H8SPVMT

CH 19 Simplex only in my book.

Didn't you mean "Niner" is the NATO ....." Life is too short to argue with total strangers on the internet. Just had to steal this! Especially for this site. Merry Christmas!

"G-M-R-S" General "MOBILE RADIO" Service Seems pretty simple to me this would relate more to your current location (City/State should be broad enough) than, your home base location for simplex and repeater conversations. As a strictly mobile setup I give my current location when asked. This way it's understood I am traveling thru at the moment. I think it would be confusing if someone were to look my call sign and I am 3-500 miles from that location. Privacy behind the microphone? Never has been an issue for me.

If I understand this correctly the issue is that you have several repeaters that you use and many are on the same frequency/channel but different PLL (CTCSS/DPL) codes. I carry with me a list of the repeaters I plan to encounter on my trips with their individual information. Best I can come up with using the Midland radios. But it doesn't help much as many of these repeaters are near busy cities and I am too busy driving at that those times as well.

Dealing with my first repeater contact. One issue I had was understanding that just because I could hear the repeater, I thought it could hear me. Turned out my signal wasn't strong enough to reach the repeater on my mobile. This turned out fine once I found an area clear of trees and obstructions that blocked my signal as the repeater was (25-35) many miles away. Then I learned too that the signal on the repeater would actually change (drop out) in response to my opening the repeater after I attempted to call and let people know I was monitoring the repeater. This told me I was actually hitting the repeater but no one was there listening to their radios at that time. I don't know if your set-up is mobile or, stationery. Hope this helps.

2 years ago we tried our GMRS radios during a river crossing, all worked well. Kentucky Adventure Trail (KAT)

We did Greenbrier on it's inaugural event, mud festival and wet leaves all uphill it seemed, but fun. Crawled the creek it seemed for half a day! Retired Navy, had heard all about the place and wanted to see it for myself. NICE DIGS! Still doing the Williamsburg JJAMUSA now for 18 years... well will be 19 next year.

I'm officially retired now. We (wife & I) get out often as life allows but we try to stay away from the crazy stuff as we travel alone anymore. Getting too old for winching and shushing around in the mud. Learned a good lesson on that in a OK bean field while traveling on the Trans American Trail, alone.

See if I can post one here of my first 2001 TJ and 2017 Ruby. My JK in the front before the 2.5" lift and Bushwacker fenders and a Warn 9.5 winch. Sold the TJ to my friend behind us. Pic from a VA4WDA event near Lovington, VA.

I don't trailer mine and have to remember, "I drove it here and will have to drive it home" and even my 2017 Rubicon has parts now are no longer in production!

Ch. 16 and surf the the others. Spent a lot of time in Uwharrie NF years ago. Palmetto Jeep Club even owned a trail (SAWMILL) for winter maintenance before it was re-routed. Seen lots of changes pass thru that park. Did some (worked) Camp Jeeps too in VA. Mostly we wheel with VA4WDA and Williamsburg, TN, JJAM any more. Completed the Trans American Trail and others....

When I first started with this I had my unit turned on all the time I ran the Jeep. Not so much anymore. Many Jeepers were talking about using CH. 16 (4x4) but I never hardly hear anything there either. I guess this i really a business and family form of communications. Scanning doesn't bring up much either in S'ville.

Might I suggest you print out a copy of the (NEW) Operations Manual and instructions for the CTCSS & DCS code and operation/steps for a file to keep in the car for future use. I did this and it helped me alot -down the road-! Best wishes on the getting old and the new radio!

Same results.

You took your good energy to load it. Return it to where you think it might belong (and found by the possible owner) and call the supposed owner of the place you dropped it off at, to inform them it was you that placed it there and why. You'll sleep better at night. and you know why.

Usually someone else talking on the channel using another code your radio isn't programed on.

"Can't wait to see "some people" reply here.. You will know them when you see them." That did pretty much sum it up, hehe!

Summerville, SC. Had my radio for about three years now. There is a fellow in Bowman with a GMRS repeater up and running for some time now as well as Hopkins and Kingstree.

I had to look this up (Strike #1) but, (no pun intended) now I have seen it and can't un-see it. No I don't have a need to know how, or why you know this....hummmm...

The only setup I have for a real mobile is a MXT-400 Midland with the MXTA26 antenna. I made a mount for the antenna to set on and it all seems to work pretty good so far. I certainly don't understand all the jargon used around the components and just wanted a simple radio I could depend on to get the job done. I purchased a couple hand held years ago that I even forgot I had. They probably would work just fine for on the trail rides just as well. It was a struggle to finally come up with a secure mount in my 2015 Jeep but I managed to get'er done on the top of the dashboard and is not a knee-knocker. As the time goes by, I have read a lot here and many discussions have made me want to search the radio functions I have that are not necessarily printed in the Owner Manual. It has paid off for me.

Seems to pretty much spell it out.

I have had the Midland MXT400 in my Jeep Wrangler for about three years now. I usually get the most use out of it on trail rides. As I understand it, the MXT500 is pretty much the same but with more output power. Also you can select the wideband feature that will assist in getting better reception of other brand systems. Midland is usually a narrow band and it makes you turn un the volume to hear wideband radios better. My daily driving usage has been very limited and involves GMRS repeaters when/where available. Overall, there are few people using this system of communication except to speak with fellow travelers or local neighbor chats. Businesses around town use it often. For me I set the channel selector on SCAN and that is what I hear the most of.

Same here in Summerville, SC. I listen mostly as there id no one around here either so, I just the scan feature. BUT HEY, GMRS isn't like CB's. Although I get to use mine when we're off roading in the Jeeps...

Maybe the bad rap is due to a poorly written operations manual that does not spell out all the functions of the unit. I too had to experiment for the code scanning function among others. One dislike I do have (due to my own ignorance at purchase time) was the radio was narrow band and not wide band. It works well with others like units but it was never told to the masses that were required to switch to GMRS for coms on the trails (JEEPJAMUSA). Sure just a simple tweak of the volume control takes care of that until a narrow-band makes a reply! So far, I have had plenty of time to adjust and learn so it isn't a huge problem overall but there could be other corners that were cut and I'd never know....

There is no TONE SCAN button on the Midland MXT400 so...... I found thru experimentation that I can SCAN CTCSS/DCS tones on the MXT400. The procedure is easy to do actually: 1. Select the frequency of the repeater then: 2. Push the TS/DCS button once and then: 3. Hold down the TS/DCS button until a scan starts I believe it will scan until the MXT 400 determines the proper code. While in the SCAN Mode, I turned the frequency selection knob and see that it changes/reversed the order of the actual scan too, cool!