circuits, how transformers work along with basic digital circuits and digital logic. Three basic formulas are needed for the Technician test, Ohm's Law (E=IR), power (P=IE or P=I squared R) and wavelength (L=V/F) or velocity divided by frequency. Other than memorizing the electronic symbols for a transistor, diode, transformer, resistor, and capacitor, that's pretty much it on the electronics side.

@nokones Although it wouldn’t be a great substitute for in-person tutoring, I would be happy to try and answer any of your questions about the electrical questions. I would like to do that in a separate thread so others could chime in with their questions and explanations. Do you think that would be helpful?

I don’t know if it’s most, but certainly there are many who do simply memorize the answers, and that’s really too bad because understanding the why of the answers is far more interesting, in my opinion. I have met a good friend, who was one of the first people I tested as a VE. He got his Technician then and has gone on to get his General. A couple times he said he just wants to know the answer and that he’s not interested in learning Ohm’s Law (usually in response to my offering a chalk-talk on Ohm’s Law), but now as he’s using an HF radio and trying to figure out power supplies he finds himself having to know it. I hope he’ll let me do a chalk-talk soon!

99.99% of hams i have met in person were very pleasant and are not sad-hams. It's when you go online that the sad-hams thrive, and thats where the young people go to learn, and often the first thing they run into is a sad-ham. That is what happened to me - I went online and had the audacity to ask questions about the test or electrical theory or something that I didnt understand, and it was quickly made clear to me that people asking such questions were not welcome in this exclusive club. Not just once, but multiple times, in multiple places. I see it here every day, and have even seen it a few times already in this thread. HUNDREDS of my viewers have also commented on my videos that the exact same thing happened to them, so the impact of sad-hams cannot be denied.. I am actually thankful because when the sad-hams turned me off from ham I found GMRS and realized that I dont want/need a "hobby", I just needed a better way to communicate on the trail - and GMRS does that perfectly for me. The sad part is that most sad-hams dont realize that they are the ones giving a bad name to their hobby, and also giving me more material to make fun of.

162,000 people disagree with you, but I'm sure you're probably right because you seem to be a real "expert".

Very possible many mdc users are ignoring the rule. To be fair though, it generally would sound like a Motorola roger beep. People would really hate the sound of digital over the radio, especially if they couldn't decode. Tune into 144.390 with no pl, see how long your sanity last. Most hams turn on receive pl or stay away from the aprs frquencies. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Technically illegal.. with the recent changes they allowed gmrs to send data. Such as gps location and small text messages. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E "Digital data. GMRS hand-held portable units may transmit digital data containing location information, or requesting location information from one or more other GMRS or FRS units, or containing a brief text message to another specific GMRS or FRS unit." But went as far as saying not over the repeaters. "Digital data transmissions. Digital data transmissions are limited to the 462 MHz main channels and interstitial channels in the 462 MHz and 467 MHz bands" "5) GMRS units must not be capable of transmitting digital data on the 467 MHz main channels" FCCs way of saying don't do it on the repeater inputs. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Not even with permission. 95.1787(a)(5) GMRS units must not be capable of transmitting digital data on the 467 MHz main channels.

Contact the seller/manufacturer and tell them to send you one that works as advertised or give you back your monies.

Huh? Maybe its the allergy medicine, but this makes zero sense to me. Lets try this again - Yes or NO: Are you transmitting on one of the pre-programmed repeater channels? Yes or NO: Are you transmitting on a simplex channel (15-22)?

Another poster started a similar thread for KG-1000G and I thought it was such a great idea, I figured I'd start one for KG-935G. Some of this may apply to the KG-XS20G (manuals look very similar) or to other KGs. Here's one I'll start with (and it has much to do with the software): Scan Groups Preface: The KG-935G has 999 memory slots. Scanning channels is fairly slow. Priority Channel scan is a great idea, but implemented globally (vs within a scan-group). If you visit different areas frequently, its best to scan only the stuff near you. If you have less than 100 channels of interest in any given area (I have 25 at most in any geographic area), this may help you. Aside from where I live, I regularly visit 2 areas, and less frequently visit 2 others. Using the (less than great) Wouxun software: First: Renumber all scan groups to Group1=100-199, Group2=200-299, etc etc (I made Group10=001-099). This makes it such that any channel's first digit is the same as the scan group number. (out of the box, group 2 runs from 100, to 199. Not so intuitive later on...) Second, create a fake "Channel" at 100, 200, 300, 400, etc. Set it to no transmit, Scan Add = OFF, and give it a name for your areas of interest. For example, I have: 100="<HOME>" [settings: Rx 137.1, TX off, TX Power low, Mode narrow] 200="<DFW>" (Dallas) 300="<ETex>" (east Texas) 400= "<Hou>" (Houston) 800="<HotList" (stuff I might like to hear anywhere) several others. I left channels 1-99 factory stock. Finally, separate all of your regional channels under the appropriate bank. For example, I have Tyler GMRS repeater in 311, DallasFire at 255. The Northwest Houston GMRS repeater in 401. You could further subdivide these by band, service, interest (e.g. 200=DFWGMRS, 400=HouGMRS, 500 Hou-HAM, 600-HOUfire) so you only scan GMRS for your area, or all the HAMs in an area, or only Fire/Police in another. After doing that, it is a simple matter to use the radio's menu keyboard to set the scan group to match wherever you find yourself. And here's the true magic: Because you renumbered the groups, and stored a fake "label" channel at x00... if you ever forget, you can just key in "200", "400", etc, to see the channel group label ("<DFW>" & "<Hou>" in my case). Press UP Arrow to quickly find the channel you want, or set the scan group to #2 and you're scanning all the channels you saved for that "region" (Dallas on my radio). Now it's your turn: Have any tips/tricks for KG-935G (or very closely related) radios? Post them here!

I followed @wayoverthere’s advice and got a ProClip for my RAV4 and KG-1000G: I just had to drill a 2nd hole to match the middle holes in the head unit. The mic hangar is just a metal hangar with the 3M sticky on the back. I think it's similar to this one at WalMart. (can't remember where exactly I ordered it from)

I had to go try it on mine. It doesn’t work for me either.