TDM827

Not a silly question. As long as we follow FCC rules and licensing rules, GMRS users are pretty wide open to use the band as they see fit. Whether it's communicating while doing activates, talking to immediate family members or treating it like a hobby and experimenting with equipment as the rules allow the FCC doesn't care how you use it. As long as they get their 35 bucks. Now, if you break the rules through experimentation, start advocating to turn GMRS into HAM or try to dictate how other licensees use GMRS, expect immediate and less than positive feedback. And, rightfully so, will be directed to HAM radio where tons of people make it a hobby. Enjoy!

Agreed, But to me, seriously debating which one of the cheapest budget radios is far superior to others is like trying to figure out which is better between the Ford Pinto or the Chevy Vega. LoL. You are going to get what you pay for. But when it comes down to it, inexpensive radios allowed many people get into GMRS who otherwise could never afford it and help build the user base. As long as people understand the possible limitations in quality, and how to return them, in my opinion they remain a great jumping off point into GMRS.

Just the opposite. Naked women cause Spurious Emissions.

Oh Boy. I think I know where this thread is headed.........

Believe it or not, I am 100% onboard with you on this! Especially the part about no one having to agree with your opinions. All of us operate radio in a unique and massively geographically diverse country and naturally want to promote ideas best serving our individual needs, wants and experiences. No wonder there is plenty of room for healthy debate. I always strongly encourage people to debate their opinions in a public forum and amongst their representative law makers then let the best ideas win.

Glad to see so many people offering strong opinions on how many repeaters people own, if they are public and how they run them. Public debates a great thing. Adding the would "should" to this opinion kind of makes it sound like people want to control repeaters they don't own and the greater GMRS service itself. Thankfully everyone is entitled to an opinion and should voice it. I know no one in the GMRS community would ever attempt to dictate how license holders be allowed to use the GMRS service, especially when engaged in activities allowable by the FCC. I just know it in my heart this would never happen. I was really worried there for a minute that some GMRS users were going to start telling others what to do.

Plenty of threads here about a budget radio not working out of the box, or quickly failing. My impression is it kind of goes with the territory in sub $40 value models. As others noted, if you have everything set correct I would just send it back for a replacement and not waste anymore time with it.

Despite coming from this site it looks like some of this information is inaccurate. As noted by gortex2 there are people who operate multiple repeaters for their own reasons. If its a public repeater, instead of looking at multiple repeaters as cluttering an area. I remain happy that some owners fund and operate public repeaters and make them available to license holders. In the case of public repeaters I think multiple repeater owners actually promote and expand the availability of GMRS. If traffic and frequency crowding are peoples concern, there is always.... WAIT for IT, WAIT for IT,...... HAM

Depends on how "portable" you want it to be. If camping means RV or car camping and packability or storage is not a huge consideration there are any number of sizes and styles available , (J-Pole, fiber covered mast etc...). Same for a reasonable mast. If you need it packable and light weight, you are hoofing it, a 19" roll up slim jim chucked over a tree branch or held up by a telescoping fiber glass rod might be just what you need.

All depends what you want to do with it. And only you can answer that. If you are looking for an occasional, highly portable repeater with limited coverage this might be fine. Need something with more capability and coverage it probably won't work fine and it's time to build. These little units are sometimes looked down upon. But they have their place. I wish these things were available back in the day when my recreation meant outdoor activities based at a "camp" or farmhouse in the north woods. Deer camp communications would have been awesome. This would have really solved most of the problems and frustrations when dealing with FRS, which in our circumstance was often next to useless.

Good question, with plenty of good answers. Like others you might be looking for a "unicorn" radio that does exactly what you want on various bands. It probably does not exist, without at least getting a small stable of antennas. Everything is a compromise. For when I occasionally want to listen to HAM it got really simple when I broke down and bought a dedicated ham radio solely for monitoring some of the HAM bands. Cost a little bit of money but solved the issue. Between that and an SDR I can easily monitor what ever HAM bands I choose without worrying about it. If you want to be mobile an SDR on a good tablet works.

Kind of depends on the crime in your area. Obviously locking your doors is a basic start. If you have a garage it can provide another layer of security. If you want to keep your radios permanently mounted in your vehicle look for less conspicuous to mount your gear, under the dash etc..... If you have a remote head they can blend in with your interior equipment easily while the radio body is mounted out of sight. Of course, nothing beats removing your radio and antenna from your vehicle when not in use.

For a lot of money you can highly customize a Pelican Case for your needs. But, for much cheaper you can get a similar case from Harbor Freight. Want to get really inexpensive the old surplus ammo cans are pretty cool.

You have a link to the case so we can check it out? If you want something more robust, another good option is checking out Army / Navy surplus stores. They often have great multi use bags and cases etc....

So they can issue "upgraded" models (Pro, Pro+) every 18 months. Lets add USB programing, dual scan, dual press to talk USB chargeable bigger screen, more buttons etc.... Besides increasing your radio inventor, how else are they going to convince you to continue spending your radio money on a pretty simple radio platform?

