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The Nagoya NA-771G is definitely a popular choice. I have the 771G for my GMRS HTs and the 771 dual band version for my 2m/70cm HTs. I do notice better reception when using the longer 771/771G antennas versus the stock rubber duck antennas.

I don't know about best but a lot of people (myself included) like the Nagoya NA-771G. It's a bit long though (about 15") so I use the NA-701G mostly (about 5.5").

I put a BNC-SMA adapter on my Yaesu FT5DR so I can remove and replace the antenna easily without wearing out the factory connector.

@Tiercel as an example of things talked about above the connector on your Baofeng UV-9G is a Male SMA, the antenna that screws into it is a Female SMA..

I think the previous answers have been accurate. I would add, reception of weaker stations (regardless of whether the other party was farther away, using less power or a poorer antenna) is CLEARER on radios with better and more expensive receiver components. My experience is based on Kenwood vs Baofeng. I still use the Baofeng on occaison, as many posted above, it has its place.

1. SMA, but there are 4 different SMA connectors. There’s the outer threaded shield which can be either male or female and there’s the center pin and socket. You will find male threads and female center sockets, male threads and male center pins, female threads with female center sockets, and finally female threads with male center pins. (RG-58 is a cable standard). 2. No, they do not. Of the radios I have, the Baofeng UV5R dual band radios, Yaesu FT65R, Yaesu FT4x, and Alinco MD5 all use the female threads and male pin on the radio, but my FT5DR uses male threads and a female center socket.

Baofeng radios use a SMA female antenna. As mentioned by others, most HT's will have a SMA connector. Some brands use SMA male on the radios, such as Baofeng, while others use a SMA female on the radios, such as TYT. The last time I saw or used a BNC type connector was years ago on a CB HT.

Picket fencing is when signals are fluttering in and out.

https://mygmrs.com/repeater/7898 The Front-Range Electronics Engineers GRMS repeater is open to all FCC licensed GRMS operators. It is also open to FCC part 97 operators that do not have a GRMS license, those radio amateurs must register with us for an identifier under the license of the repeater owner. Uh....Really....Apparently you didn't read the rules....

I only have Wouxun GMRS HTs now, but I have the Nagoya NA-771G and a NA-701G. I don't find that the shorter 701G adds anything extra to my radios but I like that it is more flexible than the OEM antenna. The longer 771G may be a slight improvement over the OEM in receiving signals on the fringe but not a lot in my experience. I have tried several others that I don't have any longer and don't remember the brands. Seems like I normally end up just using the antenna that came on the radios. But again, different brand radios than what you are asking about so YMMV.

It goes by many terms. Unlocking, jailbreaking, etc. Generally it's a "do at your own risk" proposition. There's lots of how-to videos, including some made by regular contributors to these forums.

If only the biggest GMRS Radio YouTuber would make a video showing exactly how.. oh well, I guess we'll never know. EDIT: Since you never told us WHICH Baofeng radio you have nobody will be able to help you anyway.. Baofeng makes a LOT of radios.

Welcome to the forums.

Hello everyone, another newbie around here,WRZI776, a complete novice to this world, got my GMRS license and Baofeng UV-R5 GMRS. Looking for Massachusetts team

BNC seems to be pretty common with some of the portable hf gear; the xiegu x6100 and g106 do, elecraft's new kh1 does, and iirc, the icom 705 does as well.

One other advantage I discovered is that it makes good use of a little power. A 5 watt HT is all I have needed even 30 miles is no problem. Its a very well built antenna as well. Very happy with it so far. Had it about six months.

Others will chime in, but most HTs use an SMA connector. the gender is determined by the post or hole in the middle, not the threading. Each adapter will generally cause some loss of power. But I use them when needed.

It depends on what the radio has. Many are SMA (male or female). Check these adapter kits. For examples.

That is an excellent antenna but it is directional. You have to point it in the general direction you want. I have one for my base station. Did you have a question about it?

Tropospheric ducting definitely effects how far radio waves travel. I was picking up a GMRS repeater this morning that is 33 miles from me but that I normally can't reach due to terrain. I was getting a very weak but clear signal this morning.

I ran into this problem just today actually. It seems like this reddit link proposed using the GM-30 software and shared a helpful download link for it. After several virus scans it came back clean. Once installed, I plugged in my radio, rebooted the software a dozen times to fix the resolution issues, and turned my radio off and on again while plugged in still. This "fixed" whatever issue I was having and I managed to successfully program a few repeaters in my local area. A quick check let me ping the only one I'm in range of and it came in clear as a bell. Average windows user experience really. Hope this helps out anyone else like me just now having this issue.

Thanks to everyone. Those were great, straight-to-the-point answers that put it in perspective.

Now imagine switching to a taller high gain antenna. That will really let that 50 watts sing.

