gmarman

Thanks wayoverthere for the tip. This forum and site has been very helpful to a beginner like me (thank you Rich!). So for a beginner like me with interest in GMRS to increase my range for family communication I am looking now at the BTech V1. It is cost effective and looks like it will satisfy my needs (for now) with preset GMRS channels and Repeater Channels. I will likely only use this radio for specific communication on one channel at a time - not likely at this time to get too much more sophisticated. But I can see how this could start to get addictive and I could be looking to get an amateur license and start doing more and more and more . . . but for now I will stick with GMRS advancing only to repeater use. As far as I can tell, their are only 3 appropriate currently sold options for a casual GMRS repeater capable user like me . . . The BTech V1, the Wouxun 805G and the Retevis RT76. I see there are other more powerful and capable radios that go beyond my GMRS license capability but I think these 3 are a good starting point or me for now until my interest grows to do more. The reviews are mixed on many of these - the Retevis appears to be cheap - both in price and quality so I eliminated it. I settled on the BTech because I was able to download the manual and it made sense to me - it also will help prevent me from abusing my transmissions by locking me into only the frequencies I am licensed to use (I like to follow the rules - especially as a beginner!). So, I will continue to participate in this site and contribute what I learn to others that may be just starting out. Now I just need to figure out how to get repeater owners to respond to my requests to use their repeaters! Thanks! Gary

Thank you all for your responses! Live and learn - wish I had asked before I bought Midland radios. Thanks for the lesson! So, now that I know what to look for, wondering if anyone can direct me to the best place to find recommendations for which are the better handheld GMRS radios that are repeater capable. So far, this site is the ONLY place I could find a list of currently available GMRS radios that are repeater capable. But they are not reviewed. Anyone have suggestions? Tips on what to look out for? Thanks again! Gary

I am new to GMRS living in San Diego CA and find that the range of my radios is quite limited without a repeater. So I requested access via the myGMRS site to two repeaters but never heard back. Not sure what the proper protocol is to request access - perhaps I violated to protocol? There is one repeater listed in the SD area that does not require permission but when you click on the range for that repeater it shows an area 500 miles away in Northern Calif so not sure if that is usable. In any event, I did a quick test by setting my radios channel and CCTS to the frequency code to one of the private repeaters in my area just to do a 30 second test - did not hear anyone on the channel. I tried to transmit and receive between my radios with a friend less than 1 mile away and it did not work once he got 1/4 mile away - not sure if this is because I set my radios wrong or the repeater is not operating or the owner of the repeater needs to do something to authenticate my signal before it receives and transmits. In any event, hoping someone can advise me on what I am doing wrong and what I am doing right. And if anyone is in the SD area and can help me get access to repeater I can use (only on weekends for bike rides with the family around the area) I would appreciate it! My radios or Midland GXT1000 and work well enough when in line of site with one another. Thanks! Gary Margolin WRFX831