Don't own a Wouxun. But I recommend searching the forum and you will get plenty of recommendations and reviews. You Tube can also be a good source of information. When it comes to 5W handhelds I would not consider any of them "long range" out of the box. Of course range can be significantly increased if you plan on using repeaters. Or, if you make provisions to connect it to an external antenna, preferably mounted very high. Simply put you are not going to see a really noticeable differences in range from brand to brand. So I wouldn't assume one is much better than the when it comes to range. Commercial grade radios Motorola / Kenwood etc... are very nice. But it usually involves buying a used radio, programing software, a programing cable and a steeper learning curve. Not to mention determining if the radio is GMRS compliant. So if you are beginner an out of the box solution is probably the better way to go for a first GMRS radio. Best of luck.

Generally, Scan Group 1 - All GMRS Channels including repeated Channels Scan group 2 - Non-Repeated GMRS channels Scan group 3 - Repeater Only GMRS

As already mentioned. Do some monitoring to see what type of traffic you have in your area. See it if there is indeed someone to talk to. Also check the repeater map here at My GMRS to see if there is a repeater in your area. As far as an external antenna. I have an antenna in my attic which is about 3 stories off the ground. I can connect it to my mobile or a handhelds. The difference is night and day. Increased range (Transmit and Receive) and clarity. With the removable antenna, on simplex I routinely monitor and communicate at ranges my handheld with a rubber duck would never do. On repeater I am told my transmissions are much clearer. This really comes down to a matter of antenna height and gain.

I stand corrected. Thanks for the research! According to the Midland website, while the GXT3000 appears to be a bubble pack style radio they go on to say they are repeater capable. I think some people mistakenly view me as a Midland fanboy, who knows what I am doing when it comes down to these radios. When in fact the only reasons I started with the brand is they had a serious discount during a Black Friday / X-mas sale years ago on their mobile / GXT combo packs. And, everyone else in the family said the only way they would participate in my then ambitious radio plans was if I kept things simple for them. After that it's a matter of consulting the manuals and google! LOL

Sorry to hear getting connecting to a repeater is going slower than expected. The FCC description is pretty wide open for how to use GMRS service and is covered under 47 C.F.R, Part 95 Subpart E and says, among other things.... "The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is a licensed radio service that uses channels around 462 MHz and 467 MHz. The most common use of GMRS channels is for short-distance, two-way voice communications using hand-held radios, mobile radios and repeater systems. In 2017, the FCC expanded GMRS to also allow short data messaging applications including text messaging and GPS location information." "The GMRS is available to an individual for short-distance two-way communications to facilitate the activities of licensees and their immediate family members. Each licensee manages a system consisting of one or more transmitting units (stations.)" While the FCC states it's designed to "facilitate activities," it is your choice to determine what those activities are. Be it for use in communicating as a family, outdoor activities, managing community groups on a family / license holder level, establishing contacts and yes even the controversial chit chatting. So as far as the FCC is concerned they are not going to get into the weeds and render judgement on the legitimacy of your "activity", unless you are violating FCC GMRS rules. There are plenty of us hear on the forum that are not big fans of people making tons of random contacts and rag chewing (endless chit chat). But that is an "opinion." And if that's what your activity is, as a licensee you have the right to the airwaves to do so. And as long as the FCC allows it I will support your right to do so. But would ask people don't hog the channel, stay courteous and allow breaks for others to transmit. By the way, making contacts on simplex seems pretty rare, especially in rural areas. So, don't get get down, and remain excited!

I will admit that I don't know if the GXTs can only receive repeater traffic. Or, they have the ability to transmit on the repeater transmit frequency, but are simply programmed lacking the capacity to connect to a repeater. A check of the online manual could probably quickly clear it up. Never really gave it much thought. We use these radios frequently for very short range comms, around the house and neighborhood. And sometimes for extended communications in town and it's surrounding areas in the county. We have tested all channels. But solely for simplicity sake, almost all our comms exclusively take place on channels 1-9.

GXT1000, GXT3000 are definitely not repeater capable. You can hear transmissions on the frequencies used by repeaters, but you cannot access the repeater and transmit on it. But, technically they are still GMRS radios. If you want to drop some coin on a handheld Mildand repeater radio you are looking at the GXT67PRO. Not exactly an inexpensive option however. But, to each their own.

As others eluded to. My "suggestion and recommendation" is to make sure the group has the discipline to reasonably train and learn how to communicate before the stuff hits the fan. This includes identifying a leader and back up leaders to make sure someone manages the program. I can't remember how many times I talked to neighborhood watches, groups and preparedness folks who started something with great intentions. Six months later they were non-existent because a key member left, or they just didn't want to be bothered with "boring" stuff. So I would at the least identify a group leader and at least one back up leader to drive things. Rotating this duty among members goes a long way in preventing burn out.

My GTXs are pretty long in the tooth, so over the years Midland may have changed they way are doing things with particular radios. I never use them on channel 23-50 so I never really had the desire to check what those channels were actually doing.

So my Midland GTX's channel 50 transmits on 462.58750, channel 2 of the standard GMRS channels. It can be heard on my Radioddity radio on channel 2. However when my GTX is set to channel 50 it will not pick up transmissions from the Radioddity on .58750. And, both GTX's can hear each other on channel 50. Which I believe is a function of what Midland calls a privacy channel with tones already entered. I believe it "filters," and doesn't allow you to hear transmissions from other radios. My understanding is this isn't really privacy at all, but I could be wrong. My manual does not specify what frequency channels 23-50 operate on, it's just left blank. At any rate, my GTX's on channel 50 are using the channel 2 GMRS frequency. Looks like yours slipped through the QA.