wayoverthere
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Posts posted by wayoverthere
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didnt find anything about it in the directory, but one thread on radioreference.com seems to indicate was open (no pl/dpl required).
https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/kag0353-462-675-ny.384267/
an older thread on this site mentioned there being more than one input tone, though. (2017/2018, talking even further back)
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Just got a btech 50x1. My family has had a gmrs license since 2017 but I only have experience using cobra micro talks and my 2 brothers run midland micro mobiles and we have only ever talked simplex on road trips. There are a bunch of open repeaters listed in my area and I hear them IDing all the time but can't figure out how to program this thing to use them. Are there any experienced btech users who wouldn't mind hand walking a newbie through the process of setting this thing up?
Find a repeater near you using the repeater directory here (or other means, if that's easier)...you'll need to note the frequencies and the tones it uses.
tune your radio to the right frequency/channel (the offset transmit/receive is already set up...it'll be REPT15-REPT22), then go into the menu (button on the mic, or press the left knob), and scroll to "T-CTCSS" or "T-DCS", depending what the repeater uses; press menu again to scroll through the tones, and one more time to select the correct one. then hit the exit button (mic or radio). as long as it's within range, that should get you started.
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I believe hes mentioning CTCSS and DCS codes, which have been gone over extensively in the forums. R-tone and T-tone. Not exactly sure how they'll be labeled but I do recall it saying R and T before the setting for Receive and Transmit
I believe the menu labels them r-ctcss, r-dcs, t-ctcss, and t-dcs, maybe not in that order.
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Update: I managed to get mine to work... Had to push real hard to get it to make connection in the jacks. Not sure whether the radio's jacks are the issue or the PC interface cable plugs are the issue...
take a look at where the cable plugs into the radio..i noticed it when trying a baofeng speaker mic with the wouxun, there's a rubber gasket around the plugs and the cutouts may be a bit misaligned and in the way of the plugs going all the way in.
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How many memory channels can be stored and you can RX/TX on all? I am very interested in this radio and have been worried it was like gmrs-v1 that can only tx on their preprogrammed 30 channels?
i haven't found a limit on my wouxun. i currently have 41 channels programmed (all gmrs) and all of them allow transmit.
i was pretty frustrated when i found that 'only the default 30 channels can tx' limitation in my gmrs 50x1 too.
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Thank you I also came up with a similar conclusion, the more I learn about the settings the “more” I learn the way it is worded is what confuses me, So the tone on receive is only to hear what is coming from the repeater which is actually a squelch setting.lol thank you for your advice and time.
I think part of the issue is the different manufacturer names for the same features.
A simple way to think of tones is keys to get through a filter. The repeater only listens for signals with the right tone, and ignores everything else. Setting your radio with a tone squelch is the same for your received signals....ignoring everything without that tone. If you leave your tonesql blank, you'll hear everything on that channel.
For example, I have 2 repeaters in range on ch18. I have separate entries (with appropriate tone squelch) in my programmable radios for each, so I CAN only listen to a specific repeater...or I can just listen on channel 18 with no tonesquelch set and hear both, and anything else on simplex (since the repeater output and simplex are on the same 462 frequency)
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I am trying to set up using Chirp my Baofeng UV5R's, it's going well so far. The GMRS repeaters all give a transmit and receive tone and Chirp does not have a place for this. I have researched it but have not found a definitive answer. By now most of you will realize i am fairly new to this. Thanks for anyones help.
had to actual pull up Chirp to work it out (working from a uv5r image too, actually).
working with the memory slot in question, it was a little finicky with chirp trying to second guess me. it seemed to take the settings if i set the "Tone Mode" Column to "Tone" first, then set both "Tone" (your tx tone) and "ToneSql" (your rx tone) to the appropriate tones, and the "Cross Mode" column changed, as did the "Tone Mode".
You should end up with "Tone Mode" set to "Cross", "Tone" and "ToneSql" with the appropriate tones for the repeater, and "Cross Mode set to "Tone->Tone"
that said, you don't actually NEED the receive tone set to use the repeater; since it works as a filter, not setting a receive tone will let you hear everything on the channel, both traffic from the repeater and everything else, where setting the tone only lets you hear traffic with the appropriate tone (such as the repeater).
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I have a Midland 275, and the repeater access thing is still confusing to me. So it appears that I need to select the correct channel for a given repeater - in this instance the frequency match is channel 21 - THEN I would need to program in the appropriate CTCSS code, which I'll have to look up or get from the repeater owner / manager. Correct? Apparently just turning the repeater feature to ON is not enough. [The repeater owner is local and extremely helpful - I just hate bugging him all the time.
]Yes, you're on the right track. Once you have the ctcss tone from the repeater owner, you'll have to check the mxt275 manual to see what ctcss code number that is in the radio (for example, the 141.3 hz 'travel tone' is #22).
