OffRoaderX

We all know this is absolutely un-true.. Only about 90% of them are like that.

AFAIK no legit place will say anything about the software, but some places will accidentally drop a thumb-drive in the box with the software on it when they ship it.

Me, and most of the guys in my local GMRS-Dork group all use XTS5000s ... Other than the price.. and the size, it is IMO, the best radio you can use as far as performance, durability and quality.. The biggest downside is probably getting your hands on the Motorola programming software and then learning how to use it.. it is NOT easy to learn and it is very ... "deep"... IMHO, I would be sure to get a Model III which has the screen and all the buttons - the only other options that comes to mind is ADP and AES encryption.. ADP encryption is probably enough for 99.999% of people, and AES requires an expensive "keyloader" before you can use it.. but it doesn't hurt to have both options enabled. Many upgrades are software based and you could do them yourself IF you get your hands on that software (different from the programming software) otherwise you might have to pay someone to do them. IIRC, the only hardware based upgrade is AES encryption - but I could be remembering that wrong.

The correct answer is "It depends" .. anything else is only a guess.

The actual, correct spelling is: Magiguhsquirtz.. But the SQ is silent.

yah, thats how picket fencing works. I have several of those MXTA12 mounts and I dont think there is anything inside them that can come loose. .. I think what you are describing is normal picket fencing, unless as I said, it also happens on very close/strong signals.

Depending on the signal you are listening to, some amount of static/broken reception (aka Picket Fencing) is to be expected.. But, if it's really bad, then you likely have a loose connection in your coax connectors or the antenna mount, etc. You say the connections are tight but also make sure the antenna is not loose on the mount (if it has a screw-on mount). It could also be worn/broken coax. IIRC, the coax..actually more like a thin wire, that comes with the MXT400 is VERY thin and is not very durable. I suppose it is also possible that there is a loose connection inside the radio, but IMHO, that is less likely.. are you sure it's not just regular picket-fencing of a weak signal? If it happens to even very strong signals, then something is loose/worn.

So you are able to tune some, like 410.00, but then doing the exact same steps, you can't get 120.500?

All of the good Youtube GMRS channels will be publishing reviews on the day it's available for purchase..

My favorite GMRS handheld.

Any mobile highway signs or wind-turbine farms around?

This is a nice little radio. I hear the best GMRS channel on Youtube will be reviewing it a few days before its available for purchase.

Could be abazallion things causing it, but most likely some kind of controls-system on that frequency. For example there is a wind-turbine farm in our area that does that.. Also In my area any time road crews put up certain types electronic road-work signs this happens.. It could be bleedover from some other kind of strong signal in a neighboring frequency, or, as we also have in our area, it could be a jammer trying to jam-up a repeater (and doing a good job of it) .. Or as I've seen posted here lately, it could be a cheap baby-monitor, car-battery charger, or adult toy. Or, it could be something else.

Yes.

Some of the early UV9GPro and the UV9GLite had Roger beeps, but IIRC, the bulk of the UV9GPro units do not have a Roger Beep.. Due to the outcry of customers from around the world, they added it back for the UV9GX. Mid power is now 2watts, high power is still 5watts.. I dont remember what low power is, but its the same as the the UV9GPro. I'm only telling you this because YOU are my favorite user here at MyGMRS ...

I have one right here on my desk.. It's a nice upgrade the the UV9G.. The release has been delayed due to supply chain/shipping issues, but it should be available soon (my GUESS is 30-60 days, but this is only a guess).. Some new stuff on the UV9Gx: theme able color schemes much brighter LED flashlight stiffer knobs can receive down to 219Mhz more power control settings for better battery life a priority channel button, pre-set to the official highway channel, CH19 more pre-programmed frequenicies and most important a ROGER BEEP .................affiliate link below.. Oops.. sorry.. bad habit.

I regularly and easily hit repeaters at 30 miles and 70 while sitting on my couch with most of my handhelds... But, there are other repeaters only about 10 miles away that I can't hit due to the terrain between my house and the repeater.. So like the @BoxCar said.. You might be able to hit it, you might not. Are you CERTAIN that you have the tones programmed correctly? I would remove the RX tones to make it easier to troubleshoot.

Did you mean MXT575? Anyway - I heard a rumor that the MXT575 50W will be available for purchase very..very.. VERY soon... I also heard that all of the good GMRS YouTube channels will post a review of the radio on YouTube on the day it is released, which is very..very soon..

I have a repeater on Zello and it's a kludge to get setup and working.. But once you get through all that, it works fairly well. Also, FYI, although you dont need GMRS license to use Zello, you DO need a GMRS license to transmit on a repeater connected to Zello. Not knowing exactly what you want to do/accomplish, a better/more robust solution might be the MyGMRS Network.

Yes, but it would render your repeater useless.

HAM ...

anyone that got a $35 license - can you confirm that it's for 10 years, and not for 5 years?

Yes, I know 2 people that got 'bad' DB25G radios. IIRC they could not program them correctly but I dont remember exactly so I txt'd one of them to confirm. In both cases they sent them back and had them replaced with ones that actually work. This was a few months ago so I would hope/guess that they are no longer shipping bad units. Edit/Update: Turns out it was 3 people that got bad units, and the issue was as you described, not being able to additional repeater channels and also not being able to do a factory reset. All got replacement units that worked, but it was a PITA. Have not been able to confirm if bad units are still being shipped.

You're in the wrong setting.. You enter a tone for the repeater in the CTCSS (OR DCS/DPL) Transmit (TX) setting and optionally the CTCSS (DCS/DPL) RX setting

On a low battery the HT power-output may be low (depending on the battery and the radio) but because SWR is a ratio of reflected power, it should not change significantly (if at all) based on power - especially when you are talking differences of only 1 or 2 watts.