WyoJoe

In the case of the MXT115, if/when you are looking for more features and functions, an inexpensive upgrade is the Anytone AT779UV / Radioddity DB-20G / Retevis RA25 radio (each of these is the same as the others). For about $100, you get another small radio that puts out ~20W, offers narrow and wideband, repeater capable, and offers UHF and VHF receive capability. It can also be reconfigured so it will work on the 2m and 70cm ham bands, should you ever wish to pursue, or if you already have, a ham license. It also has a small, but useful, color display.
On top of all that, it even comes with a "Fun" button on it! What more could you ask for? Okay, the "Fun" button is actually the "Function" button, but the word Function didn't fit on the small button.

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?

Why would you want it to? I know when I'm scanning, I want the radio to stop scanning when it detects a signal.

How about channel 2 for motorcycles; 4 for cars, SUVs, and pickups (or what the truckers call "4 wheelers"); 10 for three-axle box vans; and 18 for your typical 18-wheeler? Perhaps even channel 1 for unicycles...

It appears that these prohibitions would apply to Part 90 equipment. I haven't investigated this matter, but is there a similar prohibition for Part 97 (amateur radio service) equipment?

The technician license primarily allows the use of the VHF and UHF spectrum of the amateur radio band. GMRS operates in the UHF spectrum. Operationally, GMRS and the UHF/VHF spectrum of the amateur band are very similar. The primary differences are the frequency on which they operate, and the way they are commonly used. GMRS is most often, though not always, used within a family or small group (like a 4WD club) where the user is talking to other people nearby that they know for the purpose of communicating within the group. Amateur (ham) radio is often used to talk to others outside of the small group, quite often even to strangers, for the sake of contacting others. With GMRS, the use is usually secondary to other purposes, such as four wheeling, hiking, traveling, etc. With amateur radio, the use is often primary, meaning it is used primarily to make contact with others.
With GMRS, one license covers the licensee and immediate family, and there is no exam. This makes it convenient for family use, which I believe is the most common usage. You and your son can both operate on the same license, which could be convenient for you.
With amateur radio, the license only covers the licensee, so, each user needs their own license, for which a test is required. This means that you'll be talking to another licensed ham.
The equipment is nearly identical between GMRS and the 70 cm. (~440 MHz) UHF amateur band. In many cases, the same equipment will work for both. Many GMRS radios are based on amateur radios, but with modified firmware and Part 95e certification. If you can use one band, you should have no trouble with the other.

I have used my TYT UV-88 battery eliminator with my GM-30, and it works fine, but needs a small modification. In the attached image, I show a GM-30 battery and a UV-88 battery. The UV-88 battery has two red ovals showing the "ribs" on the slot where the battery latch latches. These have to be removed to work with the GM-30. The battery eliminator also has ribs that need to be removed. I used sprue cutters to remove mine, but an exacto knife or utility knife should work equally well.
If the "ribs" aren't removed, the battery latch will not engage, and the battery or battery eliminator can easily separate from the radio.

The technician license primarily allows the use of the VHF and UHF spectrum of the amateur radio band. GMRS operates in the UHF spectrum. Operationally, GMRS and the UHF/VHF spectrum of the amateur band are very similar. The primary differences are the frequency on which they operate, and the way they are commonly used. GMRS is most often, though not always, used within a family or small group (like a 4WD club) where the user is talking to other people nearby that they know for the purpose of communicating within the group. Amateur (ham) radio is often used to talk to others outside of the small group, quite often even to strangers, for the sake of contacting others. With GMRS, the use is usually secondary to other purposes, such as four wheeling, hiking, traveling, etc. With amateur radio, the use is often primary, meaning it is used primarily to make contact with others.
With GMRS, one license covers the licensee and immediate family, and there is no exam. This makes it convenient for family use, which I believe is the most common usage. You and your son can both operate on the same license, which could be convenient for you.
With amateur radio, the license only covers the licensee, so, each user needs their own license, for which a test is required. This means that you'll be talking to another licensed ham.
The equipment is nearly identical between GMRS and the 70 cm. (~440 MHz) UHF amateur band. In many cases, the same equipment will work for both. Many GMRS radios are based on amateur radios, but with modified firmware and Part 95e certification. If you can use one band, you should have no trouble with the other.

