WyoJoe

I don't remember how much I've used either of them, since it's been a while for either one, but the KG-1000G and KG-UV9G applications have worked for me in Linux. I've also had success with CPS applications from Radioddity, Anytone, Ailunce (Retevis), and Vertex running in Linux.

The Baofeng UV-5G can be programmed with Chirp, using the UV-5G/UV-5X GMRS profile under the Radioddity brand, not the Baofeng brand. I run Linux Mint 20.3 Mate 64 bit edition. I have successfully used the CPS software for a variety of radios running on Linux using WINE. The biggest issue to sort out was the COM port designation, but once resolved, the programs have mostly worked. There are a couple of CPS applications that have not worked for me, however. There are a few small issues (mostly pertaining to fonts) that I've encountered but most things have worked reasonably well. As for mobile radios, I will also recommend the Anytone AT-779UV, just as MichaelLAX recommended. It's a decent 20W mobile GMRS radio, but can be opened up for use on 2M and 70cm ham bands, too. It cannot be programmed with Chirp yet (but hopefully will be supported one day), but can be programmed with the factory CPS software, even running in WINE on Linux. It's sometimes a little glitchy, and overwrites some of the frequency data I've entered, but as long as I double check before uploading to the radio, I can fix it if necessary. For about $100, you get a very compact (5"w x 1.5"h x 4"d), 500 channel radio with a small but very readable display. This radio is also sold as the Radioddity DB20-G and Retevis RA-25. It costs around $100, though it can be found as cheap as about $94 from Retevis (as of today), or up to $120 from Radioddity.

You can find them on the "Notarubicon" Youtube channel...

I didn't have to change any clock settings to enable wide band on my repeater. I just created a desktop short cut to the application and added the "-d" switch to the filename string in this format: <filename>.exe -d That's what worked for me, though your mileage may vary...

It's hard to tell from the map you attached, but it looks like the repeater is located somewhere on a hill between Monterey and San Jose. A repeater, if located on a hilltop in that area, should provide excellent coverage in both Monterey and San Jose.

I'm using Firefox 97 on Linux and it works for me. Unfortunately, I no longer have Firefox 96, and can't try it now. I'm on LinuxMint 20.3 Mate Edition (64 bit). Has this problem been persistent? I am thinking it could be a server side issue, and could be resolved on its own? Other than suggesting you try again, or possibly upgrade Firefox to version 97, I don't know.

Michael, Yes, with that radio you can use split DCS codes, or just a transmit code, or a combination of CTCSS tone on transmit, DCS code on receive, or vice-versa. Basically, you can pick any CTCSS tone or DCS (normal or inverse) code for transmit (or no tone or code at all), and you have the same choices for receive (which does not have to match the transmit tone or code). As long as the radios at both ends of a conversation are configured to work together and are in range of each other, that should work.

Do you have a programming cable and the necessary software for programming the repeater? Assuming you have a suitable computer and the aforementioned software and cable, the programming of the repeater is pretty simple. The CE-27 software is needed, but I used the -d switch for the executable to allow it to enter "dealer" mode. In my case, the executable file is CE27Win.exe, so I ran it as "CE27Win.exe -d" to access the dealer mode. I believe this was required to allow me to set the repeater to wide band. It's probably obvious that since the executable file is an exe extension, it is intended to run on Windows. I actually use mine in Linux with WINE set up for Windows compatibility. The next thing you'll want to do is to read the programming from the repeater and then save the original file. Immediately rename the file to something else so the original file does not become corrupted. I usually include the date that I saved the file in the file name so I can see when the file was created. Once you've renamed the file, you can edit the table to enter the values you want to use. You have 16 channels to choose from, and can add CTCSS and/or DCS codes for the transmit and receive frequencies, adjust power levels, set wide/narrow options and simplex/duplex options, among other things as desired. Once you have it set as desired, save it again, then write it to the repeater. Here's how I have mine programmed currently: I am using a duplexer tuned to the 462.625/467.625 frequency pair, so as you can see, most of the channels are programmed for that pair's Tx and Rx frequencies. I did this to give me a lot of options for tones and power settings. Channels 15 and 16 are one step above or below, just in case I need to set the repeater to a different frequency pair which should work okay with the duplexer. The first eight channels are set for either high or low power for each of four CTCSS decoder (receive) codes. If desired, encoder codes can also be set, but mine are set to "off" (no code used). Channels 9-12 use DCS for decoder codes instead of CTCSS, and again are programmed for high and low power for each of the DCS codes used. The CW-ID option is set for all channels because I've programmed my call sign into the repeater and set it to ID every 15 minutes. This can be configured in the CW-ID section of the "common" menu. I don't recall whether or not I changed any of the other settings, but the settings shown are working for me. I hope this helps.

