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But the box said they have "Privacy Codes"!!

NO, it means Normal, as opposed to inverted which would be "i" "code" and "tone" are the same thing, but you are probably looking in the CTCSS section.. Check the DTC/DCS section of the chart to find 053 It's on the chart (probably) but if not, you do not need it.. the RECEIVE tone is 100% optional, so forget about it for now. The TX (Transmit) tone is the only one you really need to care about These are very nice, easy to use GMRS radios, although they are limited in what they can do (like most Midland radios), but having actually used them, I can confirm that they are good radios that perform 100% as well as any other GMRS radio. And, just like all GMRS radios they are 100% compatible with all other GMRS radios, FRS radios, and even the Motorola XTL5000 radios in both of my Jeeps and my handheld Motorola XTS5000 radios. Anyone here claiming otherwise has 1) never used or tested one, and 2) is just trying to get attention to make up for the attention that their mother never gave them... Those people should be ignored.

If they do, there's nothing about it in the instructions that came with the antenna. It seems like a good idea, though.

I carried Noalox on my HVAC service van for decades.

Whatever electrical system you draw power from to power electrical devices you want to make sure that you are using the same earth grounding point or you very well either pick up other noises or transfer noises to the power system.

I can confirm that it works great for 45 seconds at a time.. Never tested it any longer than that.

I wish the FCC had an option to keep your information private, especialy in this day and age. Couple years ago i sent them a mail message asking them to consider this. They should treat your information no different than DMV does..

Why not? I was wanting to do the same thing on the base station. If I'm sitting at my PC with speakers on ether side of my monitor for the computer, it would be nice to route/mix the radio output to those same speakers. Back to the OP: The -V2 should have came with a RJ-45 accessory/breakout cable. You can change the speaker output settings in the menu to "EAR" (earphones) or "EAR+SP" and run a 2.5mm patch cable to the audio input/mic jack of the PC and you should be fine.

When I got my first pair of HTs they were the TDH3 but the HAM version. Shortly after I discovered they could be switched over to GMRS. I looked into it and discovered the licensing was just $35 and that covered the family. The process was a pain and by the time I had finished up I had 8 windows open that were required to obtain this license. Not really the surprise. After playing with these radios I was surprised to find out my wife didn't hate them. After a short while I ended up getting a mobile tranceiver that I put in the house as a base station. My wife didn't really care for talking on it but she did like to listen to the active repeater. Eventually I put up a good antenna and I got a mobile unit so I could keep in touch with my wife. She enjoyed being able to contact me. I put up a repeater at my shop and even though communication was difficult because of hills and trees she enjoyed contacting me by the radio over texting or phone unless she couldn't get me through the radio. Eventually I found out my antenna and/or coax was faulty and changed that out and now the connection is much better. My repeater is 50w and the mobile is 20w and the repeater can get to the house better than the house can get to the repeater. So I decided to get a 50w for the house. Ordered the power supply and the radio. The PS came today and my wife was excited. She knew nothing of what I had ordered. She thought I got a new radio. I was a bit shocked. The normal expectation when a husband spend money without the wife knowing about it on his hobby is to be frowned up or worse, being yelled at. She was disappointed that it was a power supply and not a radio. She still doesn't know I ordered the radio. I didn't want to take the surprise away from her when it does arrive. Can a guy be more lucky.

My wife and I are making an interstate move and it was great to have a radio in a Penske truck and one of our cars. In addition, we have two handheld radios. That made backing up the truck with a car carrier so much easier! She could direct me when I backed out of our original home. Along the way, she could pull behind me and let me know if there were any trailer stability issues at higher speeds. After a few hours, I had my wife drive the speed limit while I drove at a slower rate (trailer limit). We had some awesome range in Eastern Oregon. We had great range as she pulled away. Our radios have repeater capabilities but we kept them on a simplex channel. We said our goodbyes as she pulled away from the line of site. A few hours later, I caught up at the hotel. We have been long users of GMRS, and the service was awesome for the move. we hope that others get great use out of GMRS.

Have you tried contacting ICOM? Their phone support is very good.

How the heck did I read right past that? Of course, if I read it a couple of days ago, it's entirely possible I forgot it. I'm old. That happens.

fI don' t don't know my 'Jelly's' too well.. But I'll stick with Blackberry..

^ Unleashed.

I've seen this in other industries, more than once. Someone invents the jet engine, but it gets rejected because it doesn't meet the propeller spec; the lightbulb doesn't meet the kerosene lamp spec, blah, blah, blah. I spent a couple decades working with a team moving our structural titanium alloy aerospace components to the medical implant field, which had been using stainless steel. I eventually concluded that FDA approval is the stamp of obsolescence.

