gman1971

Yes, a genuine kit would include the cables with the correct orientation tabs. But, the really cheap $10 "repeater maker" cable kits sold on Ebay have no orientation tabs, and can be plugged in either way.  I have also seen people totally jam in the correct cables upside down, because they were convinced that the tab orientation was incorrect - since it didn't match their old MaxTrac.  They never even noticed that the M1225 dust cover has a diagram molded into it showing the correct orientation.

The M1225LS can be modified back to a standard M1225 by simply removing the aftermarket board that makes it a trunking radio. That will give you a 20 to 24 channel conventional radio.
 
And you won't need the LS version of the programming software. Find version 4.0, it runs just fine under XP. If you are acquiring an older PC for this, get one that has a real serial port. Then get a serial version of the programming cable. It will be much more reliable than trying to use a USB cable on the older PC and software. The serial cable use COM-1 so there's no dicking around with comport assignments. I bought a refurbed Panasonic ToughBook CF-29 with XP installed on Ebay. It is rock solid for the M1225 as well as my newer Professional Series and Commercial Series units. 
 
There is tons of information to be found about the M1225 (and LS) at batboard.batlabs.com, radioreference.com, and repeater-builder.com. You will probably find my posts and questions about this exact subject on the batboard and RR (user name is STeveC0625 over there.) I bought a 1225 not knowing it was an LS model. By searching at RR and the batboard, I found all the answers I needed and then some. I ultimately ended up selling the aftermarket board which reduced my purchase cost of the radio to almost zero.

Well, geeze, if it's not a hobby, then there wouldn't be guys putting thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars into building sites and systems.  And I certainly would not have put up 3 repeaters on the same site if they were ONLY for my personal communication.  Of course, is my hobby building sites, or radio in general... I honestly can't answer that.  I enjoy the site building more than the talking.
 

Someone has to WTFM before we can RTFM. ?

@axorlov
Yes, "Its not a hobby" is certainly not the same as it "wasn't intended to be as a hobby". but then anyone can make a hobby out of anything, as its been stated countless times.
Exactly, you certainly don't need to be looking for anyone's approval, or be popular to do whatever you want/need to do, provided its all within the law.
Again, the same applies to "intended use". GMRS was intended to "talk to family, friends, or any other GMRS license holder" in the beginning, but nowadays, given the fact that FRS is open to anyone, you can talk to anyone. GMRS is, nowadays, CB on UHF... but that is a different story for another day.
G.

Why anybody would need a justification from others to do what he/she wants to do? If GMRS is a hobby to you, great! It is not to me, but why would you care how I use the service? You only care about how YOU use it. Do whatever you want, while being a good neighbor to other users. It's a free country.

I cut off all the miscellaneous connectors on my 12 volt equipment, replaced with 'power pole'. Eliminates a lot of aggravation.

Well, at the end of the day its just a low bit-rate voice codec, so its never going to sound as good as analog signal in a high SNR scenario. The strong point for digital is error correction, which usually can translate into increased useful range... although a case for WFM can be made as well, or SSB... but that requires a lot of ear training to pick the nuances of weak signals... etc.
That is part of the reason why digital would be appealing to implement, so you can avoid getting hammered by interference, regardless of the source. I think the biggest issue doesn't come from "freebanders" these days, like it did in the 70s/80s. It now comes from a new enemy: the myriad of cheap electronics that spew RFI like its going out of style... the reason why the VHF band noise floor is high (and range is low) is not b/c some freebander dude running 1kW DMR while ragchewing, or a couple of CCRs pumping 50W, etc (I know, letting some of that vitriol out here... LOL), or someone running a 2kW VHF pirate station, etc, its b/c every darn LED fixture nearby pollutes the RF spectrum a tiny bit, then things like traffic light intersections emit RF noise through the roof, or every solar panel installation pollutes the RF spectrum 10-20 dB at a time as well...  So, when you add all that noise to your TX signal then you get a super-duper salad of IM (intermodulation) which further screws everything up. And the issue is only getting worse for all bands, too, including the UHF band as well. Soon the noise floor with be so high that you might not be able to use a radio at all. That is one of the reason why a lot of users have migrated from VHF to 900Mhz, to move away from the substantial increase in noise floor. Now, you can still make it work, but you need very high quality equipment, lots of filtering and potentially some sort of active noise phasing to get around the noise floor issue. Its just a matter of $$$$.
At this point, like I've discussed with some people, there is no way to put the genie back in the bottle, not unless the FCC starts strictly enforcing all aspects of RF, which starts by strictly enforcing cheap electronics RFI levels, things like LED fixtures and the like, which pollute the RF spectrum like crazy.
Ideally, GMRS should've been implemented like the DTR radios in the 900mhz spectrum, as a frequency hopping service so there would've been a lot more "room" in the limited UHF spectrum. But then again, even a FHSS scheme would've caused issues for the FM purists... 
In the end, there is no way to please everybody, somewhere, somehow, someone will not agree with what they see, and will be very vocal about it. 
G.