^ that.. And, for clarification, UHF (GMRS) is line of site. If you cant see it, then you are bouncing your signal to it - and more power helps to do that.

Of course power makes a difference, otherwise we could all have FRS radios. But many people get worked up about a watt or two when a good antennas makes much more difference.

A repeater acknowledgement is only heard if the repeater operator programs it. It’s not necessary and some do not.

I run factory short stubby on my LMR stuff for certain applications. When on a TLMR system the whip vs stubby normally is not much different. For range yes the stubby will be limited. Depends on useage.

This subject has literally been beaten to death on this site and many others. But since you asked, I'll compare my favorite two HTs, my Baofeng UV5R and my Yaesu FT-70, both of which will do GMRS if the situation allows it. Cost. $20 vs $170. Baofeng wins. Printing rubbing off the keys in 6 months. Yaesu wins. Keypad programming. Yaesu wins. CHIRP programming. Baofeng wins. Receiver sensitivity. Yaesu wins. Battery life. Baofeng wins. Durability. Yaesu wins. Transmit audio. Tie. Receive audio. Tie. Flashlight. Baofeng wins. User manual. Yaesu wins. Worrying if it falls in a lake. Baofeng wins. I'm sure there's more, but you get the picture. I think the Yaesu is the better radio, but the Yaesu is certainly not 9 times better than the Yaeasu, and the Baofeng is not 9 times worse than the Yaesu. Or however that math works. I hope I answered your question without violating your rather numerous demands.

I'll confirm that two Wouxun are not a good solution based on my personal experience. What did I learn from that experience, do not go cheap if you want it to work and have others enjoy your efforts to support the GMRS hobby and be one of the Kool guys on the spectrum with a repeater.

It is the Radioddity GM-30 in a Baofeng case.

Whew! Thats ONE in a row!

No failing memory this time. The GM15 is a GMRS radio.

The GM15 is a "GMRS" radio, correct? If that is the case then it already has 8 channels (23-30) with the offset built in. Just find the channel that corresponds to the frequency of the repeater and enter & save your TX tone. You wont need to set or worry about the offset. To use additional repeaters you will have to create a "DIY" repeater channel. You cannot use a repeater directly or in VFO mode - the only way is to create and save the repeater info as a new channel or use one of the preset (ch 22-30) channels. If my memory is failing me and the GM15 is not a "GMRS Radio", then please just disregard everything I've said.

That is a HUGE decision if you are going to any significant height. And the biggest issue is cost. Putting up a tower over 100 feet can easily exceed $50K in cost. And that could double depending on property value. Any sort of 'group effort' tower should be placed on a neutral site, and not at any one members location. Reason for this is simple. Legally it's THEIR tower. No matter how hard you lawyer that effort, it's on their property and locks it into them. And there is the need to figure out income if a tower of any significance is erected and a prospective tenant approaches the group / land owner for access. The land owner WILL want in on the income stream if a tower on his land is all of a sudden making 2 grand or more a month. And yes, depending on location and other factors is a reasonable number. BUT, do not expect a tenant on your tower as a method to pay for it. Another requirement is cost going forward. Tower sites have maintenance costs, taxes, utility costs and anything else a piece of real estate would have. And additional costs like obstruction lighting maintenance and registration that no other piece of real estate has. But, renting space from one of the large vertical real estate companies has it's own set of issues. Mainly that you would be hard pressed to get into an agreement of less than 5 years with them. And their contracts are iron clad. If you enter a contract with them, it doesn't matter if you are there 5 months, or 5 years. You are going to be on the hook for the 5 year term of the contract. The only plus to renting is you do have some way out at the point of the term of the contract ending. Keep in mind that this is hobby radio. Folks loose interest and ultimately there may come a time that no one is interested any more. With a rented space, you can hire a tower climber to remove your antenna's and such from a rented site and not extend the lease for another term. With an owned site, it is real property and would need to be transferred to another or razed (tower and building torn down) and the property sold. Which again, creates issues with the original group that funded the build. The way that the ownership was worked out will have repercussions on how the money from the sale of the real estate gets distributed. And those things need to be worked out prior to building a tower site that will be for a group. I understand this rat hole pretty well and can give you information on what needs to be done and how to do it, within reason.