Is this an "all or nothing" option for your radio, or do you have the option to select wide or narrow by the channel? Perhaps you could add some custom narrow band entries with the same frequencies as channels 15 - 21 in channel slots 8 - 14, and leave 15 - 22 as wide band?

The DB20-G/Anytone AT-779UV twins can do what you want. They don't work with Chirp, though, so the factory software is the only programming software I know of that works with them currently. They also put out about the same amount of power (15 to 18 watts), and can be unlocked to allow use on UHF & VHF ham frequencies. I've experienced some quirks with the factory software, but if you know what to expect, it works reasonably well. I have one in my truck and another at my desk. Both of them are programmed to use my family repeater, but also to monitor a nearby 70cm ham repeater. These are both in channels that I added after the existing 30 "standard" channels.

Is the situation the same if using both factory software and Chirp?

I had to do a little digging in my system to find it, but I have a file called "setting.txt" in a folder "GM-30 GMRS" in "Program Files" that specifies the variable "CommPort=2" which should be able to be edited. If you find the file, make the change to "CommPort=5", and save it, you might find it works for you. I can't remember if I had to do this for the GM-30, but if not, I had to do it with another radio, and making that change worked for me. I'm not running the software in Windows, but rather in WINE on Linux, so I'm not sure if the file structure is the same, but the file should still exist somewhere on your system.

MURS is license by rule like FRS and CB, but not GMRS. GMRS requires a user to obtain a license.

Many of the radios I've seen do allow some programming of custom channels. Some do not. Are you looking specifically at mobile radios, handheld radios, or both? Several manufacturers have updated the firmware of their radios to allow more customization to the programming than originally provided. Even though they were limited when they came out, they work much better now.

Most of the people on the forum that keep old computers around for radio programming do so for software compatibility, not driver compatibility. Some users still have programs that run in DOS, not Windows. I have used DOSBox on my Linux machine to run old DOS games, but I'm not sure how it works with external devices like programming cables. I especially wonder if it works with USB devices, since most programming cables are USB, which came into common use sometime after DOS was no longer in common use.

Try plugging the male end into the female end - black wire to black wire, and red wire to red wire. If the plug seats fully and the bare metal on the connector is shrouded by the insulation, then you should be fine. As others have said, it is not advisable to transmit on high power if you're using the lighter socket. You should be fine if transmitting on the low or (either) medium setting. This should allow you to at least try out the radio in your vehicle, and even move it around if needed to find the "sweet spot" where it will work best for you. You can consider more permanent wiring options once you determine where you want the radio to end up.

It's a very easy thing to do. Pressing the V/M button as you power on the radio allows you to select the frequency range of the radio from a list of four or five options. Of course, once the radio is modified, it nullifies the Part 95e certification until you return it to its original configuration. That doesn't matter to some, but it may matter to others.

I don't have any experience with Windows 11 (W11), and even very little with Windows 10 as far as installing devices is concerned. My understanding with both is that they want to load the latest device drivers for whatever device you're using (such as programming cables), and the newer drivers don't always work. In the case of cables with the "Prolific" chipset, the newer drivers don't work because they see the devices as "counterfeit" and therefore won't enable the connection. The older drivers didn't check the authenticity of the chipset, and that's why they do work. For W11, I've seen a post or two stating that rolling back the driver is very difficult if not impossible, because the old driver won't work with W11. The FTDI chipsets don't seem to have the same problems, but I'm not sure how well they "play" with w11. Quite a few on this forum keep an old Windows XP or Windows 7 machine around just for programming radios...

According to the Amazon listing, those plugs are terminated with female bullet connectors. If you want to use those connectors, you'll need male bullet connectors appropriate for the size of the conductors in the power cable for the radio. You would then need to crimp the male bullet connectors to the stripped ends of the power cable leads. Here is a link to sets of bullet connectors. This listing has a video showing how they work. Shown below is a picture of what they look like when separated, partially inserted, and fully inserted:

I was going to chime in on the 3200 mAh battery, but then I remembered that it can't be charged by USB, so the charging cradle is required. As Michael mentioned, you get a charging cradle with the UV-88 if you purchase one. I believe the charging cradle is also available separately, though it may be a better value to buy the radio package. Retevis is selling a two-pack of the RT85 3200 mAh batteries for less than $20. They are listed for their RT85 radio, which is a clone of the UV-88, and priced about the same for a single radio. They discount multi-packs of the RT85, so if you're looking for additional radios, these could be a reasonable value. The attached picture shows what I call "ribs" (designated by the arrows in the picture) that need to be removed for the latch to work correctly on the GM-30. These are the "notches" mentioned by Michael. On my GM-30 radios, the battery would come loose because the latch would not engage until the ribs were removed from the batteries.

