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Mostly. It must be on channel 18rp, not just channel 18. But it looks like you have the right DCS codes according to the manual. One thing about DCS codes and CTCSS tones is that you can leave your receive one empty and you’ll receive everything on that frequency. That’s helpful sometimes because you can tell if there’s traffic on the channel.

I have a BTECH 5 watt handheld and the stock antenna, the 701G, and the 771G. For me in my non-scientific testing (my friend staying put on high ground and me moving further and further away and testing each antenna), the stock and 701G are very similar but the 771G is better by abut ~30%. Of course, that will vary from user to user, but I use my stock or 701G when within 1.5 miles or so, and my 771G for greater simplex or repeaters.

Which radio are you using would be the first question? Then are you having problems with the stock one? Not all stock antennas suck. Most aftermarket antennas get better range because they are longer but that only matters if the stock one is not reaching where you need it to. Quite often the stock one will work just fine.

That's true. I tend to not think about those since I can only afford cheep radios with stock antennas that suck.

If you both have a good radios that get out and both are able to hit repeater, then yes.

Keep in mind repeaters are frequently on hills and mountains with higher output than an HT or some mobile radios. Their hight and power is an advantage to reach further so it may reach you but you may or may not reach it. This line of sight tool may give you an idea of your paths to the repeater. Good luck.

Woxoun is better than Mudlands any day, but depending on what you need a TYT or Radioddity are good choices too.

Can you communicate? Maybe. You're both at the very fringe of the repeater's claimed range. With Baofeng HTs? Doubtful unless you both have absolutely clear line of sight between you and the repeater. And this is not just an issue with "lowly" Baofengs. It's an issue with any (roughly) 5-watt handheld. You would have better luck with a mobile radio that puts out more wattage. As with everything radio-related, your results may vary.

The trouble with relying on cellular phones as a primary communication device in an emergency is that every cellular service is over-subscribed by design. They make money on the idea that thousands of people might be in the vicinity of a local cellular tower, but only a few of those people will actually be trying to use their phones at any given moment. In an emergency, everyone picks up their phone and tries to call, text, livestream, or search up: "what do I do in an active shooter situation?" Any study done in the aftermath of an emergency will point out poor communication as a primary point of failure. Having a dedicated communication system with proper training and protocols is much better if there is an emergency - rather than relying on a service that piggybacks on top of an overloaded cellular service. Do NOT use Zello for emergency situations.

Ch. 16 and surf the the others. Spent a lot of time in Uwharrie NF years ago. Palmetto Jeep Club even owned a trail (SAWMILL) for winter maintenance before it was re-routed. Seen lots of changes pass thru that park. Did some (worked) Camp Jeeps too in VA. Mostly we wheel with VA4WDA and Williamsburg, TN, JJAM any more. Completed the Trans American Trail and others....

One other point no one broached is to talk to the local PD. They will help your school with interoperability issues and may even have some units they can provide your administration for use in a situation requiring police presence. You won't use their radios for bus duty and the like as they would be for emergencies only. I would steer away from FRS radios because of the issues with possible interference. Talk to a local radio supplier and get some business band units. Yes the brand name ones like Motorola, Kenwood and ICOM are expensive but others like RCA, Hytera and a few others are reasonable.

Hello all, I am a teacher at my local middle school and I am in the process of starting a ham radio club for the kids. It has piqued the interest of students, parents, and staff alike. In doing this the principal has been asking me questions about the radios that the staff use for the building. They typically use them for communications in locating kids, lunchtime duties, bus duty, etc. The principal has told me that the radios they currently use are horrible and that they have a hard time reaching across the school. The radio that the school is using is the Hytera PD362i, and we have about 8 of them along with some no-frill, basic Motorolas. When I asked him about who runs all the radios for the district and his experience he stated that the individual is IT guy and his knowledge of radios is very limited. The principal does not know why they use these radios specifically, but that was what was given to them. He has made complaints to the district about the radio not being able to reach all around the school and even within closer proximities. When he asked me to find out what radios would be good to have for the school and brought a couple of Baofeng UV-9g's to school and ran a couple of tests to gauge the distance and sound on them. I was very surprised that the UV9g's could be heard loud and clear on FRS frequencies everywhere in the school as well as outside of the building yet the Hytera's could not even make half those distances. I am not a professional in this field and my knowledge in doing such things in this capacity is almost nonexistent. I did tell the principal I would look into it and see what I can find out, I am a history major so business comms is not in my wheelhouse of expertise in any way. So I come to all of you who are experts in such things and know way more than I do in this subject. Any feedback or help would be greatly appreciated. The answers the principal got was that they were going to need to set up a repeater in the school and for some reason was going to cost them $10,000!!!! So as you can see this has been a touchy subject with admin because of the cost, yet these radios are vital for communications around the school. If anyone is willing to help us out and give us some info or if anyone is willing to volunteer their time for a consult over the phone with the principal or just point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you don't break it off getting there, a flexible whip is better for off-road use. Those were just made to put on rigs for drivers with linears pushing out some megawatts while driving down the highways, where they're unlikely to snap off from trees.

Strange! Is it under warranty? Be sure the RJ-45 connector from the mic cable is pushed all the way in.

I agree. And knowing what radio he has will help. I find the Nagoya 771G works better than stock on my Baofeng radios but I didn't notice much difference when trying the 771G on my Wouxun 935G. The stock 935G antenna is a good one.

Theoretically yes. UHF (GMRS frequencies) is line-of-sight for the most part. If you both can reach and open the repeater than you will be able to communicate. If there are trees, buildings, hills between you and the repeater you may not be able to hit the repeater. 50 miles is doable with a handheld under the right conditions and with an unobscured line of sight to the repeater.

