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The easiest solution for a low power GMRS repeater is the Retevis RT97. Yes it will cost more that two HT's and some cables, but it will work as intended and will be a lot easier to setup with just one antenna.

This Btech GMRS 50V2 Mobile unit is doing well and it's able to use up to 50 watts. It can also be able to go from 50, 20, and 5 watts. I'm on the local repeater and York Maine repeater system. So far it's been working great.

That brings back memories! Dang near every phone in my grandma’s house was rotary. And my other grandma had the regular dial phone with the mile long cord so you could go anywhere in the house on it.

That is true, but that won't satisfy my curiosity. This isn't really about having a repeater. As I said, I actually have little use for a repeater. It's more about knowing if it can actually be made to work easily and cheaply. My curiosity often sends me down rabbit holes. If it can work, it's worth knowing how in case it someday becomes useful.

Leave your radio connected as it is with the ground going to chassis. Otherwise you could interfere with the auto start/stop system and the battery management system if you connect it to the negative battery terminal. It sounds like you might be getting noise from the alternator. I know I was getting noise from the alternator on my 2023 Ford Escape. I put clamp on ferrite beads on the leads to the radios and I put two more, one on each end, on the cable going between the alternator and battery. That helped clear things up for me.

We had two instances of this. In one instance the microphone jack had failed such that the PTT worked but the audio line was broken. We knew who it was because of his Roger beep. I soldered his mic jack and his UV5R was back in business. In the second instance a guy actually had his microphone hole plugged with some food.

You've hit on one of the things that sort of "differentiates", if you will, GMRS from amateur radio. GMRS is a "buy it and use it" endeavor. Amateur radio is an experimenter's paradise.

It would be best to scan channels 1-7 & 15-22 simultaneously as you travel. If you want to hear everything, don't run with any tone as most cheap GMRS radios do not have the ability of setting split tones.

We are pleased to announce the chartering of Kings County REACT Team #6287 in Brooklyn, New York USA. If you live in Brooklyn or Queens and would like to become a member and train for Emergency Communications consider popping over to kcreact.org and sending us a note. Eric KE2EMK WRVY750 BK1 Co-founder and President Kings County React Team #6287 kcreact.org

I tried to make it work with a pair of Baofeng UV5Rs set up in cross-band fashion, which is the simplest way to do it. I found that it's not as simple as connecting one cable between the radios. I ran into an issue where just connecting the radios with a standard 3-conductor audio cable put the transmit radio into perpetual transmit mode. I had to modify the cable. There are interfaces available, but honestly, out of all the videos of folks putting these setups together and bench testing them, I couldn't find even one video that showed the setup being successfully used in the field. If you can come up with a use case and you can get it set up and working, then by all means give it a try. I found it frustrating and ultimately not useful... for me anyway. Also, a duplexer is only needed if you're using the setup on a single band, like 2 meters. If you're cross-banding, no need for a duplexer. Duplexers also eat up RF power, something that you can't afford when you only have 5 watts to start with.

I did that too, but my small town hardware store didn't have any that fit just right. I even went to the NBC (next bigger city) and tried Lowe's but they didn't have any either so I gave up and went home. The next day, I was in my garage and my eye fell upon a caliper, and I thought, "Say...they make a tool specifically for finding the size of something... " so I measured the ones I had bought online. I could have done that to begin with, but I didn't think of it.

I scare the kids that are using the GMRS repeater outputs on simplex, I bet my XTL5000 base is the sound of god with its desk mic. I have even had some parents yell at me for freaking the kids out.

Maybe everyone else already knows this, but... Sometimes when you use an aftermarket antenna -- especially a Nagoya -- on a Baofeng HT, the antenna doesn't screw down all the way and there's a gap where dirt or moisture can get in. I did a search and found O-rings to seal it from a radio shop online, but they were $0.49 each plus shipping. I know I'm going to lose those little things right and left and that could eventually get expensive. With a caliper and a little experimentation, I found that the ideal size is 3/8" ID, 9/16" OD, and 3/32" thick. This fits perfectly, is $5.86 per 100 from Amazon, and includes free shipping for Prime members. If you didn't know, now you do.

No, this is just for my friend and me to test our equipment and locate my hidden transmitter!

