WyoJoe

When I've programmed two or more radios of the same type, I've had success just unplugging the programming cable from one, then plugging it into the other one. I then read from the second radio just for good measure, then upload the same file to it that I uploaded to the first radio. I can't think of a time that did not work for me.

You can also test as you go. For example, install the antenna and test it, then install the coax and test it, then, if you have adapters, lightning arresters, or anything else to add, install those and test again. The purpose of doing this would be to ensure nothing you add to your antenna system causes any problems along the way. Your most important reading, though, will be the final one, where the antenna system connects to the radio. If you had any flaky readings along the way, hopefully you would have made any necessary corrections, so the final reading should be good (or the last thing you added could be causing a problem). Overall, though, you want to check the antenna system as a whole. The test as you go suggestion is mostly to help rule out problems as you're building the antenna system.

I just upgraded to the latest version of Chirp, and it supports the UV8D, UV8D Plus, and UV8E. Those are the only UV8 series radios listed in the stock configuration. There may be other files for other radios that are under development that you could load, but they're not included by default.

I've used cut and paste (ctrl-C and ctrl-V) on a couple of the manufacturer's programs (I don't recall which ones) for copying one row to another, even though there was no indication it would work. I just clicked on the row number, hit ctrl-C, then clicked on another row number and hit ctrl-V, and it worked for me. I could not do this with the mouse as the option wasn't there, at least as far as I could tell. Right clicking certainly did not give me that option, but the keyboard shortcuts did work. I don't run my programming software on a Windows PC. I use Linux, and run the programs with WINE. I usually select Windows XP or Windows 7 as the environment to run them in, and most of them have worked for me (but not all). There have been a few glitches along the way, but I've generally been able to accomplish what I set out to do. In your case, for about $50, you could get a Raspberry Pi that would likely do all or most of what you would want a Windows PC for.

I use a Tekpower TP50SW, and run the output to a fused distribution block with 8 Anderson Power Pole outputs. The link is to the first similar item I found on Amazon but is not the specific one I'm using. I then put Anderson Power Pole connectors on the power leads for my radios, and can plug them all into the distribution block. I use a similar setup when running off a battery. My power supply does have one 12V "lighter" plug, which my Anytone AT-779 is plugged into at the moment. I haven't put the Anderson connectors on it yet.

I have the same trouble with only two or three receivers. Keeping track of 6 microphones would be quite a task!

It looks like there's a clone of the UV88 that is sold by Retevis: the RT-85. It's available in a two-pack for about $55 as of today: Retevis-Walkie-Talkie-Handheld-RT-85

I thought that may have been the case, but when FM broadcast came about, the same rule carried over, right?

Was that just for AM broadcast stations, or did it also apply to FM broadcast stations? I'm thinking it applied to both at least as a general rule, since some exceptions existed.

Wow! That's what I remember reading when I went through there a while back. I'd forgotten the name, but did remember some of the other details. I'll have to check out those museums next time I pass through there. Thank you for all the info! I was going to look it up tonight.

Are you in Weatherford? As I recall from the last time I went through there, there is an astronaut from there, and possibly a related museum? I don't recall the name, and since I'm heading off to bed, it'll have to wait until later for me to look it up. I just remember seeing something about that when I passed through there.

That looks like an interesting way to get through the wall, but it may not work well for GMRS. As I read the reviews, one stood out to me. Here is what Ryan G said about the SO-239 bulkhead connectors: This may have been an anomaly, as it was the only review that indicated a high SWR, but it's at least worth considering if you go this route.

This is a duplicate thread. I answered on the other one.

It is my understanding with that radio that it will only transmit on the pre-programmed channels. It will not transmit on added channels from what I understand.

Those radios should work fine for radio to radio (simplex) communication at short distances. Assuming they are GMRS radios, which I believe that model is, then their output would exceed that which is allowed for FRS. As I understand the rules, both parties are supposed to identify themselves with their/your (for family members) call sign every 15 minutes.

