WyoJoe

If you are seeing activity on your radio, but not receiving it, it is probably because you have a receive tone set - either CTCSS or DCS. If you remove the receive tone on that channel, you should hear the activity your radio is receiving. Keep in mind that it is possible that the activity could be simplex, and not coming from the repeater. In that case, the other user might be using a "privacy code" to keep others from hearing the conversation. In reality, it isn't private, and you should still be able to hear it if you turn the receive tone off on your radio.

You are partly correct. I was actually thinking of the 701, which is also a handheld antenna. The 701 is the short (~8") handheld antenna, while the 771 is the long (~15") handheld antenna. I think the zero in the 770 threw me off, and made me think of the 701. You are correct that the 770g is indeed a mobile antenna. The crazy thing about it is I have one (a 770g), but made this mistake anyway. I stand corrected. Thank you wayoverthere.

I believe the NL-770G is an antenna for a handheld radio. This type of antenna doesn't have a spring base, or any other type of base for that matter, because it's intended to be mounted to a handheld radio. For mobile use, you'll likely want a radio with an NMO or "UHF" mount, either of which would be much stronger than the SMA mount that is common to many handheld radios.

I would say that having to pay for shipping or a restocking fee to get a refund on a defective product would also be a reason. Even having to pay shipping to get a defective product repaired would be sufficient reason to do so. In these cases, the purchaser was not provided with the product they paid for. It should not be incumbent upon them to pay anything for the repairs or to get the repairs made. It is incumbent upon the vendor to provide the (working) product that the customer paid for, and no customer should have to pay extra to get it. If the customer is not provided with the product they were promised at the agreed upon price (without added costs), then it is the responsibility of the vendor to make it right (at no added expense to the customer). If Bridgecom is making customers pay anything extra just to get the product they were promised in the first place, they need to be reported. The BBB would be a good place to start. Perhaps the District Attorney (or a Consumer Affairs Bureau) in their jurisdiction would be another place to report them. Filing a dispute with the credit card company is another way to begin to resolve this issue. Posting unsatisfactory reviews on Yelp or Google is a way to warn others, and it may get their attention to where they reach out to resolve the matter. Finally, and especially if unable to resolve the matter in a satisfactory way, posting on forums such as this is helpful for others that may be considering doing business with that company. I'm sorry to hear that there are companies out there that would engage in such wormy business tactics, but I know they exist. Unfortunately, it's a sad reality.

To be even more specific, the plus should be specified in the "Duplex" column and the 5.000000 should be in the "Offset" column as shown here on channels 23-30:

It may sound like a silly question, but do you know that the repeater is still active? It is not uncommon to see a listing for a repeater that is either not there, or is programmed differently than stated. Are you able to hear other users on the repeater?

This can be determined by looking at the offset in Chirp. The offset needs to be set to "+" (plus). If it's "-" (minus), or (None), then it isn't programmed properly.

I suppose then, that the AT-779UV is waaaaay better!

My radio actually does weird things like that too. I tell it to display the channel name, but it displays the frequency. It doesn't seem to "take" until the second time I change the setting. I've found that I have to make the change from the front panel twice, too, because whatever I do in the software doesn't work correctly when writing to the radio. Basically, the only place it's been an issue is with the second VFO. I typically use that VFO to monitor a local ham repeater, so if I forget to reset it after powering down the radio, the only thing that happens is that I don't get to hear that repeater.

In both cases, it depends on the obstacles in the way. Over a small hill may not pose much of a problem, but a big hill or mountain will almost certainly pose a problem (unless you can go around it instead of over it). The same is generally true for "around the bend." If that bend involves a hill or mountain, you would likely be okay to a point, then it would drop out completely. The only way to really know if it's going to work for you is to try it.

I second this recommendation based on my own experience with this radio. I believe it will do everything the OP wanted in an HT. I would assume the KG935G would be similar, but I have no experience with it.

I'm not exactly a rookie, but I read it anyway, and I have a solution to offer you. I assume by "channel B" you are referring to the second VFO, shown on the lower half of the radio's display. The easiest way to set this to your liking, is to make it the main VFO by pressing the "MAIN" button. You can then configure it to your liking. Then all you have to do is press "MAIN" again to set the other (first) VFO as the main.

