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My MX275 radio goes between my RV, boat, and occasionally my wife's car, depending on the activity. It always has been kind of a handful of stuff. Harbor Freight had a coupon that I used a week or so ago, purchasing an inexpensive Pelican case knock off. There was room in the case for the 275, its cig plug, two UV5Gs, one "RM", three rubber duck antennas, a charging base for the UV5Gs, and the stock mag mount antenna for the 275, which I don't use, but seemed like a good thing to toss in for completeness sake. I used the lower foam layer for the Baofeng charging base, cig plug, and stock external magnetic mount antenna for the 275. The MX275 instructions are underneath it all, since you need them to translate real PL tones to the codes that Midland uses. None of this is high end stuff, but it should be relatively convenient.

I figured I would let everyone know, I updated Chirp tonight and saw the Radioddity DB20G is now on the supported radios list. Which Im sure means the other brands of this same radio likely work with it as well. Consider this a friendly heads up. I think we all prefer Chirp over most all oem software.

They will learn the value of using radios after the tracking-data from their phones are used during their trails to prove they were at the scene of their crime.

That would be a full violation of the eff sea seas rules/regulations. I can't imagine those breaking the law would decide to use these frequencies illegally and for illicit purposes. They should have their licenses takes away. As soon as you here them ID themselves you should write it down and report them. /S

Maybe i am a wierdo... but i purchased a used anytone off ebay a few months back, and it had a calk sign programmed into it for the boot screen, i looked it up and the gentleman had passed away early this year, and he had a lot of similarities in life to myself and my wife..... i kept that call sign programmed in, in memorium of him. I never met the guy but i can tell you if i id did, we would likely have been great friends... i like to think he might be watching over me as sort of a "silent Elmer"... Like i said.... maybe i am a wierdo....

Look, connecting your radio to any 12 volt source is unlikely to damage the radio, but connecting a 50 watt radio to a source that can is fused for 10 amps might fry the fuse. Not all 50 watt radios require more than 10 amps. Some are more efficient than others and get by with about 9 amps, others use as much as 11 amps. As far as that “jump pack” I don’t know anything about it.

I know/am familiar with a lot of the Jeep groups around here and sadly many of them are just very pretty mall-crawlers and grocery getters with fresh wax-jobs and tire-sidewalls still wet from all the ArmorAll, that only go "off road" on flat dirt roads one or two times a year. We dont associate with those kinds.

Let's see if I can clear any of this up for you. GMRS radios set to a repeater channel will always transmit (output) on 467 and receive on 462 (input). It will be just the opposite on a repeater. The repeater will transmit on 462 (output) and receive on 467 (input) For your question on Tone vs Tone Squelch. Normally when Tone is selected, the tone is only set on your radio's transmit. Tone squelch will set the tone for both transmit and receive.

For the last 8 years we have lead 1 or 2 groups per year (20-40 Jeeps each group), up Goler Gulch, through Mormon Flat, up to Schmit Tunnel, over to Holland Camp, the Cleanser Mines, then out Last Chance Canyon. For this year's event I am thinking about getting an Air Raid Siren..

They are to a price point and are bringing in a lot of new interest because they are accessible. All good things

That’s really an expensive, inefficient, and possibly inadequate solution. First, it’s fuse limited to 10 amps DC at 12 volts, so it possibly won’t work for some 50 watt radios. Of course you could use it to power your radio by plugging a switch mode power supply into the AC outlet but then you’re accepting the inefficiency of the inverter to produce 120 volts AC and also the inefficiency of the switch mode power supply. So you lose several percent of the energy in the battery. Just get a decent LiFePo4 battery and put it in a plastic ammo box. Or buy a ready made one that isn’t designed around a 10 amp fuse.

It is very extremely manly!

