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First the earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they all died and they turned into oil. And then the Arabs came and ...

think of it like a lock on the squelch opening, rather than just opening for any signal above a certain strength. with tone squelch it only opens when the received signal also carries a matching tone, be it CTCSS (also called a PL tone) or DCS (aka DPL). (side note: this is also why the correct tone is needed to access many repeaters)

The perfect SWR for any antenna is always 1.0:1, but an SWR up to 2.5 is acceptable if you have low loss feed line. That's true for GMRS as well. An SWR meter for a CB might not work for the UHF frequencies of GMRS. The antenna connectors for CB are usually the same as GMRS, but long lengths of cables that work just fine for CB can really absorb the power of at UHF frequencies, but you probably aren't running more than a few feet in your WWII Jeep. As far as whip length, the length of your CB antenna is probably about 103 inches or something like that; that's a quarter wave whip. The wavelength of CB is 11 meters, or around 33 feet. The wavelength of GMRS is about 64-65 centimeters or right around two feet, so a quarter wave whip would be around six inches. That would look pretty tiny compared to the long CB whip. If I were you, I would just hook up to the antenna and test it to see how it works. Run at low power at first. Modern radios are amazingly resilient to damage from high SWR. See if anyone can hear you. Or stay disconnected from the steel whip and just run your radio with a stubby little GMRS antenna hidden on the Jeep somewhere.

This! The vast majority of people who buy and use GMRS just want to talk to each other. Most don’t even know or care about this site or repeaters, much less linked repeaters. Whether they use repeaters or not, if they end up unable to hear each other because of chatter that’s coming from linked repeaters, they probably won’t be impressed. It turns out I’m not in favor of linking, but I also don’t think the FCC is handling this correctly. I don’t think the regulations amount to prohibiting linking, even though their interpretation now says so.

not sure what you're referring to with the "FM" part, but RT Systems is a company that makes programming software (and sells matching cables) for a wide variety of radios. Some find their software easier to use than free options or manufacturer software, or appreciate convenience features to import data or configurations from other sources to save time on programming.

Any look at that here wouldn’t likely represent the vast amount of people that get GMRS or FRS radios and just use them for every day activities and aren’t part of a radio forum.

I think that scanning isn’t the likely use case here. More likely in this case you will know the frequency of the aircraft and airport so if you are hanging out by the airport while your son is getting lessons you can listen to him. Sounds like a cool use of the radio.

So I thought this might be an interesting topic. Maybe it will die on the vine, maybe not. I see a lot of chatter here about SHTF comms, both GMRS and amateur radio. I'm curious what a SHTF scenario looks like to different folks, and how they think GMRS and other radio services may be incorporated. For me, a SHTF scenario doesn't look like a nationwide "someone hit the EMP switch and knocked the whole country back to the 1700s", it looks more like a local disaster like a major earthquake, where radios could help like they did a couple of weeks ago here when we had a 4.3 and I purposely tried to make a cell call just to see if it would work, (it didn't), but my repeater at 6,000 feet worked just fine and lots of us were communicating over a wide area.

Awesome information. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks very much.

Don't forget to see if you spilled some on your keyboard.

Yes. The KG-1000 plus does. They asked about mobile GMRS radio.

Have you considered a scanner? They are much faster at scanning than any two way radio. Also you may need a different antenna to receive air band well for a two way radio unless you are close to the action.

GMRS repeater linking freedom I am writing to you as a concerned citizen and a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) operator to respectfully request your support in advocating for the reinstatement of GMRS linking, which was recently banned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Website Petition

Yes, several.

A critical part is emergency power. Forget about gasoline generators. If the power goes out even gas stations won't have power to run the pumps. When your gasoline generator runs dry it's back to square one. Back in 2003 great blackout only ONE gas station had emergency power. That one was only pumping gas for emergency vehicles and police. No exceptions. I had no power for about 3 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003 Your options then are a natural gas powered generator. A propane powered one, at least you might fine bottled gas someplace. Or solar power with battery backup. Ideally you have a combination of the above. You can have all the radios in the world, but if the battery packs are dead, well you have a lot of paper weights.

