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The radio will probably come with the right size fuse holder and fuse (maybe two) in the power cable.

You will not see anywhere near twenty amps unless you are keying two Wouxun KG1000G Pluses simultaneously. In my previous post I kinda Oops on the power draw whereas I said 9 amps. However, I was close but .87 amp shy of being accurate. So, I decided to do some testing just for giggles this afternoon with a Wouxun KG1000G Plus. I don't use the radio so it just sits on a shelf and this test gave me an opportunity to fire it up, then I'll put it back on the shelf. At a voltage level of 14.1 DC, the radio in the idle mode, you will see .41 amp draw. In the receive mode you will see .44 amp draw. In the transmit mode at 50.5 watts into a dummy load you will see 9.87 amps draw, and the little itty-bitty fan was twirling around. There you have it. Pick your fuse poison. In my opinion you should do fine with a 15 amp fuse.

@WRDJ205 If all three radios are supported by chirp, you will be able to copy from one to another easily. Read from each radio separately. CHIRP has to identify the radio it's dealing with in order to write to it properly. Some radios are the same internally but many aren't. It's safer to use a separate code plug for each brand/model. Save each file(code plug). Now, it CHIRP, with all three files open, you can easily copy rows from one to the other even though they are different radios. Connect each radio one at a time and use the matching file to write to the radio.

462.650 is your receive frequency. 467.650 would be your transmit frequency. You really do not need any CTCSS frequencies, so that should cover it. If you put in the receive CTCSS tone, it means that you would only hear the repeater, no other transmissions made by anyone else. That may make listening easier, but it is not needed to access and use the repeater.

I have a Retevis RA25, which is the same radio. I have it paired with a Nagoya UT-72G and it works great for GMRS.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Hello to all! New Member just joined. Coming in from South Alabama.

One of the things that was an issue with the UV-5R, and this probably is not new info but might have a reason they do not pick up as well, was the factory squelch settings were terrible. So might be a Duh! we knew that, but I toss it out as well. I set mine and they work well for me with a spread up to around 60, with level 1 being one. I can run mine on that setting 90 percent of the time with good reception and no problems.

You shouldn't see more than 9 amps peak when keying either radio. A 15 amp fuse should be very adequate and appropriate.

It looks like the Ellicott City repeater is back on line. Apparently it has been down for a while. I thought I wasn't programming my radio correctly.. but all this time it was the repeater.

Actually, the radio has 2 speakers, one for the "left" display and one for the "right." You can also use external speaker(s). The speaker in the mic can also be used instead of or in addition to the built-in one(s), but that one is not very loud.

YES!! Thank you, that fixed it! And switched Roger Beep on too!

I as well have been using one of these for 6+ years, first one received had very low modulation so returned for another which has been working quite well. J-Pole up above my back deck for home and a Nagoya UT-72 mag mount on my Dakota.

What is the current draw on receive (Quiescent draw)?

Before loading all of the stuff from Repeaterbook download from your radio to populate your codeplug. Then add the repeaters you want from Repeaterbook. If you don't download from your radio first, you do write over it.

I do not own a GMRS specific radio, but I am pretty sure from what I know and what has been said and is the case, the basic simplex GMRS channels 1 - 14 and the 8 repeater freqs are hard coded somewhere in its programming. So, you have saved and locked a downloaded file of your radio to restore yet? Do it, then lock that file, tinker with it and see, save it as a different working file. All else goes pear shaped, you can restore at least.

I like mine. It's not fancy, but it works and it's small and it is easy to hook up; just plug it into the power port (cigarette lighter) on your dashboard. I use it with a Midland MXTA26 antenna and Midland magnetic mount. I do have a few Windows machines as well as one Mac. The Mac almost never gets used. But I don't have a bunch of channels to program so if I were strictly a Mac guy I wouldn't be too put out. Good luck whatever you choose.

Yay!

@WSCJ959 Read this for an explanation.

With the TSQL your sending tones up - now, since the repeater does not require them, it will ignore them, and still repeat.

