WRXB215

Yeah, don't be a stranger, just be strange.

Ham is a very old term for an amateur radio operator. There is some controversy as to exactly how and when it came into being. The most common explanation I've heard is that the early operators were apparently quite colorful in the way they used their equipment which was referred to as "hamming it up" so to speak. The term stuck and has been used as a slang term for amateur radio operators ever sense.

@Hoppyjr sadly, you are right.

Yes, Randy's videos are very good. As far as "road channels" are concerned, there is nothing "official." There is a lot of history and logic that would suggest certain channels but it really depends on the group you hang out with. You use what works for you and your group or what's common in your area.

@WRXP381 I agree with most of what you are saying and it can be frustrating sometimes to explain the same thing over and over again but we need to remember that there are still many people who don't have much experience with technology or with research. There are both young and old getting into the hobby. Some can figure it out for themselves and some need some help. Let's be patient and welcome them in.

Have you tried the Roadkill network?

I see the benefits of having a Motorola or Kenwood and would go that rout if I could. But my budget doesn't support that. CCRs are better than no radio at all.

I'm not sure about "most" but for a UV-5R I've done several tests in my neighborhood and the stock antenna doesn't cut it from my house to a particular point at the end of a bike ride. Both the 701 and 771 do make the trip with the 771 a little clearer than the 701. Mind you there are a lot of trees and houses full of f...furniture in my neighborhood.

@WRUU653 & @WROA496 check this out. And a cheaper one here.

@TacticalTodd Read this link about the CHIRP columns.

While I'm jealous of all you guys that can afford to buy the nice radios, my AnyTone AT-778UV with Nagoya UT72 antenna is actually performing quite well.

Yep, so far I haven't heard of anyone walking off a cliff or into traffic while talking on a two-way radio.

@Chessy68 Welcome to GMRS. As far as antennas go, Both Nagoya and Abbree make a 771G which is a very good antenna. Nagoya also makes a 701G which is shorter but still typically better than the stock antenna. Abbree doesn't offer the 701G yet, only the 701UV. Abbree does provide some good Tactical antennas. I haven't tried one yet but so far all the reviews I've seen have been good. I live in Baytown. I'm not aware of any GMRS clubs in the area but there are a lot of good repeaters around here. Check this site, myGMRS.com and also texasGMRS.net to find lots of good repeaters.

As far as I know, there still isn't anything in chirp that matches up with the GM-15 Pro. As soon as something does, I'd sure like to know about it.

@WRVY822 A GMRS type certified radio is not supposed to allow you to transmit on both HAM and GMRS at the same time. Some radios appear to get around the separation of hardware issue by wiping out the programming every time you switch from one service to the other and only allow you to transmit on one service at a time. There are HAM radios that can transmit on GMRS frequencies but you are not supposed to use them for that. I do not have the radio in question so I can't tell you what it actually does, I can only tell you what it is supposed to do.

In theory, the GMRS version will only transmit on GMRS frequencies, and it will have repeater channels with the offset baked in.

I have a few GMRS antennas but I mostly have and use Abbree 701 and 771 dual band antennas and they work just fine. A GMRS antenna probably works better but I have not had any issues using the UV antennas.

Seems like it would be listed under GMRS but instead they make you search for it. Here is the link to the GM-15 Pro on their website.

I'm not sure what the policy is for this but if @rdunajewski is ok with it, I can upload my copy of the software here for others to download. I got it from Abbree. I too need a firmware update so I'm going to reach out to Abbree today to ask for that as well. Those frequency miss-matches are not a show stopper for me since I don't use that many repeaters on my HTs but still, it should be fixed.

I'm fairly new to this so I can't say what's common. All I know is my AnyTone AT-778UV has one on each wire.

I learned that lesson years ago buying sockets. After my second trip get a new socket, the light went on.

There are some good sellers on eBay but yes you definitely have to beware. eBay tends to be a magnet for shady characters.

Aint that the truth. I don't have very many radios but I've seen quite the interesting difference in the ones I have.

@WRKC935 Yep, Hollywood tends to only portray a small extreme example of group. Examples of how they portray groups: All CB operators are good old boy truck drivers. All Texans wear cowboy hats and boots and say "yeeha." And the list goes on. PS Yes, I know some people here are going to claim those two examples are accurate.

Yes. I just got the Baofeng GM-15 Pro software installed and started using it so I don't know a lot yet but so far, so good. I did notice that some of the TX frequencies on the DIY channels are not correct. I haven't tried to contact Baofeng about it yet. Edit: Just noticed the one I posted is wrong.