WRYS709

What version is your firmware?

Exactly! The next time a 70 year old farmer/jeep driver, whose son operates a narrowband repeater; asks for a GMRS recommendation, I will recommend a Midland radio! Other than that subset of users, I will recommend the user come to myGMRS and read one titled thread after another criticizing Midlands before they make their decision; for example: “Got My New MXT500 - Not Impressed”

Let me ask you one question: YOUR repeater: is it set to wide band or narrow band?

Yes, as I indicated; Midland = The Jeep crowd

Yes and for some reason they are recommended Midlands...

Not what others say here on this Forum. FRS's are only narrowband and Midland apparently prides itself in coming with narrowband as the default (and in some cases, the only available setting). What?

It's threads like these that always lead me to question the efficacy of purchasing any Midland products to anyone who posts that question, even though I have no direct experience with their products. Where are the positive comments about Midland products??? It seems to me the only positive statement I have ever read on this thread (in the "modern era") about Midland is that the "Jeep" and "4x4" communities like to use them because newbies can go to Walmart and purchase FRS radios to use to communicate with the Midlands of the more experienced members of the group.

Aren't the individual cells less than 5 volts?

My DB20-G and AT-779UV get very warm during transmission cycles. This DB25-D has a large heat sink on the back (and maybe even an internal fan). I will pay more attention on transmissions next time and let you know. That being said, someone once told me that DB20-Gs were being used for Go-Boxes for citizens of Malibu for communications during emergencies, so there must be some way to dissipate the heat properly in such a small setting. I am really enjoying the DB25-D and am trying to figure out a way to add TalkGroups on the fly (without having to reprogram the codeplug), which seems to me to be very important in a mobile/portable setting (without having to resort to a laptop).

As you go closer into the map (+) closely located repeaters will be grouped together into a number such as 2 or 3, etc.

I stumbled into a marathon of the TV series Yellowstone on The Paramount Channel a few months back and it was season 2. After I watched Season 2 Episode 7, I went back and binged the complete series in a matter of a couple of weeks (alternating seasons with Succession); I was surprised at how "dark" Yellowstone was!.

One of my next steps will be to program the complete GMRS 30 channels into it and test them out with transmitting and receiving to my HT, but so far was able able to successfully have a conversation into a local repeater on one channel. There is no "Rx Only" message; it works like all the other analog frequencies, I have used so far. UPDATE: Seems to transmit properly on all 30 GMRS channels (including the 8 repeater pairs), when programmed in with the CPS software (in my case using the better MM7DPT CPEditor, provided now by Radioddity). Actually driving with this unit, and testing the "roam" feature, will be down the road, so you might search if others have successfully used this feature.

There are two options in the Repeaters Map that maybe were set differently each time: Show Offline Repeaters Show Stale Repeaters These come up when you click the hexagonally shaped widget in the upper left of the map.

Normally $109, so it is a great deal! I second that I have two of them (actually one DB20-G and one Anytone AT-779UV, the same radio) and no experience with the DB25-G (which is not the same radio at all as the DB25-D DMR Ham Radio that I just received last Monday on sale for $194). I do know one local GMRS'er who returned the DB25-G soon after he purchased it as he was not happy with it.

I suppose you could use the RJ-45 pinout to construct an audio K-1 to RJ-45 adapter for bluetooth.

Do you just want to hear (monitor) the main db20-g? Or change channels? Or transmit? Of course an HT would do all of these functions from room to room, but it would not be 20 watts and would not be connected to your external antenna. As far as the bluetooth suggestion, the DB20-G does not have a K-1 connector; it is RJ-45. Miklor has a DIY K-1 to RJ-45 adapter, but that is for data purposes for CPS programming software use of an USB to K-1 cable.

Some initial observations: So much to learn; so little time! Audio comes out of the internal front mounted speaker as well as the microphone, so in noisy conditions, putting the mic to one's ear is helpful. It's analog transmitter is not has robust as the propagation that I can achieve with it's sibling, the DB20-G; not surprising since this is a combination analog/DMR unit. Although the VFO returns an "Rx Only" message when I attempt to transmit on a GMRS channel, when programmed into the radio by using CPS software, these channels are transmissible (including repeater pairs). Radioddity now includes a 3rd party alternative CPS programming software package, MM7DBT's CPEditor, which seems to be universally recognized as easier and better to use. As far as the idea of a "backpack radio," I think you have hit it on the head here: I am starting to be more inclined to keep my DB20-G in the mobile, where analog and range are more important to me, and I will look into converting this to some sort of "go-pack" radio with rechargeable battery and hotspot to give me these options "on the road" while traveling and outside of my vehicle. Another DMR user made me aware of DMR radios with a feature of roaming and finding and tuning to upcoming DMR repeaters while mobile, and it looks like this radio has this feature; although I have not done anything with it. More to come...

Part 1 is correct so far...

Initial observations: It is actually smaller than the DB20-G; hard to believe! In that it is not as deep... I am usually a "not read the manual" kind of guy, but this radio: Gotta read the Manual! I will try to figure out a Quick Guide to Using this Radio, but unfortunately it is going to require reading more of the manual that I usually want to! And not only a printed manual, but a PDF of the Extended Manual! This may require signing up for graduate classes at the local university... There are features that I was not expecting: GPS and APRS! I am going to take this slowly...

Many Cables were manufactured with notoriously counterfeited Prolific chips. these are causing many Windows 11 problems.

Well, as many on this board know: I LOVE the DB20-G: Mini-Mobile, 20 Watts, VHF/UHF, Cigarette Lighter Plug, 500 channels and once "opened*" many other features are available for GMRS, including microphone control of various features such as Power, Reverse, etc. AND only $109 (and cheaper when on sale). So I discovered this DB25-D on sale over at Radioddity for $194 and the "experimenter" in me just could not resist! PayPal Credit (up to 6 months interest free, if paid within 6 months) is a dangerous, dangerous addition to my arsenal! More details to come... *When "opened" the DB20-G also can become a Ham Radio for 2 meters and 70 cms.

Just arrived!

This radio is NOT related to either the DB20-G or even the DB25-G. It is a completely different UHF/VHF mini-mobile radio that also incorporates DMR. Apparently earlier in its life, and before substantial firmware upgrades were made, it was also released as the Retevis RT-73

Worth pointing it out again!

I am on V2.36, but I do not think that is the problem. Also I switched all of your setting into my radio and I can still SCAN. Open up the Information of Scanning Channel menu and be sure SCAN MODE is turned to ON: When I switched mine to OFF, when I attempt to Scan, it does not work and I hear a Beep!