WRFH675

Update: It seems that there is some kind of electrical issue in the Jeep which is causing this. I was messing with the batteries some more and then the screen came fully on and it all worked great. Then I finished up with the batteries and put everything back together and the screen went very dark but still slightly readable. The person I had install the unit had connected to some electrical lines behind some panels instead of to the battery itself. I don't know much about anything in this domain but at some point I'll try and see if I can connect to the battery directly. Right now they have one end of the power cable split like 3-5 ways and spliced into multiple existing lines in the Jeep. But that still doesn't really explain why all of a sudden I'm having these issues after 3+ years. I took the Jeep into the dealership after the battery swap because the start/stop feature wasn't working. I hate that feature and always disable it but the Jeep kept dinging and warning me about and it was getting annoying. While in there, they told me the aux battery was completely dead and needed replacement in order to fix the start/stop. I told them both batteries were just replaced. They assured me it was dead. I didn't have them do any additional work and I left. I took the battery out again, went up to O'Reilly's and had them test it. They showed me the testing device and said it was in perfect condition. After getting home I put the battery back in, drove back to O'Reilly's and had them run their diagnostic scanner thingy. It came back saying "System Low Voltage". So I really don't know what is going on. Jeep already charged me $250 for running their diagnostic and they want another $500 to replace the aux battery (which is a perfectly good battery) and fix everything. They reason I went to Jeep directly is because I have an extended warranty with only a $100 deductible. So I thought I'd get everything fixed for only $100. But no, they said since the battery is dead (again, it is not) that the warranty doesn't cover it because it is considered normal wear and tear (which I would normally understand).

Update: I tried plugging the computer/software into the unit to see if there was a way to reset the device but there wasn't. I was able to download/upload files to/from it. Then I decided to hold down on the lock button on the mic to see if that was the reason I couldn't move through the channels. Turns out it was the reason. I was able to move up from channel 5 to 6 and it worked with my handheld. I then tried manually typing known channels into the mic and they all worked as well. So the unit itself seems to be working perfect except for the screen issue. BTWRs contacted me and they offered a replacement cable and head unit for $65 (including shipping) but they said it would have no warranty with it. Now I'm debating if I want to risk that $65 or not. Or I'm thinking I'll just buy the newer plus unit of this model to replace it with.

Messing around with it some more I've found that the radio does actually work to send/receive. It appears to be stuck on channel 5 though. The channel selector knob does not work. However, the volume knob does work. I've looked over the cable and the cable ports, they appear to be in excellent condition. I no longer have the shorter cable so I can't swap them out at all. I did reach out to BuyTwoWayRadios again and asked if they would be able to send out a replacement. I'm not too comfortable with taking the entire unit apart and looking inside right now. But if the replacement cable doesn't work then I guess that will be my next step to try. As far as checking volts, that's above my pay grade. I don't know how to do all that. I actually paid someone to install the whole thing for me and connect the unit to the Jeep's batteries and run/hide all the cables perfectly. But I'm guessing the voltage must be correct if it powers up and I can send/receive? Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll keep you posted.

I’ve had this unit installed and working fine for about 3 years. Main unit is under the seat and the faceplate is where I can see and access it. I had to replace the main and aux batteries in the Jeep and after I did that is when this issue presented itself. I’ve checked all connections, fuse, etc. I don’t know what else to do. I reached out to BuyTwoWayRadios and they don’t have a clue and didn’t offer any type of troubleshooting or additional help.

Thank you both for the information

I’m thinking of installing a base station. However, I’m typically between two areas of the house. One my office, the other the living room. So, I’d like to install two base stations, one in each area. This way I don’t miss any traffic. If I did that, would I be able to tie each of them into the same antenna which would be mounted on the roof?

I just gave that beta of Chirp a try and it all worked great! Thanks again!

Perfect! I’ll give this a try tomorrow. Thanks again!

Thanks for the info! I have the regular version of Chirp but I can’t seem to locate a place to download the beta version. It’s probably staring me in the face, but if you can show me where exactly, I’d appreciate it. Thanks.

I want to move about 25 channels in the 75-99 block to the 200-224 block. But I can't seam to figure it out. I can't even copy/paste one single line at a time, let alone all of them at once. I've tried using the keyboard shortcuts as well as the in-software copy/paste buttons.

Looks like I'm in the clear then since I only did a quick test transmission on each radio ? This was all very interesting. Always good to learn even more about GMRS even after I thought I knew it all already. Thanks

Got it, thanks! I'm using the KG-S88G, which gives me the option to program 467.6250 into a channel. I can not only transmit but I can also receive on that frequency. I then did the same thing on my KG-935G. Now, it seems I'm able to communicate between two radios on a non-standard GMRS channel. Is this allowed?

This is on a GMRS repeater. Let me try and wrap my head around this... If we're using repeater channel 18 (transmit frequency of 467.6250), then another user would have to be tuned into that same frequency on another radio (with same tones as repeater) and listening to see if the repeater user traffic is coming through on that frequency as well? Which also is not one of the normal 22 GMRS frequencies.

I had this exact problem. The weather alerts were enabled. Once disabled, all working as should. Nice

But it's always raining out here in the PNW. No sunshine ?

I've heard this a few times on my local repeater. People will be talking and then one of them will say they can hear the other fine on the reverse.

Thanks. For some reason I was thinking the only low power channels were 8-14. I thought 1-7 was the same as 15-22. Good to go now.

I've checked the power settings and they are set to H for the channel I'm using, which is a custom channel (with tones) that uses the same frequency as GMRS channel 4.

After testing these out quite a bit, I find that I'm not getting anywhere near good signal. I can't hit the local repeater through the mobile setup, however, I can hit it just fine with my HT. As far as grounding and ground planes go, does the lip mount need to be grounded, or is it already grounded just by touching the hood? Same with ground plane, do I need to do anything special with either of these antennas or do they not need ground planes? I'm still confused when it comes to antennas.

I was using a magnetic mount atop the rear of the roof for a while. But the way the cable was ran, every time I opened/closed the rear hatch, it was rubbing up on it and crimping it. I didn't like that, so I purchased this new mount and cable for the hood.

I got it working. Thanks everyone

If I connected everything correctly, then it appears I have a good SWR, correct? However, it shows only 2.27W. The unit advertises 10W. Is this normal? Is there a simple way to increase this?

Thanks everyone for commenting. I tried to remove the parts but couldn't do it, so I took my oscillating tool and chopped the whole thing off. Looks a lot better now, and hopefully it improves everything. I have an SWR meter on the way to test it in the next few days.

Thanks for the reply

I have an RT-97 repeater setup in my house for now. Just using a camera tripod to hold it up. It may be a dumb question, but any issues with the way it's setup right now? And while I'm asking questions, as far as tuning goes, I extended each pole of the antenna just a hair above the 460 mark. Is that correct? The next mark is 470.