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IF it is not "locked", then, YES. IF it is 'locked', then, NO. So the actual answer is: It Depends TL;dr: Maybe

I remember when you made the Ch19 video and all the banter on here leading up to it. No one has successfully countered it to this day... so It still stands as the only authoritative source! LoL The sad part was, many of us (myself included) had no idea the Line A issue was nullified, which didn't help.

Official GMRS highway/road channel = 19 Official GMRS off-road/4X4 channel = 16 Source: I saw it on Youtube

He's the star of the video!

Mine can, but it’s an older model.

That's true, the FCC just kind of let it slide into history with zero notice... which kinda stinks for people who knew it as the de-facto operation since the `60s.

KINDA .. IF all the radios are compatible with the feature and IF all the radios are correctly configured, you can use the Group Call (also has other names depending on the manufacture) feature to talk to only certain radios in your group. HOWEVER - Radios not configured to do this and radios not compatible will ALL HEAR everything you say — Basically it is a fancy squelch or call-tone limiting only what the radios configured for your groups can hear (they can only hear their group), but all other radios can still hear everything.

I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't break the rules by accident. If the radio isn't type-certified for GMRS, I think the user should at least know that. Apparently, some people wouldn't use the radio if it isn't type-certified, at least so they claim. Probably nothing official will happen to someone who makes a pest of him/herself, but they'll certainly earn the hatred of a lot of fellow radio users. Of course, pests usually don't care or they're even happy about being hated, so that's not really a deterrent. The person who figures out how to put an a-hole filter in a radio will be able to buy a private island.

Which to a normal person, using normal ears, appears to be "listening to two channels at the same time"... Next you going to explain to us how "movies don't really move"? Geezusphuckingkrist "some people" are insufferable..

He's the only one in most of the videos.

Lucky Sears is everywhere. Seems like it is always hard to find Homer Atkins. I have a friend who is half Chinese and half Hungarian/American. Her parents were very clever, her Chinese names are her middle names and are the same as her English language name framed around the Chinese.

Thank @OffRoaderX, he made the video.

YouTube, look for videos from the Notarubicon channel. One specifically describes configuring a radio for a repeater.

The point is, "some people" are out there, right now, spreading lies and misinformation on the online forums, videos, etc, claiming that the FCC will actively go after you, track your location, fine, you, or even jail you for using a radio/repeater on GMRS that is not Part 95E approved. We must stop the lies.

By "dual receive" do you mean capable of listening to two frequencies at the same time? What Baofeng calls "dual monitoring"? If so, then yes, the UV-5r can do it and according to its advertising the UV-18 can too. If we're splitting hairs, the Baofengs don't actually listen to two channels at the same time; they flip rapidly back and forth between them, but for most people's purposes, it's close enough.

I thought that, but I just wondered if anyone thinks they should be.

It hadn’t been nullified at the time of the video and banter. The FCC really should have made at least an attempt to announce it.

I was assuming they could. That's what I mean that there's no security with a radio signal. I can see where that might prove useful if you're working with a large group of people where some things need to be heard by everyone, but some things only need to go to a subgroup. I have no use for it now, but there were times in the past when I would have found it helpful. Interesting to know.

We're just too Old Steve lol!

I spent a decade in this Asia too. The one thing I never understood was why they would sometimes do both, using a spelling of their westernized Chinese (etc.) name with such bad phonics that westerners couldn't help but pronounce it wrong. So now they had the 'westernized' name they introduced themselves to you with, the name everyone who hadn't spoken closely with them or been corrected used for them based upon spelling, and their original Asian name. Somehow, we survived the 90s...

So far the customer service I've had with my Btech RPT50 has been outstanding. Sent them an email yesterday (Sunday) and it was responded to by a person (Katy) in 10 minutes. I didn't expect a response until sometime today and let them know I was impressed with their quick response. So far the repeater has worked well. Initially I HAD to do an update to get DCS tones and they replaced a defective duplexer that seemed to be with most of the original units. Since then they've had an update to activate the microphone which use to be only a keyboard input device and one other bug fix which did not affect me. Maybe a rough start but that's what happens with lots of gen 1 products.

this site does not HTML 'loop' it's data so the new version of Excel offers some nifty data swiping tools (Data Transform Import). With a little VBN code you can get & sort almost all data with minimal hassle for offline use. Excel will even format KML tables for you..

