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Don’t overthink it. Buy one and use it. Your hands-on use will tell you more than our analysis ever could.

After getting license, what should I do? -- Start talking with your friends Can I buy GMRS trancsiever? -- You always could, anyone can. Please let me know how to use my call sign?-- Press the talk button, say your callsign in plain, normal-person english, then start talking Should I say my GMRS callsign when I talk by transceiver like radio amateur? -- Give your callsign at the beginning of your transmissions or at least once every 15 minutes Please let me know the process after getting license. -- The process is: start talking to your friends on your radio

Interesting, who knew they made a superheterodyne FRS?! I don’t have any of those… must resist @TrikeRadio I have used Motorola talkabouts myself for cycling. I saw these Retevis RA55 and the ability to clip to a camelback and noise reduction feature might be nice in the wind, usb-c charging too. I have no personal experience with them though. Cheap enough to try out.

Yes, you could have even before getting a license Just say your call sign once in a great while. You don’t have to spell it out. And if you neglect saying it probably nobody will notice. Push the button and talk.

I remember when I was about 10 years old and Radio Shack had kits for crystal radios and all kinds of cool electronic stuff that fascinated me and I spent my lawn mowing money on. I hooked up a DC motor and some other weird stuff, I don't remember what I thought I was building but it scrambled the living room TV. This was when it was broadcast over the air, no cable at all, no satelite. I had so much fun pissing my Dad off with that little machine I made. I could hear him yelling "god damn it, here it goes again". He'd get off the couch and start banging it, which was the common TV fix back then.

If you care about following the FCCs rules, then your unlicensed friends would still need a license to use your GMRS Pro radios. But since the FCCs doesn't care, neither do most people.

Oh you could have fun with IT with that one.

It goes both ways. When I key up near my computer's UPS it triggers the alarm on the UPS. Go figure.

If you pull that sadhamkrap in these parts you will get laughed off the repeater.

Crazy Eagle, if you don’t have the repeater input codes set correctly people listening on repeaters won’t hear you. Take a look at Notarubicon videos. They’re the most complete videos that explain GMRS. Calling CQ isn’t really a thing on GMRS. Welcome to the forum!

I like using the Icom SP35 speaker. The best place to buy them is Amazon for $35. The SP35 is plenty loud with clear audio. I have two in my Ford Escape and two in my shack. One thing about the Wouxun KG100G is to use a separate speaker for each port. I tried using a Y adaptor to use one speaker for both ports and there was an impedance mismatch which cut the volume level way down. This happened on both of my KG-1000G radios. One can program the 1000G using the hand mic but it isn't the easiest. It still isn't as bad as other radios. I do agree that using the Wouxun software is the easiest way to program the radio. The removable faceplate is a must for me when using radios in my 2023 Ford Escape since there is not much room. Having the option to mount the face plate straight or angled up is nice. If the occasional interference is not another radio, then check all of your connections at the batter and chassis ground. I had to put clamp on ferrite beads on the power leads to my radios and I also put some on the main cable connecting the alternator to the battery. I still get an occasional buzz when I transmit (I never hear it). But it is such a rare occasion that I haven't done anything else to eliminate it.

I disagree. All my radios are cheap and serve me just fine.

I have also found sending Rich a message from the contact page has worked as well for me. I did this once for a friend’s repeater that had a bogus listing. He took care of it no problem. More often than not it’s done mistakenly. One person came here after they tried to save it as a favorite but noticed this happened and then didn’t know how to fix it. I try not to think the worst of people when it comes to this because it’s so prevalent. I feel one extra layer of safeguard would be beneficial, like a pop up that says “are you sure you want to upload this repeater as one you own” or something like that before it post. I don’t know something.