We contacted one of our schools to make them aware that others could hear them on the FRS radios. They had no idea. They were giving out information like names and telephone numbers of parents during bus pickups etc. They stopped using them. You would be surprised how many don't know they're being listened to.

The local nursing home that is about 600 yards away from me has decided to start using FRS radios. And they picked channel 17. I bet they love it when we talk on the local repeater that uses repeater channel 17. We use both TX and RX tones on the repeater. I kept seeing my signal meter move but wasn't hearing anything. At first I thought maybe there was atmospheric ducting and we were picking up another repeater, That does happen on occasion. But then I switched to channel 17 and heard the nursing home staff. I know they are using FRS since their signal isn't very strong even as close as I am. I've been tempted to call on the radio for a clogged toilet in room 13 but have refrained from doing so for now.

if you read the article, you would see real world scenarios. KY Jelly is petroleum based and would liquify under heat. It may work as an anti-seize for a short period but would be useless over time.

https://perens.com/2024/05/14/radio-antennas-and-anti-seize-compound/

Ham light is fine with me if they don't overdo it (or link in from distant territories). But the FRS kids and highway flagmen get on my nerves.

nice review, thank you. for anyone interested I would give a very similar review on the TYT 9800 in capability but power reading on mine are a bit lower but so is price. you get what you pay for.

I'm curious about why you want to do this.

Fed

I have done similar with our SAR repeaters. We use a different input PL on the repeaters but common transmit PL. That way ou can hear folks on both repeaters regardless which channel I have selected. In the old days this was considered poor man voting but worked well for many public safety agencies.

You have to match levels and impedances. That’s frequently done using an audio transformer. What is the output impedance on your radio? It’s probably 8-16 ohms, but your manual should say. Is it a speaker output or a headphone output? They have different levels. What are the specs of your audio input on your PC? Amazon sells cables that match outputs to inputs, but you really need to know what you’re matching first. Another way to do this is by placing a speaker and microphone close to each other and letting them couple audibly, but there are drawbacks to that as well. Good luck, Jacob!

If you are still having questions on the menu/Echo function... Please try an email question directed to Amber Chen at support@retevis.com She has been very helpful and responsive to all my questions. Best Regards!

Could FM CB supplant FRS? I wouldn't really say that FM CB supplant FRS, because each radio service has its own characteristics. Traditionally CB was either straight 4 watts AM or 12 watts SSB, which is good for travelling over the road. Now, since the FCC approved FM on CB, I can only imagine the range varies as it has on AM. FRS not GMRS, but FRS simplex only depending on what channel you're using will determine the range. You may get up to 1 to 8 miles with a handheld or walkie talkie using channels 1 through 7 and 15 through 22. Of course, using a mobile would extend that ranger further. However, since channels 8 through 14 aren't available on mobiles, I wouldn't expect more than 3.5 miles on channels 8 through 14 I tried to stay focus on the topic and if it seems that I strayed, I sincere apologize for sounding like the know it Kid from Polar Express.

You got it!

Part of the problem with aluminum wiring in homes was an issue with dissimilar metals and how they expand and contract at different temperatures. Special outlets were used with aluminum screws but if the wrong outlet was used which typicaly had brass srews or copper wires joined with the aluminum and a joint compound (antioxidant, aka Noalox) wasn't used then arcing and oxidation would occur and it's all down hill once the arcing starts. Later people started using stab style connections on new outlets and these are a recipe for disaster. Larger feeders isn't an issue when wire is prepared properly and isn't as prone to outside movement like an outlet in a home that gets plugged into and out of constantly or your DIY people installing things incorrectly. Back in the day electricians would put noalox into wire nuts and use this for splicing. Then some manufacture saw this and made wire nuts with the compound pre installed and got UL listing and a patent. Damn why didn't I do that moment . More info than anyone wanted I'm sure. Anyway it does not hurt to put a thin layer of Noalox when connecting aluminum to another metal. You don't need a lot.

Suggest You Re-Read NFPA 70 - Chapter 810.15 Addressing Communication Site Grounding. (2023 Version) I Am A Licensed Inspector In The State Of Michigan, & NFPA Is Recognized In All 50 States. (Year Of Adoption - Same As Previous Versions.)

