OffRoaderX

The UV9G is waterproof, if that matters for how you will be using the radio. What anyone recommends for you should be 100% dependent on what you plan to use the radio for, how you plan to use it, and what your preferences are - none of which you have shared - so anyone making a recommendation at this point would just be someone guessing what is right for you based on what is right for them..

If you're using a repeater on a GMRS Radio, the radios can't/arent talking to each other directly - so just call out on one radio via the repeater and if you've got it setup right you'll hear each other. Just be sure to be at least a few yards away from each other because the radios can interfere with each other enough that you may not hear the repeater if the radios are close.

I own/have used all of these.. The short answer is - all of them can transmit the same number of fars, but: The Midlands are 'simple' and great if you just want a radio in your vehicle (or as a base) to talk to other GMRS radios - Both the 400 and 500 can do wideband - but to enable wideband on the 400 you need a computer, cable, and the software. On the 500 you can do it very easily on the radio - (FYI- you DO want wideband on a GMRS radio).. They are also (very) limited in how many repeaters you can program them for, and (iirc) they cannot monitor/listen to any non-GMRS frequencies except maybe NOAA channels.. All these limitations make for VERY simple, VERY easy to use radios. The Midlands also come with everything you need to get up and running, right in the box (antenna & "coax"). The antenna and coax arent the best, but, they do work surprisingly well, and work plenty good enough for someone that needs a simple "just want to talk in the car" type radio - so be wary of those telling you "it's junk" or "costs way to much" -Obviously this type of radio is not intended for them and they can't comprehend the value of "simple". The KG-1000G is wide-band out of the box, and is a much more complicated radio. its great if you want to use a lot of repeaters, scan non-GMRS frequencies, etc - the KG-1000G 'does more', but, its more complicated to learn/use.. Not "difficult", but, more. The KG1000G is also a "superheterodyne" radio, which means the guts are a bit better quality than the Midlands - they may receive a bit better and may ignore off-frequency noise a bit better. With the KG1000G You will also need to purchase an antenna and coax. Be wary of those telling you "its just cheap chinese junk!!" - When they tell you that, ask them for the data that supports their opinion, and then ask them which "not made in China, non-junk FCC Part 95e GMRS radio" they recommend instead.

Thats not a callsign, at least not a "real"/legal GMRS/FCC callsign. To learn more whatever made-up codes their using, ask the guy thats using it. It's probably a club-membership number or something.

I have a tailgate mount at fender level (about 3 inches from the fender) on my Jeep using a MXTA26 antenna- the tip reaches about 1 inch above the roof line. Using this setup with both my KG-1000G and Motorola XTL5000 has worked great - hitting repeaters 30, 50, 70 miles away and talking with other vehicles up to 20 miles away. Be wary of "some people" that will try to grossly overcomplicate it: Yes, it would work better on the roof, but with my fender/tailgate mount I am able to have many fars.

Be wary of those that confuse a simple home setup with a commercial/heavy-duty application and try to drastically over-complicate things or spend all of your money for you.. Shorter is better for coax, but on my home/garage repeater I have ~75 feet of LMR400 going through a couple of N-type to PL259 adaptors, up to my Tram 1486 about 50 feet above the ground. With this setup HTs 15-20 miles away can hit/use the repeater and mobile radios can use the repeater 55 miles away.. It would probably be further, but there are mountains at 55 miles. Is it a perfect setup? NO.. is it "the best"? NO .. Is it "good enough" - YUP

That, of course, is the correct answer.. But sadly, many, perhaps even a majority of people grabbing an HT from Amazon or Walmart for their big cross-country road trip will have no idea how to do that. For this reason, we must have the simple alternative..

I have it on good authority that TWO new GMRS radios will be released in the next few months that have a quick-road-channel/Home button, pre-programmed to Ch19, which many use as the official road channel for GMRS.. "Some people" will disagree/whine/complain about Ch19, so they dont have to use it - they can talk to themselves on some other channel that nobody knows about.

