WRXB215

Some times repeaters are just very quiet. This morning I was on two different repeaters that are usually very active but both were quiet. It just happens sometimes. There are other repeaters I monitor that are quiet almost all the time. Very rarely is there any traffic on them. This goes for both GMRS and ham repeaters.

I thought that was for premium subscribers only.

I already answered you on your other post. Please don't double post. If you need to change something, just edit the original post.

The repeater receives on 467.### and transmits on 462.###. The .### part is almost always the same. I've heard of it being different but I've never seen it myself. You have repeater channels that are already set up like this. You have to use the tone on TX or the repeater will ignore you. You can hear the repeater with the same tone as the repeater or no tone at all. Tones work like this: I set a tone on receive and I only hear signals with that same tone. I don't set a tone on receive and I hear all signals regardless if they have any tone. Hope this helps.

WOW! I never gat anywhere near these kinds of distance. Perhaps it's all the buildings, chemical plants, trees, and houses full of fffff...FURNITURE!

@WRNZ515 Please do not double-post.

Someone else did this recently. The whole socket unscrewed instead of between the antenna and the socket. The socket has a very coarse thread compared to the SMA machine thread. Most likely you've done the same thing. Try to separate the antenna and the socket and then screw the socket back into the radio. Hopefully you haven't damaged anything.

Think of tones as "I don't want to hear others" rather than "I don't want other to hear me."

DCS is digital, CTCSS is analog. They both accomplish the same thing. Tones that have a decimal (even if that decimal is zero) are analog(CTCSS). If you see a tone like D723N it is DCS Normal. D723I would be DCS Inverted. Inverted isn't use much. When a repeater has a tone set on it's RX, it will squelch out any signal not carrying that same tone. Therefore, you have to put that same tone in the TX of your radio so that the repeater will acknowledge your signal and repeat it out to others.

With GMRS, there are certain things that are consistent across the board. It is a channelized service with a set of repeater channels. The repeater channels use duplex(TX and RX on different frequencies). TX=transmit, RX=receive. These frequencies are already programmed into a GMRS radio. Most repeaters use tones to open up the squelch. You must use the tone given (RX on the repeater, TX on your radio) otherwise the repeater will ignore you. You do not have to use a tone for RX on your radio. Indeed, you should leave it out until you have everything else working. Given this, look at your manual and programming software and see if it is starting to make sense.

Are you sure the paid ones are more powerful? Remember, GMRS is restricted to a maximum of 50W.

Welcome to GMRS. Can't say concerning repeaters in Georgia. I live in Texas and most repeaters here (both GMRS and ham) are free to use. Repeaters that cost are not necessarily better or more powerful that the free ones. None of them (GMRS) can be more than 50W anyway. There is a real good chance that the free ones are just as good in most cases and the paid ones.

Apparently electrons have trouble making that 90 degree turn.

What have you tried so far? Where exactly are you stuck?

It's using a directional antenna. Unless you are in the path, you will have trouble with it.

@WRZD720 Did you do like @WRPG745 said and set the power to high? If you are trying to punch through a bunch of trees, this is one place where power matters.

@WRUU653 I don't have that radio but on mine (AT-778UV) it just means it is able to be activated. I have to push a button on the mic to actually make it active.

A review I saw somewhere said that it has a steep learning curve but you will like it once you learn it. Hope that's the case.

What is shown looks correct based on the tones given. Are you sure you have the right frequency?

Cool! Keep up updated on how it goes.

I do not have experience with this radio yet but I am considering it as my first DMR radio. I will be watching this thread. Edit: Also, I'm interested in how it would do as a backpack radio.

The FCC rarely enforces the rules that are clear much less the ones that are un-clear. I doubt this whole fixed/base issue is worth the energy being spent on it.

Personally, I'd go for the Yeasu. It appears that the only "real" advantage of the Wouxon is that it is superheterodyne. But in comparison to the Yeasu, that may not be that big of a deal.

I am a "programmer" and programing a radio is nothing like writing code. Randy, aka notarubicon, aka OffRoaderX, has some great videos and Josh, hrcc, has one that covers CHIRP very well. Look them up, they make the info very easy to digest.