OffRoaderX

For someone new to GMRS, I always recommend staying away from non-GMRS radios (ie commercial radios), until you've learned the ropes.. Remember the warning on my earlier reply about "some people" ? But, its good to know all options and then make the choice thats best for you.

I have never messed with any of those settings on my 7000.. For me, those are in the "if you dont know what they do, dont F with them" category.. The only other thing you might want to enable is the Courtesy Blip, aka the RRB or Repeater Roger Beep. The narrowband thing is a PITB .. To get around it you have to set your computer clock back to something like 2003 before you open the software - then you can keep your wideband setting.

I own and have used every one of those radios... All are great radios - Except for the 50X1 - Scratch that one off your list. Its overpriced and VERY limited in its features and in my OPINION, it is not worth the price - and you will never actually get 50W out of it. The XS20G is a great (very) little radio. The UV9G Pro is a great radio - but also very complicated.. Same with the 916 (I have one, it will be a long time before you can get one)- But if all the pre-programmed SHTF stuff is what you want/need, then either is a great choice.. I would recommend also considering the KG-905G OR the KG-935G. The 905G is SUPER simple.. the 935G is a little more complex/does a little more, but IMO, still easier than the UV9G or 916.

Welcome to the forum! But watch out for "some people" that will try to grossly over-complicate things when answering even the most simple of questions in sad attempts to show you how smart they think they are. Superhet receivers are generally "better" than cheap SOC type radios - but most people would not notice any difference.. I would worry more about features/what the radio can do more than the receiver type, but thats just me. On wattage, unless you are looking at a huge difference like 25W vs 5W, you aren't going to see much difference in range - for example, the only thing you would notice on an 8W radio vs a 5W radio, is that the battery will go dead faster on the 8W. For the antenna, almost anything will work better than the rubber ducky on your 5Gs. You didnt say if you wanted to upgrade to another HT or a base/mobile type radio - if you post what you're considering we can give some feedback on the exact model.

"some people" dont get humor..

IIRC, one is based in China, the other is the US based division - As I understand it, all the hardware comes from the same child slave-labor camp in the China desert. But I do recall reading that the slave-labor camp is now more child-friendly and every new piece of hardware is made with 25% fewer beatings. BTW - I do have an RT97 and its a great little box.

You're looking at it from the point of view of a normally adjusted person. But sadly, for "some people", this forum IS a matter of honor, treasure AND life & limb.. We all know who they are - but hint, if ^ that sentence just made you angry inside, then, we're talking about you.

"some people" .....

For ease of use, mounting options and power/capabilities, you can't beat the KG-1000G which is a 50W SuperHet radio.. If you want something less expensive, the KG-XS20G is a good, small, very capable SOC radio. For simplicity the Midlands are great - but they're not cheap, they have limited abilities and many/most of the pre 2022 models are narrowband only, which is an issue if you want anyone using a "real" GMRS (wideband) radio to actually be able to hear anything you're saying. My opinion is based on having/testing/using virtually every mobile GMRS Radio on the market.

That radio is pretty much the opposite of what he asked for. Not great sensitivity and very poor selectivity. Not even in the same ballpark as something like that XTL5000 or probably most other commercial/LMR radios.

Used Motorola XTL5000 - VERY good (LMR Part 90) radio.. Capable of 110watts, but of course you have to dial that back if on GMRS. VERY high selectivity and very high sensitivity.

Xenu shall reward you handsomely.

Its not really a 'hack' as much as it is putting the radio back to its natural state - the way Xenu intended. The video that I watched has a warning about not being able to UNdo it, in the info/description.

I heard a rumor that this video was made specifically to disprove comments that a few "experts" in this very forum seem to regurgitate on almost a daily basis. But, probably just a rumor..

The only people responsible for people who try this are the people that try this.

That guy is a clown, but let me explain what he is saying - since "some people" have a real problem grasping the underlaying message because it is not spelled-out literally enough for their defective brains to process. If you go online (in this forum for example, other forums, YouTube comments, reddit, etc) "some people" teach us that if you ever transmit without an antenna, for any length of time, ever, in any way, it will destroy, or at a minimum damage your radio - No ifs, ands or butts: push button with no antenna = destroyed radio. That video, and the video demonstrating the same thing on an HT (both videos use the "cheap Chinese junk"/CCR radios), show that the common lore of "push button no antenna = dead radio" is not necessarily true. The video does not suggest that people try it, or make a habit of doing it, it specifically says to NOT do it. The video simply demonstrates that the common internet lore spread by "experts", has at least a few exceptions. But unfortunately "some people" interpret the video as "he says you should always use your radio with no antenna" - which, if they actually watched the video and understand the English language, they would understand that is not what was said or even inferred. Both the "experts" and "some people" have come out of the wood-work in the comments on both videos explaining all the reasons, exceptions, etc, why neither of the test radios were damaged - all proving the point that they are trying to disprove. Also, FYI, it seems that it is "some people" that seem to be upset/most angry about the video - claiming fraud, trick editing, other fairy-tales, which is very entertaining - its as though their worlds just fell apart.

Just FYI, in case you were not already aware -IF you are already aware, then disregard: Transmitting on the KG1000G at high power while connected through a lighter-plug will likely pop the lighter fuse AND/OR melt the lighter plug. I'm not just playing internet-expert and regurgitating internet lore I have seen both occur with my own two eyeballs and the KG1000G user-manual also says pretty much the same thing. Keep it at low/medium, and this will likely not occur. source: my eyeballs and the product user manual

The KG-1000G setup will have more output but a "real" repeater like the VXR7000 with only half the power, has much better (almost 2X) range - probably because the internal shielding which reduces desense, and the better/high-quality duplexer.. you COULD spend the extra money on a KG1000 setup for a better quality duplexer, but that gets costly. The Retevis outputs far less power than either setup, but gets about the same range as the KG1000 setup.. Roughly 30-40 miles to a mobile radio, even further to a base-radio.

After having built a repeater with two KG-1000g's, which is a great learning experience, it would be much cheaper and and easier to get something like a Retevis RT97 or a used Vertex VXR 7000.

You are wrong. Just because you can't do it, does not mean nobody can. Unless maybe my Wouxun($79), BTech ($49), and Baofeng($30) HTs don't count as "CCR" radios - all of which talk 80 miles to a repeater.

Thank goodness!

"never" means "never" .. I reiterate what Mr Spaz says about speaking in absolutes.. This is one of the reasons why many people dont trust "online experts".. or, make fun of them.

I've talked to a repeater 80 miles away on an HT.

It may be that the repeater uses "reverse burst" so you may not hear the kick-back..but to be sure, try removing your RX tone (which is optional anyway). If you still aren't hearing anyone talking then you might be out of range. 80 miles is a stretch.

Where I come from, our nets are FUN! A weekly net also proves that the radio, repeater, and noise-holes still work.