I thought that MFJ closed up shop. The reason why I say that, the subject Instrument I sent in for warranty repair and recalibration in October 2023, showed up on my doorstep from FedEx today. Last year October, I sent in a MFJ 269D Antenna Analyzer and this subject MFJ 849 and if I recall, I received the Antenna Analyzer back in February or March of this year. According to the paperwork, the 849 was recalibrated and certified in good working order on June 6, 2024. The FedEx shipping label indicated a November 25, 2024 shipping date. As soon as I opened up the box I had to compare the accuracy of the 849 with my Telewave and my Bird 43. For this comparison test, I used my Kenwood TK880-1 transmitting on 467.625 Megs that was powered with a Powerwerx 30 Amp Powersupply set at 14.2 volts and a Laird B4502N Non-Groundplane 2.4 dB Omnidirectional Antenna and an Antenex Magmount sitting on a cookie sheet. The MFJ measured 18.8 watts at 1.0 watt reflected and 1.6:1 VSWR. My Bird measured 23 watts with 4 watts reflected. My Telewave measured just over 21 watts and just shy of 4 watts (more like 3.75 watts) reflected. I used the same Messi & Paoloni coax cables with PL259s on all three instruments. The only differences between the three instruments was I had to use SO239 female to N Male adapters on the Bird and Telewave instruments whereas the 849 had the SO239 female connections, so cable adapters were not needed. The VSWR conversion charts indicates the VSWR for the Bird measurement at 2.4:1 and the Telewave measurement at 2.3:1. My RigExpert 650 measured the VSWR at 1.48 at 467.600 Megs. I'm not sure that I want to use the 849, but it appears to be a little more accurate than before I sent it in over 13 months ago. I just don't have any confidence in MFJ products.

Many FRS (and heck even some GMRS) radios have pre-set tones on every channel (cough cough Retevis...). They likely don't know they're there or care, because all their radios talk to each other and they can't hear other people stepping on them.

I ended up buying a cable and the software from RT Systems.

The 1.8 SWR, while not ideal, shouldn't hurt you too badly, unless the KG1000 has an "RF fold back for higher SWR". Some VHF and UHF ham radios are so sensitive on RF foldback, they reduce power significantly with SWR as low as 1.5:1.

I don't have any options moving it forward or backward. I tried moving it 6 inches to the left and then right, but haven't noticed a difference. Maybe it needs more as you are suggesting, like a foot at a time. I can't hit the repeater on the 935. I don't know if this matters but when I key up on 462 I only have about 1.2 SWR, but on 467 it is 1.8.

No, the Fox is sending a one way transmission, which is only allowed for certain reasons. Foxhunting isn’t one of them. Here is the list of approved one-way communications: b) One-way communications. The operator of a GMRS station may use that station to transmit one-way communications: (1) To call for help or transmit other emergency communications; (2) To provide warnings of hazardous road conditions to travelers; or, (3) To make brief test transmissions.

At that price difference, I don't care if they're round or flat. I have a touch of OCD, but just a touch. I lose the darned things, which is why I had to go looking for something to replace the ones that came with my Nagoya antennas.

It's an identical neoprene ring and it costs $0.22 whereas the ones I bought cost $0.06. If it fits and forms a good seal, it's the right gasket.

Tcp2525 may be on-target. Do you have another radio to monitor your own with? Ideally, a ht with a "reverse" feature, or the means to program 467.700 in as a receive frequency. If not, then try monitoring your transmit audio (voice) on a simplex channel and see if it comes through. It is entirely within the realm of possibility that for some reason, your transmit audio is weak or non-existent.

Excellent! I haven’t looked at the Ham Radio Prep course. HamStudy does most of that also. I suspect they’re very similar. Best wishes as you go!!

And there is nothing wrong with that. I am thinking about building mown CW trainer after Christmas. Sparkgap Labs has a nice kit you build yourself. Everyone learns differently. What worked well for me to pass my technician and general tests were reading the "Easy Way Ham Books" and taking online practice tests. The Easy Way books are pretty good and they break things down so that you can learn and understand how things work.

If the practice exams are an indicator, I should have no problem. Most importantly, I want to be able to go to NotaRubicon's YouTube videos and tell him I know he's wrong because I'm an official ham.

This is exactly right. Developing the skills needed to build various radio systems doesn’t require a person to become a ham, but it’s often easier if a person has engaged in studying the basics in preparation for the ham tests or has worked in commercial or military communications.

The controller provides the necessary switching and provides level matching as well as sometimes providing the ability to identify the repeater at various intervals as required by regulations. The speaker of a radio is probably between 4-16 ohms. The microphone is a higher impedance than that. For best results the impedance should be matched.

Mobile radios can sometimes be paired to create a decent repeater. But many of them are just not shielded well enough and so the transmitter desenses the receiver.

