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Based on all of the detailed information you have provided, I would say "probably a lot of things"

This is true. But messages can be relayed between different radios if at least one base station with a good antenna up high is in the mix and can communicate with all near by radios. Relaying messages is common and we do it all the time when conducting simplex nets on 2m and 70cm bands. There is no reason why it can't be done on GMRS either.

Totally depends on terrain and vegetation, buildings, etc, but generally less than 10 miles. Often much less. If someone "sold" you on GMRS being the solution to this problem, they mislead you.

30 miles simplex on UHF is possible given ideal circumstances (mountain top to mountain top, for example, or two locations in the desert with no vegetation or sand dunes in the way) but probably not going to work for you. If there *was* a repeater in a good location then that would be doable. The other question is easier: absolutely. Just get a power supply. This is a good one, but there are lots of less expensive alternatives: https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/alo-dm-330mvt

Use the equipment regularly. That way you will understand what works and doesn't work. Watch videos/research on questions that may arise as you use the gear. Rinse and repeat. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

If everyone gets their tech license, you can use it anywhere, and may be able to use nearby equipment (repeaters). There are tons of BSA troops that have commercial licenses on business itinerant frequencies. Troop owns a fleet of 20 radios, and they go to any group stepping away from the camp. That is also an option. No matter what, it boils do to your troop needs to have a communication policy in place, make it well known and USE it.

There are two options in the Repeaters Map that maybe were set differently each time: Show Offline Repeaters Show Stale Repeaters These come up when you click the hexagonally shaped widget in the upper left of the map.

Well, that depends on your current, future plans and interests. 1. Do you have or want to get your Ham license too? A significant number of GMRS users also have their Ham license. For example I am dual licensed. 2. If answer to #1 is yes, then do you plan on using the radio for both services? There are used commercial grade radios with Part 95 certification so they are legal to use on GMRS, and can be programmed for Ham 70cm band frequencies. I have a number of those and they each have their place and uses. When you say cost isn’t important there are some radios that run up to the high 3 figures and low to mid 4 figures, so you might want to quantify that a bit more. Those radios typically are the commercial grade types, tend to work better and have a lot of features the usual CCR’s, Cheap Chinese Radio, don’t offer.

The best and most important functions to have on a radio are the ones that are most important to you and allow you to do whatever you want to do with your radio. In other words, only you can answer that question. That said, by far, THE single most important feature to have on a radio is the Roger Beep - because without it you will never be able to draw-out all the Sad-H.A.M.s and laugh at them when they start crying about hearing your Roger Beep.

GMRS is just one form of radio communications. The intent, if you will, of GMRS is short-range communication. Repeaters vastly extend that range. That makes GMRS very valuable for SHTF communications. Lots of us here are licensed for amateur radio and GMRS, and as is often said here, having multiple ways to communicate increases your likelihood of successful communications. If linked repeaters are important to you, an amateur radio license would be a definite advantage.

Can you turn down the power on your existing radio, and see how the coverage is with around 15 Watts?

On my KG-935+ I could hear faint, weak signals a little better with the Nagoya 771 compared to the stock antenna. I also played around with both of them with a NanoVNA (knowing that trying measure SWR and such on a tiny HT antenna was basically a waste of time). When sweeping from 450-470 MHz the 771 actually showed a clearly defined "dip" with a significantly lower SWR of 1.5 to 2.0 around the 462-467 MHz range, while the stock antenna showed a fairly flat line across the 450-470 portion, staying in the 2.5 to 3:1 SWR range. Edit: I in spite of the above, I use the stock antenna because the length of the 771 was a PITA, bordering on PMEO (Poke My Eye Out)

Back when I was writing software for “real-time” telemetry systems in 1992 or 93, I was assigned to write a routine that would identify stale data for electric utilities and change its color on-screen in the SCADA HMI (we weren’t very correct back then; we called it an MMI). Detecting stale data could be used to identify a sensor that had stuck somehow, such as pond level sensor in a hydro reservoir. “Pedantic” is my middle name!

@WSAA635 Be careful, you are going to end up needing an inventory system to keep track of all your radios like some others on this forum.

I didn't realize "stale" was a word used generically wrt databases. Then again, I haven't written any code in decades, so I must also be stale. Thanks, Steve. Helpful as always.

There is always something lost in translation. Also, advertisers tend to struggle with technical info.

A repeater in the myGMRS database which has had no data updates in over a year. The repeater might be just fine or not. Old data in a database is called “stale data.”

This is my profile to the local repeater, which is challenging to hit with a 5W given the vegetation. You may be fighting some elevation issues: https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/

Apparently there is confusion afoot, mayhaps since there is no distinguishing difference in the model number. It's just an H8. Baofeng, for example, has the UV-5R and the UV-5G. From Tidradio's website, they don't seem to have a lot of depth in their numbering system:

I think it is the manufacturer’s fault: https://www.amazon.com/TIDRADIO-TD-F9GP-Handheld-Upgraded-Kits-Black/dp/B091K1G9FZ

Not legally, the low power is way too high for MURS. I was just testing to see what it would do.

I have the Retevis RA25, which is pretty much the DB-20G I believe. Great little radio. Here is my data into a dummy load.

