amaff

That's why I love the 1 button frequency / tone scan on the H3. They can be on whatever channel and tone, and you should be able to set the frequency scan going and have them transmit and it'll tell you what they're on (hold down the 1 button)

The easier way is to do it using the software. To do it on the radio isn't too hard. The thing no directions I've found will tell you is that when you go to program in the transmit tone (or encode, I forget what they call it), you need to hit the MON button to switch between the tone modes and allow you to select a tone. In "off" you can't select a tone. Then it goes something like CTS > Custom > DTS. Or something to that effect. There's a really good guide on here for how to work the menu on the 778 clones, let me see if I can find it. Here (and the post I was quoting)

basically this, yes.

Depends who you're talking to. Talking to other people w GMRS radios? Leave it wideband, that's how they're likely setup too (unless they're using some of those weirdo ones that don't). If you're talking to people with FRS radios, set it to narrowband. Which is to say, you want the radios on both ends to match bandwidth.

Depending on the radio (or 'mode' that radio is in), Chirp is also 'locked up'. On a TD-H3, for example, if you have the radio in GMRS mode, Chirp will enforce the rules for that radio. If the radio is unlocked, it'll let you program whatever you want.

As far as anyone else is concerned, on simplex, I'm on an FRS radio....

Are you sure it's not a linked repeater system? That seems like far and away the simplest answer here. What channel are you hearing them on? You could hear them on, say simplex Ch20, but if you were trying to talk back on that frequency, even with the correct PL, you won't reach them if you're not going through the repeater close to you.

Ham call signs have to do with locations. I'm fairly sure that GMRS call signs are just sequential.

Not quite... if the repeater has an output tone, that tone can be used to squelch other traffic coming from not-that-repeater on that channel for your radio. But if it lists an output tone and you don't put it in your radio, you'll still hear the repeater. You'll also hear other traffic (simplex traffic, repeaters that share that frequency) that isn't related to the repeater you're trying to talk through.

Ah, yeah I could see that with their repeater capable narrow-band only radios.

What's the advantage of setting a repeater up using narrowband on a service that is primarily wideband? Other than potentially weeding out people who didn't read the notes closely enough?

Good coaching. I did not realize that was a thing, but I see it referenced in the 'notes' for the repeater. Would that actually preclude the radio for getting through? Or would they come in over-modulated?

Correct, that's dulplex comms. If you want to test have your wife using it on the other side of the house or yard. Usually they just need a little bit of separation. Even if you only had 1 radio set to transmit on 467.xxx, if the other radio is listening on the appropriate *simplex* channel it'll still hear the re-transmission from repeater. ...unless it's desensing because they're too close.

I guess that must mean that the rest of us are liars I haven't tested talking through a repeater on a handheld while listening on my mobile, but all of my H/Ts, from $18 Fegs to $100 Wouxuns do it. If they're listening on 462, and another HT is transmitting on 467 in the same room, I won't hear the transmission from the radio through the repeater on any of the other radios. I'll only get the kickback after I stop transmitting

Usually, unless otherwise stated, it's the "N". They stand for "normal" and "Inverted"? I think? Don't quote me on that. But if the N doesn't work, try the I. I'm sure they're out there, but I haven't seen a GMRS repeater using an "I" tone.

So, when your radio is transmitting, it's desensing the other radio on the receive frequency it's listening to. When you stop transmitting, you'll get the kickback on both because now it can 'hear' again.

Not if they're close by. Here's a good thread on the topic w explanations.

Yup, that's essentially what it does. You can test it pretty easily with 2 hand helds, and turn the RX tone on or off on one of them. They'll usually show that they're receiving, but won't put any audio out to the speaker.

if you have good line of sight to the repeater, 5W will easily go deep into the double digits. If'n you don't, then all bets are off. You're well into "it depends on a TON of factors. Maybe it works maybe it doesn't" territory

I'm not familiar with this particular radio but in others, there's often a Repeater Tail or other "Tail" type setting you can play with that might be contributing.

Try this:

Dubya Ess Dee Vee... they're glorified FRS radios, no need to be fancy with it Push the button and say "Hey Steve, you there?"

just because it comes with a cable doesn't mean the radio is Chirp supported. What radio are you talking about? The thread's about an RB91 digital repeater, ostensibly. I doubt that's what you're trying to program in Chirp....