amaff

Because the FCC decrees it as such. Wait...I thought "all the radio manufacturers" programmed them the same, per A above, and just in a weird order to your tastes? I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I've never seen a handheld GMRS or FRS radio where channel 1 wasn't 462.5625 across the board, channel 2 wasn't 462.5875 across the board, etc... It can get weird with some of the mobile radios that choose to omit 8-14 (where they can't transmit) and so channel 15 becomes 8, but the frequencies should all line up. Plus mobile radios, if you're into that sort of thing. And the handhelds can often be had in higher quality and with more bells and whistles than most FRS radios. But from some points of view that's a detriment. As was stated above. FM = wide, NFM = narrow.

In an emergency? Next time will be the first.

1. If possible, request it through myGMRS. 2. If you have the channel and tone(s), set up your radio, key up, identify yourself, and...ask.

If we're talking non-type-accepted mobile radios, there's LOTS that'll do MURS. My DB20-G for example. Pretty much any unlocked VHF radio is workable for those.

Technically? If you're on a GMRS radio, you're supposed to use your callsign. Practically? On simplex? Just talking amongst 'your group' (as you would be here) and not talking to random people out on the airwaves? As far as anyone else knows, you're on an FRS radio too. Out hiking, at the race track, on a road trip and only talking within our group, we just use names. Talking through a repeater, I always use my CS. But 99% of my use is simplex talking to friends & family.

100% this. Unless you're having trouble getting through (and even then, the few extra watts maybe will / maybe won't make the difference), there's no need to have it on maximum chooch.

Tone really doesn't come across very well in text, unless you make it, just, STUPID obvious. Especially when, like @SteveShannon said, it's right on the line of what someone might say to make fun of a ham, but also is exactly what some hams might say legitimately

Yeah that sounds like some government language

To control the repeater remotely. I don't read that to mean the same thing as "to be able to talk through networked repeaters", but to make configuration changes remotely, or turn them on or off.

I highlighted what I think the actually relevant part is. They can be connected to a network so they can be remote controlled. Doesn't say anything about for the purpose of linking / networking repeaters together.

The BTECH GMRS-20V2 is the worst radio I've ever used. Awful interface, and then it stopped receiving after about a week. Back to the rainforest it went.

It would be, in a pinch. My nicer HTs (KG-905Gs) I don't believe I can do custom tones (maybe through the software, but definitely not on the radio), and I like for all my stuff to be set up more or less the same so they'll all talk to each other, obv. Thankfully I've not had to deal with that sort of nuisance before.

My $100 DB20-G also allows this. As do my $40 TD-H3s, now that I just tried punching something weird in (and verified it actually stuck... it wouldn't break squelch until I set the custom tone on the other handset).

You're of course correct, there is a standard list. But not all manufacturers use the entire list, is probably how I should have worded it. No manufacturer is out here picking and choosing numbers at random, thankfully (that I've seen at least...), but tone 1 on one radio isn't necessarily tone 1 on another radio, and that tends to trip people up.

But yeah, it doesn't seem that there's a true industry standard list of tones. And I hate having to have a lookup sheet for 'codes' or 'subchannels' or whatever they want to call them vs just saying what the tone is and being done w/ it.

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.