WyoJoe

The GM30 antenna can be changed, but there is a small (allen head) set screw that needs to be loosened first. As for the belt clip, the stock one is a little flimsy, or at least it feels that way. A UV-5R or GT-3 belt clip is a good alternative, for a couple of dollars. I like and use the GT-3 belt clip personally. One option you might consider over the GM30 is the Tidradio TD-H5. It comes in a two-pack with extra batteries and hand-held speaker mics for about twice the cost of the GM30 by itself. It is basically the same radio, just with different branding and very minor cosmetic changes. The TD-H5 works with the GM30 software, batteries, and other accessories.

And it comes pre-configured for "Fun" - just press a button! It could work for GMRS, but for just a little more money, you could get their GMRS offering, the RA25. It does have a keypad on the mic, and a pretty nice color display. I think it's about 3/8 of an inch taller than the RT-98, but otherwise is similarly sized (perhaps it's a half inch wider, too). It also comes configured and type-accepted for GMRS. It's basically a Radioddity DB20G / Anytone AT-779 that has been branded for Retevis.

On those points, to the best of my knowledge, you are correct. I think I even tried once to enter simplex programming on one of the DIY channels and was denied. I could only program GMRS repeater frequencies into the DIY channels. As you noted, it won't let you enter anything outside of that range.

I would start with nearby repeaters for your area. An easy way to get a list of repeaters is to download and use the program "Chirp." It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and can be used for programming a whole slew of radios. And if your radio isn't supported? You can still use Chirp to build a file of local ham repeaters, or distant ones, or whatever you choose. How? Open Chirp. On the menu, select Radio > Query Data Source > RepeaterBook > RepeaterBook Political Query From there, select the state, the county, and the band, and Chirp will build a file for you of those repeaters from the query. You can then open the file and see the location of each repeater and the configuration information for it. If you have a compatible radio, you can even copy and paste the information into a new file to write to your radio. If you don't have a compatible radio, you would have to manually enter that information into the radio or use another software program to program the radio. Unfortunately, most of the other software applications won't allow you to copy and paste from Chirp.

Chirp does not work (yet) with the GM-30 or any of its clones. Fortunately, the factory software is tolerable, for me at least.

On mine, with the computer software, I just click on the frequency field of a blank channel, and type in the frequency. I've done this to add a local ham repeater that I sometimes monitor. The only channels where you get the "pick list" you describe is on the DIY channels up to channel 54. Try entering your new frequency on a channel higher than that. The DIY channels allow you to program your radio for additional repeaters on the same frequencies, but with different CTCSS tones/DCS codes. That way, you can just switch channels to switch between them rather than having to edit the tone or code for the channel you're on. Above channel 54, the frequency field is a free-form field, so you can enter any value within the receive range of the radio. These channels are set for receive only, but cover a moderate amount of the UHF/VHF spectrum.

If you are programming the radio with a computer, you can add non-GMRS UHF or VHF receive only frequencies in the empty channels slots. That way, you can scan or tune to those channels if you want.

VFO typically refers to the mode of tuning the radio to a particular frequency manually. On many radios, you can use either Frequency (VFO) mode or channel mode. You can switch modes by pressing and holding the "menu" button for 3 seconds. In the GM-30 software, I believe VFO A and VFO B refer to the default frequencies that the radio will tune if you select Frequency mode. The channel tuning is configured separately from the VFO A and B frequencies. I believe your radio is in "Sync" mode since you stated it's set for a single line display. In that configuration, it will only show one VFO (tuner) at a time (in Frequency mode), although the radio has a dual watch or dual scan function when not in Sync mode. VFO A is tuner #1 and VFO B is tuner #2. You can switch between them by pressing the "exit" button on the radio.

Try the following: Tone Mode: Tone Tone: 141.3 ToneSql: leave blank Frequency, Offset, and Duplex all look good. Also, leave all DTCS columns blank. Those settings should encode your transmissions so the repeater will receive them, but also leave the code off so your radio receives everything on that frequency.

Although not technically "bubble pack" or "blister pack," I did buy a set of "FRS" radios from a popular radio supplier, and they require programming in order to set the CTCSS tones or DCS codes. While programming one of them, I decided to see what would happen if I added a repeater channel to it. I did, and it sort of worked for me. The radio only allowed me to program the same code for both send and receive, so it didn't work with how my repeater is set up, but the radio did key the repeater when I tested it. If my repeater used the same tone for both send and receive the radio would have worked with it. There is no way to set up split tones on this radio, or to set it to a transmit tone only.

