Leaderboard

My name is Glenn and I have a GMRS problem. Back in 2012 I innocently bought a pair of cheap Midland GXT1050 walkie-talkies, lying to myself that they were only for practical purposes. I knew deep down I desired to tinker with radios as I did when I was a child playing with CB. Reading the manuals and searching the internet I learned that there were things in GMRS called "Repeaters." I quickly returned these repeater-incapable radios and bought a slightly less inferior set of MOTOROLA MR356R, which also came in a dirty bubble pack. I applied for and received my first GMRS FCC license in February of 2012. I freely admit I used them for some time, I even "checked in" to a few "nets"... but eventually I weened myself from my addiction. I let me license expire on 02/28/2017. I thought I was free. I thought I had escaped. I was wrong. Years later in 2024 I heard that the dealer of GMRS callsigns had lowered the cost to a mere $35. "Go ahead, everybody's doing it. You can handle it," I thought. I returned to the dark ally where my FRN was still waiting for me, I navigated the dank smoke filled corridors of the FCC website and claimed a new GMRS callsign that would last me ten years, and would drag my entire immediate family back into the authorized, but despised world of GMRS. I bought a set of Tidradio TD-H3 HTs because of a shady street dealer who recommended them on youtube. I was excited, I was thrilled. I knew I could take it slow and control myself. "They are just tiny radios", I said, "I can handle it this time." Soon I was checking in on a local GMRS NET as a "guest", but I wanted more. I signed up and payed money to a group who owned the repeater. I got a group member ID. I could now call the repeater whenever I wanted! But I was calm. I had this under control. I was using the radios for practical purposes, communicating with friends whom I cycled with in a group on weekends. It helped I maintain group safety, I kept saying to myself. Then it started. I did not want to go overboard and buy a mobile unit, but maybe I could get a mag mount antenna for my car and use my little HT with a hand mic to just "Try it out" first. Then I bought a few other removable antennas for my HTs to see which worked better when cycling. I bought different hand mics and even a boom mic headset to see if that worked better while cycling. I have caught myself watching video reviews of Mobile Units and checking prices. I have looked up repeaters along the route I drive to where other family lives. I have even contemplated paying more money to another repeater club which has more activity on it than the one I currently have access to! I don't know where all this is leading. But here I am. I am a GMRS user. There, I said it.

I will start the meeting.... My name is Brent and I have a GMRS problem. I received my FCC license on 08/21/24 and it's 09/25/24, during this time I have purchased or obtained: (2) Baofeng UV-5G Plus Radios (the start to the addiction) (2) Baofeng UV-5RM Radios (2) Antennas - UT-72G and Comet 2X4SRNMO (1) Surecom SWR Meter Countless coax and radio connectors (1) Potluck / Meet & Greet at the KRUM 575 Repeater Tower (1) Midland MXT400 (given to me by an awesome fellow GMRS buddy) I have had frustrations, accomplishments, made new friends, new knowledge and simply put a lot of fun!

Thems is all rookie numbers.

You are all insane, but in a good way. I got GMRS licensed in July of this (2024) year and then two weeks later I went and got my technician ham ticket and exactly, to the day, a month later I got my general. But... the first 2 radios I grabbed for GMRS would be the TIDRadio TD-H3 - one is kept on GMRS, the other is fully unlocked with the nicosure mod allowing it to have an S meter, waterfall, etc. - it even transmits on 2m, 70cm and 1.25m now which is where I wanted it to be. It does okay, but it *is* a little "spurious." Once I had the ham ticket, I grabbed the AnyTone D878UVII Plus because I am interested in DMR (and I use it regularly) and I really love this radio so far. I mostly us RT Systems programmer for it, but that software does not read/handle DMR contacts outside of importing them from a server somewhere and rather than deal with that, I just generate the contacts on RadioID and import them using CPS. I've built a Slim J, which I use now on the 878, I have 9 "rubber ducky" antennas such as Smiley, Signal Stuff (I like this antenna, it's been performing well) and Nagoya for the GMRS radios. I have more purchases to go, but I plan them out, research them ad nauseam and I take my sweet time deciding so it takes me longer to acquire the gear. Right now I have an intense interest in antenna building and am about to place a foil tape slot antenna on my window here in the apartment. GMRS repeater activity is pretty dead in my area with the exception of some rare contacts on simplex, GMRS is not good in my particular spot. heh.... got away there. So I do not have a lot of radios overall unless you can consider my Uniden SDS100, but that is a scanner. Currently trying to decide on the next GMRS HT that I want and with so many choices, this will take me a bit. I have been looking at the UV-5x radios as my next purchase, but we will see. Also, despite not having a lot of GMRS contact in my area, I am still into it. It will come in handy during the fall and winter for me.