TL;DR - This is a great radio, and is highly recommended. Now for the details: Setup - Radio: This was a huge pain in the butt, but I blame the make and model of my vehicle for being difficult. I have a 2017 Ford Fusion. I had to puncture the grommet in the firewall from the passenger side, and on the inside of the vehicle, I had to disassemble the passenger side vent assembly and remove the glove box. Then, using a curved metal coat hanger, I fed it through the punctured grommet in the firewall, around the center vent mechanism (and avoiding the passenger side airbag deployment mechanism), and once that coat hanger was completely through, I firmly duct taped the ends of the power cables for the radio, and covered up the fuse with the duct tape. Then, using a lubricant, I coated the now duct-tape covered cords, and SLOWLY pulled them through the grommet and popped them on the other side. I fed a little more cable than was necessary to reach the battery. Once the cables were all the way through, I cut off the duct tape and cleaned the cables, then I proceeded to crimp O-ring connectors onto the cables. Red cord went to the positive terminal of the battery, on the bolt sticking up from it, and the black cord to the negative ground chassis (DO NOT connect the black back to the battery directly!) I removed the nuts from the battery and chassis ground (each of those took a DIFFERENT EXTENDED wrench mechanism, had to make TWO trips to the hardware store!) Then I used 1/2" convoluted tubing (rated for high heat resistance) to protect the wires. On the radio side, there was a cubby right beneath my dash stereo panel which fit this GMRS radio awesome, but I opted to use adhesive instead of screwing things in. This does not work well in high heat, so I had to fix it. It's heavy, and I needed a gap for the speakers. Since I don't have a speaker box to connect to the radio (any recommendations?), I left the head connected to the radio. The handset is heavy, and I wasn't able to reliably use adhesive to mount the handset holder, so, it sits loose in the console for now. Not a huge deal, but I think there's a better option. I'd rather not screw holes into my dash. Antenna: Midland MicroMobile MXTA26 6dB Gain Whip Antenna with an MXTA12 Mag Mount. This antenna comes with a LONG cable, and I chose to mount it on top of the middle of my car. The roof is metal, and the mag mount works very well with it. Huge ground plane, too. I fed the cable down the groove of the side of the rear wind shield, and into the trunk. The weather stripping isn't damaging the cable at all, and I'm not worried about pinching it. I used some small carabiners to keep the cord from being loose in the trunk. I fed it through the back seat on the passenger side, went down to the floor and underneath the mat, and guided the cable with some adhesive cable organizers to keep it from being pinched from the moving seat. Fed the antenna cable into the back of the radio along with the power source, cable managed with some velcro straps. This entire install took me longer than I thought, about 4+ hours due to having to figure out how to install things as I went along. Hopefully my experiences will help others. Use - First, I always remember to power my radio off after I turn off my car. It's directly fed through the battery, so no mechanical switch or feeding through the fuse box. However, there's a safety setting on the Wouxun KG1000G+ that you can turn on which monitors a below-recommended-voltage to disable the radio to prevent excess battery drain. I'm not too worried. However, when I power up the radio, Sometimes I see the screen showing excess of 14+ volts. This is a tad concerning, but so far hasn't really been a problem. If I see it shoot past 16 volts, I'm sure the fuse would be tripped. Signal quality varies. Channels 1-7 are very range dependent. Channels 8-14 I can listen to, but not talk to, so that's not really that important. Channels 15-22 (and the repeater channels) sound amazing -- AS LONG AS I HAVE A CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT. If I'm going through valleys, walls, buildings, or lots of tall trees, the signal will "flutter." On the highway, I've been able to keep in touch with repeaters up to 60+ miles away. (I do not recommend the MXTA25 stubby antenna. It's design is not good for use when mobile and you're trying to reach distant repeaters. As an offroader antenna, though, it would be fine, so I keep it as a backup option). In most scenarios, however, signals are solid and reliable. The fans do kick in when transmitting, and while the noise is audible, I feel that it isn't a problem. Other thoughts - I also have a CB radio and a Ham radio sharing roof space with my other antennas. My colleague has nicknamed my car "the porcupine." Haha. The 70cm/2m Ham radio antenna does not interfere with the GMRS Wouxun radio at all, either transmit or receive. The CB radio, however, does NOT like it when I transmit from the GMRS radio, so I need to turn the CB off, first. Again, the Ham radio is unaffected. There's a lot of programmability when it comes to the Wouxun radio. I'd recommend getting a dirt cheap laptop purely for running radio software so that you can program it in the car, otherwise you'll be using the handset to program. The most annoying thing when programming a channel, though, is naming it. There's no "backspace." You make a mistake, you have to hit the # button to cycle through the letter options again so you can choose another letter. Programming channel names into this thing from the handset is awful. I really want a better speaker for this radio. The sound is okay, but I have to turn off almost everything else to hear it. I'm worried about cranking up the volume too high or blowing out the internal speakers. I do notice a slight audio level loss when doing dual-monitoring. It's also stupid that you can't program the radio name from the handset -- you need the PC and the software to do it. Not willing to buy a internal power supply to temporarily work on my radio in my PC at home. Just get a cheap laptop to bring to the car. (Seriously, you can get a laptop for $80.) It would also be nice to be able to program this thing from a smartphone, iPhone, Android, whatever. Give it Bluetooth or something. A $480 radio should at least be able to do that. My final thoughts: Installation: Varies. My experience: 4/10. My car was just not built to have a radio installed. Perhaps a Jeep or another kind of truck would be better. Don't take my personal review as a reason to not buy this radio. Radio quality: 8/10. Does not like hot weather. Let the fans run for a bit if the inside of your car is hot. The chassis is VERY solid, but the handset is so-so. Nice to have a removable face plate, though I haven't used that feature, yet. Ease of use: 6/10. For most basic functionality, it's fine, but adjusting settings has a bit of a learning curve. Audio quality: 7/10. Could definitely be louder. I'd love to do an external speaker and mount the radio elsewhere in the car and free up space. Handset speaker is subpar. On some rare occasions, I've heard random fluttering-buzzing on my ham radio and GMRS radio. Not sure where that comes from, but it seems to happen on only one channel. It goes away on its own. Might be some punk kid, or some lid. I dunno. Is this radio worth the investment? Absolutely. Performs admirably. Static, however, is inevitable depending on your location. As the great Queen of all that is GMRS once said, "Your FARS may vary." Thanks, guys. WSCL244/KF0QNM