No.. Unless you (or the factory) have added a RX (Receive) CTCSS or DCS/DPL tone/code.then you dont need to do anything. Not having a RX code/tone will not prevent you from hearing anything. HAVING an RX tone/code will prevent you from hearing everything unless the transmission also has that same code/tone.. Remove all RX tones and you will hear everything. I bet there are some good videos on the Youtubes that explain at all for beginners.

If what that person said is "the FCC does not allow new GMRS repeaters", then that person lied to you or is an idiot - likely both.

I would have to consult the manual for that one.

Those tones sound familiar... My guess is that you have the tones backwards, OR it's actually working the way it is supposed to.. Be sure to enter the 271 on your radio's TX and 073 on your radio's RX.. Note that these are DCS/DPL tones, not CTCSS tones so make sure you are putting them in the right place (consult the manual). Leave the RX (73) out for troubleshooting.. If you enter the TX (271) and can hit the repeater, then you should be good. When you enter the RX (73) then you should then ONLY hear transmissions from that repeater and nothing else - this is optional.

Sounds like the door-chime at my local Kwikee Mart.

Look up your local repeaters and get them programmed in!

How do you plan on setting up your MXT500 as a repeater?

Just call me BoZo ..

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the wonderful and exciting world of GMRS! Word of warning: Soon you'll be selling a kidney to buy every new radio you see those clowns on Youtube playing with...

I own and use all 3 of those radios, and they are all great. The 9G Pro is a bit more complicated than then 905G which is very simple & easy to use. The 1000G is probably the best GMRS mobile unit you can buy today.

Sounds like a good setup - try it and see how it works! I'm using an old/used VXR-7000 repeater with LMR400 coax, PL259 connectors, and a Tram 1486 antenna - I have a good/high location and I get a range of about 55 miles - it would be further but I'm surrounded my mountains.. Location more than anything else will determine your range but that tower should help. Be wary of "some people" that will leave comments and try to drastically over-complicate everything trying to impress us.

make sure you have correctly plugged in the mic into the correct hole. Plugging the mic into the wrong hole may cause this. Also make sure you have the faceplate correctly plugged in with the correct cable and in the right holes. If after confirming that and trying any tips that others post its still not working right, call BuyTwoWayRadio and they dont have an answer they will send you a new one.

Yes - if it is still under warranty they will replace the radio.

This behavior is by design on the 7000.. If nobody uses the repeater for a while it wont ID, but as soon as someone starts transmitting again it will ID again while the repeater is in use.

Assuming you purchased from BuyTwoWayRadio, call them and they will replace the radio.

1) A "Repeater channel" is a combination of two channels - a sending channel, in the 467Mhz range and a receiving channel in the 462Mhz range. The receiving channels are shared with some of the 'regular' channels, so you can hear someone talking on Repeater 24 on CH16, but if you transmit back on 16, they (likely) wont hear you. When you put both a TX and RX tone on Ch24, you are setting the radio to only listen to Ch24 repeater traffic. If you want to listen to ch16, put the radio on Ch16 OR, dont enter a RX tone on Ch24 2) Depends on what "emergency channel repeater 20" you are referring to - But in general, you must enter the correct TX tone to use the repeater. As eluded to in #1, adding the RX blocks out all other traffic except for traffic using that tone - so if the repeater is transmitting with a tone, if you DONT enter that tone you would still hear the repeater, and you would also hear anyone else talking on that shared channel. If the repeater does not transmit a TX tone, and you enter a tone (or enter the wrong tone) you wont hear the repeater - you will only hear transmissions that are sending the tone you've entered. Since you're new to GMRS, it is my job to make sure that you also know about Channel 19 (no tone) which many people use as the "unofficial official" road and travel channel, and Channel 16 (no tone), which many people use as the "official" off-roading/hiking/adventuring channel. Also be aware that "some people" will prefer to argue over the use of those channels rather than actually do/say anything helpful or constructive - just remember that nobody cares what the complainers have to say so you can ignore them - dont worry, they'll be easy to spot. Welcome to the forum and welcome to the exciting world of GMRS!

Sorry - I thought you wanted to be able to PTT to talk back? In that case, SE is better? Either way, use what works for you and enjoy the radio - The 935G is my favorite GMRS HT.