I only use CHIRP if i am adding a BUNCH of stuff, or i need to do something that can't be done directly on the radio because 1) i like to do it the manly way and 2) things like Tone and TSquelch are confusing.. You can put your radio on the correct Repeater-Channel, hit the menu button, select the CTCSS or DCT/DPL/DCS tone and save it, all faster than it takes your computer to boot up. It should literally take no more than 15-20 seconds to program a repeater on a GMRS radio.. 30 seconds if you are fancy and add the optional RX tone.

Jeepers are weird.

I reset ch 22 and 38 to TONE and TSQL and that worked. And then set to fake DCS values, which worked. And then put the original DCS values back and it's still reading correctly. So, it's OK for now but I can't be sure it won't reoccur because it did occur on new channels I added for testing.

Somewhere on Youtube there is a video of some weird guy submerging a UV-5R in the toilet, freezing it and running it over with his very-manly Jeep... The screen cracked when the extremely-manly Jeep ran it over, but the radio still worked just fine.

Even the Baufang's are pretty tough. Couple years ago when installing solar panels on my RV roof one of my UV5R jogged loose from my pocket clip and took a 12' fall to the cement.. I just said 'oh $hit" let it sit there on the cement while I continued with my work. The radio was blaring away sitting there on the ground. When i got down on the ground i checked her for damage, nothing but a slight indentation on one corner of the radio bear the antenna. Today, its one of my favorte radios, only becuse its been battle tested.

No you are not. One shouldn't expect a manufacturer or reseller to replace a defective product after any and all warranties have expired. I don't know of any manufacturer or reseller of any consumer products that will replace or fix (free of charge) any product after the warranty has expired.

It on your highest level profile, not the forum profile. Toggle the switch that says Weekly Repeater Digest:

you do it on your Profile via a togle switch for the weekly updatss

I don’t always travel into deep state trap zones but when I do I put my phone in airplane mode.

Off is not off with a cell phone. It's still pinging unless the battery is removed.

A friend of mine tried using his KG-1000G plugged into the lighter-hole in his car and the plug melted and caught on fire.. Not sure why a fuse didnt blow first... Melted plastic napalm got on his had and gave him a severe burn when he yanked-it out in a panic, but the radio was fine...

It is, or at least the backlight timer is! Menu setting 8 (labeled ABR - don't know why) is the Display Backlight Timer. If set to 0 backlight is off. Setting are 0-50 seconds, make sure this setting is not at 0.

Most 50 watt radios state a 10-15 amp draw on high power per manufacturer specifications. Even if the radio only draws 9 or 10 amps on high power, why take the chance with running it on a 10 amp circuit. One of two things can go wrong in that scenario. Either the fuses will blow all of the time or they might now blow in time to save the wires from melting. Why take the chance. Plus cigarette lighter/accessory ports are not the most reliable power source compared to using a more secure wire connection. I won't even run a 20 watt radio on a cigarette lighter/accessory port. I've had the radios temporarily loose power when I hit a bump while driving. Yes we have a lot of poorly paved roads and lots of gravel roads in my area.

I just tested this to confirm, with the radio in GMRS mode, it doesn't matter what you do in Chirp to channels 8-14. I turned off TX disable. I changed power level, also tried changing the TX frequency to that of Chan 1 (462.5625). The radio refuses to TX on those channel numbers. It's locked in firmware and Chirp doesn't allow you to bypass it. ofc if you change the radio mode out of GMRS then you can do what you want.

I met her in 1971 and she gave me a dehydrated lizard. (yes, seriously.. they were selling trinkets like dried snakes, lizards, scorpions, etc..)

The only person well enough known to be upvoted or downvoted just because of “who they are” is Randy, and for the most part I don’t think many (if any) people have downvoted him because of that. SoCalGMRS gets downvoted because of how he treats others, not because of who he is. If he stopped treating others that way the downvotes would quickly cease. It’s that simple.

You spelled SUPERStar wrong..

Pretty much every single 50 watt GMRS or amateur radio is going to pull between 10 and 15 amps on transmit when set to high power. Read the specifications in the manual that came with your radio to be sure. I personally would not want to be pulling a 10 amp draw all of the time on a 10 amp fuse/circuit.