Don't worry about knowing about DMR or any of the other modes for the ham tests until you reach the Extra level. DMR is not an easy protocol to program as there are 3 elements to sync for every contact you want to use.

Ahhh, you youngin's are just getting your toes wet. Since this is about GMRS, I will leave the number of VHF radios I have out of it. XPR6550 - I know of 18 that are in 6 bank chargers. There are more floating around, those are the ones I am sure of. XPR4550 - Again, I have 6 for sure that I can point out. Probably 10 to 12 total. I sold off most all of the CDM's I had. But there was once 20 plus of them before a trip to Hamfest sent them away. I kept 6 of them for console radios and for repeater setups in the CDR repeater units. Couple XTS5000 portables 6 XTL5000 mid power mobiles one XTL5000 high power mobile One XTS3000 portable One APX 7000 portable (has VHF too) One Harris xg-100P (tri-band with VHF and 800) ONE APX8500 (popped final in the UHF section, needs fixed. Will get around to that. three MTR2000 repeaters two MTR3000 repeaters two Quantar repeaters three or four (can't remember how many got sold) XPR8400/8300 repeaters I did buy some CCR Quansheng portable because it's suppose to cover from 18Mhz to 1.3 Ghz. Firmware updated it and then lost interest in it. It's sitting here too. Don't know what else. Probably a few Kenwood mobiles.

My name is Steve. After buying 2 Motorola Talkabout GMRS/FRS combination radios, 2 Midland combination GMRS/FRS radios, and 1 Garmin Rino, I finally surrendered my soul to the addiction. Now I am a ham radio operator (AI7KS).

@Marcspaz Too bad we live many States apart. I would love to join you in your test.