Update 2: The channel 15 fix arrived. I installed it and both radios now TX on 15. Problem solved. I posted the files below. Watch the video first because the boot loader (EXE file) is half in Chinese so it's tricky although the operation is easy - just three clicks: I practiced the whole thing a couple of times without the radio to make sure everything was were it was supposed to be. Put all the files in the same folder. Start the boot loader. Power on the radio in factory mode (see video). Connect the radio to the computer. Then: 1) select your comm port 2) select the .kdf file (in the long drop down field at the top of boot loader). 3) press the install button (top rectangular button on the right by the comm port selection drop down (watch video). Once the .kdf fix loading gets to 100% -its done - no confirmation. At that point wait a couple of seconds and then turn the radio off and disconnect it. Disclaimer: NOT my software!!! I'm NOT responsible for anything that happens to your radio or your computer. My install went fine and I have no signs of any viruses or such (I checked my virus software). GMRS-5R Upgrade Tutorial video.mp4 M8F3_BF_Download.exe GM_5R_M8_V02_231004_2.kdh

I bought the two pack of the UV-5R GMRS radios from the Baofeng Amazon store and both work just fine on all channels. I bought mine on 9 Oct 2023 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGHXV6Y4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 I tested both radios and they transmit and receive on all channels.

I've got a question for you, I'm in a similar boat but with the antenna mounting. Drilling for an NMO mount is unacceptable, not only for myself but if I intend to stay married and in possession of all my body parts, there will be no holes. 90% of the body panels are alu, roof is all glass which is coated, and there isn't an acceptable spot for a lip mount so right now I'm stuck with a mag mount on the rear trunk lid. I've considered the idea of getting a carbon fiber trunk lid and drilling that but there are better ways I could light a few grand on fire.

Yup. Thats why my repeater are closed and not listed. Even my 2meter repeater is not listed anyplace. I spend lots of time and money to keep these on the air for my use and not others.

One of the more irritating things is when I'm confronted by non-paying, non-member users of my semi-private amateur repeater that has arguably the best coverage in southern California on the rare occasions when it's down. Which is almost always through no fault of the repeater.

This ^^^^ is what many dont understand about having a good coverage repeater. Some of us pay alot of $$$ out of our pockets to have this stuff on the air.

Hello! New GMRS user here, as I just recently discovered the service while researching HAM. Will eventually get HAM licensed also, but for now focusing on GMRS. I grew up in a CB family in the 70s and 80s and have had mobile CBs off and on over the years. Also used radios daily in my criminal justice career over the last 28 years. Had my GMRS license a month and have 2 UV-5RE8W hams and 2 GM-15 Pros. Have a GMRS-20v2, programming cable, Nagoya NMO magnet mount, and Midland MTXA26 arriving this week for my truck. Looking to also get a GMRS-50v2 or KG1000g plus in the near future. Already learned a lot from YouTube and looking forward to learning from this forum.

I have one, and have a few friends that have/use one and they work well - but just putting a big antenna on your roof will probably get you more farz... But, combining this WITH a big antenna on your roof to make up for cable-loss is a very good combo. Beware that "some people" will probably leave comments about this unit being 'dangerous' because of spurious RF emissions, but bear in mind that normal people dont care about that. EDIT: I have/my friends have the U-25 version as @WRYZ926 correctly pointed out.

Places I never buy radio gear from: QRZ.COM eBay Door to Door Used Radio Salesmen

This is a very bad choice for many people because the programming software/CPS has a very steep learning curve, is often difficult if not impossible to find, often (depending on the radio/software) does not run well on newer computers, things like batteries, cables, etc, are also often difficult to find or expensive, and it will almost certainly cost a lot more. And most important: Those commercial radios are not Part 95 approved so it is illegal to use them and they will go to jail!!!!!1 I know this because I've seen this posted on this forum 100 times or more. Sometimes "cheap junk Chinese radios" are plenty good enough for normal people, despite the poor QC, but "some people" just cannot seem to grasp this simple fact and will live the rest of their lives proselytizing against inexpensive radios completely oblivious to other people's needs/desires.

@txrodehog thanks for showing a side-by-side comparison. I got my UV-5R and the letters on the number keys are really hard to read. It looks like the ones on the UV-9G are much easier to read. I've been thinking that my next radio might be a 9G and that photo puts me that much closer in the direction of the 9G. P.S. I will click like on your post as soon as the system will let me. Too many reactions in the current 24hr period.

If a Factory-Reset does not help, throw them in the trash and spend $40 on 2 new ones from Amazon - problem solved and lesson learned.. That lesson being that eBay is a den of liars and thieves.

I think the Colorado Group improved on Wyoming’s “Be 307 Aware” scheme (Channel 3, PL #7) by leaving CTCSS/DPL OFF. Especially in an emergency situation, simpler is better.

Does anyone have a copy of the V06.03.009 firmware file for the GM-30? I cant find it anywhere. Thank you.

Additional research indicates that the latest software for the Radioddity GM-30 will work with the GM-15 (but do not use the firmware software to change the installed firmware). This is version 2.06 running on Windows XP emulated by Parallels on my Mac: Radioddity GM-30 Software:

I spotted this tidbit on the information webpage of a GMRS repeater and thought "what?"..... "GMRS as a Bridge Mode: o GMRS Allows Non-Hams to talk to Hams (i.e., licensed amateur radio operators) o Hams can communicate with non-ham-licensed family members, friends, and community members"