Some basics, most if not all GMRS repeaters have the + 5.000000 offset. You to the repeater would add that 5.0 to your outgoing freq, that way when its repeating it on 462.650, its not stepping on whats coming in.

It used to be mounted in my car, with the roof as the ground plane for the antenna. I replaced it with a Yaesu FTM-6000R and Tram 1181 antenna, so now it sits on my desk with a sheet of foil under the antenna for a weak ground plane. (It would work better if I placed the antenna outside, but I rent an apartment and have nowhere to put the antenna.)

I do think I found the biggest issue, I have the CPS not the RSS. I cant program pinouts thru CPS and one of the pins needs programmed for COR (pin 8 IO5) unless someone knows a work around

The Amazon listing for this item states: "Supports CHIRP programming (select "UV-5G Plus" under Radioddity.)" That aligns with how you would also select the UV-5G (not Plus); it is listed in CHIRP under Radioddity instead of Baofeng.

I was thinking more along the lines of a mobile unit to mount in my vehicle, for the times I am on the road, and using a hand-held unit would be less than optimal. I would invest in a home unit, but seeing as the nearest repeater to me is over 30 miles away, and I live in a small apartment, that might not be feasible.

More expensive doesn't always mean better or more capable. I had a pair of Midland GTX1000VP4s that retail for about $80 a pair. I got them new in the box at Goodwill for much less, but my Baofeng UV5Rs are half the price and more capable. Much better battery life, repeater-capable, the list goes on.

Boofwangs...lol. I'm familiar with NotARubicon, he's probably the reason I have the UV-5G Plus I have now. He is a character, and we are the same age. I speak sarcasm.

I'll second that. My UV-5Rs transmit just fine, but they have the worst receivers of any of my HTs. Same thing with my Juentai JT-6188 mobile (KT-8900 clone). Not only are the receivers deaf, they have extremely poor adjacent channel rejection. My JT-6188 is unusable as a mobile radio. I stick to my Yaesus for any important comms.

Thank you! I went and looked and I DO have one request approved and one awaiting approval!

I think "Farz" is the European spelling.

Go to the repeater’s page, click on the menu symbol and click on “view request”. The responses show up under each request:

If you have it connected directly to an auxiliary battery (lead acid) your radio is powered by 12.7 volts. It might not put out 50 watts at that voltage. But it really won’t make any noticeable difference whether it puts out 45 or 50 watts.

And they fit in your pocket.

Yep, sure enough the MXT500 is in fact programable in addition to having software for a firmware update. Here is the programming software: Here is the firmware update software:

It's better than the Baofengs I have.

The cigarette lighter/charging port will work fine as long as it is a switched circuit. One does not need a lot of amps to active the relay. That is why relays are preferred when adding a high power accessory to vehicles. Your high amp draw circuit goes from the battery in to pin 30 and out on pin 87. Pin 86 can be a low amp circuit since it doesn't take much to close the relay and allow the higher amp draw between pin 30 and 87. You can also add an On/Off switch on the positive switch source (from power to pin 86) if you want. Again this is how high amperage off road lights are commonly wired. And as @Sshannon said,, any automotive 12V relay will work as long as it is rated for the amperage draw of the radio. The Wouxun KG-1000G will draw about 12-14 amps when transmitting on high power. So a 20 amp relay will work if you only want to connect one radio. If you are wanting to install two radios then I would go with a 25 or 30 amp relay.

Many of us have Baofengs in our collection. They can be very useful. You may end up someday with something else, but it’s nothing to feel shy about.

Boy, I sure started off on the right foot here. Lesson learned, don't type when in a hurry, and always check before hitting Enter. GMRS, dammit!

I pulled a query from the FCC's database for all active GMRS licenses within the state of Minnesota and plotted the data on a Google Map. I made the map public, and it can be viewed at this link. Hope this can be of use to some people! I certainly think it's interesting :)

Welcome!

It’s strictly for people with GMRS licenses. You could get a GMRS license and then register.