Who actually listens to FM radio on a CCR anyway ? Is that a thing ? 

Yup, no WiFi - no Bluetooth, and lacking GPS.  3 things that might be important if you built a fleet around advanced feature stuff like Indoor Location or Enhanced GPS.  Those chips are also missing now in the XPR3500e/3300e portables. The good news is that by dropping those features, they reduced the lead time to months instead of years.
A recent customer order for some XPR radios shows a January 2023 expected ship date. The good news is that by getting the order in now, I have already beat the next 2 expected price increases.

I was gonna say, LTE radio is becoming a thing, a lot of commercial users are abandoning the classic LMR radios in favor of cellular based radio, b/c with LTE you get all the infrastructure already in place, little to no maintenance, etc... it is happening. 
But like you said, the cell network works until it doesn't.
G.

Fortunately it’s not like that everywhere.  Although our ham club is mostly older guys (including myself) we have very smart and forward thinking young people involved as well who are doing great things with real repeaters that they are monitoring using things like 5GHz links.  They’re playing with SDR dongles and squeezing a lot of interesting listening out of them while monitoring public safety communications.  They’re setting up WinLink connections so they are able to send long distance emails and data files in case the internet fails, which would complement HF for long distance voice communications.
Yes, some of us do have our hotspots.  I think of them as training wheels while we learn how to set up our codeplugs.  I first assembled my hotspot so I could play with DMR, but last week I got a new Yaesu FT5D radio and by flipping a single bit I was able to turn on YSF support so I could learn some of the ins and outs of System Fusion digital communications. When I was learning how to build my DMR codeplug I thought that was very confusing until it finally clicked and now all makes sense.  I’m at a similar point on the learning curve for YSF.
At the same time our club members are helping provide communications by volunteering with Search and Rescue, the Sheriff’s Department, and county emergency response as well as providing communications for runs and bike races through the mountain trails where cell service is nonexistent  
So, the radio portion of ham radio is far from being eliminated in my area, but there are always some who don’t see what’s really going on who think it is. 

GMRS is not a hobby for me, it's a survival tool with a longer reach than a cell phone. A satellite can be shut down with the flip of a switch or three key strokes on a computer. I don't care to chat with someone I don't know or ask some 'good buddy' how it looks over his shoulder. Nor do I care for idle chit-chat about what kind of antenna I'm using or why I haven't bothered to get a ham license. I'm retired and do a lot of off roading and overlanding here in Arizona where you lose a cell phone signal almost as soon as you leave a paved road. Before GMRS all I had was a CB radio that was sketchy at best. At 75 years of age I had to ask myself how far in did I want to go that I would be willing to walk out from. Well, with GMRS I have been able to make radio contact everywhere I've been so far and found it amazing how many others I have made contact with in similar remote areas as well as folks sitting at home on a base station that could contact emergency services if necessary. So yeah, GMRS is a great tool and I highly recommend it for adventurers.

I have made the same point in some of my other posts. I use the radio as a tool, to get a message from point A to point B in the shortest, most comprehensible method. Started doing that on a sound powered phone aboard an aircraft carrier, continued in private industry and as an LEO. I never have been a chatty radio person on the HAM side or GMRS. The purpose of the post was the anecdotal result of my curiosity, a new radio, and a long trip. 

For many people ( I am one of them) the radio is a tool.  Also, I learned RTP wearing a pickle suit, and we stayed off the air unless we had something to say.  Chatting wasn't something you do while running battalion level comms in the -3 shop.

Anyway, I have radios so that I CAN communicate with people when I need to do so.  I transmit enough to ensure my equipment works, and will be using the GMRS around the place with the family....CB monitoring when on the road and ham gear once a week on the local emergency net.  Other than that, I don't really have much to say to people, I don't need to talk to someone about my prostate or other health issues....
 