About a month or two ago, there was a discussion on that the CB Radio FM Mode may be something that should be looked at to consider bringing back the use of the CB radio for uses such as Off-Road Trail Comms. I stated that the CB FM Mode would probably propagate or provide better communications than the CB with AM modulation, and even better than FRS. Some Forum members disagreed but no one could cite any facts or back up their statements. I related that I think the CB FM modulation would have a better signal-to-noise ratio thus, better communication Farz. I also stated that as time permits, I would conduct a radio comparison test. Well, that day came, and I conducted the subject test comparing the communications with FRS, CB AM, and CB FM. I kept the test simple, and I did not record any RSSI (Radio Signal Strength Indicator) readings. I just did the ol’ hoot & howler type test to see if you can hear the communication and determine the usable distance and audio quality between the three subject radio transmissions. The test was conducted essentially in a desert environment on flat terrain, with a slight dip in elevation for a dry creek bed and a test point was conducted in that dip, consisting a few cacti, pucker bushes, and giggly weeds, with no other obstacles. A 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche was the Stationary Transmitting Point using a Cobra 29 LTD Classic Nightwatch AM/FM CB Radio with a Firestik II 4 Ft. Antenna in the center of the roof. CB Ch. 16 was used for both the AM & FM modes and the antenna was tuned at less than 1.1:1 VSWR. The CB Radio operated in the AM Mode with a Dead Carrier, no modulation, at 3.5 RF watts and was drawing 14.01 DC volts at 1.12 amps; and 3.9 RF watts with modulation, at 14.00 DC Volts and was drawing 1.46 amps. In FM mode, the radio was emitting 3.7 RF watts with essentially no difference in power draw. The data collection vehicle was a 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon using a Cobra 25 LTD Classic CB AM/FM radio with a Firestik II 5 Ft. Antenna tuned to less than 1.1:1 VSWR and the antenna located on the rear Spare Tire Carrier Bracket near the passenger side of the vehicle. The data collection consisted of collecting test data every ¼ mile driving away from the stationary vehicle. The test concluded at the 3.25 mile checkpoint. The data collection vehicle operated the radio squelch level at the threshold of squelching out the noise. The FRS radios were two Midland LXT radios with fully charged batteries. The stationary vehicle transmitted on the FRS radio from inside the vehicle as a user would be doing on an actual off-road trail run and the test collection vehicle was receiving the communication transmission from inside the vehicle as an user would be doing on an off-road trail run. The RF output power was not checked due to the inability to measure. The FRS became non-existent passed the ¾ mile mark. The CB AM signal was good and quiet up to the 1 mile mark. The next ½ mile, the signal was readable but RF noisy. At the 2 & 2 ¼ mile marks the signal was barely readable. At the 2 ½ mile mark the signal was non-existent and covered by possible skip interference. In the FM mode, the signal was very good essentially full quieting for the first 1 ½ miles. From the 1 ¾ mile mark to the 2 ¾ mile mark, the signal was readable with some RF noise. At the 3-mile mark, the signal was very noisy but readable. At the 3 ¼ mile mark, the signal was very noisy and unreadable. In conclusion, the FM signal transmissions outperformed the AM signal transmissions. Based on these results on what would be the best Off-Road Trail Comm., I think the FM CB transmission has a good chance of being a very good trail comm. I think a test on an actual off-road trail with trees/foliage would be warranted to see what would be best under trail conditions. There is no doubt that any VHF or UHF mobile radio with RF output power higher than an FRS would perform better. I think that I just may conduct that test once I get my XTL VHF radio installed in my Jeep which will occur in the near future so I can conduct a comparison radio test between the VHF & UHF radios on the trail.