NOW i'm not...

I've done ok.. PS: I have never owned a Kenwood radio in my life.

If I remember correctly the default used to be “my repeaters” equaled owned repeaters and this is a change Rich made to try and make it more clear from how it used to be. Seems pretty clear now so who knows why people do what they do.

You forgot to remind him about the roger beep!

You are absolutely correct that nothing changed, and in fact a number of us have pointed that out. However, what is notable is that this thread has been going on since February with no end in sight, and it's as contentious as the day it started. And since the FCC dictates and maybe even enforces policy, not the MyGMRS forums, to steal a line from Crocodile Dundee, it amounts to a bunch of fleas arguing over who owns the dog we live on.

Just be aware that FRS radios are set to Narrowband FM and most likely your GMRS radios are set to Wideband FM, so the FRS radios will have much diminished audio punch! You could change the settings on your GMRS radios (the FRS radios do not have that option by Rule) and the audio quality for all will be much improved! I liked the Pofung BF-T11s which used to be available on Amazon and eBay for about $25 per pair: 2 watts K-1 jack and even computer programmable. Fulfills all your other needs, too. I see that AliExpress now has them!

I use the motorola T series for my friends and while off roading. Solid little radios and are durable and simple.

Any Motorola Talkabouts. Very good quality radios. Midland is not bad either for FRS quality radios.

Looks like right now is a good time to try.

Pfft. I've heard this argument a million times before and it's usually right.

Someone is sweet on The Queen.

I would have fun that way when I was in the Army. The PTO driven generator on my truck mounted machine shop would totally block all radios within a 150 foot radius.

You are not fat.

"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son." - Dean Wormer

I just purchased a couple of 3D printed HT stands for my 935G+ radios. I normally have one sitting on an end table next to me. I don't know how many times I have reached for the radio and knocked it over some times landing on the floor. The stand fits perfectly and has a cutout on the back for the USB-C port. The stand holds the radio at a good angle and is very stable. When I pickup the radio the stand comes with it which is a positive for me. That way I'm not dropping the stand. I got them on Etsy from a shop called BlackLodgeCreative. I believe the owner of the shop is a member here. He has stand for a bunch of popular HTs and a couple other pieces of radio associated equipment. I am going to purchase a couple more for other radios soon. I am not associated with the Etsy shop owner in any way other than being a satisfied customer.