Not a lot of research I guess. GMRS is a family radio service for close communications with the ability to access a repeater to help out range. The linked repeater thing has been going on now for months and months and repeater owners have been disconnecting there linked systems to avoid FCC reprisal. If this post was a year old then that would be one thing, now most of us know the FCC has reiterated that linked repeaters aren't allowed. Still better than no communications during SHTF times. I'm sure the $35 didn't hurt that much.

So what's the correct way to address a repeater conflict? Where I'm at seems to have 2 active repeaters on 550 141.3 and any transmits are coming back heavily stepped on in the region between. Is there an official way to contact both owners that isn't going to offend them? WRJZ925 and WRFL895 EDIT: WRFL seems to have noticed my comment and deconflicted. PS: It seems like this would be a great chance for MyGMRS to do something really cool and check their database automatically for conflicts when new repeaters are listed. Don't know how complicated checking estimated range overlap would be, though.

My head hurts

Thanks for the reply. I already have a dedicated radio (Midland MXT 575) mounted in my vehicle. This is for something else. I have a WWII Jeep with the 9 section antennae mounted with the period correct mount and base. I had a hidden CB in the Jeep with a t-17 lollipop mic hooked up to hit. But now I'd like to use my Baofeng instead and just wondered if I had the right connector would it work with that antennae?

This is true but it has never been a problem for me.

Similar to the Retevis RT97s https://midlandusa.com/collections/mxr10-midland-repeater/products/midland-mxr10-repeater

The AR-5RM is not capable of transmitting at 0.5w, and as such, isn't appropriate for channels 8-14. Its low power is closer to 2.5w +/- 0.3w. It's also not type approved, of course. I like my two way radios, but when I need a scanner I use a scanner. Even a 25 year old Pro-92 scans faster than a modern Baofeng, at around 20-25 channels per second. I think a UV5G Plus scans around five channels per second. It takes a Baofeng just over four seconds to get through all 22 GMRS channels. It takes a 25 year old dedicated scanner a second. Let's say that at 25kHz spacing in the air band a Baofeng is 2x faster than scanning set channels, at 10 steps per second. Even a 25 year old dedicated scanner searches through frequency bands at around 50 steps per second. There are 1160 25kHz steps in the VHF air band. You get through 1160 steps in 116 seconds with the Baofeng. You get through 1160 steps in 24 seconds with an old dedicated scanner. Scanning isn't what two-way radios are optimized for.

It’s not mobile, it’s handheld, but it’s a real scanner designed for the air band. This will allow you to select a GMRS radio for its GMRS performance rather than worrying about including air band, but the KG1000G that Gil recommended above is an excellent GMRS radio!: https://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/15328?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_uYzJoyN5lXiCWSPx0R_fYtfIf1&gclid=CjwKCAjwuMC2BhA7EiwAmJKRrC3HmXpv8iPzAbs3NiYJFCWSdTwqoaVhXNEf37LsgmOidxGQ-ImHqhoCKU0QAvD_BwE

The TID Radio H3 and the Baofeng AR-5RM both have airband frequencies. But as previously stated, both scan really slow unless all you’re scanning is a few airband frequencies. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ok thanks, my son is getting ready to start training as a pilot so i wanna listen in. Any who thanks for the info.

Yeah, we have a local ham repeater that is like that all the time. The trustee thought it had to be open squelch so it was. It has two different IDer's on it. It's actually fun to play with. Top and bottom of the hour it will ID. Actually ID's every 9 minutes without use. But top and bottom the hour, Let it ID. Then key up and ask "WHAT REPEATER" It will ID AGAIN. THen ask what did it say. It will ID a third time. All this in a course of 30 seconds. And it ID's overtop of who ever is using it too. It's so bad it ran off all the local users because of that BS. I had to pull the thing out of the logging recorder because it was filling up the hard drive. Had 30 resources in the thing. That was always top of the list for record time

Welcome! Now you are on your way to becoming a "radio dork".