I believe that would not be permitted by the FCC’s interpretation of the regulations.

Because that might lead to jealousy, anger, rage or violence ....

Base station 50w radios are mobile radios that aren't installed in a vehicle -- usually installed in a home or some other place that doesn't drive around. To run a 50w radio you need a 13.8v (approximately) DC power supply of some sort. One option is a 110v to 13.8v DC switching power supply. You would want one that provides no less than 20A continuous. That provides some level of overhead capacity. But most people buy a 30A unit for $85-$200 depending on the model. Another option is a portable car starter. Connect the alligator clips to the power lead of your radio. Assure that they are insulated from each other to avoid a very unfun experience. I used to have a portable lead acid battery powered starter that had two 9AH fire alarm (or lawn mower) type batteries in it. And it worked just fine, but when the batteries eventually grew old it was not designed for easy replacement. Nevertheless, it lasted 15 years. And another option is to build something with a lawn mower style battery or lithium battery, and an inexpensive charger. The charger would be an automotive style, and must be appropriate for the battery chemistry you choose. And a last option is to simply wire it to your car's battery or your RV's battery, if by "base station" you just mean something you can take with you and set up somewhere, so long as that somewhere is near your vehicle or RV. Powering off of USB-C is probably unrealistic for a 50w radio.

You should have used their rubber ducks for target practice.

For the price, it is surprising the quailty the Baufangs offer.

I tried the tones on that repeater and it didn't respond. I went through the set and still nothing. I don't think it's running anymore. Said it was put into the database 16 years ago, so it may be defunked. Looks like the owners GMRS license had expired in 2011 https://mygmrs.com/license/WQFG755

The Retevis RA25 and the Anytone 779UV are also listed. I noticed that all three are separately listed as well and not the typical “see this or that model”. I for one am glad to see these added being a Mac guy.

"Stealth" wasn't so much a consideration as "easily finding it when 1 of the kids accidentally drops it down a ravine"

Showing respect for someone who passed isn't weird. The world could use more like you.

The Apache cases are hard to beat, especially when on sale and/or you are an Insider Member. I have several Apache cases. Here is one I setup for portable use with my Xiegu G90 20 watt HF radio. I've been thinking about setting another one up for my Wouxun KG-XS20G and maybe a 2m/70cm radio.

Or.... Both kinds of Music, Country and Western.

If I recall correctly, you have to do it in the software.

A lot of new radios have automatic tone ID. If both tones are the same, they only need to be within receiving range of the repeater. If the tones are different (or only input), they would have to be within range of someone transmitting to the repeater, but it is automated these days. No longer necessary to just quess.

And that right there is the reason I will never suggest using a cigarette lighter/accessory port to power a 50 watt radio.

I won't argue that point. But when someone is always negative and/or hateful with every single reply then they are going to get down voted.

It is not available for GMRS..

There’s always the National Traffic System. https://www.arrl.org/nts Volunteers relay messages from point to point every day. It doesn’t get much use these days but we have a daily net designed to accept and deliver traffic. There’s also WinLink, which many of us use and which works like email for hams.