In addition to MIchael's suggestions above, since the radio has dual receivers, have you tried using both the A and B sides of the radio? Is the problem common to both sides? If not, it would suggest an internal problem with one side of the radio (or perhaps a problematic setting), but if so, it could still be internal to the radio, or it could be an external problem (antenna, etc.).

I hope you meant power supply, not linear amplifier. With the KG-1000G, you wouldn't need a linear amplifier, and if using one, it could be the source of the problems you're experiencing. Do you have a way to run the radio from a battery? That would allow you to determine if your power supply is creating the noise you're hearing. You could also try a different power supply for the same reason. If not that, I would suspect a bad antenna cable or connection.

That looks like it's mostly correct. What I didn't see mentioned was a CTCSS tone in the "tone" column. That needs to be included to open the squelch on the repeater. It should be in the form of "141.3" or something like that. Normally, as long as you have permission to use the repeater, you can get the correct tone to use from the repeater owner (if it isn't listed as an open repeater with the tones published).

AK, Welcome to the forum and to GMRS. What do you want to test on your radio? From the other replies on the thread, it looks like you don't have anyone to talk to that is near you. Do you know anyone near you that has any FRS "bubble pack" radios (the ones from Walmart, Big-5, etc.)? If so, you should be able to talk to them using simplex (radio to radio) communication. This would allow you to test the functionality of your radio. If you're looking to test repeater operation, you'll first need to figure out what repeater you will use, and unless it's an open repeater, you'll need to get the owner's permission to use it. Anyhow, we can give better advice once we understand what you want to test on your radio. Once again, welcome to the forum.

There is a UV-5X GMRS radio that is the same form factor as the UV-5R series, and can share the same batteries. Unlike the UV-5R which requires an SMA-female antenna, the UV-5X GMRS radio requires an SMA-male antenna. This radio is supposed to be renamed UV-5G for future releases. There is also a dual-band UV-5X that does not share the same form factor as the UV-5R, and does not use the same type of batteries. As far as I know, though, it does use the same SMA-female antennas as the UV-5R models. When talking about the UV-5X radios, we should specify whether it's the GMRS version or the dual-band (ham) version. They are significantly different.

Did you get the UV-5X GMRS radio that comes in a set of two, or did you get a UV-5X Ham radio that is sold individually? These are two different models...

I'm not sure what firmware version my radios shipped with, since I didn't check it before upgrading, but the 006 version I have now works well for me. I do program my radios using my computer, though I've changed CTCSS tones from the keyboard occasionally without any problems.

It sounds like the channel you're trying to program isn't allowing you to customize it with a repeater offset. I've had other radios act wonky in this way, but not any of my GM-30 types. You also didn't mention how you're trying to program the radio. Are you trying to program it from the keypad or on a computer? If you're trying to program it on a computer, it could be that the problem lies in the software application rather than the radio. I believe that was more of the issue for me in the cases mentioned above than it was an issue with the actual radio. Do you know what version of firmware you have? You can check it by pressing the monitor key while turning the radio on. My GM-30 type radios have V06.03.006. I upgraded to this version after I received my radios and it gave me much better programmability. If you're using an older firmware version, that could be part of the problem, too.

For Baofeng and Wouxon radios, the antenna type required depends on the radio. Both of these brands have models requiring differing types of antennas. For example, my Wouxon KG-UV9G requires an SMA Male antenna, as does (I believe) the Baofeng UV-5G GMRS radio.

This is an interesting concept, but is very much specific to Wyoming. For those that don't know, 307 is Wyoming's area code (yes, it's for the whole state). For Wyoming locals this might be easy to remember, but for folks from out of the state, probably not quite so much. In this day and age of cell phones, area codes are now just extra digits in many phone numbers, and don't necessarily represent the area where the phone is located or based out of. Anyway, it's good to know about this movement. I'll try to keep it in mind when I am in Wyoming. I was not aware of it until you posted your comment here.