I've never experienced this with my 905G's. The biggest complaint I have about the 905G is the PTT pressure is far too light. You put it in your front coat pocket or on your belt the button gets pressed by passing clothing. I can tell every time my uncle gets out of his blind to go mess with something as you hear his radio butt calling you constantly as he moves around. I'd prefer an adjustable trigger , I mean um, PTT. The 905G's PTT is setup as a hair trigger.But unlike my favorite rifle, there's no easy way to disassemble the 905 and adjust your PTT pressure.

Looks like Radioddity has the DB-20G on sale today for $84.99. That is a great deal.

What are you programming in the radio ? Its a HAM Radio not GMRS.

My 805G and 935G+ have no tone issues at all. Nor have any of my 2-way thinking about it.

I have this radio. Yes, you can set designated codes for rx and tx. You can listen (rx only) to 70cm frequencies out of the box, but no other frequency ranges.

I've built a few for less than $20 at times. It's possible to make a functional vertical antenna for even less.

This radio service does not have frequency coordinators like the various services do in the Part 90 world. It's still the Wild Wild West and if you're in the eastern portion of the country It's still the Wild Wild West. You are free to do whatever you want as long you are compliant with the applicable Part 95, Subparts A and E.

I can't speak about the KG-805G but several of us have the KG935G and haven't noticed any issues.

Why not just take the logical step from the Radio Merit Badge to earning an amateur radio Technician license?

Here are a few suggestions. First, I would take GMRS off the table. As you know, GMRS is a licensed service, and while your license covers you and your family (including any Scouts that are your kids) that doesn't extend to anyone else in the troop, adult or youth. You could, as has already been suggested, use that as an opportunity to have members negotiate the FCC website, but minors aren't even eligible to get a GMRS license so their parents would have to get one. I'm sure some may read this and think, "no one will care if you let kids use your GMRS radios" but A Scout is Obedient, right? FRS and MURS, on the other hand, are great tools. We used to use FRS bubble pack radios but switched to using MURS radios instead since they work better in the thick vegetation at summer camp. If your troop goes the FRS route then you (and anyone else with a GMRS license) can use a GMRS radio to talk to the FRS radios. We primarily used radios in three ways: 1) Inter-vehicle communication while travelling to campouts and summer camp. Using an HT inside a car or truck is not ideal, but as long as you are fairly close they do fine. Simple things like making sure all drivers have their Scouts and are ready to go after a stop are much easier done with radios. 2) Communication between leaders at summer camp. Radios are VERY useful while at camp. "Hey Mr. Scoutmaster, since you are over that direction can you please stop at the office and pick up our mail?" "Mr. Smith, can you please bring a couple blue cards to the lunchtime merit badge class?" Sure, they can be used in an emergency too, but it's SO much easier to ask if someone is in camp and can grab something rather than having to walk back yourself! We also did a hike one day at camp and the radios were useful for keeping track of the hiking group's progress, and for coordinating between the front and back of the hikers. 3) Communication between leaders and patrols during weekend campouts. Useful for things like, "Hey Mr. Scoutmaster, a bunch of us Scouts want to go play gaga ball until it's time to start dinner" so you hand the SPL a radio and tell him you'll let him know when it's time to come back. Sure, you could just have a leader go fetch them when it's time, but why not use the technology at hand? Hope this helps!

I was around back in the days when 462.675 was designated for emergency use only and for point-to-point communications for REACTS. My GMRS license back in that day stated that 462.675 MHz was for emergency use only. Orange County REACT was one of the licensees that had authorization to use a repeater on 462.675 MHz in the 70s and they had a repeater on Santiago Peak for all the REACT monitors to relay information. This repeater is still in existence today and still owned by Crest Communications and used by their Club members. In later years, the FCC deregulated the use of 462.675 MHz as an emergency only and the North Shore Emergency Association was instrumental in getting the acceptance of the 462.675 MHz GMRS as a highway calling channel with the 141.3 Hz as the national travel tone. Here is some info from the North Shore Emergency Association on the history of the National Travel Channel: This briefly discusses how the "travel tone" of 141.3 Hz and the national calling/emergency frequency of 462.675 MHz came to be. NSEA was one of the very first adopters of GMRS in the early 1970s, then the Class "A" Citizens Band. Here's a quick snippet from the link: NSEA members were instrumental in bringing UHF technology to other public service groups in CB, especially R.E.A.C.T. (Radio Emergency Associated Citizens Teams). Beginning in 1976 key NSEA members spent extensive time meeting with REACT teams in more than a dozen-and-a-half different states, bringing a portable repeater, together with a number of mobile and portable units for field demonstrations...As a result, over 200 personal use repeater systems (all on the same frequency [462.675 MHz]) were set up throughout the United States. In recognition of this trend of explosive growth the Federal Communications Commission formally recognized our frequency [462.675 MHz] as the national emergency and traveler's assistance channel in the Part 95A Rules and Regulations. Below is some info from Wikipedia on the National calling and highway channel; GMRS: 462.675 MHz is a UHF mobile distress and road information calling frequency allocated to the General Mobile Radio Service and used throughout Alaska and Canada for emergency communications; sometimes referred to as "Orange Dot" by some transceiver manufacturers who associated a frequency with a color-code for ease of channel coordination, until the creation of the Family Radio Service, in 1996, "GMRS 675" or Channel 6/20 on mobile radios today. It can have a repeater input frequency of 467.675 MHz, and a tone squelch of 141.3 Hz. The national calling channel is still recognized by some GMRS users and Clubs that are still alive and well but the channel may not be widely recognized by the newer GMRS users today.