That Sir, Is Not Correct. I Suggest You Do Further Research, And Consult The Motorola R56 Manual For Site Grounding Requirements For Commercial Sites. See Link: https://wiki.w9cr.net/images/1/14/Motorola-Standards-and-Guidelines-for-Communication-Sites-R56-Manual_68P81089E50-B.pdf

Don't get it. Who's announcing over GMRS there address and that they are away and there alarm code to there house? Besides who is going to go though that kind of effort to figure out your call sign and additional info and immediately go to your home? If this has you paranoid, your in real trouble when we tell what the internet gathers, your car gathers and what the government has access to...

I'ma have to agree.. The OP is a great example of "some people" over-thinking what should be very simple and carefree.

Nobody in Arches National Park is listening for a call sign so they can call back to a criminal they have on speed-dial in Atlanta to burglarize your home so they can split the ill-gotten gains. Nobody hearing your call-sign in Atlanta is going to assume that your entire family is out of the home just because you use the radio to talk to someone five miles away while driving home from work. These licenses are family-oriented. If you're concerned about the address being public, switch your record over to a PO box. But again, this is not a very useful attack vector. On any given day the FCC website probably doesn't even load. Anyway, your choice. But call signs being linked to mailing addresses has been the standard since the early days of ham licensing.

I think your home would more likely be burglarized due to mail/newspapers piling up in an obvious area, trashcans unattended, or lack of vehicles/activity seen at the home more so than someone hearing your call sign and doing the research to figure out where you live and making arrangements to steal your belongings. Just because you and your wife are away from home doesn't mean that there isn't someone else living there that would be home at the time of your absence.

I get it that people do not like having their address and info listed for anyone to see on the FCC website. But if you true want to stay off the map and be untraceable then you would have to totally go off grid which means no cell phones, computers, tablets, etc along with no bank accounts and paying cash for everything. We get tracked everyday if we have a cell phone on us or even by our vehicles if you own a newer one with all of the computer modules onboard. PS: If you have ever had any type of government issued security clearance then they already know your life story. And the government ALSO has your DNA on file if you have served in the military since 1993. IF you are that worried, then get a good home security system and a big dog that roams the house while you are gone.

As 928 pointed out; a lot of stars would have to align perfectly for there to be a problem. And a lot of dangerous assumptions would have to be made by the dirtbag. Could it happen? Yes. If that probability is more than you are comfortable with then it is good you figured all of this out now. Whether we realize it or not, we all determine what chances in life we are willing to live with. I would not give this scenario a second thought.

I understand your point, but in order for that to happen, a number of things would have to occur simultaneously. 1) Someone would have to hear your call. 2) They'd have to know they could look up your address from the call sign. 3) They'd have to know a criminal near where you live -- because by definition, if you're away from home, the miscreant is somewhere near you, not near your house. 4) They'd have to go to the effort of contacting their buddy and telling him to burglarize your house, which they'd have little incentive to do because criminals don't burglarize a house and send part of the ill-gotten gains to a friend 100 miles away. The odds of all that happening simultaneously are so astronomically small that I don't even consider it. I just periodically check the security cameras on my phone and go on enjoying my vacation.

Agreed. The proper way to use the repeater (ham and GMRS) is to let the repeater carrier drop between transmissions, both to keep the duty cycle lower and to allow time for someone to break in.

One of my pet peeves as well. Especially when trying to check into a net.

I really hate people who fast key up on the repeater without leaving at least a few seconds for somebody to break in and ask to use it, or join in the conversation.

If you're calling another station directly, always start with their call sign first, then yours - ex " WYYY345, WZZZ123." A good way to remember this is to insert "this is" between the call sign and you'll never forget the order - ex "WYYY345 this is WZZZ123." If you're not calling another station directly, the usual procedure is to announce your call sign and "listening" or "monitoring" - ex "WZZZ123 monitoring." If you're just monitoring simplex you might add "WZZZ123 monitoring GMRS channel 20." If you're monitoring a repeater, you might say "WZZZ123 monitoring [repeater station name or frequency here]." If you're looking for a CB-style radio check, people generally ask for a "signal report." For example you may identify on a repeater like this: "This is WZZZ123 monitoring CityRepeater1, are any stations available for a signal report?" A listening station may respond indicating the strength and quality of your signal and/or initiate a conversation. If you receive no response, you could wait a few minutes, identify with your call sign again and request a signal report. If you are not receiving any replies after one or two attempts, you should clear the frequency with something like "No contact, this is WZZZ123 clear, monitoring." Also - you should avoid just keying up the repeater and not saying anything (a.k.a. "kerchunking" the repeater) . If you just want to test if you're in range or have the radio properly set up, still identify - ex: "WZZZ123 testing." Here is a link with some good info about amateur repeater etiquette, but a lot of it still applies to GMRS as well. Radio involves a lot of listening, so keep yours on often and see what you can hear - hope this helps!