Hope y’all are well fed and turkey sleep induced lol. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Forget about those radios and buy the most beloved and best sub $100 radio on the market, the Radioddity DB20G. A radio that the set the GMRS world on its backside by delivering high performance and reliability in a tiny package.

Interesting.. I know the H3’s can be both ham and GMRS. I’ve been looking at them recently myself but for strictly GMRS use.

It's very different from my area! So CH1/CH2 has kids talking with their parents, just like @marcspaz. I tried to scare them, but they're not scared; they're actually talking to me! As a new member here, please let me know if I've done anything wrong.

Here's the link I use for those elevation plots: https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/ And for earth curvature I prefer https://www.everythingrf.com/rf-calculators/line-of-sight-calculator That second one requires that you add together two calculations; your antenna height-to-horizon, and the remote antenna height-to-horizon, and it assumes the terrain is flat except for the curvature, as would be found on the ocean. By the way, here's a repeater, 63.5 miles away, that I can hit very reliably: Here's another that is very reliable for me at 43.3 miles: And this one, closer at 21.95 miles: One of the best near me is on 2m ham, with propagation all the way to the Colorado border: But look at its elevation: 11,068 feet!

I am both a ham radio and GMRS operator. I love topics like this. So called SAD hams. Oh I love that term. But in reality I find hams and GMRS operators very friendly and welcome questions and contacts from all operators. Both of our local ham and GMRS clubs are welcoming to all and I have many friends that have both licenses. A lot of us can from CB radio. So radio is radio. It is how you approach it. Just enjoy it and the people you meet. Both have their place. GMRS as you all know operates on fixed frequencies and the types of radios and the power you can use is fixed. Han radio is experimental and it is up to the operator for the most part. Still at the end of the day it is about making a contact from point a to point b. Enjoy the radio and friends you make.

Yes the squeaky wheel will get the grease. But sometimes it will just get removed/replaced with something worse. A prime example is people constantly asking the ATF if it was legal to shoulder a pistol with an arm brace attached. It seems like someone was writing a letter to the ATF about arm braces on a regular basis. The next thing we knew, the ATF came out with their arm brace/short barrel rifle rule. That rule change is still caught up in the court system. I know that we are talking about two different government agencies. The whole arm brace thing is a prime example of what can happen though. As far as the topic of rights goes. I spent many years of my life defending everyone's rights and I am still willing to defend those rights. And if I don't agree with someone, then I don't have to listen, I can walk away or block them (in cases of online forums) and they can still say what they want. I have only blocked one or two people on this forum and it was because they were being hateful towards me. I don't always agree with others and they don't always agree with me but I will still read what they post and/or skip their posts. Once they start getting hateful towards others then they get blocked. The problem now days is that some only want to hear opinions that matches their own and get rude when others state an opinion that differs from their own. As far as the FCC goes, I don't see them making any drastic changes to the amateur or GMRS bands. If anything we will have to watch so that we don't loose any bandwidth. That happened years ago when UPS wanted a portion of the 1.25m band (220 MHz). The FCC granted a portion of the band to UPS who never used it. And we will probably never get that portion of the band back. And currently there is a company wanting to take a portion of the 900 MHz band for GPS devices. If allowed, that will take away the portion of the 900 MHz band that Meshtastic devices use.

I have a multi pack of O-rings I bought somewhere and found the right size in that pack.

Yeah! Unfortunately, if you go 100ft or longer with that stuff, you will lose quite a bit of signal on xmit and receive. I wish BTWR offered hardline/Heliax assemblies for GMRS, which while expensive, is what you really want when going for longer runs. One possibility worth mentioning. I have no experience with your antenna, so I don't know if it is prone to this issue or not. Some antennas perform differently, from different parts of the antenna on semi-duplex (repeater) modes. As such, you may be where you can hear the repeater just fine but transmitting on 467 MHz, you may be in a total null to the repeater. IF this is the case, and I know this will be a PITA, you might want to try moving your antenna left or right, or forward or backward on your chimney. Just a foot or so change in location can be enough to get you out of that null. Be careful that in doing that, that you don't unintentionally move the antenna where your receiving the repeater is now in a null. From personal experience Station Master antennas are terrible about this, both the VHF and UHF versions. They are excellent for simplex, but can be wonky on semi-duplex. IF you find out the repeater you are trying to use has a Station Master, this may be your problem.