Some radios allow “selective calling” where you can send a code to one specific radio and it will listen while other radios ignore you.

Remember that I personally work in the commercial two-way field. Ham's and GMRS folks have the ability to disconnect their gear. Police and fire don't. And again, a public safety dispatch site really can't. They need stuff up and operational all the time. The stuff I am talking about is what gets done with their setups and what keeps them on the air. If you disconnect your antenna line from your radio then it's no different than leaving it connected IF everything is properly grounded and bonded. Because the lines, tower, and equipment is all still grounded. Something I forgot to mention with grounding and bonding. And the reason you bond the coax cables to the tower at the top, every 100 feet down and then at the bottom where the cable turns out of the tower and goes to the building is the magnetic pulse that happens if the tower does get hit. Due to the extreme currents that are present during the event (strike) there is a significant magnetic field that surrounds the tower. We all know that a wire will have a field around it as current passes through it. It's how motors work. Now crank that from a 6 volt battery to lightning. EVERY conductor that's around that structure taking the hit is exposed to that field. And remember that we pass coils of wire in magnetic fields to generate power. Again, little DC generator hooked to a light bulb with a couple small magnets will light a light bulb when we spin the generator with our fingers. Turn that up to lightning power and magnetic fields. So we BOND the coax shield, since it's a conductor back to the tower to equalize that induced current and voltage and shunt it back to the tower and ultimately to ground. There is a LOT of science to bonding and grounding of towers and antenna systems. There are some of use that have went down that rabbit hole and have a reasonable understanding of this. And I will say this, keeping it simple. Cars get hit by lightning, even though they are on rubber tires. And the reason is that 6 inches of rubber ain't enough to keep an arc that's thousands or tens of thousands of feet in length from hitting a car with 4 inches of rubber. And they get hit because they aren't grounded. You ever get a bite from a car getting in or out? It's a thing. But a glass jar isn't gonna keep that genie in the bottle any more than 4 inches of rubber is gonna keep your car from being hit. IT has to be grounded properly or you are INVITING a strike.

Terri, Again I want to express my appreciation for your calm and thoughtful comments and informative posts in response to curmudgeonliness. Happy Independence Day!

No it wasn’t. The Q codes started in 1912. QSL started in the 1920s. 10-4 was created in the 1930s.

Well, my radio at the house is on 24/7 so if I'm in range my wife can hear. But it is through local repeater, so you have to depend on them. I need to get a quadruple receive radio so I can monitor all 4 repeaters in my area LOL.

One of the real self-gratifying myths of radio, not just GMRS, but also ham radio, is that in an emergency (or the SHTF scenario people get so giddy about) it will save you. Unless you have already arranged for someone to actively monitor for you to send a SOS on a specific channel, it’s really just BS. The fact is these frequencies are not actively monitored in most places.

As soon as he said mountainous region the answer was probably not. Running with your buddies it would probably work. As an emergency device in a rural area not so much.

if you mean as a way to get help if you become stuck or injured then NO.. GMRS is NOT a good choice .. GMRS is great for talking to other guys in your group while off-roading, but in the event of a real emergency where you need assistance or rescue, then something like a Sat-phone, a Garmin InReach or Starlink is advisable.

It’s really difficult to advise you. I have my opinions but so much depends your personal situation. I live in the mountains and I find that a 20 watt Radioddity db20g and some hand held radios is all I need. Having more power won’t necessarily get you much more range, but it definitely costs more and drains on the battery. But if i did want 50 watts the radio you’re looking at is probably the only one I would recommend. As far as antennas, the Midland mxta26 on a magnetic mount is ideal for me. But the magnetic mount doesn’t work well on a plastic Jeep roof. You might be best getting an inexpensive handheld first, just to learn the basics like setting tones, and when you need them. What an offset is, and etc. Watch a bunch of YouTube videos by Notarubicon. They’re pretty good and cover everything you need to know about GMRS. Everything you learn on a Baofeng radio or Wouxun kg805g (one of my favorites) directly translates to using a mobile radio. Welcome to the forum.