The technician license primarily allows the use of the VHF and UHF spectrum of the amateur radio band. GMRS operates in the UHF spectrum. Operationally, GMRS and the UHF/VHF spectrum of the amateur band are very similar. The primary differences are the frequency on which they operate, and the way they are commonly used. GMRS is most often, though not always, used within a family or small group (like a 4WD club) where the user is talking to other people nearby that they know for the purpose of communicating within the group. Amateur (ham) radio is often used to talk to others outside of the small group, quite often even to strangers, for the sake of contacting others. With GMRS, the use is usually secondary to other purposes, such as four wheeling, hiking, traveling, etc. With amateur radio, the use is often primary, meaning it is used primarily to make contact with others.
With GMRS, one license covers the licensee and immediate family, and there is no exam. This makes it convenient for family use, which I believe is the most common usage. You and your son can both operate on the same license, which could be convenient for you.
With amateur radio, the license only covers the licensee, so, each user needs their own license, for which a test is required. This means that you'll be talking to another licensed ham.
The equipment is nearly identical between GMRS and the 70 cm. (~440 MHz) UHF amateur band. In many cases, the same equipment will work for both. Many GMRS radios are based on amateur radios, but with modified firmware and Part 95e certification. If you can use one band, you should have no trouble with the other.

I've always wondered, if something is "improved," how can it also be "new" at the same time? Wouldn't the item, by definition, be old (older/oldish) if it has been improved?

Rich,
I commend you on the new website. It looks great and provides a nice, clean experience. I'm still trying to figure out where everything is on the new site, but I had to do that when I was new to the old site, too. Anyway, I love the new look and feel of the website. Great job on it!

It's easy to copy from one line to another on the Anytone version of the software. Since this software works for my radios, I haven't tried the Radioddity version, though I suspect it'll work the same way: Click on the channel number (the line header), the click CTRL-C to copy and CTRL-V to paste. There is no visual clue that this works until you see the line pasted into the software. Using "right click" on the mouse doesn't work (as you might expect it to), but the standard keyboard shortcuts do.
 

Rich,
I commend you on the new website. It looks great and provides a nice, clean experience. I'm still trying to figure out where everything is on the new site, but I had to do that when I was new to the old site, too. Anyway, I love the new look and feel of the website. Great job on it!

A topic that has come up frequently in other threads is "How do I program my radios if I'm not using Windows?"
(Thank you Michael LAX for the inspiration for this thread)
I am not a Mac user, so I'll defer the expertise to others, but the common thread I've seen in this regard is to run an instance of Windows on the Mac using "Parallels." I'll leave the technical details of this to others since I have no experience in this area.
I'm also not much of a "Virtual Machine" (Parallels, VM Ware, VirtualBox, etc.) user. Virtual Machines basically create a separate environment within the native Operating System (O.S.) in which a "guest" O.S. can be installed. Most often, it seems to be Windows that is installed in that environment, though you could conceivably install almost any O.S. you want. There are some special considerations to be made when using a Virtual Machine, particularly in setting up the programming cables. They need to have the COM ports properly configured, and the cable drivers must be properly installed in order for the programming cable to work. Again I will defer to the experts to chime in to share their experiences with Virtual Machines.
I am a Linux user, however, and I have used Linux exclusively for my radio programming for several years. Here are some of my experiences using Linux Mint 20 (other versions will be similar):
Programming Cables: Every programming cable I have tried to use in Linux has worked pretty much "out of the box." The only real difficulty is in knowing what port it's connected to. Typically, it's either ttyUSB0 or ttyUSB1. I can figure that out with a little trial and error.
Chirp: Chirp is a somewhat universal radio programming application. By universal, I mean that it works on many types of radios and multiple operating systems. Chirp can be installed and run natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
I use the "Flatpak" version of Chirp, since I am running a newer version of Linux Mint, which uses the Python 3 libraries. Chirp is (or, at least, was) heavily dependent upon the Python 2 libraries which are incompatible with Python 3. The way around this is the "Flatpak" which bundles the necessary libraries and the application together in a separate "container" for lack of a better word.
To install it on the newer versions of Mint, you'll need to use the Software Manager to install the Flatpak application, and if it doesn't also include Flatpak-builder, you might want to install that, too. I'm not sure about the necessity of the second application, but it's installed on my Mint 20 desktop and works well for me.
Lastly, you'll want to download the latest version of Chirp (in Flatpak format) from the download section at chirp.danplanet.com and install it from the command line with the following command:
sudo flatpak install ~/Downloads/chirp-daily-20210930.flatpak
The command assumes your download was saved in the Downloads directory within your Home directory. If not, you'll need to point the installer to the correct path. Finally, replace "chirp-daily-20210930.flatpak" with the name of the file you downloaded.
Manufacturer CPS: For most of the CPS software that is provided by the radio manufacturers, I run them in Linux using a "compatibility layer" called "WINE." To use it, you have to first install WINE. I did this from the "Software Manager" on Linux Mint. Once installed and configured, WINE will open automatically any time I try to run any Windows application (.exe). It will run in its own Window on my computer, and I do that with the setup programs that come from the radio manufacturers. Once installed, the programs can be run from the WINE selection of the "Mint Menu" or what Windows users think of as the "Start Menu." I sometimes go back to the WINE configuration to tell WINE what version of Windows to emulate. I typically default to Windows 7 for this purpose.
As with the native Linux configuration, WINE also requires a little configuration to point the "COM port" to the correct USB device that was identified above. This is done by creating a symbolic link in Linux.
In this case, I can assign "COM 1" to the ttyUSB1 device with the following command:
ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com1
Once configured, I select the program from the Mint Menu, and in most cases it will run correctly. Occasionally there are little glitches that make the program difficult to use, such as windows that don't render properly, or fonts that don't display properly. Some of those issues have yet to be resolved in my case, but the software is, more often than not, quite usable even with those issues. I've only had one or two programs that wouldn't run for me, and those were for radios that are supported by Chirp.
 