I picked up a Wouxun KG-UV980P, like new in box, on ebay, and thought I'd give some of my impressions now that I've used it a few days. The KG-UV980P is a quad band amateur radio, featuring 10m, 6m, 2m, and 70cm bands. It will also receive in the CB range, airband, and with proper CHIRP configuration, MURS, Marine VHF, and GMRS. The KG-UV980P is the amateur radio version of the well known (in these circles) KG-1000G GMRS radio. The KG-UV980P will transmit with 10w in the 10m and 6m bands. And it is advertised as 50w in the 2m band VHF band, and 40w in the 70cm UHF band. In testing with a dummy load, my unit comes in at a little over 10w in the 10m and 6m bands, about 46w in the 2m VHF band, and around 43-45w in the 70cm UHF band. So its marketing may be slightly overstating the VHF power, and understating the UHF power. However, it doesn't matter. For practical purposes, it's an ample mobile and base station radio in the UHF and 2m VHF bands. First obvious question: Will it work for me, a person reading posts on a GMRS website? And the answer is that through some simple configuration adjustments of the band ranges in CHIRP, yes, this will work for you. You might also ask if it will work for those people who prefer more of a Smokey and the Bandit radio band, the answer is sort of, with caveats. And some might ask if it will work for them on a band that has five VHF channels numbered 1-3,Green,Blue. The answer is somewhat, with a caveat. The caveats: On the smokey and the bandit band the radio can listen in AM mode, but I think only transmit in FM, and would need to set the power to L or M. But at "M" you're only putting out about 2.6w in the 11m band, whereas this band is FCC restricted to 4w maximum for AM and FM transmission, so you come up a little short. On the other hand, at "H" power, you're way over the limit, at 10w, so don't do that. In other words, if you're buying this for the Superbowl band, it's not ideal; only FM, and wrong power levels. As for the 5-channel VHF band starting with the letter M, there is no power setting that brings you down to compliance, as the lowest setting is a little over 5w in the 144+ VHF band, and the M band is limited to 2w. So if you're buying this for the M band you're making a mistake; it cannot meet the technical limitations required for that band. The final caveat is this radio is an amateur radio, not type approved for bands that require type approved equipment. If you have your amateur license, it's useful. If not, radios specific to your license make more sense. About our on-topic band: Low power will comply with the technical restrictions of channels 1-7 -- narrow band or wide. Medium and High power will comply with the technical restrictions of channels 15-22 and the repeater inputs -- narrow band or wide. The radio's lowest power setting in UHF is about 5w, and it's a mobile radio, so, like all mobile radios, it will not meet the restrictions for channels 8-14, which must transmit below a half watt. The radio: it's two in one. This radio has two radios inside. It has two volume knobs. Its display has a left side and a right side, each of which corresponds to one of the radios. It literally can play both sides at the same time. It can function as a full-duplex repeater, and as a full-duplex cross-band repeater. It can receive and transmit at the same time, in repeater mode. Some radios have a left and right side, but only one radio on the inside. Those radios achieve this trick by rapidly shifting the one internal radio to listen on the channel set on the left, and then on the channel set on the right. This is how the RA87 works. This is how the UV-5G or UV-5G Plus work. But the Wouxun KG-UV980P doesn't need such a trick; it has two transceivers in it. This is a really nice feature for some people. The mic: It's well balanced, and weighted. My RA87 mic feels like it's mostly air -- like a hollow chocolate bunny. The KG-UV980P mic feels like a MaBell desk phone from the 80s. It feels nice. Its keypad works well, and has all the features you would want on it (better so than the faceplate even). There is a speaker in the mic handset, and there are two speakers on the base unit. There is a volume control on the mic, a monitor button, menu button, band selection, direct frequency input, and a lot more. It's a good mic, and from what people who have heard my voice over this radio say, it sounds awesome. The speakers: With a speaker in the mic, and two speakers on the base unit, it sounds good and offers nice options for listening. There are also two external speaker outputs. Remember, it has two radios in it. And this is why. I've used the radio indoors, and in my super quiet 2014 F150. In those environments, the speakers are plenty loud. I have not tried it out in my old Bronco with a 5.8L v8, 3" exhaust, every rattle known to man, and a thin shell of a roof. I suspect that just like my RA87, which is mounted in the Bronco, its speaker will be almost adequate unless I'm at highway