Yes this would be a great idea for learning to use practical navigational skills minus the GPSr available today. My scout education prepared me for life back in the late 1960s as well. As a matter of fact, I still carry my first compass given to me for map reading to this day in my Jeep.

I'm not anymore but, yes FRS could absolutely be used to teach responsibility and organizational skills along with general radio operator skills (Ie if you press the mic button it takes a second before you should start talking). Idk how your troop is set up but basically the way id imagine it is you could assign someone to be the radio operator for a patrol / group. It's actually a pretty good position to give to scouts. It makes them feel responsible for something during activities, they have to use it appropriately etc etc. Definitely train all the scouts on radio usage but scouts love being given a special assignment. Exercise example: During navigation/rescue practices you can have someone be "injured" and need to be rescued by describing their location over the radio while someone else tries to find them based on the directions given by the injured victim. There's a lot you can do it's basically limited by your imagination.

Ed Fong, PhD is an electronics engineer that is reputable and knows what he is doing. He developed these antennas from a request that he design an antenna given explicit criteria for a corporation in the communications business. There is no need to criticize unless you are willing to back your critique with explicit engineering facts. You don't have to buy Doctor Fong's products, but the proceeds do go to supporting the college students in his college courses. As for the big brand name antennas, I would suggest you take the time to look inside the next one you buy before you put it on your tower or mast. You might just be shocked by what you find, and maybe even a bit disappointed if you know anything about soldering and antenna theory. I intend to purchase his antennas for my use when I go portable. I just don't want to have to carry around some 10 foot to 17 foot fiberglassed fragile antenna that could be broken, then spend another $200-300 replacing it. Stay well, see you on the air, stay well and try to stay positive 73 Dave, KJ7WUZ/WRHW845

I don't really have an issue with them charging, its their equipment, I just don't necessarily want to be compelled to join because I cant connect to anything else in the area because someone may be monopolizing the channels. Doesn't really matter all that much, as I only got into GMRS mainly for emergency simplex communication, but it would be nice to, say, get some traffic updates or something like that when Im in the car, that might require connecting to a repeater, from time to time. I imagine it wont be an issue if the repeaters don't overlap and/or they use different tones. ....?

Im not really concerned about the quality of the free ones, just whether or not they get "overtaken" by the more powerful ones, that I can't access without buying a membership. Seems there is an organization in GA who have a lot of repeaters, covering the vast majority of the northern part of the state, that restrict access via a membership. My understanding is that they may be using most of the available 8 repeater channels. Maybe Im thinking about this wrong, I am quite green with all this.

Just FYI - Prepare yourself for all the "experts" that are going to tell you that antenna location "won't work".. Just ignore them. It is true, that location wont work "the best it can be", but it will work just fine for trail comms. On both my jeeps i have the antenna mounted just about a foot to the left and I can get 30+ miles simplex and i have hit a repeater at 93 miles - that should be plenty "good enough". When mounting on the tailgate like that you should run a grounding strap (not a 'wire') from the antenna mount to the tub of the Jeep - make sure the connections are metal to metal. You can use any UHF coax - try to keep it as short as possible but if you have a foot or two extra, just loosely coil it up. Ignore the "experts" that tell you this will make your antenna/radio "not work". Be aware that the Diamond NR7900A is not a GMRS antenna - unless you are also planning to transmit on the ham bands, I would recommend getting an antenna made/tuned for GMRS antenna - I use the Midland MXTA26 You will probably also need an NMO mount to connect the antenna to the bracket, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Connector-Adapter-Connect-Vehicle/dp/B0BLMHJ338/ You may also need some kind of SMA to SO-239 connector to connect the BoofWhang to the antenna cable - something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bingfu-Antenna-Adapter-Coaxial-Kenwood/dp/B083D5TMKG/ But check the gender on both ends to make sure you get the right one for your radio - and get a couple of them because they tend to wear out. I'm sure i'm missing something, but this should get you started.

No. In fact the wording of the requirements allows an individual to operate “stations.”

Based on feedback I've received over the last few weeks, I thought it would be a great idea to open up a dedicated forum that allows guests to post. Some visitors don't have a GMRS license yet and have some questions to ask, and some people may be trying to register but need help for one reason or another. Since the forums use your regular myGMRS login, these visitors were unable to seek help from our community, and I either had to respond directly to them or they'd be without recourse. Hopefully this will help out some prospective members who need advice or the right nudge they need to get signed up. For now, posts do not require moderators to approve them. This policy may change at any time, however, if we get a lot of spam posts or notice any other prohibited behavior. Only guests can create topics in this forum, but all members can reply. If you're already a member, please use another forum for creating a post.