@gman1971 it is pretty awesome. I'll see if I can find someone to chat with and record it so you can hear it. I'll shoot a video.

@marcspazsounds awesome!! 
If CB (11m) on FM using a radio like an Alan Multi42/RPSY-201 Titan Handled was nice, I can only imagine what it is with higher quality stuff...
G.
 

In 2018 and 2019 I was addicted to 10m FM long distance contacts. Talked to somebody on an FM repeater in NY state. The repeater was full-quiet on my receive and the other guy (who was local to the repeater) said I was full-quiet into the repeater. Another person I talked to in Texas mobile to mobile.  We were 60dB over S9 both ways.. it was like we were parked next to each other. Stuff like that is a blast. It's part of what made me upgrade to a General... the solar minimum rolled in and I still wanted to talk.

A very good point for newbies out there. Power isn't everything. Having a bullet proof receiver that won't overload and maintains selectivity in a high RF environment is critical. This is why you'll see people like gman1971 spending big bucks on commercial radios, his favorite are Motorola models. I also have a collection but I'm mainly into the Kenwood stuff.
People get tempted by the cheap, or cheaper, Chinese radios. For some people they might be OK for their intended usage, occasional non-critical communications. I'll admit I have a few as "beater radios" and you get what you pay for, if you're lucky.  If you want something you're going to bet your life on look at buying a better radio. There is a reason why those radios carried by police and firefighters cost in the $1,000's, their life is on the line. Those radios CAN'T afford to fail.

I laughed when I read that. The Gman does NOT spend big money on his radios. Most of his Motorola gear was acquired at prices well below dealer cost. I'd venture to say that every Moto radio he owns could be sold today at a profit. Not sure many CCR owners could say the same.
But, you're right about receivers.

Intermodulation on RX when using weak front-end radios is best dealt with using cavity filters or preselectors. To test this, add a 10dB attentuator to the radio cable, if the noise is gone, then it is most likely IM, probably caused by very strong signal present. 
G.

Interference that is that narrowband in nature can also be dealt with the use of a passband cavity for single channel, of if the interference is that narrowband (like a NOAA weather station) then you might be able to use a cavity notch filter, or if you need a range of frequencies to pass then you can use a preselector filter. 
Another option is to step up to a radio with a better front end. 
G.

N connectors are preferred. LMR400 is fine for NON Repeater use. Do not use LMR400 on a repeater. For your base at home you are fine. Get N based surge arrestors also.

been meaning to put this out there for a while,since I have had a few conversations about this w/various members.
first pics,cables from L-R w/associated N male connectors.
RG8/213 LMR400 type, 1/2Inch superflex, 1/2inch hard line also known as Heliax, 7/8inch hard line.
 
 
[ MyGMRS STAFF EDIT:  3 Photos no longer available from linked source.]
 
 
now lets talk about the losses in Db and how much power that is.
Cable type                                  loss at 100Mc                          400Mc


RG8/213                                      2.0dB/100'                              4.7dB/100'
LMR400                                       1.2                                         2.5

Hardline type                                       150Mc                              450Mc

1/2" superflex                                    1.3dB/100'                         2.3dB/100'
LMR600                                             1.0                                   1.7
1/2" Heliax                                         0.85                                  1.5
7/8" Heliax                                         0.44                                  0.8
1-1/4" Heliax                                      0.3                                    0.6

dB loss            power loss in %
0.5                        10                        100W in 90W out
1.0                        20
1.5                        30
2.0                        37
2.5                        44
3.0                        50
3.5                        56
4.0                        60

all of the above loss specs are manufacture specs, I strongly suggest that you measure your line loss w/watt meter if possible to know exactly what you are getting at the antenna.
IME most of the book specs are on the money for hard line ,RG8/213 can be a crap shoot depending on manufacturer. I've had some really bad and some pretty good.
LMR I've had a love/hate relationship w/, good cable but seems to be prone to moisture issues. wish I had pic of the 7yr old cable that pretty much self destructed.
hope this is of some help to those looking to put up a machine or control station in the future.
JE
***EDIT***
found this very useful
http://www.arrg.us/pages/Loss-Calc.htm

Interference that is that narrowband in nature can also be dealt with the use of a passband cavity for single channel, of if the interference is that narrowband (like a NOAA weather station) then you might be able to use a cavity notch filter, or if you need a range of frequencies to pass then you can use a preselector filter. 
Another option is to step up to a radio with a better front end. 
G.