https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

My addiction started in the very early 70s and it wasn't with a CB radio, it was with RCA and Motorola radios and I was a user. Then I got into CB radios in the mid 70s because my Van Club thought it was a good idea to communicate among our selves during the Van runs. My career evolved with the use of two-way radio communications in more ways than I ever could imagine for over 36 years. I saw the technology of radios from the days of "Tubes" to what we see today, well at least up to almost 20 years ago, when I retired from Government Services as a Middle Manager. During my career, I was involved in several radio communications task forces with local and federal agencies. I was also lead in numerous special events (political conventions, Olympics, world cup soccer, world series, super bowls, etc.) and emergency incidents (earthquakes, floods, fires, riots) as part of my responsibilities. When I was not planning for special events and emergency incidents, I was planning and managing numerous communications projects such as developing new communications centers and designing/implementing new simulcast systems and correcting/eliminating radio system deficiencies, and designing radio system and equipment solutions to problems. In the early 90s, I bought my first real radio, a Motorola HT1000. I programmed the radio with GMRS simplex channels and I used them as part of my Motorsports car racing activities throughout the country. Subsequently, I obtained a GMRS Station Authorization, KAG0097. In 2008, I moved and didn't realized that I let my GMRS license expire by a couple months so when I tried to renew my license, I was issued WQJT335. In the mid-90s, my radio equipment started to grow at that point with the purchase of MT2000 radios. Also, I obtained a Business Radio Service License, WPMQ975, with several Part 90 frequencies. A few months ago, I applied for an additional Business Radio Service License and was granted WSEC911. There were virtually no GMRS repeaters in the early days. As of today, my list of radio equipment has grown to a super addiction. In the interest of time, I am not going to list all the tools and support equipment, spare parts & components, I have obtained that helps occupies my time these days and keeps me from being bored when I am not out stirring up the dust off-roading, car racing, or involved with my several radio and car club activities. My equipment list: 1-Motorola HT1000 5-Motorola MT2000 (2-A7 3-A4) 1-Motorola MTS2000 (Model II) 4-Motorola Astro Sabers (1-Type I, 1-Type II, and 2-Type IIIs) 4-Motorola XTS1500 (3-Type II UHF, 1-Type II VHF 1-Motorola XTS2500 (Type II) 3-Motorola XTS3000 (Type II) 7-Motorola XTS5000 (6-Type II UHF, 1-Type II VHF) 3-Motorola XTS5000 (Type III FPP) 4-Motorola XTS5000 (2-Type III UHF, 2-Type III VHF) 3-Midland LXT FRS 1-Motorola DTR700 900 MHz (FHSS) 1-Motorola MCS2000 4-Motorola XTL2500 840 channel (3-UHF, 1-VHF) 2-Motorola XTL5000 Dash Mount (Base Units) 2-Motorola XTL5000 Remote Mount 2-Motorola XTL5000 High Powered Remotes (1-Dually Diesel P/U, 1-Jeep Wrangler Rubi) 2-Kenwood TK880-1 (1-Temp. Porsche, 1-Loaner Radio) 1-Midland MXT500 (Loaner Radio) 1-Wouxun KG1000G Plus (Loaner Radio) 1-Vertex-Standard EVX-R70-G-7 (Repeater Station) (Same as Motorola XPR8400) 1-Cobra 25 LTD Classic AM/FM CB Radio (Jeep) 1-Cobra 29 LTD Classic Nightwatch AM/FM CB Radio (Dually Diesel) 1-Cobra 19 DX III CB Radio (Spare) 1-Cobra 19 DX IV CB Radio (Spare) I do feel like a fix coming on in the near future. I just downloaded the Mototrbo CPS and acquired the Programming Cable for the XPR mobiles and portables and will be diving into the DMR stuff with them soon. I would like to acquire an APX mobile (VHF/UHF) in the future but I'm not sure about the portables yet. I have an extreme high investment in the audio accessories for the JEDI & the Astro 25 Digital (XTS) series radios such as my race car comm interface, headsets, speaker mics, adapter cables, earpieces, etc. and the APX series radios are not compatible with those accessories.

If it's a TK-3302UK radio the attached software should work. Unzip the file and copy the contents for disks 1 through 4 to an empty folder. All the files must be in that folder. Then run the "setup.exe" file to install. Use the install key found in "SeriaL.txt" file. KPG-119D V2.00.zip Brochure-TK-2302_3302.pdf

Programming an AT778-UV by hand is not for the faint of heart. I tried it and couldn't connect to a repeater. As far as I could tell from the menu I was doing everything right. After reading from the radio with CHIRP I could see that the channel I was programming was in cross mode. Still not sure how that happened and not going to try and find out. Just do it the easy way with CHIRP and enjoy the radio.

This is hilarious. You win, dude. You have purchased more stuff in one month than I have in a year -- and that's my fault.

Today was my first opportunity to try out the CB FM mode. I had a friend help me with my own CB radio, I took out of my Dually Diesel, and put it in his Avalanche. He was the transmitting source. I actually like the audio quality of the CB FM radio mode. If I remember correctly, my modulation peaked at 85% and my CB radios are not modified.

CB has better slang, too. In fact, I think that's one thing missing from GMRS.

