amaff

This. It probably won't work *as well* but chances are it'll do what you want.

What a terrible day to know how to read

...relevance? If I posted about every hiker that went missing in Southern Utah this forum would have very little radio content left. I mean, it's awful, but it's not exactly GMRS relevant near as I can tell

Correct. If you want both, you'll want to use TSQL

Without knowing the configuration on *both* radios, it's going to be hard to say. Not knowing how their stuff works, is there a way to disable CTC / DTS tones on both and start from 'clean' channels on both? Alternately, use the TD-H3s Channel / Tone scan feature (Hold down "1") and transmit from the RR and see what the H3 picks up. Their 'privacy code' chart may not line up with the H3s.

I'm very much a radio user, not a radio nerd, so: that's really a thing? And if so to what degree? We were at Craters of the Moon NP a couple months ago and I was getting some really weird (but great!) propagation among our group scattered throughout the park. Was able to talk to people a mile+ away while completely behind a mountain from them (ie: zero LOS). We were shocked that it worked at all, much less coming in loud and clear like we could see each other. I had some suspicion it might have to do with the specific geology of that area, but then completely forgot to look into it when we got back haha

You'd think, but I'm on the opposite side of the pass there and have all of South Mountain between me and Utah county. If there was an antenna on top of 1 of the big peaks (Box Elder, Timp) I could definitely get to them, but there aren't as far as I'm aware.

...have lunch and chat in person. Since they're allegedly friends. Again, the whole thing stinks and no one else seems to have gotten an angry letter or anything of the sort yet. So....

Very cool. I'm on the Herriman hills on the opposite side of the valley from you. The Mt Ogden repeater's 50 miles from me, and I've gotten great signal reports on all my 5W HTs. Unfortunately the mountain at lake point / Magna and Antelope Island are between me and Promontory, so I can't often hear that one unless I'm out and about.

Likely this. Tones / Privacy Tones / Sub channels. They're all different words for the same thing.

Unless things have changed the Radioddity DB20 comes with a programming cable, and the RA25 doesn't. Since they're the same radio (the default power on screen on my DB20-G said "Anytone". I imagine the Retevis is the same), it's worth it, IMO, to spend a couple bucks more for the DB20 and get the cable.

Same reason my radios have a set of GMRS channels with tones enabled (so they can talk amongst themselves and not hear anyone else), and another set without so I can listen to anything being transmitted in the open. But for troubleshooting purposes and to make sure there's not something funky going on, it's useful to disable the receive tone on the radio to make sure you're hearing the repeater without a tone set.

using the wrong radios....for what? To talk on the repeater? Either of those will talk on it just fine... (well, the 5R after it's been unlocked but I pretty much just assume all of them are at this point)

I occasionally do some overlanding with what's left of a 1992 Mazda Miata (with a Honda engine and a NASCAR transmission ). I have a couple of KG-905Gs that are my go to. Headset for my kid up on the tower or pit wall, and a wired in 'car harness' setup in the car (plugs into the radio, PTT button on the steering wheel, and plugs into the helmet for mic and molded ear buds).

100% this. Neither of us are getting permission to spend $100 here or there on our hobbies. Just big purchases we discuss. I don't know what kind of harpies everyone else seems to have saddled themselves with but like... it doesn't need to be this way lol

Saves battery. For fairly close ranges like you describe, you shouldn't *need* 5W. But if the radios aren't working right... "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Eliminate variables if you can until you get down to what's not working right.

No worries. I know I wasn't born knowing how any of this worked. So, GMRS radios will have certain rules for certain channel sets. But even then, on a "high" power channel (for a hand held, let's say, 6) it can be set to lower than the allowed limit. Some channels will obviously force the low power setting.

Feels like this would have about the same legal weight as those posts all our aunts put on FB a couple years ago...

Were they set on high power? What antenna were you using? But regardless, that doesn't sound right. When you say "noisy transmission" do you mean you were hearing your brother but cutting in and out? Or do you mean "there was a whole bunch of other people trying to talk on the channel we were using"? Tones will fix the latter, but won't fix the former. A handheld in the car isn't ideal (you're inside a Faraday cage with a few holes cut in it), having antennas on the exterior helps, but for just road trip use (car to car, <1 mile range), a 5W handheld should do just fine. What specific radios are they?

It's not a GMRS radio. This is a GMRS forum. QED... I know, there's plenty of advice on here for unlocked amateur and LMR / business radios, but it's no where near a guarantee.

Back to my previous point about learning the radio: This is a super neat & useful feature for exactly this situation.

I believe he meant this one. But the point remains.

When I put the Utah bunch into my hiking-backpack radio, I put them in on Tx only, so I can hear everything). I agree completely. But they didn't ask for my input when they put this together. I've sent them a message saying essentially that. So we'll see.

Quick primer on how 'privacy' tones work on radios: