WRXB215

@AdmiralCochrane and @Lscott I like the SDR idea but I don't currently have one so I'll have to stick to Lscott's suggestion of testing with another radio. And since my AC is out, all my planned purchases are on hold for a while. Edit: I do have an old scanner so maybe I can use that to test UHF.

Well, my name isn't Karen but good for you anyway. I'm starting lean towards being more legit with my radios myself.

We all understand the lack of enforcement by the FCC. @AdmiralCochrane hit the nail on the head. I'm sure we would all like to keep some degree of civility and usefulness in GMRS.

Thanks, I'm going to work on this for a while. I'll post the specifics of what I come up with prior to purchasing or building anything. I'll include each radio/battery I want to charge and the specific solution for each. Hopefully there won't be more than two.

@Lscott Thanks for the info. That takes care of the UV-5R but what about something like the GM-15 Pro or MP31 that has USB charge? I should have mentioned these earlier. Would a DC to DC converter be required for these? Thanks again.

Are there any inexpensive ($100 or less) solar panels that will charge a 1500mAh battery like a typical Baofeng battery? Thanks

You have TWO ropes? @WSAW925 Welcome to GMRS.

@Lscott Do you know if the latest UV-5R is as bad? I have a couple of fairly new UV-5R8W that I really like. So far, no-one has complained. Maybe they are just being nice.

@WSAA635 Perhaps you would be interested in the Baofeng MP31. It's actually not a bad radio. I use them to talk to my wife every time I'm working in the attic on the AC or something else up there.

@WSAA635 My comment was not intended to prolong the debate. No-one with any sense is going to tell you it's ok to break the rules. There was a guy in here once that suggested petitioning the FCC for a rule change. He never started a petition. If it's that big of a deal to you, just start a petition. Just be prepared to be OK with whatever the FCC decides. It's not like they are enforcing a one-child-only policy.

LOL! Actually I have one of those and it is locked down tight to transmit on GMRS only. I checked it just out of curiosity. It does have the channel 15 bug though.

@Lscott Interesting how the schematic for the UV-5R is a single page. The schematic for that old Kenwood I have is several pages like that. Thanks for sharing.

@WSAA635 Everyone here cares about freedom just as much as you. With freedom comes responsibility.

@Jack442 and @WSAT790 welcome to GMRS. @WSAT790 I like your ham callsign. It looks like the text version of .

@WRYS709 Have you notices if it gets warm while transmitting? I've noticed that my AT-778UV get quite warm. I can still put my hand on it but I wouldn't want it in a go bag. Thanks, Terry

What exactly have you tried? What radio are you using?

@WSAA635 Be careful, you are going to end up needing an inventory system to keep track of all your radios like some others on this forum.

You loose a lot of wattage through the duplexer and the radios themselves are probably not well isolated. To date, I don't think I've ever seen a useful field test from such a setup.

There is always something lost in translation. Also, advertisers tend to struggle with technical info.

I'm not recommending anyone do anything illegal, just nice to know you have many options for coms during a real emergency. That's why I don't like GMRS radios being locked out of other bands. I'd hate to be in a real life-or-death situation, listening to someone on a band that is locked out of TX while I bleed out. I know it's not likely to ever happen, but then again, that's the kind of luck I have.

I didn't realize it also does MURS. Cool.

Was talking to a friend yesterday about how sometimes it's a pileup and sometimes it's just silent.

@WRYS709 Thanks for the info, this is very helpful. Looking forward to the "More to come..." Do you still get the message after programming with the CPS? I assumed I'd replace my AT-778UV with this if I get one. Maybe not with this new info. Could still be made easy to move back and forth I guess if DMR while driving is important. Yes, that would be awesome! Let us know how this works out. Thanks again, looking forward to your next installment on this radio.

@WRQC527 I used to understand all that metallurgy but for some strange reason I'm not into it anymore. @WRUE951 I've seen some mag mount antennas that come with a small round version of that for use on fiberglass tops like Jeep tops.

I got a kick out of this product.