@nokones i have said many times that there is a huge advantage with CB over FRS or GMRS, because HF has LOS propagation, like GMRS, but also has the advantage of Ground Wave and Sky Wave propagation as well. However, very few people I have met in my entire life, have a properly installed CB. Even fewer have SSB to take advantage of the extra power and sideband performance characteristics. I only know one person (personally) that has an FM CB. Bad performance of poorly installed factory stock AM radios that only put out 1 or 2 watts and 75%-80% modulation on a good day, and the lack of operators with compatible gear for SSB led me to recommend the much more powerful and installation forgiving GMRS. I have an AM / FM CB. Ive done a test similar to what you mentioned, comparing AM CB to FM VHF and UHF. While I didn't compare CB AM to CB FM, my results showed a dramatic range improvement with a 50w GMRS radio compared to my well performing AM CB. Living here in VA, I should try to find some time to duplicate your test, to see how terrain and woods impact performance. I'll have to see if I can get the one person I know with an FM CB to run some tests with me.

Hope that gets you connected. Good luck, and feel free to ask questions if you need help.

Thank you!

Thx much Steve, I actually discovered (Mac guy here) that it was my PC that was 'preventing' the CPS download. Once I got past that, the CPS got installed and acted normally, allowing complete channel programming & preferences selection. The software seems almost the same as other Retevis software I've used. This GMRS Radio has a removable antenna; some similar radios have a very small Allen setscrew to assist in secure attachment of the antenna, not so with this radio. The radio has weather alert as well; this feature can be activated as needed from the keypad menu. Another Retevis / Ailunce keeper!

Dixie Run at Windrock this weekend if anyone is looking for something to do. We have repairs from Uhwarrier JJ last weekend so can't make it to this one. Fun weekend in Uhwarrie again even with a little breakage..litterly lost the brake line on left rear (steel line near frame) on Dicki Bell and limped to Troy for parts. Then the other half backed into a tree on sunday and we broke a ujoint. Pile of parts at home so busy weekend. next trip is Cumberlands in October.

The only protocols mentioned in the last expired EXTRA question pool were PACTOR and one other. Nothing about what they were or how they were formatted, just about what equipment was needed.

Yep, I was gonna say the same thing Steve. Out the back of the amplifier is where the 50 watts is measured. If it's an all in one unit you get to have 50 watts out out of the duplexer if the duplexer is housed in the same case as the amplifier.

^Thanks Brent! Much appreciated. I've handed out some HTs in case everything goes down, though we are more central so we're not expecting much.

Hey Gregg. Best of luck with the hurricane. Stay safe. Brent

This is absolutely correct. In traditional DMR programming you end up with a channel for every combination of talkgroup and repeater. It’s not uncommon to have a hundred different channels for every repeater. Then, in order to use any channel it must be added to a zone. It’s much, much easier in OpenGD77/OpenUV380. You build talkgroup lists and then you simply associate each repeater to a talkgroup list. Fortunately, extracts or even the entire database of talkgroups are very easily downloaded. But as @BoxCar said you don’t need to know anything about how DMR works to take any of the ham exams. If it’s even mentioned on the Extra exam I don’t remember it. There might be a question about digital modes in general, but if you never learn anything about it you can still easily pass the test.

If you are talking Los Angeles as in LA, you should be able to log into a small handful.. I can hit 7 different repeaters driving N/E from Fontana to San Clarita.. From San Clarita north to Lone Pine i can hit the repeater on El Paso. You might have to fish the tones on aa couple, if there is traffic. I never had an issue doing so.. I think 3 of them including El Paso are open..

Funny.. All these people that brag of blocking me, seep through the cracks.. They must love me.. Way to go SteveShannon..