The radio will work for both bands. I believe you can select the mode by holding down the V/M button as you power on the radio. Keep in mind, however, the Part 95e certification of the radio is for its use on the GMRS band. When you change the mode, and alter the configuration of the radio to allow it to transmit outside of the GMRS band, you negate the Part 95e certification. Some people operate the radio in the mode that allows it to transmit on both the ham and GMRS bands so they don't need to have two different radios.

While this is not a spreadsheet, these are the basic things you need: 1. Receiver - This is the radio that receives the incoming signal on the 467.xxx (repeater input) frequency 2. Transmitter - This is the radio that takes the received signal and re-transmits it on the 462.xxx (repeater output) frequency 3. Repeater Controller - This is the device that connects the receiver to the transmitter, and may add repeater ID functionality, and other features. Some radios like the Wouxon KG-1000G have repeater functions built in, so only a patch cable is required to connect the receiver to the transmitter. 4. Receiving antenna - can be combined with the transmitting antenna when using a duplexer 5. Transmitting antenna - can be combined with the receiving antenna when using a duplexer 6. Appropriate feedline for each antenna 7. Source of power for receiver and transmitter 8. Duplexer (optional) - allows receiver and transmitter to both use the same antenna and feedline, eliminating the need for a second antenna and feedline. While the items above are what is needed, there are a lot of nuances that come into play. While theoretically you might be able to build a repeater using any combination of each of the above items, many things just may not work well in this circumstance. Certain combinations work well, while other combinations just don't do so. If you obtain a purpose-built repeater, such as a Vertex VXR-7000 or Retevis RT-97, it will combine at least items 1, 2, and 3 into a single device. You can use a duplexer to allow the use of only one antenna and feedline for both receive and transmit. Of course, if you do, you'll also need the appropriate patch cables to connect the duplexer to the receiver and transmitter. The Retevis RT-97 includes a built-in duplexer, and on other repeater models a duplexer may be included, but often is not. About the simplest way to get a repeater up and running is to use a purpose built device like the Retevis RT-97, along with a decent antenna and feedline, as well as an appropriate power source. Because it is a relatively low power unit, many people use it with a solar panel and 12V battery, rather than connecting it to the "grid." This is often done in a portable configuration using a "roll-up" J-pole antenna hoisted into a tree. Overall, a repeater is, in many ways, like a car. A car has an engine, transmission, wheels, and so on, while a repeater has the parts mentioned above. It is a system of component parts, which when properly matched, performs well the function for which it was intended. If they are not properly matched, the system will not work well. For more information, you might want to check out repeater-builder.com.

I've been using a Tekpower TP50SW for about 7 years. I can't remember if it even has a fan, as I don't recall ever hearing it. I can't say how good the RF Filtering is either, as I've never heard anything on any of my radios that I could attribute to the power supply. I've used it with numerous radios without ever hearing any perceptible interference from it. Edited to add: I looked it up online (easier than pulling it off the shelf), and the TP50SW does have a fan. I still can't recall ever hearing it. I also found info on another feature that I forgot it had: "noise offset." If the power supply does create interference at a specific frequency, it can be adjusted to move the noise out of the band being used.

This makes me wonder, does the radio talk to the repeater about people? People talk about radios, so turnabout would be fair play!

I also believe the MXT400 and TH-9000D to be hardware twins, although likely with different firmware. The Midland DBR2500 ham radio appears to be a rebadged Anytone AT-778UV. As for the MXT275, it looks similar to the Anytone AT-778U (not UV), but the mic layout is different. I would not be at all surprised if it was built on the same platform. I believe Midland uses existing models as the basis for their new radios, at least as far as mobile radios are concerned. They may alter the layout somewhat, and modify the firmware, but basically, I believe their radios are based on models sold under other brand names. Rugged Radios is another vendor that caters to the off-road crowd and also sells rebadged radios. Would anyone care to guess what Rugged's $75 "GMR2" handheld radio is based on? It sure looks a lot like one you can buy on Amazon for between $30 and $40, so why pay $75?