Are you planning to access any repeaters from you base station? If so, something to consider is that there could be more than one repeater on a particular frequency pair within range of you. To avoid having to change the CTCSS/DCS access code each time you switch between them, you'll want a radio where you can have multiple channels for each repeater pair you intend to use. Some radios allow this out of the box, while others (some Midlands, for example), only give you 8 repeater channels which are frequency locked to the available frequency pairs. Used commercial radios could work well for you, but in some cases, may not offer enough channels for your purposes. Beyond that, at the upper end of the power spectrum, there is the Wouxon KG-1000G that I'm sure would offer what you need, the Midland MXT-500 (50 watt) and MXT-400 (40 watt) radios (although they may have channel limitations), and the B-Tech 50X1 (I don't recall the model number for sure, but it does have channel limitations). In the mid-power (15-25 watt) range, there is a Wouxon model I don't recall the name of, the Radioddity DB-20G/Anytone AT-779UV/Retevis RA-25 triplets which are what I use, the Radioddity DB-25G, and a couple more Midland models, too, as well as more used commercial radios to consider. Again, some radios are limited on the number of channels and/or how you can program each of them so some of them may not work well for you. I'm pretty happy with the DB-20G for both a mobile and base unit. It allows me to add any custom channels I need or want, including receive-only UHF/VHF channels outside the GMRS spectrum. It's not 50W, but in my case, I don't think I'd need to be.

I was able to open the spreadsheet in Libreoffice.

With GMRS, you'll often find that in order to have a conversation through a repeater, you have to provide the user at both ends of the conversation. With ham radio, it's very different. There is often someone tuned to the repeater who will respond when someone else keys up. Many GMRS users are people looking to communicate with their family (who are most likely using the same license). They often only use their radios when they are somehow physically separated but want to keep in touch with each other. I'm looking into purchasing property that goes up to a ridge, and on the other side is a lake. If I put a repeater on the ridge, my wife could use the radio to keep in touch with me if I'm working somewhere on the property or kayaking on the lake. After I go back in the house, there wouldn't be much reason to leave the radio on since she could talk to me at home. That is the type of use that I've commonly seen or heard about for GMRS.

When your radio is lighting up, but not putting out any sound, it is likely due to the receive tone doing what it's supposed to do. It is filtering out radio traffic that does not transmit the selected tone. That traffic could be coming from one of the repeaters you are trying to listen to, or it could be coming from some other source. It could be simplex (radio to radio) traffic that is not from a repeater. It could also be from a different repeater than you think you're listening to. If you set a receive tone to match a particular repeater, you will only hear that repeater or other traffic that is using the same tone. I suspect what you're experiencing is the radio working normally. My suspicion is that what you thought was traffic from the repeater you programmed the radio for, was actually coming from somewhere else.

GMRS is a bit different from CB radio or ham radio, in that many, probably most, users are using it just to talk with their family members, and are not particularly interested in carrying on a conversation with strangers. While there are certainly many exceptions, it may be that you're not hearing much because that is how the systems are being used in your area. The best bet for testing repeaters is to have a family member with another radio talk to you through the repeater. That way you can verify if you're radios are properly configured and if you're able to hit the repeater from your location. If you do this with a family member, just remember to provide some distance between the two of you so your transmitter doesn't overload the other radio's receiver, and vice versa.

I noticed those things too. I guess you could call the second thing a case of a missing "line" (several times). I was also wondering if WRPH745 was referring to something about the backside of the page if you print it two-sided. Perhaps something about the text box on the back not lining up with the box on the front? I think it depends on how you print it, but I haven't looked at mine in a while to see how it lines up. I'm pretty sure it won't line up correctly if you flip on the short edge.

Like Michael said, Welcome! His first question is also quite important: What radio are you using? There are some GMRS radios, especially those sold in blister packs in "Big Box" stores (Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc.), that won't work with repeaters. As long as you're using a repeater-capable radio, you will likely get all the help you need on this forum as soon as we find out what kind of radio it is.

If you're using the repeater with a duplexer, you'll be locked in to the specified frequencies, so there isn't much need to program a lot of different frequencies. With that in mind, depending on the number of channels you have available, I would suggest programming the repeater with several different channels for the desired repeater frequency pair, but with different PL/DPL codes on each channel. That way, if for some reason, you have to change the codes, you can do so with a simple change of the channel. On my VXR-7000 repeater, I programmed mine so that I had several available PL/DPL codes on my selected frequency pair, and also had them programmed for both high and low power, so I could change the code and/or power setting with only the change of a channel on the repeater. This gives me several "built-in" configuration changes that allow me to change the repeater parameters while staying on the frequency pair that the duplexer is tuned for.