Ok, since I got into GMRS I've added to my pre-existing collection that included a scanner, a couple of Marine VHF radios, a shortwave radio, and FRS radios, the following: Radios: UV-5G (2), UV-5G Plus (1), AR-5RM (1), MXT-275 (1), RA-87 (1), GTX1000 (2). Antennas: MXTA25, MXTA13, MXTA26, HYS SDN-1T, Laird TE B4505CN, Comet CA2X4SR (2). Nagoya NA771G, NA771 dual band, NA701G, ABREE dual band, Tram Marine VHF 5.1dB whip. Ground plane kits: Nagoya GP01 (2) Test equipment: Surecom SW102, NanoVNA, TinySA, 50w dummy load, 40dB, 20dB, and 10dB attenuators, and a whole bunch of various adapters and patch cables. SDR: RTL-SDRv4 (4), Raspberry Pi (2) Software: Chirp, SDR++, SDRAngel, TrunkSDR, nanovna-saver. Cables: LMR400, RG8X, RG58A/U, various lengths, plus various short length connectors. UHF/VHF diplexer (to use radios on two different bands on the same antenna). Mounts: NMO through-deck mounts, GP mounts, Midland magnetic mount, Midland hood mount. Multiple MXT275 brackets. Upcoming: Another Comet CA2X4SR and another diplexer to share a dual-band antenna. A mobile 2m/70cm dual band radio. A 2m/70cm Yagi antenna because I want to experiment with listening to / working through the ISS repeater, downloading NOAA imagery (using the SDR), and so on. Prep for General.

PS: My addiction problem is not an addiction problem. It is an addiction that I enjoy and I am glad that I have this addiction and it has been a load of fun and I highly recommend and welcome it for anyone who wants to indulge. I'm sure our beloved Queen has a term that he can coin for this addiction.

Yes, I did. If it was a loose connection it wouldn't work with the factory program but it reads the radio just fine with the factory program so it's NOT a loose cable.

I've watched a lot of notarubicon's videos, @OffRoaderX, I'm just not able to retain what I learn like I used to. All of the searching that I did the last couple of days brought back some oh yeahs. All I need is a simple radio that just works out of the box. I think I've got my DB20 right for me finally. Thanks everyone.

That could be true, I wouldn’t doubt that, but that’s not the same as they have no way to do it and just because they haven’t doesn’t make it okay if you don’t have permission. Which was my point all along, not much more to say on the subject.

Scofflaws, ne’er do wells, ruffians… the linkers were a mad bunch snapping their nasty antenna whips, growling at old women and kicking rocks at children. Then law came to town, a man with a badge THE FCC!!! …sorry I was imagining a 60’s TV show that never was carry on.

I've reviewed the Chirp code for the 5RM and the 17Pro. It's largely the same code (5RM class inherits from 17Pro class). There is no reason that I can see that the 5RM radio of the same version as mine, would not work with the 5RM entry in Chirp, unless you downloaded your code plug from a different radio and then modified it and tried to upload it as a 5RM. I suggest that if you cannot use the 5RM model in Chirp for your 5RM radio, you file a bug report with Chirp, because it's clearly not the intent for that to not work. As a software engineer it drives me crazy that two people with identical hardware and identical software would not get the same result. If you file that bug report, you will help all the people who are experiencing the same problem you are experiencing. Here is a link to the code in question: https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/repository/github/revisions/master/entry/chirp/drivers/baofeng_uv17Pro.py#L1313 That code encapsulates both the 17Pro and 5RM classes of radios. And here is a link for submitting bug reports: https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/issues I've seen that the developers for Chirp are highly responsive. Your bug report will get addressed. The address may be "We can't reproduce", but I rarely see bugs closed that way in the Chirp issues stream. Usually they either result in a patch being created, or the developers discovering an issue with how the software is being used. But either way, someone learns, the developers improve their knowledge base too.

I cannot explain why your experience with Chirp would be so different from mine, for the same radio. I have the vendor set to Baofeng, and the radio set to 5RM. I set channel 193 to 121.300, named it AirGround1, and immediately the software selected "AM" as the mode. I set Duplex to "off" which disables transmitting (though the radio won't transmit, regardless). I saved the image. I uploaded it to the radio. I turned on the radio and selected channel 193. It has AirGround1, and it can hear ground control traffic. That's with Chirp next-20240919 on Python 3.12.3. Could you try with that configuration? My radio is firmware version v0.14. Hardware version v01.

