marcspaz

I just said the import agent has great customer service, not a good product. LoL In all seriousness though, what you're saying does not surprised me at all. I had two 50x2's do the same thing. Not a fan.

Okay... so, sounds like you have a defective radio. BTech / Baofeng folks at the SD location are good people. They should be able to take good care of you. They do care about the customer experience, which is pretty cool. I had a problem with a radio that I returned and they snail mailed and apology letter to my house. Please keep us up to date... and welcome to MyGMRS.com!

I noticed that in the first video, the DEC is not set. DEC stand for Decode and ENC stands for Encode. This describes that you are encoding a DPL code into the signal when you transmit, or you are asking that your squelch only opens when it detect an encoded signal, i.e. decoding the signal to open the squelch. If you are not decoding, meaning DEC is blank and not set, that means you will hear all stations instead of selective stations. If the repeater was tripped, you would have heard it no matter what. Also, in the same video, when you transmit, the DEC changes to ENC and shows the proper code you programed. This indicates that either the DPL encoder on the radio is broken or you possibly have the incorrect code. The best way to test this is to get your MXT400, set it to receive on a channel with a DPL set. Set both encode and decode on the BTech and key up the BTech. Even without an antenna, the MXT400 just a few feet away, should hear the signal and open its squelch. Don't try to transmit with no antenna connected to any radio. Though, even if it works, there is something funky going on in the menu that has me concerned.

I watched your videos after reading your post. It looks like you are doing everything correctly. I have good reason to believe your radio is defective. I did comment on your thread, asking if you tried to program it via CHIRP of if you are only using the front panel programing options. It's not likely that CHIRP will help, but it will all but guaranty its not something you are doing.

I owned this radio for a few weeks. I believe yours is defective. You are doing everything correctly. Before you send it back for an exchange, have you tried programing the radio with the CHIRP software?

EDIT: Before all that stuff below, try setting the program to just encode, not encode and decode. The radio may not like the tone squelch combo, even though its a programing option. -------------------- That's odd. Its been a long time since I have used one. I may be thinking of another model, but IIRC, TA is something that typically has to be manually selected and it is selected on the per group basis. If you press and hold the the AUX button (or scan. don't remember), and then power on the unit, that puts the radio in FPP mode. From there you can scan through the menu options to enable or disable TA on a specific group. If that doesn't help, I would see if you can find someone with a working radio and clone their unit to yours. From there, make a backup copy on your computer and then try to mod the image again. Also, what version of Windows are you using? That software was created for DOS and DOS hasn't existed since 1995. If you have Windows 7 or older, you can make a dual-boot computer with DOS 6.0 or 6.1. The command prompt on anything newer than Windows 95a is not true DOS, but rather it emulates DOS. You may be having a timeout issue while programing it due to the emulator timing out. I have the same issue on one of my radios. If I upload the configs once, it fails to set everything. However, if I upload it 2 or 3 times back to back, it works fine. The reasoning behind it is the radio is taking to long to send the kill command, indicating to the software that the programing is done, so the software times out. When you do multiple writes, one after the other, the second and third attempts don't have to do anything but verify the settings are already present. If no change is needed, it keeps going and eventually finishes. The only caveat is, you have to keep it in the programing mode. If you reset the radio and then try to flash it again, its the same as starting from scratch, and it won't work. I am a computer systems engineer with over 30 years of experience. I have been specializing in Microsoft operating systems since 1991. To this day, I have not figured out how to change the TTL in the CMD DOS emulator... so I just put up with it. I hope this helps. If it doesn't, I hope someone is able to get you the support you need. Looking forward to your follow-up. Good luck!

We're good. I sent you a PM.

My condolences on the loss of your grandfather. That is tough for many of us, for sure. You put some pretty personal stuff out there... and I appreciate that. It helps me understand what you are going through. Knowing those things puts some light on what and why. Also, makes it so I wish you success and wanting to point you in a good direction even more. Most of my time on CB is pretty evenly spent on 19 and 28, but 6, 11, 19, 22, and 28 are all usually pretty busy. However, night time it is almost completely dead. Recreational users are mostly day-time and the OTR truck drivers are usually just looking for some quite time at night. I wish you the best of luck. If I can think of anything else positive to contribute, I'll let you know.

Please keep in mind, this is not meant to be belittling or to start an argument, but more to help you find something that will help with a hobby. At one point, I was homeless. I spent years on welfare with a young family. I can relate to being tight on cash and don't look down on or judge people based on their income. However and unfortunately, hobbies are for people with expendable cash and free time. Your career options based on your degree and the state of the economy are not really relevant to that fact. We have to adjust our spare time and entertainment into what we can afford. If getting $400 together is tough for you, I would recommend staying away from anything beyond an inexpensive radio that operates on a spectrum that is in use around you. I have to disagree with a good portion of this. Especially about the "purpose" of CB and GMRS. Depending on what service you are talking about, the purpose is non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, "radio sport", contesting, and emergency communication. Meaning, these services are provided for users to incorporate a common communications platform into your life and life activities, such as the aforementioned. If lack of radio contact is truly your experience, its not the bands or the service you are using. There is a very high likelihood that there are some significant flaws in your radio and/or antenna setup, and I will explain why. I live in Virginia most of the year, but I own a home in Hollywood and have family all over all over Florida, including Jacksonville, Daytona, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Winter Springs, Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater. CB and amateur radio are alive and well. I can't speak to GMRS yet, as I haven't been down there since I got my license, but I will be there to check on my house and visit family very soon... so we'll see. In fact, CB is doing so well in Florida that, while I am in Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, I talk to guys all over Florida. (one skip hop is about 1,200 miles) When I am local, there is no shortage of people to chew the rag with while cruising down i-95, RT 301, i-4, etc. My best recommendation would be to get online and join local clubs. Find people who are close to you and are in the hobby. This will give you a new group of friends with like interests and likely introduce you folks that are technically skilled and able to help you get the most out of your equipment. Also, many radio clubs in and around each other have events that are like flea-markets, but its all two-way radio related. You can find great deals on some equipment that will run fine. I flip radios all the time because I get board with them or they don't have some feature I thought they did when I bought it. Just my humble opinion. Hopefully some of the things I mentioned will help you find the camaraderie with some local folks and help you enjoy the hobby.

I have been thinking about this thread for about a week. I drive around with my radio scanning all the GMRS (including shared FRS channels). Every day, Monday through Friday, from about 6 AM until about 6 PM (some channels, 24x7) every single GMRS and FRS frequency is in use by at least one business. Some channels are being used by multiple businesses in the same county. Some businesses are using multiple GMRS and FRS frequencies. After noticing this... I came to the conclusion that regardless of the laws and whats permitted, it is really impossible for practical use of GMRS and FRS in my area without causing interference or being the recipient of interference. I know I invested in the gear I have for when we go offroading... but it seems grossly unfair that businesses are using GMRS channel and flooding FRS channels, making it so the service is mostly unusable to a private party around here. Truth be told, using CTCSS (TSQL) and DCS can be a workaround so I can't hear them, but using these squelch methods noticeably reduces the ability to receive weak signals. Of course, this is just a moral opinion and a point of aggravation on my part. I'm done venting. LOL

It's not just wanna-be repeater users either. I was running some tests with two of my radios today. Some guy got on and told me I needed to be "OFF HIS FREQUENCY" by 6:00 PM because him and his friends have a conversation every Monday through Friday starting at 6:00 PM on that frequency. I was a hot second away from using a very poor selection of words to remind him that these are "public" airways and no one has priority unless there is emergency traffic and if the frequency was in use... he could just pick another one. Best part... I listened in on the 6:00 PM convo... they are talking about what they like on their salad. What restaurants have the best salads and salad bars. Dude was going to be in such and such a place tomorrow and wanted to know if anyone know where he can get a good salad... especially with good ranch dressing. Glad they consider a dinner salad priority traffic and tell others to get off "their" channel. Good grief.

That looks like it could be fun! But, yes... anywhere there is enough stray energy to light a bulb, its probably best to spend as little time as possible. The sad part is, so many people are soaking in it every day and don't even know it. BTW, if you still like going offroad, Rausch Creek is about 2.5 north of there and is an amazing park to play in.

