OffRoaderX

You wont find a "GMRS" radio that outputs more than 5.5 watts, and you will never see any difference between 5W and 5.5W as far as range. Instead of power you should focus on a better antenna, perhaps an external antenna.. Of course if you i want REAL power, look at the KG-1000G which is 50Watts..

Welcome to the exciting world of GMRS! and yes, ham and GMRS Repeaters are different and require the different licenses. A GMRS repeater will ALWAYS have a TX/Input frequency in the 467Mhz range and a RX in the 462Mhz range, and a ham repeater will NEVER have those ranges.

I also have a Jeep (two, actually) and own/have used the Wouxun KG-1000G, the MXT500 and the MXT575 (each a 50W GMRS mobile radio) The KG-1000G has no water resistance rating but it does have that awesome remote-mount faceplate.. The MXT500 has no remote-mount faceplate but it has an IP66 rating, which makes it very water resistant.. The MXT575 has all the controls located in the handset (almost like a remote-mount faceplate) AND also as an IP66 rating making it very very water resistant.. Both of the Midlands are VERY simple and limited - great for basic Jeep/Trail comms, not great if you're a radio dork looking to use dozens of repeaters - but I would look into the MXT575 - Both the 575 and 500 are expensive but I heard a rumor that a certain big GMRS YouTube Hobo will be giving ANOTHER MXT575 away for free very soon...so.. are you feeling lucky? I agree with what the Spaz says about power.. you will likely see little/no difference in 15/20W vs 50W ... BUT... 50 is better than 15/20 because.. power...

That clown has never licked or kissed a Baofeng on camera.. That clown is also responsible for introducing more people to GMRS and helping them get their license than anyone else on Youtube and has brought laughter and joy to thousands... What have you done? Excellent point - sadly, "some people" do not seem to have the ability to grasp this concept as they appear to be totally incapable of thinking outside of their own existence - as proven already right here in this thread, and thousands of times in other posts on this forum. ..all that said, I do love my XTS5000..

No, I didnt. I was quoting the proclamation made earlier in the thread. Keep up.

The original proclamation was about "shitty Wouxun" radios.. Not UV-5R radios.

It goes without saying that my "shitty" Wouxun receivers also receive just as well as the Motorola's.

Weird.. My Wouxun KG805, KG-916, KG905, KG935G, KG-UV9G and KGUV9GX ALL transmit on simplex pretty much exactly as the same range as my Motorola XTS5000 - easily 3-15 miles, not "tenths of a mile" as proclaimed by you .. and my Wouxun KG-1000G transmits just as far as my Motorola XTL5000 when at the same power setting. But you know what everyone says... "some people" as they laugh in your face and shake their heads, knowing that you're FOS ..

.....

You could use something like a Jackery Portable Power station - I have the Jackery 1000 and it lasts for hours even when transmitting a lot. If the radio isn't going to be doing a lot of transmitting you could also use something like a NOCO GBX155 which is MUCH smaller and lighter, but wont provide power for quite as long. Also be sure that if you plan on using the radio on high-power that whatever power source you use can provide enough electricities. I would recommend putting the radio on LOW power as HIGH power will suck your power source dry much faster and it likely will not make that much of a difference in how many FARS the radio can transmit assuming you have a good antenna location and dont need to punch through miles of forest or anything like that. For the antenna you could use any mag-mount antenna stuck to a pie-pan or something larger like a Tram 1486 on a fence-pole or something... The only connections you'll need is some coax from the radio to the antenna, and the appropriate power connections..

I have tested several of these and they all have a fairly high (2.0-3.0) SWR. Based on my testing and on the results of several friends that use them (on Jeeps) they work fairly well.. But not nearly as well as that 6db Midland (which I have on my Jeep).. Many times my friend right behind me using his Midland Ghost can't hear someone that I can hear perfectly fine, and/or they cant hear him, but they can hear me. Its a decent antenna for what it is.

I'm curious - would this happen only if its setting unused, or can this still happen when a device is still used but just as old? ie; does using a device make it last longer than when its just sitting in the closet ?

If you transmit on a GMRS radio without a GMRS license you will be fined $250,000 and/or go to prison If you transmit on GMRS frequencies on a UV-5R you will be fined $250,000 and/or go to prison You can legally use a UV-5R on GMRS frequencies if you just lower the power level.. If you don't, you will be fined $250,000 and/or go to prison You don't need a GMRS license to use a GMRS radio if you put it on low-power and use the FRS only channels. If you talk a non-licensed person on GMRS "the FCC will come after you" (this one was JUST posed on this forum last week!)

This sounds like a Windows issue not a TidRadio programming software issue - BUT, to be sure, can you provide more details on what you mean by "it saves it using Internet Explorer", and what, exact steps are you taking to "retrieve" the file?

I hope the ham-smell isn't starting to get on me!

Oh, you are going to fit in just perfect here!

Welcome to the exciting world of GMRS! But.. GMRS isn't really used by most people for just calling-out and talking to strangers. GMRS is intended more for specific communication needs ie; while driving with friends, off-roading, hiking, etc.. If you want to talk to strangers just for the sake of talking, ham might be a better choice.

My radios display name and callsign per the way my radios are configured.

You can't because CHRIP is not compatible with the MXT275 (source: https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Supported_Radios ) Pro Tip: Be wary of the online "experts" that dont know what they're talking about.

Correct - A (simplex) channel to talk to other travelers/get road checks/etc, while on the road - just like good old CB Ch19. Discussing it here doesn't matter though, because none of the discussion, arguing, and bragging about who has "worked in the industry" longest is going to make any difference at all.

The MXT275 is about as simple as it gets..here's the down & dirty notes on using GMRS on a MXT275: 1) turn radio on 2) Select channel you want to talk on 3) Push button on mic, point noise-hole at mic, talk 4) Let go of button on mic 5) Listen If you have any other more specific questions I'm sure the community can help.

Everyone in our GMRS group uses MDC so we know who is talking and/or what radio they are on.

I have looked myself (at the last 10 years of enforcement), thats why I dont trust what you're saying.

...as predicted...

Not that I dont trust you, or think you're making stuff up out of thin air, but i would love for you to share some actual facts about all these others this has happened to. Perhaps a link to the FCC enforcement database entry? Because as I'm sure you know, every time the FCC breathes down anyones neck, for any reason, by law, the FCC must publish that enforcement.