amaff

This. With good line of sight, you can go 50+ miles with a 5W handheld and a stock rubber ducky antenna. I'd try and figure out what the issue actually is before hitting it with my purse.

"It depends" None of them, unless they're are on open, dead flat ground, will have a horizon that's a circle. The one further away may have a better, taller antenna, more sensitive hardware, or fewer obstructions. Or it's possible the one close by is down for some reason (maintenance, equipment failure, etc)

Are you able to hear other conversations on there? Are you hearing the 'kickback' from the repeater after your transmission or a station identifier (often in morse code)? It might be that your radios are set up fine but no one's actually listening when you're trying. We have a couple repeaters out here (Salt Lake valley) that you'll often not get an answer on (unless you catch the owner hanging out), and some that are pretty much always monitored.

It's silly lazy programming (HereWeGoAgain.gif ). There's no reason they should restrict how many GMRS channels you should be allowed to have, the radio should enforce its rules no matter what you put on any particular memory slot. I like to have "my own" set of channels with CTS tones for certain uses where we're not trying to hear anyone else, plus decent full set of 'open' channels, plus a bunch of local and regional repeaters, plus the 8 'open' repeater channels, I'm a good bit past the 52 that they deign I should be able to have. Which is dumb. So to configure the thing the way I want, I "have" to run it in "Normal" mode, and program in all the rules manually. It's annoying, but it seems to be the way on a lot of the 'cheap chinese radios'. Did the same with the DB20-G in my truck for the same reasons. The only radios I have that do it right, IMO, are a pair of KG-905Gs. They have, I dunno, a couple hundred channels? More than I need, regardless, and they enforce the rules for any particular frequency no matter where you put it, and don't limit how you can configure it (other than enforcing the GMRS power and bandwidth rules for each particular frequency)

Yellowstone was interesting. A whole lot of nothing (other than occasional traffic between us and the rest of our family in another vehicle), until we got stuck in a multi-hour Bison-fueled traffic jam. Then there was traffic all over. Mostly from a few folks near the front talking about what they saw. Tried to reach out but they were using PL tones so I didn't try and chase that down. Then listening in on the repeaters that the Rangers use. A few bear sightings, a few tickets and an arrest. But it was useful to hear where traffic was building up because of wildlife sightings.

I think we "know" the same guy

So then what's the issue if they're not using GMRS radios but more than likely using FRS radios legally?

You should do a quick web search on what frequencies FRS blister pack radios use...

Yes.

Power Save.

I'm pretty sure that's just the Motorola screech

Apparently there is programming software for these. It doesn't LOOK like you can change the tones from the face of the radio, but this would do it. Alternately, it'll give you some idea of what tones are set. If you watch their video, when they read from the radio to the software, EVERY channel has tones set. I have no idea why they do this.

They're not trying to connect to a repeater. FRS radios absolutely can talk to a mobile GMRS radio if they're set up correctly. My bet is the Midland has some tones pre-set that it's listening for and the FRS radios don't. Or vice versa. Edit: oh hell they're Retevis radios. Retevis LOOOOVES pre-programming its radios with tones. If the walkies can talk amongst themselves but can't hear the mobile radio, my guess is that is the problem. But on the bright side, their manual is also terrible

There's no monthly fee, just a yearly fee. It's tOtAlLy DiFfErEnT.

I'm not sure how anyone could use an H3 and a UV-5R and not see that one's got a good bit more capability than the other. I have multiple of each. Haven't touched the 5Rs since the H3s came in.

That's correct. And annoying...and why I have mine in 'Normal' mode. I have a separate list of 22 channels with tones that all my radios run for when we're out doing stuff, but I want to have the plane jane ones on there as well and Chrip at least was unhappy about letting me do that. With it in normal, you can put whichever GMRS channels you want wherever you want.

If we're just going to straight up ignore the simplest explanation of why there might be morse code on repeater channels, screw it, let's just say it's aliens

It's stupid not because it would hurt anything, but because it wouldn't do much. The battery negative is already connected to the frame. It wouldn't fry the radio (it's just...ground). But also, there ain't but 1 wire in the antenna. Does he mean connect the core to the battery negative, and the shielding to the chassis (...which is also connected to battery negative?) You might be correct in your assessment. Or maybe he's a mad genius

Woah...didn't see that...twist...coming

It's repeaters identifying themselves periodically. 15-22 share the same frequencies as repeater output frequencies for GMRS.

The 935G actually isn't. But I think that further illustrates your point. Half the price of an Icom, with a better front end.

And yet you seem to care so, so deeply. Enough to comment anytime you can that they should have bought a different radio.

double post

Indeed there are, but I'm not a ham. Those are among my 'just in case' frequencies tho.

We're going to be spending about a week in and around Yellowstone (primarily) and Grand Teton NPs I checked the usual suspects (myGMRS, Repeaterbook, RadioReference, google generally). I found a few frequencies I want to have on hand just in case but nothing I'd be able to use for general usage. Are there any unlisted GMRS repeaters around those parks 'we' are aware of? Thanks