The repeater option just makes the channels with the right tx offsets available (tx 5mHz higher, vs tx/rx on the same frequency for the simplex channels).
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I use VirtualBox on MacOS to run any radio configuration software that does not run natively on the Mac, which is most vendor supplied, and have no issues whatsoever. It might be a bit of a challenge getting VirtualBox set up the first time. But, from then on it is a snap. The biggest problem is getting a copy of Windoze.
Or, use CHIRP. Runs fine on MacOS and AFAIK works with all Baofengs. Even if your particular model is not listed, there is almost always a similar model that will work.
I've had no problems running chirp in Linux (mint mate), also, though installing is slightly more involved than windows.
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I don't think they exist. Outside Midland, gmrs is pretty much ignored in the mobiles (with the exception of btech).
If you're use is primarily simplex with other Midland users, or users willing to switch to narrowband, it should be fine
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Thanks very much for the info. As you guessed, I have a question about transmitting PL. There is a repeater pretty close to me that has PL code xxx.x, in and out. I set up the code for the repeater with the R and T code as CTCS, and the offset is preset in my radio (+5). I can't hear anything from the repeater. Should I have set R and T code as DCS instead? As an aside, on a GMRS channel the other night I heard some guys talking about repeaters, and one of the guys was in Tuscon! That made me wonder why I can't hear anything from my local repeater. Maybe the repeater is just quiet and I caught some weird radio inversion or something that allowed me to hear AZ from NC (haven't heard much since). Thanks!
It may just have been quiet time on the repeater. that tone is definitely CTCSS though.
The Tucson thing is a giveaway that that repeater is linked to others, at least some of the time. there are a number of repeaters linked via the internet, and a weekly nationwide net via those links. there's more information on the linking and the nets here.
on a side note, i almost slipped myself, and barely caught it before i clicked the post button, but a few of us are slipping on the not posting PL/CTCSS codes in the public forums. i edited it out of the quoted post. not sure if Ed can edit his guest post or if the mods will need to do it, though.
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I would like to enter a few local repeaters into my radio via chirp. I can enter the input frequency and the tone but it will not let me save the offset for the output frequency. Hmmmmm
referencing here, since i don't have chirp in front of me at the moment: https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns
what value do you have in the "Duplex" column?
if it's set to "none", Chirp will think you're just using that channel as simplex. you can either set the column to "+" (in which you'll enter the offset value in the "offset" field) or to "split" (you'll enter your transmit/repeater input frequency in the offset column)
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As time passes, I've collected a few acronyms that I did not know (realizing of course that the pros out there will think these are most basic, but I truly didn't know all of them). Below is a short list that I think could easily appear as a single activity page on the Mobile App, and would be most helpful to beginners like me.
Here's what I have as a starting point:
Radio Related (obvious ones left out)
Acronym - Meaning
CCR - Cheap Chinese Radio
CSQ -
CTCSS - Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System
DCS - Digital Coded Squelch
FPP -
HT - Hand-held Talkie
LMR - Land Mobile Radio
NB - Narrow Band
OP - Original Poster
ORI - Open Repeater Initiative
OST -
QED -
QSO -
RX - Receive
SAR - Search And Rescue
SMH -
SWR - Short Wave Radio ??
TX - Transmit
WB - Wide Band
WX - Weather
Common not necessarily radio
Acronym - Meaning
AFAIK - As far as I know
BTW - By The Way
IIRC - If I recall correctly
IMHO - In my humble opinion
IMO - In my opinion
OP - Original Poster
OTOH On the other hand
PCE - Pretty Clever, Eh?
WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor
WFH - Work From Home
YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary
Please comment if some of these are wrong, and certainly fill in the missing meanings and add any new acronyms that you think should be on the lists.
...
One that comes to mind not radio-related is TBH = To Be Honest
Is there a radio related meaning for SMH? only one i've see is "Shaking My Head".
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I wish I could like a post more than one.
I agree...very informative post, and even if someone disagrees with HOW things are, that would make it hard to argue they don't understand WHY.
on a side note, I wonder where in CA that repeater is linked to
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Question about the attic - I probably have enough headroom to stand this up in the attic. Is the attic perhaps a better option, similar to what you’ve done? is the attic a compromise?
It IS a compromise, no doubt. How much of a compromise depends on what you have going on, construction wise. If you have a metal roof, or radiant barrier insulation (foil is a dead giveaway), it's less feasible, as that will block a lot of the signal.
If it's more basic wood/tar paper/comp shingles, it's less of an issue, and the fact that I have solar panels toward the front and back of the house from where the antenna sits hasn't seemed to be an issue, and not having to worry about weather overall has seemed worth the trade so far.