For all its imperfections, the PL-259 is much more durable than the N connector. That alone might make it worthwhile living with the disadvantages. I have seen the tiny brass fingers on an N female connector broken, presumably because someone attempted to plug in a PL-259. And whoever adopted the same thread diameter and pitch for both should be chastised. I would love to know that history.

@Radioguy7268 I consider your post one of the best posts in this thread. I would only add that, regardless of what your school chooses, you absolutely must train everyone who might possibly ever need to use it and then have them use it frequently (recess duty, sporting events, speech meets, etc.) so in a true emergency its use is second nature. Even though many teachers are often early adopters of technology, some will be intimidated by it and not want to touch it. They’re the ones who will benefit most from training. Also, make sure everyone in a position of responsibility gets training, not just teachers and admin staff. Your classroom helpers, janitors, maintenance engineer, bus drivers, lunchroom workers, coaches, resource officers, etc. It might not hurt to identify some tech savvy students and train them also so they can help if a teacher is incapacitated or distracted by more important details during an emergency. Obviously that’s less likely for younger grades unless you have older students as helpers. I would also make sure someone on the outside gets a radio and training, such as the school board chairperson, county superintendent, or someone with local law enforcement. My wife was a teacher at schools of various sizes from one room, where she was responsible for all eight grades, to a large school where she was one of three second grade teachers. She was always having to send one of the older students to tell another teacher something. The intercoms built into many schools are hampered by the fact that they are permanently installed in the wall. For normal classroom communications they’re barely adequate. In an emergency it’s nearly impossible to whisper and use the intercom. Drill. A lot.

Except that it's not. "Family" radio service or not, commercial use of FRS radios is OK. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-95.503 Not saying that bubble-pack FRS radios would be the best choice for a school although I know there are many that use them. But there are LOTS of commercial entities using FRS radios, and even some government ones. One example? Flaggers for a paving or other road construction crew. Short distance, not emergency services, cheap solution works fine. I know of at least one local town that does this. Sure, their trucks have commercial radios on a DMR frequency, but the two people holding the stop signs on either side of the paving operation are using FRS. The FCC isn't going to hunt them down and impose a 10K fine, not just because enforcement of FRS rules is at the bottom of their list, but because they aren't doing anything against regulations.

Nagoya also makes a NA-701g. Same antenna, just shorter. 5.5".

He has a video comparing N connectors to UHF connectors too... The differences were less stark than in these angle connectors, but he wasn’t testing at UHF frequencies. I prefer N connectors. They’re just better connectors and more resistant to moisture penetration.

There's a practicality point to all of this, because running multiple control heads get pretty expensive pretty quickly if you're buying them retail (or even getting new at dealer cost!). The dual control head option is neat, but if you just want to talk on a specific channel, it's much easier (and affordable) to run a remote speaker and/or mic. There's a few different builders who make remote microphone options that plug into the rear accessory connector of most of the popular mobile radios. You're not going to have channel changing options, you're not going to see the LCD display, but you'll be able to hear what's going on, and even key up to talk back. If 90% of what you want to do in the other room is monitor the radio, then the remote speaker is about the simplest and cheapest.

Does anyone have any experience with the new MICROMOBILE MXAT04VP 6.6DB GAIN HIGHLAND™ TALL HEAVY-DUTY BULLBAR ANTENNA? Looking for information on how to tune these and not finding anything on line. No instructions other that mounting the unit are available anywhere that I can find.

4 X 4 = 16 ...Which coincidentally is the official GMRS and CB radio off-roading channel..

My only guess on those Hyteras (and it's totally a guess) would be that they are programmed for low power with either .5 or 1 watt on FRS channels. If your school does not have a specific frequency licensed with the FCC, some radio shops and dealers would just plug in some low power random FRS channels as a workaround instead of bothering with Licensing issues.

There are lots of funds available for schools under the Safe Schools funding & government grants for security. Take a look here: schoolsafety.gov I'm not sure why those compact digital Hytera radios are being out-performed by Baofengs, but I'd definitely try out some other radios with better durability & performance specifications. Radios used for safety & security at a school should not be purchased based upon cheapest price. Repeaters are not necessary for most smaller sized buildings, but I've seen some strange stuff with newer construction with low-E glass. There are also advantages to using digital repeaters for a district-wide network that allows I'd call in a local wireless company & have them survey the building to see what works. They might also be able to help you out with some direction on grants and funding options available to schools in your State.

I have had/used every brand of GMRS radio in my Jeep(s) and almost every model of every brand, and for Part 95 "GMRS" radios, I prefer the Wouxun KG1000G. It is a better quality radio than BTech and most (maybe all) the other brands, it outputs a full 50W, and has a remote-mount removable faceplate. Several of my off-road friends use this radio and they are all happy with it. And FYI - even though its spelled Wooks-On, it's pronounced "Ocean" .

Reminds me... I was in a facility that was under construction. I can't go into where it was due to it being a very recognizable company, and part of it was literally a government black site. But there was discussion of what was going on in that part of the building. All BS and conjecture. So I announced it was where they killed the puppies. I ended up needing to buy three guys new coffee's because they spit theirs out laughing. Got questioned about what I meant. I ask them if they told their young sons that when they caught them touching themselves if told them that every time they do that, someone kills a puppy. And that this is where they do it. Mind you these were all construction workers. I heard that story being told from trade to trade for the rest of the day.

How about video? I found this on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DAQYfpETDdM