There is also the option of a Software Defined Radio dongle. Personally, I did go all out and spend close to $500 building a whole box with several SDR's (to monitor everything from 100KHz-6GHz), outlets, and a Raspberry Pi to run it on, but you can just buy the dongle and a converter to drop the SDR Dongle down into the SW bands. The Software Defined Radio world is pretty big when it comes to the different dongles you can buy. The software to run it on is free online and they have quite a few programs out there that will monitor, decode, etc. This is another route you could go. The drawback to it is that, it requires you have a computer with the dongle whereas the radio could be much smaller and portable if that matters to you. For me, I dont do anything HF outside of the house aside from CB in my vehicle so all of my operating HF/SW listening it done at home, so the SDR was a good choice for me. That's not saying that you can take an SDR portable and they do sell actual SDR radios. I figured I add my two cents on this option if it is something that might work for you. The dongles, last I checked, are around $35 or so and the converter is around $70. The prices vary depending on what you want. And to the guy who said to buy a Ham Radio to listen to SW, there is a cheaper option if someone wanted to buy a Ham Radio to listen to SW. I own the Yaesu ft 891 which I got from HRO for $675. While buying a Ham Radio to listen to SW is pretty dumb, there is the chance that you may want to talk on it, especially if you are listening to Ham frequencies. Some people do. But if you are just strictly an SW Listener, take the cheaper route and just purchase a SW radio, or SDR. I of all people realize that radio is a HUGE world and what you like and get into is many times going to be the total opposite of what most others get into. Just because you like SWL doesn't mean you love HF Ham Radio. My first love in radio was AM broadcast at age 10. That led to SWL and then CB Radio. That was over 30 years ago and up until now, I have never had an interest in operating HF. I've actually hated it. However, now I actually enjoy operating HF. But that is how different some people can be when it comes to radio. So, take in all the information on here and do what works for you and enjoy. It's a big world out there. 73 N1YFA Hamilton

@WSCK857 Welcome to GMRS.

Welcome! Channel 16 is your friend.

The LEFT side? Okay, that's a new one for me. It could just be the issue. I'm going to fire up the truck and the KG1000 plus and try this out. Thank you much!

Probably not. Not that you couldn't benefit from a repeater, but standing up your own repeater probably isn't going to be of much use to you. Consider point A (home), and point B (work). Of those points, A is 17 miles from B. Let's assume that radio at point A, and the radio at point B cannot communicate with each other currently. The first question to ask is can I reasonably get an antenna mounted high enough at location A, and at location B, that the radios at A and B can talk to each other? If the answer is yes, then the solution is exactly that; get two antennas, mount them high enough, get a connector and hook it up to your radio at each location. If the answer is no, then you may benefit from a repeater. Next question: Is there a location (C) where both radio A and radio B are able to communicate with C, if A, B, and C have antennas at reasonable and sufficient heights? If the answer to that is no, then no repeater will help. If the answer is yes, then a repeater will help ONLY IF you actually are allowed to install a repeater at that location C. So, do you own a building/house/antenna mast at some location (C) between A and B where you can install a repeater? If the answer is yes, you're in luck. You will benefit by installing a repeater (if you know how, and have the funds to install one of adequate capability). If the answer is no, you have no reason to spend money on a repeater. If you own the rights to put up an antenna at that location C that both A and B can communicate with, start doing some research, and plan out your installation.

I'm sure some folks will be by shortly to give technical insight on if you "need" to put one up. (you might) I'm wondering what you plan on doing with your radio(s). Where you'll operate and who'll you talk to... why did you get into gmrs? I use mine to chat with family and friends when we kayak, hike, caravan on the road. I also check in on the local repeaters occasionally. I use ham as well but not with family. em-coms is my secondary use. btw- there are few threads to read that might be helpful (or at least entertaining! I have a sick sense of humor) grab some popcorn and wade through these... my takeaway is to buy a commercial repeater solution rather than build your own, but if you have the skill, it probably would be fun. Drama seems to depend on where you are. welcome to the family! -john

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

You might have to wire it in to the 12 battery but it would be perfect for this vehicle ?$199.99 on Amazon. Get the grandkids started early ?