speeds. However, the fact that it has a mic speaker may help in noisy environments. The faceplate: The radio's faceplate is removable, and can be mounted separately from the base unit. It comes with a short connector for mounting the face plate on the base unit, and it comes with a long connecting cord, as well as a dash mount to allow the faceplate to be located a few feet away from the base unit. CHIRP: This unit can be programmed with Wouxun's kooky Windows software, or it can be programmed very easily from CHIRP. You will need to purchase a data cable, as it doesn't come with one. The cable is not expensive. With CHIRP you can program its 999 channels, set the band limits, set many other options, and even allocate channels to ten different scan groups, of user-defined size. This allows you to set it to scan only 2m repeaters, or only GMRS, or whatever other scan groups you can imagine that fall within its band capabilities. On my Linux laptop, the cable required no additional drivers; just download and install CHIRP, which I already had, plug in the cable, download the code plug from the radio, modify it, and upload it back to the radio. Modes: The "left side" radio supports AM and FM. The "right side" is FM only. Despite supporting 10m, it doesn't have SSB. It also doesn't have any digital modes. Transmit bands: 10m(&11m), 6m, 2m(+...), 70cm(65cm). Receive bands: 11m, 10m, 6m, VHF from 144-179, UHF from 420-470, plus airband (123), and 33cm. Heat: I don't talk nearly as much as I type, so I haven't really gotten it hot. It has a fan, and the fan can be set to always on, on while keyed up, or on when it reaches a certain temperature or is keyed up. Heat dissipation doesn't seem to be a problem. I keyed it up for 90 seconds into a 50w dummy load at high power, and it got warm enough to feel the warmth, but not hot. Nevertheless, dash-mounting the radio and then rag chewing in southern Arizona may not be a great plan. If you're going to dash mount it, dash mount the faceplate, and put the base unit somewhere shady in the vehicle, with sufficient ventilation. Programming: The menu is not too difficult to understand, but it's sure easier using CHIRP to get the radio configured, and then to just rely on the menu system for a little tweaking here and there. That goes for programming channels, too. Just do it in CHIRP, upload, done. Overall quality impressions: The radio is hefty, solid, has nice sound, close-enough power, good venting, great features, and great mounting options. Antenna choices: The closest I have to an antenna that will cover this radio's capabilities is a Comet CA2X4SR-NMO. I don't have a General class license, so I don't spend time in the 10m band. And nobody uses 6m in my area, from what I can tell. The CA2X4SR-NMO covers the 2m, 70cm, and closely adjacent bands nicely, so that's what I use. Odds and ends: Independently configurable Tx and Rx tones, compander, over-temp detection, high/low power input detection, scan groups, CTCSS and DCS scanning/detection, and very important to some, a roger beep. Very important to others, the roger beep can be disabled. DTMF, call groups, lots of features you'll never use. Should you consider this radio? Well, it depends. It's not cheap, at about $380-$400. There are far cheaper ham radios out there, and far cheaper GMRS radios. You might even find less expensive quad-band radios. But the build quality and sound quality are pretty darn good. If you are only GMRS licensed, get the KG-1000G Plus. It's the same radio but type approved for, and configured for GMRS. You'll be very happy with that radio. If you're a CB person, no, get a proper CB because it will have the appropriate power levels available, and will be type approved. If you're a MURS person, no, get the KG-1000M radio (which is serious overkill -- so really get an inexpensive MURS radio). If you're an amateur who operates in the SSB portions of the 10m band, get a proper HF radio so you can also enjoy 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m, and 40m. But if you're like me -- rather addicted to nice equipment, enjoying both amateur and GMRS, needing flexible installation options, and appreciating the features this radio offers, it's a pretty decent choice.

GMRS was envisioned as a service for use by the general public for personal use, particularly after the 2017 rule changes that eliminated new business licenses in the band. Since that main target for GMRS was general public use, assumed non technical users, the simpler the radio the better. Less crap for people to mess up, get frustrated, and quit using the radio. I would say if one is a knowledgeable user, then perhaps going with a quality commercial grade radio is a good move. Much more in the way of features and more customization options. All the radios I use for GMRS are mostly used mid to higher end commercial grade radios. Some are even digital enabled, used on the Ham bands in that mode since currently it's not legal for GMRS use.