 
 
 

Welcome to myGRMS.

From a portability standpoint, the FRS & GMRS radios are smaller than the CD handhelds have historically been. And because they operate in the UHF band their antennas are naturally much smaller.

FRS and GMRS both use FM modulation which means that atmospheric static is not introduced into the audio. CB(CBRS) using AM, USB, LSB. FM has recently been approved by the FCC for use in the CBRS, so in time that difference will become moot.

FRS and GMRS hardware supports squelch codes (CTCSS & DCS) that give you and your group the ability to prevent the squelch on your radios from opening except when a transmitter using that code transmits. So if you are on a camping trip and your family all uses CTCSS 67.0, you will only hear radios that use that code.

FRS and GMRS are not subjected to the gross degree of daily signal propagation changes that affect your range and the ability to communicate locally as CB is. Don’t expect skip to suddenly permit you to talk to Texas from New York because of temporarily atmospheric condition change. But you may experience conditions were perhaps you can talk another town or two away.

FRS and GMRS radios can mostly interoperate because they share 22 or 30 frequencies in common.

GMRS radios are permitted to use wide-band modulation, which can give some GMRS radios an audio quality advantage over FRS. FRS is limited to narrow-band modulation.

GMRS requires a FCC license whereas CBRS and FRS do not.

The GMRS service permits use of radios up to 50 watts. FRS maxes out at 2 and CBRS maxes out at 4.

The GMRS allows for the use of repeaters. Repeaters make it to possible to increase the usable coverage range, most notably when the repeater is installed in a prime high location. It is not uncommon to have repeaters that cover an entire City, even some that will make it possible for two handhelds 40 miles and more apart to communicate.

A GMRS license gives you the permission you need to put up and operate your own repeater.

Antennas for GMRS do not have the 20’ above building or tree rule that the CBRS is subjected to. Instead, height limit rules are the same as for Cell Towers, TV Towers and other tall structures where the FAA rules dominate. If you can afford to put up a 200’ tower and get approved to do so from your local AHJ you can put it up.

Regarding hardware. FCC rules require the use of part 95 certified hardware for CBRS, FRS and GMRS. Each service has its own set of technical certification criteria. I know of no equipment that is dual-service certified. This does not mean there is not hardware that can be modified to operate on two or more services, just that doing so violates your authority to use it. Many, including some members of this forum, choose to operate outside the rules.

Hopefully this information is useful.

Regards, and again, welcome to myGMRS.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

Michael,
I haven't looked into this specifically, but I don't believe either of them is so certified. They are not sold as GMRS radios in any configuration I'm aware of (except perhaps as the Midland MXT400), so it's highly unlikely that you'd find one that is certified.