Greetings! I'm located in Schaumburg, IL and just received my GMRS license! I got into kayaking recently and discovered if you're more than 50 feet away from the wife or kids, no one can hear each other. Arrive, three GRMS radios. So I placed one of my three handhelds on the kitchen table, went outside and my first broadcast was to my wife who she immediately reply transmitted, "You're a dork". Hopefully I'm in good company here...

Welcome! I hope you enjoy it here.

Greetings, New member and licensee, I carried radios most of my adult life (retired peace officer) from the bricks of the 80’s to modern day. Never cared how they worked before and now I’m in learning mode. Really appreciate all the great videos out there and this forum which I intend to read through in detail. I’m Northeast San Antonio area and have a pair of TidRadio H3 to start with.

the second I read your post I could hear Mr. Hopkins in my head.

I have been thinking about the Topic on whether it's legal or illegal to link up GMRS repeaters via commercial Telephone or Internet systems. I sincerely understand that the General Mobile Radio Service wasn't design for casual conversation as you may find on the Citizen Band Radio Service. I also understand that GMRS isn't design for Commercial Business, although it can be used for business. Now, I can't say that I agree with the FCC's Rules and Regulations, because I have enjoyed for short while the benefit of talking with other GMRS stations. However, I got to respect the FCC's wishes and maybe someone out there will get a petition to change the Rules and Regulations. Hey, until a petition is drafted circulated and approved for GMRS repeaters to be linked. For those that have interest in Radio Communication, but don't have a desire to take the test for an Amateur Radio License, get a CB Radio!

@WSDD439 Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing with you, I'm just explaining the issue that some people have with linked repeaters. Personally, I don't care whether they are linked or not. They are useful linked, they are useful unlinked, and simplex is also good.

I'm talking about someone who is out of simplex range but within repeater (or especially linked repeater) range.

@TrikeRadio Great question, BTW. Even if we have no intent on doing it, it's always fun to try to think through stuff like that. Sometimes, the 'what if' is very entertaining.

The two issues with this scheme is It requires a repeater to transmit on a frequency not allowed by regulations and It results in a loop. Repeater A transmits on the input frequency for repeater B. Repeater B must transmit on the input frequency of repeater A which then transmits on the input frequency for repeater B.

You make a good point. SHTF can take many forms and cover everything from a neighborhood, to the whole country, even the world. If there were a widespread cellular outage lasting days or weeks, I imagine CB radios would start flying off the shelves in affected areas. Believe it or not, they can still get your voice out, and bring others' voices in, just as they did in the 1970's. Something that helps you find a working or stocked gas pump in time of shortage, is as valuable today as it was in 1973. Just knowing you have the means contact another person and ask them to send help; in the event of a vehicular breakdown, collision, or perhaps being targeted by a hostile person or groups of people, could mean a lot. When I talk of ham radio, it is not because I think hams are the greatest, the best, or anything; but the fact that there are a lot more ham repeaters in most places than GMRS, and they usually have greater range, makes it worth mentioning. Although most hams do not participate in it, hams have a neat thing going for them called the National Traffic System or NTS. This consists of long established nets, usually on 75 meters and 40 meters, that handle message "traffic" in the form of brief formatted messages, known as "Radiograms". These nets meet daily or nightly and handle traffic coming into or going out of a given area, coming from or going to another area. Frequently, these messages reach the final recipient in a day or two. In the event of a situation like 9-11, health and welfare messages to loved ones who had no other means of knowing the status of a friend or family member in a disaster area can mean so much. Learning how to format, copy, and relay these messages is an integral part of these hf (shortwave) nets. In an area with a GMRS repeater with good coverage, as with CB, being able to communicate with others and knowing you are not totally alone can be a huge comfort.

i just made a video about Scientology so obviously i don't care about my reputation, but I dont want another one of those electronic abortions of a repeater.

Please no more, we’ve had enough of the linked repeater drama.

There are cheap foreign made amps that cost WAY less than a GOOD mobile unit. But I agree that the UT-72 by itself is the absolute best investment in this scheme. I advise against the amp regardless of its price. The relatively minor increase in clarity of signal to those you transmit to will be of no really use.