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I found the Tram for a really good price so bought it. Since I pretty much know nothing about the connectors and such other than what you've mentioned I'll wait until it arrives and I am certain about the mounting spot before I grab the rest of what I need. Looking around the house, I think the peak on the back of the house might be a better place so it's not visible at all from the street whereas on the side it will have some visibility at certain angles and at the back, it's still not that far from the room.
connector wise: the ad shows it with a standard uhf female (so-239) connector which will be the same as what's on your radio. the matching cable will be uhf male (pl-259) which is fairly common. having an idea of the length needed before you buy is best; it's minor, but every connection loses a little bit of power. (good example with pictures here)
one other consideration with mounting outside is lightning protection...some people choose not to. being mostly plastic/fiberglass does reduce the chances of getting hit, but not eliminate; disconnecting when there's lightning around is cheap insurance. here is a bit i was able to gather off of the web, but hopefully those with more knowledge than i will chime in.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/1828-antenna-grounding/?hl=lightning
https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/60-proper-antenna-grounding/
i've avoided the issue with my current setup by parking a smaller antenna in a corner of the attic (midland 5/8 wave, mag mounted to a chunk of sheet metal for ground plane). the tram/browning 5/8 over 5/8 would be more gain, but won't fit the current space it's hiding in. i'm throwing a bit more power at it, but it works well enough to reach a repeater a little over 60 miles away on high power, reasonably clear.
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Admittedly, I was hoping you were going to say the other is better, since it’s less costly.
the place I can mount is almost 16’ up so I won’t be moving the antenna back and forth.
Alright, I guess I need to grab one of those, 25’ or so of cable and drill some holes. My wife is going to love this, though she ought to be used to it after all these years.
in either case, some height will definitely help. another option to look into are the ed fong antennas...as far as i know, they'll fall between the base ones you linked and the mobile i linked in size, and they're a bit less expensive than all of the above. they may also score a little better on the wife approval scale.
i remember there being at least a couple members on the site with experience with them, too.
edit: some links.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/2076-newb-questions-about-gmrs-roof-antenna/?p=18186
https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/2070-looking-at-two-antennas/?do=findComment&comment=18141
https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/2034-rollup-slim-jim-antenna/?hl=fong
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That would certainly be easy to install.
would you recommend that over these? Keeping in mind I know nothing of antennas, they just seem... bigger.
https://shop.mygmrs.com/collections/antennas/products/tram-1486-uhf-fiberglass-base-antenna
Those are definitely bigger and likely better, honestly. The main trade-off is versatility, as they're dedicated base antennas, while what I posted is really a mobile that adapts well to a base use too.
If you can go with a dedicated base antenna and don't need the option of using it as a mobile too, I absolutely would. (I've been eyeing that Tram for a bit myself)
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My thought would be a 5/8 over 5/8 nmo mobile antenna with a right angle mount....this gives some gain, with the ability to be used for base or mobile, such as this:https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-bb4505cn-5691
For mount/cable, something like this may work, though getting the terminal and mount separately may be better to run better/longer cable, If the premade lengths aren't enough. https://www.amazon.com/Bracket-Fender-PL-259-Connector-RG-58U/dp/B072XB5H4H/ (I searched "nmo mount", and all the options I mention are on the first page of results)
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Looking for frank advice and if "get over it and press the freaking button" is the answer, I'll probably just do less scanning and get over it.
Kidphc's suggestion is a good one, as that will let the tone filter out anything without the selected tone, since I don't believe the gxt have a "skip" option. That said I don't remember it giving any onscreen icon for tones being enabled, so you'll have to remember it's set of you want to use that channel.
A scan skip is an option on many other radios, though..I have a couple public safety channels programmed in my 50x1 that are almost nonstop traffic, so I'd never hear anything else if I didn't skip those. The setting can also be changed (on or off) in the menu. I think the wouxun has the skip option as well, but I don't remember if it was in the radio or in the software.
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I'm rationalizing though - the Midland could go in my wife's car.
Easily...and while it has its limitations, it's hard to beat for being ready to go out of the box.
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I wonder if it's worth reporting to fcc.
https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=38844
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The attached pics show what it came with. I could use either whatever type connector that is or the 12v plug since I do want to leave intact the ability to quickly throw it in my car and plugin to the aux power.
Thanks for the links!
Same plugs as mine, and same motivation. I didn't have much luck finding a compatible plug, hence the 12v receptacle route instead.
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It's a screw terminal on the back, so you just stick the stripped ends of your radio power cord in and tighten the screw.
If his is anything like mine, it came with a 12v plug already attached. However, 12v receptacles are pretty easy to source (the second is what I used, but paired with a powerpole connector for my power supply)
https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GC018-Adapter-Socket-Terminal/dp/B00G8WLW2Y/
CHIRP programming question.
in Technical Discussion
Posted
i haven't tried it personally, but as long as it gives you access to the physcial ports, it's worth a shot.
i currently have Chirp on a couple computers; one is a 10+ year old intel atom-powered netbook running linux mint, the other is few year old intel atom-powered compute stick running win10; works fine on both.