The UV-5R fits the bill, except it's not type certified for GMRS or FRS use, and it doesn't offer USB charging. There is another model that is type accepted, and that's the UV-5G/UV-5X GMRS radio. It looks nearly identical and has the same form factor. As you might have already figured, there are two different names for this model: UV-5G and UV-5X GMRS. Unfortunately, there is also another model called UV-5X that is not a GMRS radio, and it has a different form factor. If you stick to the GMRS model that looks like a UV-5R, you'd be fine. Anyway, these radios cost about $60/pair, and offer the low cost and small form factor desired by the OP. They do require charging cradles, but once charged, they last quite a long time on the included battery. There are also spare battery options available, including high capacity batteries for even longer run time. In addition, there are multiple antenna options available should you decide to upgrade, but beware that these radios require an SMA male antenna as opposed to the UV-5R's SMA female antenna. These radios also offer the option of Chirp programmability in case that's needed or desired. The Tidradio TD-H5 (also sold as the Radioddity GM-30 and Pofung P15UV) offers similar functionality, but also offers USB-C charging. It is a little larger than the UV-5 series, at about 1/2" longer, and perhaps up to 1/8" thicker. Overall, it's not a much larger radio, but it feels a little bigger. As of now, it is not Chrip programmable, so to program it requires use of the front panel (for some functions) or the factory software. The G11S (aka Pofung P11UV or Retevis RB27) may be another good option, although I haven't ever used or even seen one. In a quick search, I was unable to find the actual radio dimensions, so I can't compare the form factor. The simplicity of the radio may be better for kids, though, since it doesn't have the full front panel. Something else to keep in mind is that the "bubble pack" radios from Midland and others are not compatible with repeater use. While this may not be a consideration at this time, you may wish to use a repeater in the future to increase your coverage area. The UV-5 series, TD-H5, and G11S radios are all capable of working with a repeater. This is just something to consider for the future. Any of the radios mentioned would be fine for the intended purpose. I'm not a fan of the bubble pack radios because their battery systems aren't very good, and they don't offer the same functionality of other similarly priced GMRS radios like the UV-5G/UV-5X GMRS, TD-H5, or G11S.

Is it possible that what you heard wasn't the repeater, but rather simplex traffic on the same frequency? That is one reason why you might not hear a tail.

This kind of reminds me of the grapevine in the movie Johnny Dangerously: In all seriousness, though, I think this type of communication would be better handled on ham radio, as you could get much longer "hops" than with GMRS.

I'm not sure what kind of roof your RV has, but for the SUV, I'd recommend a mag-mount Nagoya UT-72G or something similar, with the appropriate adapter. If your RV has a steel roof, the mag-mount antenna would work on it, too. Otherwise, you'd need to figure something else out, or mount a steel plate to the roof on which you could place the antenna. In addition to the mag-mount antenna, I'd recommend that you get a decent speaker mic for mobile use. This allows you to clip the radio to something where it will stay put, and to manipulate only the speaker mic when talking.

You might want to call anyway. It's possible that there is a club member close to you that you could either work with locally, or could ride to the club meeting with, so you don't put the miles on your truck. You could also search the FCC call sign database to see if there are any licensed hams close to you. In that case I suggest searching by zip code or city. https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAmateur.jsp

I set mine up with 16 channels, most of which were programmed to the same repeater pair (462.625 Tx / 467.625 Rx). The way mine is configured, I have six pre-configured tones (4 are CTCSS, 2 are DCS), with two channels for each tone (1 high power, 1 low power), all programmed to the same repeater pair (46x.625). With the change of a channel, I can select either high or low power, and any of the pre-configured tones should there be interference from other users. I then used the remaining channels to use the adjacent frequency pairs (46x.600 and 46x.650), with selectable power levels for each. They are slightly outside of the optimal frequency for the duplexer, but will work if needed. That configuration allows me to change the required tone, power level, or even the frequency pair, with just a touch of a button.

I'm thinking that the signal is going through the Highway 154 corridor, more or less around the mountain, rather than over it. My experience with GMRS is that the signal will go over or around a small hill, but it won't go over or through a large mountain. Although it's largely line of sight, there is some wiggle room, so to speak. Even though it still has to go over the pass, there is likely enough wiggle room to allow the signal to get through. Glad to hear about Jocko's staying in business. It's a long-standing tradition for many to go there when in the area.