Possibly the wisest thing ever said on any radio forum.

I don't know how long it's been this way and I may be misunderstanding exactly what it means but under "My Repeaters" there are two tabs, one for Favorite Repeaters and one for Owned Repeaters. Perhaps this will help.

Simulate them using mmana or eznec. The amount of power delivered to the array is fixed so using a splitter will result in only 25% of the power being delivered to each antenna. Without some kind of splitter you’ll have to figure out how to match the impedance an 18 ohm cluster of antennas to your radio. The propagation pattern coming from four Yagi antennas will not be nearly as circular as from a phased array of folded dipoles; I think you’ll have four large lobes with areas of cancellation between. But simulating them will tell you for sure. It’s an interesting idea, but if your goal is to create a circular pattern horizontally, start with an antenna that emits a circular pattern horizontally and use vertical phasing to increase the gain relative to the vertical axis.

$17.96 radios decent? Decent for what, maybe for paperweights. You gotta be kidding. Do it right and spend your money on better radios from a business that is in the business of selling decent quality radios. Buying cheap is never cheap financially and your time.

A great feature of this software and this repeater is that to use narrow-band, you have to set your computer to a date several years prior to 2013... You're doing it right.

You lost me there, but how was I able to get through then if it is not exactly 5 offset?

Thanks for encouragement, definitely going for it....thanks again!

No, the signal being sent is only 20 KHz wide 125 KHz away.

The BF-888s have been around for years. I picked up a pair about 6 years ago and gave them away. My thoughts, stay away.

Make a post saying which repeaters are bogus then click on the three dots in the upper right corner and choose Report.

Good video. I always like his content. The problem he touches on is, the conflicting and contradictory rules combined with poor definitions and poor word choices. Until FCC updates the rules with very clear and specific language or a case makes it to the SCOTUS, there won't be a good answer.

Thanks for your review and feedback; it's my shop and I'm happy you like the stands. I spend lots of time on each design for a snug-not-tight fit. If the mods are ok with me posting a link, here's a 10% off discount code for my shop, valid through 7 August 2024. https://blacklodgecreative.etsy.com?coupon=MYGMRS10 (mods sorry if this violates rule #1 and apologies if so) Cheers, Mike WRNQ661

Thanks They really aren't, but I think the "displays" and "all the buttons" are intimidating to "some people". and they don't really need the repeater functions, or the range, nor do they want to get a GMRS license so I am just trying to make it easy on them

My first thought was to see if Wouxun has an FRS radio. They have an FRS version of their 805. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-805f-two-pack.html?fee=5&fep=5285&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=product_ppc&matchtype=&keyword=&device=c&adposition=&network=g&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAC4SJ1idKy2EUZLQOnDFF8I9Rl-z1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-5y1BhC-ARIsAAM_oKnUq5DVMsuZesWEiOFTuP0NgNb_x5-y_uFyqh7IXHCv-CiS1rDtpQQaAlTxEALw_wcB

There is little to change on the accessory connector. Pin outs are in the manual. Information here -

Try again when sober

Hello, has anyone successfully figured out how to add station ID to the Retevis RT97? I have heard of people using the ‘ID-O-Matic’ and ComSpec ID-8 on other systems, but have yet to find anyone who has added it to the RT97. Does anyone have any guides on how to add station ID through these devices or similar? Thank you in advance.

I agree with your comment about range. I think the use of the phrase “short range” was simply intended to reflect that the useful range would be limited in practice because of the line of sight nature of UHF and because output power is relatively low. Saying that it’s a short range service doesn’t mean that it must only be used for short range communications; if it did the rules would need to define what is meant by “short range”.

I guess wireline is any non RF mode of transport of intelligence. Again...a guess. There is no "must be". I believe it is more of a "designed as" or "originally intended for". Similar to where GMRS wasn't designed as a hobby service; but you know how that ended up. Sent from my SM-A136U using Tapatalk