WRXB215

My wife and I wrote a script for a training video on how to program and use DMR radios. Yep, our marriage was strained for a while.

Welcome to myGMRS.com. In one sense GMRS is quite simple, yet you can take it to quite an extreme. And some people do. Your budget will determine a lot about what kind of radios you buy. I would start with a couple of HTs to get your feet wet. GMRS is in the UHF band so don't expect to get the distances you hear by hams doing HF. Trees, terrain, etc. will affect your distance. It could be anywhere from 1/2 mile to 50 miles or more. Do your own testing in your area of operation to find out what's real for you. "Privacy Tones" aren't private. Others can still hear you, you just can't hear them unless they transmit with the same tone. Repeaters typically use tones to operate. These are just some basics to help you get started. @OffRoaderX has some good videos to help you get started. As you come up with more specific questions, feel free to ask. Also, you can do a search to find questions that have already been answered. 73 Edit: I forgot to mention, @marcspaz did a real good video on intro to GMRS.

It has become apparent to me that I will be learning for the rest of my life. That's one of the things I really like about two-way-radio.

I use the UT-72 for GMRS and have not had a problem with it. A friend and I were talking this morning through a repeater and at one point we hit talk-around for a while. The antenna works quite well for GMRS. Marketing and manufacturing costs are certainly always in play but keep in mind that the UT-72 is designed/tuned for dual band so the UT-72G should perform better for GMRS than the UT-72.

Even though this scenario can actually happen, I encourage you to get your ham license and get on the air. You will increase your circle of trusted friends which can be a real asset during such an event. Also, I think it was @Lscott that pointed out once that in a stressful situation you want a radio that is very simple to operate. It sounds like good advice to me.

Yep, dual watch can be confusing if there are conversations on both at the same time.

baofengradio.com or baofengtech.com? The file I downloaded from baofengradio.com is: Baofeng_UV-5X_Programming_Software_V2.0_20210308.zip 5X and 5G are listed as the same radio. This software installed with no problems for me. I can't find anything for UV-5G or UV-5X on the boafengtech.com site.

Where did you download the software from and exactly what is the name of the file?

I wonder if VHF and UHF use different hardware. Yes, I knew what you meant when you said "VHS."

@WRWE456 Well said. I'm out of reactions, again.

Don't forget the hand mic, one for each. Cross the cables to make an X on your chest. That really gets them.

@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.

You're so mean.

@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.