I understood that. I also understood that you could enter air band channels from the front panel. I’m suggesting that you could maybe use the software to do most of the channel entry as regular channels, the tedious part such as channel names, etc. Then, from the front panel convert those regular channels to air band channels by changing the frequency and modulation. I just thought you could make it slightly easier for yourself. Good luck in either case.

I don't have this radio but maybe my two cents will help. As mentioned by @dosw, when programming Air Band in Chirp be sure to select AM in the mode column. Also some radios that do Air Band receive will only do so in the upper display and not the lower. Good luck.

If I could get access to the two repeaters in my area of LA, I'd be a happy man.

just got back from Los Angeles and GMRS is defiantly not dying. The zoo is alive and well, as always

A man worked in a factory and augmented his meager income by playing guitar at bars and special events on weekends. He was in a terrible industrial accident that claimed one of his arms. The factory fired him, saying they had no work for a one-armed man. Of course he could no longer play guitar, something he enjoyed doing, with one arm. The poor man decided to end it all and was standing in a chair, rigging a noose on the ceiling of his third floor apartment. Just as he was about to put the noose around his own neck, the man, facing the window on the front of his building, sees a man with no arms, walking down the sidewalk, whistling, and occasionally jumping in the air and clicking his heels. The man felt bad. Here he was, about to end it all and yet here goes a man with no arms, walking down the street, happy, and apparently content with the world. The man threw the noose to the side, jumped off of the chair he was standing on, and ran downstairs to try and catch up to the happy man with no arms. It took the man about a block to catch up to the man with no arms, who was still jumping in the air and clicking his heels at regular intervals. He asked the man with no arms to stop and he did, growling "What do you want?" "Sir, I was about to end it all a minute ago. Then I saw you walking down the street, apparently very happy, whistling and clicking your heels every few steps. How do you do it? I must know", said the one armed man. "How do I do what?", snapped the guy with no arms. "How do you remain happy with your disability, which is worse than my own?" "I'm not happy", snapped the man with no arms. "Then why are you jumping in the air and clicking your heels every few steps?, asked the one armed man. "My butt itches."

I actually started to watch him two years ago when I got my Beofeng (Or how he calls it "Boofwang") UV-5r

DXEngineering claims they should ship on the 16th of September. I would just order it rather than letting others get in the queue ahead of you.

Nice detailed review. Thanks for the antenna tests. I got 2 of these a few days ago and have been going through them pretty thoroughly. I am getting about 7.5w on H, 4.5w on M, and 1.4w on L on the GMRS freqs. I did test on the 2m call freq and got 9w, but I don't use this radio for 2m. I bought the minimal set that only has the one short antenna. I have no way to test the antenna other than comparing it to the GMRS tuned antennas that I currently have for other radios. So, with my current GMRS antennas, I can easily open and talk on the closest repeater to my house with the AR-5RM, which I can not do on my other 4 and 5 watt radios with the same antennas. I also can not even open that repeater with the AR-5RM using the included short antenna you tested. One little thing that might be a big thing for some. is the placement of the USB-C charging port that is on the battery. Many times these ports end up on the bottom of the battery or radio so you are not able to stand the radio up while charging. The port on the AR-5RM is on the back of the battery and has a little rubber cover. One last thing. This radio has the typical Roger Beep, but it also has a MDC1200 sounding tone just for fun. This is a decent radio for the $30 I paid.

Great review, thanks. I got mine yesterday and the only thing I did was add one of my Nagoya 771 antennas and was hitting a repeater 30-ish miles away while on my front porch in the middle of a neighborhood full of oak trees. I couldn't do that with any of my previous Baofeng or Tid Radio units.

programing is the easy part, getting the DMR info is more work..