Look at part C. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/95.1761

Everything is underground in my neighborhood, but when I get in areas with major above ground power lines, the low end of VHF and the high side of HF are all but worthless. Sometimes as much as 20 S-units.

Yes. I tried a different mount, coax and antenna. The cables I tried are RG8u and RG58 with studded whips on a direct chassis mount, and RG316 that is built into the K400s mount. I might move the whole setup to my car, instead of the truck, to see if it is vehicle specific or if its the radio.

I have an FT-8900R with a new Diamond K400s mount and a Diamond CR8900A antenna. The radio is acting like I have a ground loop issue, but I can't rectify it. On 10m and 6m, AM mode, I get very bad alternator hum and when my climate control fan or engine cooling fans are running, they also cause a hum. All of the noise goes away when the antenna is disconnected. With the radio manually placed in AM mode, the problem does not exist on 2m or 70cm while the antenna is connected. It only happens on 10m and 6m. I moved the antenna and transceiver from the back of the vehicle, to the front. I bolted the antenna mount to the front fender, just inches away from the battery, and then grounded both the fender and the mount to the negative battery post with a 1 inch wide ground strap that was only 7 inches long. I connected the transceiver power lines directly to the battery, with both the negative and positive leads under 18 inches in length. The issue still exists. I thought it may be a bad alternator, but my son is an auto tech, bench tested the alternator as well as load testing it in the vehicle. He said everything looks fine and there is only a 0.02v AC ripple; well withing normal tolerances. I tested the ripple voltage myself and found the same results. Also, a bad alternator would not explain the two electric motors also causing a hum. As a side note, neither of my other two HF AM radios (Ham and CB) experience this issue. Also, if I hook up a proper 1/4 wave whip, it gets worse, including testing with a different mount... implying the antenna and mount are not the issue. Any advice on further testing and possible remedies would be greatly appreciated.

I see even the cheap $29 MFJ duplexers are advertised as a splitter/combiner. Seems reasonable that a high quality duplexer would, too.

Sounds like a kid I once heard say he put 7.5" pistons in his 6 cylinder Mustang engine to get higher compression for his supercharger... and now it runs 9 seconds in the quarter. I never laughed so hard in my life.

QFT

Some of these companies do some tricky advertising. Hopefully Kenwood isn't one of them. I am aware of a major brand who advertised their radio as 50 watts, but I only measured 42. When I called and asked about it, they said the 50 watts was on a FSM with one of their "high-gain" antennas. For most companies, it's based on a perfect line and a perfect dummy load. Real world is a different story.

LOL Too funny. 3 leg through-hole. Actually, all of the cold joints were on through-hole connections. Guess the wave pan wasn't hot enough or the board flexed to much when it was heated and cooled.

If there were actual springs or spring steel, I could see that. This was a solid pin sticking up from the board and someone or something clearly tinned both parts... they just didn't drop the last bead to make the connection. If it wasn't for the fact that they were touching by coincidence, the radio would have smoked.

Today, the audio circuit in my MXT400 took a dump. Turned out to be a free fix. A bias resistor on the audio amp transistor base had a cold solder joint. I looked around the board and found 4 more, so I touched them up too. Worst thing I have ever seen... the center lead of the so239 was NOT soldered to the RF output circuit. The connector was just screwed to the chassis and the tip was simply pushing against a pin that was sticking up from the main board. No solder... just spring pressure. Needless to say, I fixed that, too. Not too happy I spent 2+ hours fixing a brand new $250 radio due to poor workmanship. At least none of the parts fried, which is a plus. I am becoming less and less of a fan.

Hey Howie, welcome. Unfortunately, we don't publish specific repeater information in the public forums, to prevent unlicensed users from abusing the service. I can tell you that between the "Maps" feature and the directory, it looks like there are potentially several that serve your area. If you haven't created an account on www.mygmrs.com, you will need to in order to access the directory. It is a separate login from the forums. Once,you are logged in, look at the "Maps" and search the directory, include the whole state and sort by city. You should be able to see the same repeaters that I do.