I'm not the smartest person on here. It took me a while to figure it out myself. I have a Radioddity GM-30 and used a SMA male to UHF female. The SMA end consists to your radio. Yours might take a female? I used a Nagoya lip mount on my driver side rear door with a Motorola 3db ghost antenna, both of which I got off of Amazon.

Where shall I send my dry cleaning bill? Hot coffee on my nice work shirt and all....!

Basically the only difference between the Midland SPK-100 and SPK-200 is the SPK-200 has noise cancellation and an amplifier that requires a power source. If the SPK-100 works fine in my SxS, it will work in a Jeep. One won't go wrong with either speaker.

If you’re needing to boost the volume more than a remote speaker, Midland has a waterproof powered amplified speaker with noise cancelation. Midland- SPK200 Heavy-Duty 20W Amplified External Speaker Here’s a review

Please note the Motorola and Midland part numbers, and the type of connectors for each speaker. There is nothing wrong with the Midland speaker. You might want to get the Midland Speaker so you don't have to change out the connector on the Motorola Speaker.

Simply put,, there is not enough bandwidth for linking repeaters in the GMRS band while not effecting the intended users of GMRS.. The FCC has already allocated tons of bandwidth for this practice were it has rules and procedures to manage those networks.. Also the FCC requires a specialized license to use those frequencies allocated for repeater linking, which requires users to demonstrate more radio knowledge and hopefully responsibility.. I can guarantee the FCC is not going to change the GMRS rules to include world wide repeater linking in the GMRS band. Why? because they already have an allocation of frequencies for this practice known as the amateur radio. The practice of repeater linking requires a higher level of knowledge/expertise, not commonly found or expected, with an entry level license such as GMRS , . Repeater Linking requires a lot of coordination, procedures and managing skills which is well established in the Amateur Radio world and (not in the GMRS world). If the FCC even thought of changing the GMRS rules to include repeater linking in the GMRS band, the first thing they would want to do is re-classify that frequency band segment to the Ammeter Radio Band where they already have rules and process set up for the purpose of repeater linking They are not gong to re-write a set of rules to allow repeater linking in the GMRS band, knowing the practice will destroy the intended purpose of GMRS. Myself and many many many of my friends whom enjoy GMRS for the intended purpose have alreay written to the FCC opposing any attempt to change the rules permitting repeater linking in the GMRS band. I encourage anyone that does not want the GMRS band destroyed by repeater linking to do so as well. For you people that enjoy the hobby and beniffits of repeater linking, you all need to obtain and or use the Amateur Radio benefits already set up..

Had the first visitor on my GMRS RPT-50 this morning. A Paramedic that lives in my neighborhood. I can’t think of a better contact to have Also, integrated a Sony Digital Voice Recorder into my mix. It plugs straight into one of my BTech GMRS Pro’s and only records when there’s activity. Photo of my “shack” attached. @OffRoaderX I hope some day you have another opportunity to look at this repeater. Maybe we can get BTech to send you one. You already did the pay to play option. If they want to sell more units they need to go the extra mile here.

I still have most of the gear and plenty of woods. I may repeat the test with "like-model" comparisons. I have to see how the calendar shakes out and if I can find a volunteer with a proper CB install.

So... couple of possible answers. I have done head-to-head-to-head testing for a customer, through 10 miles of heavy woods, with GMRS, MURS and CB. I will make this as concise as possible. With everything being equal, the lower in frequency you go, the less foliage and trees absorb RF... therefore the less the impact on range. That said, due to rules of the services, that doesn't mean anything as far as practical application. Again, no Line of site restriction, heavy woods, abiding to the FCC rules. From and to the exact same locations, on the same day, within an hour time frame. With a mobile CB, legal limit on AM, the max usable power of 4w (3 measured) and a 1/4 wave antenna, range was about 2.5 miles. With mobile MURS, max usable power of 2w (1.8 measured) and a 6dB gain antenna, max range was 1 mile. With GMRS. max usable power of 50w (48.5 measured) and a 6dB antenna, we were able to talk the full 10 miles with about a 50:50 SNR.

Why pollute the limited spectrum of GMRS with blather from other parts of the country? A stand alone repeater allows for better, uninterrupted local coms than one linked to a net or other repeaters.