The "Ham Radio Crash Course" (HRCC) on YouTube offers information on getting your General class license. It is hosted by KI6NAZ (Josh), and I think you'll find it helpful. Here's part 1 of the HRCC series: There is also the "Ham Radio 2.0" (HR2.0) channel on YouTube that has a series on getting your General class license. It is hosted by KC5HWB (Jason). Here's a link to part 1 of the HR2.0 series:

Are you using a computer to program the radio? If so, it may be that something was set to "on" in your settings that is causing this. It sounds like the radio is awaiting a code or tone before opening the squelch. My thought is that if you're uploading a code plug to the radio after the factory reset, then it may be the code plug that's faulty. I am not familiar with the programming of the 50X1, but I do have the QYT ham version of this radio. I looked at the Chirp programming for my radio and didn't see anything obvious that would cause the issue, but there could be something in the 50X1 firmware that isn't in the firmware on my radio.

If I'm not mistaken, the measurement they use is the sum of the length, width, and height of the package. If a package is 76" x 4" x 4", the package measurement they use would be 84" in this instance.

I'm not familiar with your area or what's around you in the way of repeaters, but there is no universal listing of GMRS repeaters. That means there could be repeaters around you that aren't documented anywhere online. One way to find out is to scan the repeater frequencies for activity. If you scan the repeater input frequencies and hear something, you will also likely hear the same message on the repeater output if you're in range of the repeater. The other thing that could indicate a repeater is a CW (Morse Code) ID. Usually when you hear that, you're listening to a repeater. There are smart phone apps that will decode the ID if you can capture (record) it. From that, you can look up the call sign to find out who it belongs to, then reach out to them to get permission to use their repeater. Another option if you don't find any repeaters nearby would be to put up your own. You could set it as either an open system accessible to others to use without permission, or a closed system, open only to those to whom you grant permission. If you're trying to encourage use within your community, you might want to promote it as an open system, but there is greater likelihood of misuse. A closed system, on the other hand, reduces the amount of misuse by limiting who is given the input tone or code. Anyone who successfully scans the tone or code could potentially gain access, whether they have permission or not, so misuse is still a possibility. There is a lot of good information on this forum about how to set up a repeater in case you are interested in going that way...

I bought my programming cable from The Antenna Farm, and it came with the CE-27 software on a disk. It runs on Windows, or in my case, it runs on Wine in Linux. As for the Dealer and Manufacturer modes, I don't know what the difference is, but to run mine in "dealer" mode, I added the -d switch to the link for the executable file. That provides the equivalent of launching the application from the command line with the -d switch, which would also work. I haven't found anything I wanted to program on my repeater that the software won't allow me to program, so it works well for me.

If you're unable to connect using the software under Wine, then I suspect it's a problem identifying or designating the COM port. Do you know what COM port is assigned to the programming cable? The commands below show how my computer is configured: This command should show you how Linux identifies your cable (it will list the USB devices connected to your computer): ls -al /dev/ttyU* In my case, it showed /dev/ttyUSB0 This command should set /dev/ttyUSB0 to COM2 in Wine (you'll want to specify the port you wish to use - in my case, it's COM2): ln -s /dev/ttyUSB0 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com2 If you already have an association with the COM port you wish to use, you can go into your Wine folder and delete it before running the above command. You can find the associations in the /.wine/dosdevices/ folder located within your /home/ folder, though you'll probably need to enable "view hidden files" to find it. As for the model, I have no idea what the differences are between those you mentioned. I run Anytone's version of the software, and it offers three similar choices, but for the AT779 radio. Mine is set for the UV option, which I'd recommend in your case, too. I suspect the (G)UV version is the UHF/VHF dual band model, while the others are single band UHF or VHF models. I hope this helps. If not, please provide more detail about the issue(s) you're having and I'll see if I can help resolve them.

I had that happen on my KG-1000G one time, although I don't recall now what I was doing with it at the time. I did wait a while, but finally disconnected it from the power source, and after waiting 10 seconds or so, reconnected it, and it powered up normally. I guess it's sort of like a Windows computer that you have to restart occasionally so it will work right.