A topic that has come up frequently in other threads is "How do I program my radios if I'm not using Windows?"
(Thank you Michael LAX for the inspiration for this thread)
I am not a Mac user, so I'll defer the expertise to others, but the common thread I've seen in this regard is to run an instance of Windows on the Mac using "Parallels." I'll leave the technical details of this to others since I have no experience in this area.
I'm also not much of a "Virtual Machine" (Parallels, VM Ware, VirtualBox, etc.) user. Virtual Machines basically create a separate environment within the native Operating System (O.S.) in which a "guest" O.S. can be installed. Most often, it seems to be Windows that is installed in that environment, though you could conceivably install almost any O.S. you want. There are some special considerations to be made when using a Virtual Machine, particularly in setting up the programming cables. They need to have the COM ports properly configured, and the cable drivers must be properly installed in order for the programming cable to work. Again I will defer to the experts to chime in to share their experiences with Virtual Machines.
I am a Linux user, however, and I have used Linux exclusively for my radio programming for several years. Here are some of my experiences using Linux Mint 20 (other versions will be similar):
Programming Cables: Every programming cable I have tried to use in Linux has worked pretty much "out of the box." The only real difficulty is in knowing what port it's connected to. Typically, it's either ttyUSB0 or ttyUSB1. I can figure that out with a little trial and error.
Chirp: Chirp is a somewhat universal radio programming application. By universal, I mean that it works on many types of radios and multiple operating systems. Chirp can be installed and run natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
I use the "Flatpak" version of Chirp, since I am running a newer version of Linux Mint, which uses the Python 3 libraries. Chirp is (or, at least, was) heavily dependent upon the Python 2 libraries which are incompatible with Python 3. The way around this is the "Flatpak" which bundles the necessary libraries and the application together in a separate "container" for lack of a better word.
To install it on the newer versions of Mint, you'll need to use the Software Manager to install the Flatpak application, and if it doesn't also include Flatpak-builder, you might want to install that, too. I'm not sure about the necessity of the second application, but it's installed on my Mint 20 desktop and works well for me.
Lastly, you'll want to download the latest version of Chirp (in Flatpak format) from the download section at chirp.danplanet.com and install it from the command line with the following command:
sudo flatpak install ~/Downloads/chirp-daily-20210930.flatpak
The command assumes your download was saved in the Downloads directory within your Home directory. If not, you'll need to point the installer to the correct path. Finally, replace "chirp-daily-20210930.flatpak" with the name of the file you downloaded.
Manufacturer CPS: For most of the CPS software that is provided by the radio manufacturers, I run them in Linux using a "compatibility layer" called "WINE." To use it, you have to first install WINE. I did this from the "Software Manager" on Linux Mint. Once installed and configured, WINE will open automatically any time I try to run any Windows application (.exe). It will run in its own Window on my computer, and I do that with the setup programs that come from the radio manufacturers. Once installed, the programs can be run from the WINE selection of the "Mint Menu" or what Windows users think of as the "Start Menu." I sometimes go back to the WINE configuration to tell WINE what version of Windows to emulate. I typically default to Windows 7 for this purpose.
As with the native Linux configuration, WINE also requires a little configuration to point the "COM port" to the correct USB device that was identified above. This is done by creating a symbolic link in Linux.
In this case, I can assign "COM 1" to the ttyUSB1 device with the following command:
ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com1
Once configured, I select the program from the Mint Menu, and in most cases it will run correctly. Occasionally there are little glitches that make the program difficult to use, such as windows that don't render properly, or fonts that don't display properly. Some of those issues have yet to be resolved in my case, but the software is, more often than not, quite usable even with those issues. I've only had one or two programs that wouldn't run for me, and those were for radios that are supported by Chirp.
 
 
 
 

Michael,
My version looks very different from what you posted, however, on my version of the KG1000G software, there are arrows that allow you to move your channel selections up and down the list. There are also insert and delete options.
When I tried to use Insert, it would not insert a new line, so I'm not sure how the insert function works. I also did not try the delete function yet.
 
What I was able to do, though, was select a blank entry from the end of my channel list, and use the up arrow to move it up to the desired channel position where I wanted to add a new channel. As it moves up the list, the selections it passes move down the list, so nothing is lost.
That works for me to add blank spaces with relative ease without the need to completely reprogram the radio.

I have the N9TAX dual band slim jim antenna for 2m/70cm, and I've been using it for several years. I hung it from a ceiling hook in the corner of the room, and I've just left it there since. I really don't think about it much. It just works when I need it to. I've used it with several mobile and hand-held radios, and any issues I've had have always been radio related, not antenna related.