I'm thinking that the signal is going through the Highway 154 corridor, more or less around the mountain, rather than over it. My experience with GMRS is that the signal will go over or around a small hill, but it won't go over or through a large mountain. Although it's largely line of sight, there is some wiggle room, so to speak. Even though it still has to go over the pass, there is likely enough wiggle room to allow the signal to get through. Glad to hear about Jocko's staying in business. It's a long-standing tradition for many to go there when in the area.

I don't want to burst your bubble, so to speak, but I do want to make you aware of some of the realities of GMRS. Many, but not all, GMRS users only want to talk to their family members on the radio. If you hear them on the radio and try to contact them, they may not be interested and may not answer you, or they may have their radio set to only open the squelch when the proper code or tone is used. GMRS differs quite a bit from amateur (ham) radio in this regard, since most hams get on the air to talk to other hams. Hams are generally looking for someone else to talk to, while GMRS users mostly want to talk only within their group.

Since you have the callsign of the owner, you can write a letter and send it to the address of record for that licensee. You'll find the address of record on the FCC website's callsign lookup. Be sure to provide a way for the owner to reach you with a response (return address, phone number, email address, etc.).

It's very difficult for us to help you determine what you're doing wrong because we don't even know what you're doing period. Please provide more information about what you are doing, and we will try to help you out. For example, please describe how your radio is set up, what antenna you're using, how it's mounted, etc. Then describe the settings on the channel you are transmitting on, and the parameters of the repeater you're trying to hit, as well as where the repeater is located relative to your position and the obstructions that may exist between you and the repeater. Once we have an idea about those things, we can give you better answers. Without that information, we would only be taking a stab in the dark and only dumb luck would result in finding the solution for you.

I second what BoxCar said. Antenna placement is key in this situation. The Baofeng UV-5X (aka UV-5G) is a decent GMRS radio, and, unlike the Midland (to the best of my knowledge), has a detachable antenna. For $17 with the 3800 mAh battery, that's a tough deal to beat, and it shares compatibility with many UV-5R accessories, with the exception of antennas. If you loosen the set screw and remove the antenna, you can connect an external antenna to the Baofeng (or many of the other handheld radios). With the right external antenna on your ATV/SxS, you should be able to get the range you're seeking, barring any major obstructions. With GMRS, the range is basically "line of sight." If there's a small hill between two units, they 'might' work, but if you're on opposite sides of a mountain, they most likely won't work to communicate between them. Other handheld radio models to consider include the Tidradio TD-H5/Radioddity GM30/Pofung P15UV triplets (same radio, but with cosmetic differences), the Baofeng UV9G (water resistant), Retevis RT-76 or RT-76P, or several models by Wouxon. On your SxS, you might want to consider installing a "mobile" radio rather than a handheld. The Anytone AT-779UV/Radioddity DB20G/Retevis RA25 triplets are generally regarded well on this forum by myself and others, especially at the (roughly) $100 price point. There are some other lower priced mobile units that are "water resistant," although I don't recall which models. They go up in price to about $500 for the new 50W Midland GMRS radio. Something else to consider is a used "Land Mobile" radio that is reprogrammed for GMRS. They are less expensive than many new mobile radios, and offer a good price/performance ratio. Unless you strictly want simplicity, I'd recommend avoiding the lower-end (5 to 15W models) Midlands, as they are feature-limited, and may not suit your needs if you advance in the GMRS world.

Retevis actually offers a DMR version of the RT97. It's the RT97P. Even so, everything else mentioned is spot on. The most critical part of the setup is to tune your RT97 to the settings of the internal duplexer (unless you bypass the duplexer). If the duplexer is tuned for 447.000Tx and 442.000Rx in the amateur band, then that's where the RT97 needs to operate. You may get away with operating at plus or minus a hundred KHz or so (with a loss of performance), but not much more than that. If you have one of the GMRS units, it won't work in the amateur band, and vice-versa for a ham unit. If you have the RT97P, it is probably going to be tuned to an amateur 2m or 70cm band frequency (depending on the model you have), since DMR is not permitted on GMRS (as I interpret the rules). Even so, the same duplexer-related restrictions would apply.