No idea what any of this is referring to. Could this be the real issue? Back to this thread though. From where I sit you stated your thoughts and opinions and why. The back and forth seemed cordial and not emotional with things ending in an understanding. @SteveShannon actually comes full circle on his first post in the thread with a second mention on the definition of a station. Yes there were some side line comments from the gallery not worth taking seriously or personal. While I didn’t subscribe to your point of view, you made a good case without being an ass. That approach deserves a honest discussion and should be welcomed. You do seem like a good guy. If the forum isn’t working for you I respect that but I hope you’ll consider staying.

I disagree. There’s really no need for us to be shy about asking questions and making reasonable requests of the FCC.

Woh, back up here! If thinking that the General Mobile Radio Service like the Citizen Band Radio, I'm afraid you're not really getting the concept of what GMRS is. Don't get me wrong, GMRS is a valuable tool, but unless you're communicating with folks you know. You likely not going to get assistance from random strangers who maybe chit-chatting on a simplex channel or on an open repeater. Not like, Breaker 1-9 for Local Information or a Smokey Report. That's not likely to happen, at least not that hear such traffic. I do hear some traffic, but that usually small businesses or kids playing around. Keep the Rubber Down and Shinny Side Up!

I just wanted to point out that there was a lot of humor in some of the responses in this thread. It was pointed out on another thread that using humor with newbies (of which I am one) is apparently a no-no. I am a special newbie that did not lose his funny bone when I got my GMRS and General Class licenses, so it does not affect me. However, because we now have at least one generation that could not win a rock paper scissors battle, much less Guadalcanal or the Battle of the Bulge, we are supposed to treat them with the kindness they were promised at birth (apparently). Remember, he is probably used to creating solutions for non-existent problems not actually trying to solve a real problem. I just noticed that my reply post contains hints of sarcasm and some facetiousness, both of which are elements of humor. I want to apologize to the starving pygmies in New Guinea, one legged men/women/?? in a butt kicking contest or any other contest of kicking things. No squirrels were harmed in the posting of this and in no way can this be duplicated without the expressed written permission of the commissioner's office.

The battery will be in my shop. Although it's on the side that I don't heat often because it's storage. I've seen it go below freezing one year but besides that I think it doesn't go much lower than the 39º that I've seen. It's right next to a room that never goes below 60º and if I have to I can put it there and run cables through the wall. But I'd rather not.

I have to agree with what the others have said. Get yourself at least a 50 AH LIPO4 battery along with a way to keep it charged up. And if done right, you can also use a solar panel setup to charge your HT batteries. Because there is a good chance that you will have to recharge them too. And having an adaptor to hook a HT to your base station antenna is also a good idea. I know my situation is a little different since I have my amateur license and participate in Sky Warn nets. But I still have to have some type of battery backup and a way to charge my HT batteries. The closest repeaters to me are 21.5 miles away. We had a bas storm with 50 MPH + winds that kicked out power for several hours. I would not have been able to participate in the Sky Warn Net nor contacted any local family and friends without having a battery in my shack. I can't always get into the GMRS repeater with a HT and I can't get into the 70cm at all with a HT. I can normally get into the 2m repeater with a HT. But even that was difficult during that bad storm. I have a couple of LIPO4 batteries along with a deep cycle lead acid battery. I had to hook up an inverter to charge some of my HT batteries during that storm. It was a bad one that covered a large area with tornadoes along with high shear winds. All of my spare HT's were handed out to neighbors and family. Moral of the story is; One is none and two is one. Always be prepared and have plenty of backups.

Get a LiFePO4 battery for the base station to keep that up and running for a while. Or put solar on it and let it self charge to keep it up and running longer.

Well there are some people who can only think in big, commercial ways. If you are putting up a repeater it has to be on a 60' pole up on top of some mountain. And while I'd love to do that I'm not in mountainous territory and I don't really want to spend lots of money putting up that type of equipment for something that may end up just being a dead end hobby. I got the 2 talkies for my birthday. I asked for them. Normally I ask for tools for my woodshop and my family kinda frowns on that because they think I work too much (I do). So this time around I decided to just get something that I can play with and tinker around. I'm not trying to be this big community member and solve everyones repeater problems. I'm doing it so I can communicate with my family and friends and just have something different to do that doesn't involve wood working.

Its fairly informal around here. I won't call CQ... but I'll give my call and say Listening or Monitoring. If I don't get a reply, I will say it again in a minute or so, but add "for any station." If I'm really bored, staying in a small area and no adults are around, I'll use the lower channels and a lot of little kids love talking. Its actually pretty entertaining.