Using "channel numbers" can be problematic if, as in your case, a radio has received custom programming. For repurposed LMR radios, this would be likely, and may also be the case for GMRS radios that have been reprogrammed.
All of the stock GMRS radios I've seen have been programmed in a similar manner, with the frequencies on channels 1-30 being the same for all of them. The exception to this is for mobile radios which, from what I've seen, generally do not have anything programmed into channels 8-14. If these channels are programmed, they are typically receive only.
Unlike CB or FRS, there is no absolute rule in GMRS that each channel be mandated to use a specific frequency. I do believe, however, that when someone refers to a GMRS channel number from 1 to 30, it is widely accepted that there is a norm that is followed. Mainly, I believe standardized GMRS channel numbering is intended to maintain compatibility with FRS, which has 22 channels, all of which share frequencies with GMRS. In addition to those 22 channels, GMRS also adds the repeater channels (467 MHz "main" channels - see below).
 
The FCC regulations are where I believe the idea of channels came from. With the FCC standardization of FRS channels, I believe it was natural for GMRS to follow suit. The FCC also refers to GMRS "channels" in the regulations:
§ 95.1763 GMRS channels. The GMRS is allotted 30 channels - 16 main channels and 14 interstitial channels. GMRS stations may transmit on any of the channels as indicated below.
(a) 462 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, repeater, base and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000, 462.6250, 462.6500, 462.6750, 462.7000, and 462.7250 MHz. [These are commonly identified as channels 15-22, or as repeater outputs for channels 23-30]
(b) 462 MHz interstitial channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable and base stations may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5625, 462.5875, 462.6125, 462.6375, 462.6625, 462.6875, and 462.7125 MHz. [These are commonly identified as channels 1-7]
(c) 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz. [These are commonly identified as repeater inputs for channels 23-30]
(d) 467 MHz interstitial channels. Only hand-held portable units may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 467.5675, 467.5875, 467.6125, 467.6375, 467.6625, 467.6875, and 467.7125 MHz. [These are commonly identified as channels 8-14]

Well, I think this thread has pretty clearly established that GMRS Channel 20 is considered by many to be the "official" travel channel for GMRS. Since this thread is about "un-official" GMRS travel channels, it would seem to me that 19 for highway conditions and 16 for off-highway use would both make pretty good "un-official" travel channels, each for their respective purposes.
As with every idea along this vein, they have to start somewhere. Once started, they need to catch on locally, then spread to other areas, gaining acceptance along the way.
With 4x4 clubs being pretty popular, each club could choose to adopt channel 16 as their "official" GMRS channel. I think this would be fairly easy to implement within the off-roading community, as there are groups within the community to promote the idea. While some groups may choose not to implement such a plan, I'm sure many would do so, just as they did with CB channel 4 years ago.
For highway conditions, the use of channel 19 would be a lot trickier. Even though this was the case with CB for many years, I think it would be harder to get this idea off the ground for GMRS. The main reason for this is that there aren't a lot of recognized groups to promote the idea. Maybe writing a letter to your local AAA branch would be a way to promote this idea. If they were to buy in, and promote the idea within their membership, you might have a chance of getting this idea off the ground. My expectation, however, is that they would most likely adopt the official or semi-official channel 20 instead, if only for the reason that it doesn't have the geographical restrictions near the Canadian border that are found with channel 19.

I'm pretty sure I ran the unzipped executable file, but I didn't get any errors when I did so. I also do have other Radioddity software installed within Wine, so that could account for the OCX libraries. I'm not sure if I have them or not, but as mentioned, I didn't get any errors running the DB25-G application. I can't read and write to a radio, though, so it's possible I'd get errors at those steps.

Thank you Michael. I didn't know when the newest version would come out, but I saw it today and see that it now includes the Baofeng UV-9G. If only they would add support for the GM30/P15UV/TD-H5 triplets... and the DB20-G/AT-779UV/RA25 triplets, too!
I'm still waiting for those to be added.

Because a repeater is a "station," I believe Michael is correct that there needs to be an ID provided when the station is in use (every 15 minutes, etc.). I do not believe it needs to be automatic. If I'm using my own repeater to talk to my family, I believe just IDing with my call sign is sufficient. If someone is using someone else's repeater, and it doesn't automatically ID, then, in order to be in compliance with the FCC rules, they would need to provide their ID and the ID of the repeater (for example: "This is aaaa111 on the bbbb222 repeater").

Because a repeater is a "station," I believe Michael is correct that there needs to be an ID provided when the station is in use (every 15 minutes, etc.). I do not believe it needs to be automatic. If I'm using my own repeater to talk to my family, I believe just IDing with my call sign is sufficient. If someone is using someone else's repeater, and it doesn't automatically ID, then, in order to be in compliance with the FCC rules, they would need to provide their ID and the ID of the repeater (for example: "This is aaaa111 on the bbbb222 repeater").