WRHS218

Welcome, Ron.

I can hit a repeater on the west side of Fresno County, California from the Sierra foothills on the east side of the valley 70 miles away, inside of a car with a 5W GMRS HT with standard antenna. While you cannot see that many fars on most days, there is an unobstructed line of site between my handheld and the repeater which is on top of a 5000 ft. peak. It is easily doable if the conditions are right and the equipment is working correctly.

That switch is rated at less than .2 dB insertion loss. We never figured the total loss. The situation we had was we were using a commercial uhf antenna and cable from a older commercial base station install at our plant. We went to a completely different setup but the antenna and cable were left in place. We bought the switch and used it to switch between two personal uhf (non-gmrs) handhelds. Later we replaced one of the HT's with a scanner and still used the switch. We could find no information on the old cable and antenna though it all worked pretty well. The switch was mounted in the control room.

Apparently, reading comprehension is not my strong suite. I read the OP's post but didn't recall it long enough to not waste everyone's time. Sorry about that.

I used one of these, MFJ-1702 2 Position Antenna Switch, for that purpose a long time ago. GigaParts has them for around $40. I am sure there are other brands and venders out there.

I just saw this when I replied. I didn't realize that when Access requested were disabled it meant the repeater was closed. I think if I were the owner and didn't want others to use it I wouldn't publish the tones, although it is easy enough to figure that out. Thanks gortex2 for learning me something.

I looked up the repeater here and the Access Requests have been Disabled By Owner. You have the tones for RX & TX. If it were me I would put the repeater in my radio and when I got in range I would ask for permission on the repeater.

Are you trying to use this radio on GMRS repeaters? I thought the QYT KT8900D only transmits on 420-450 MHz UHF.

A friend purchased us both one of these and they make a huge difference on the road. I tried it out sitting on the aluminum roof of my UTV in my yard and it allowed me to hit a repeater I couldn't hit with the HT antenna.

I think you hang around here long enough you will find OffRoaderX, in regards to the radio airwave spectrum, to be almost Hebraic in his view of HAM.?

There is some Utoob hobo that makes a similar claim so I ask, what model of couch?

The KG-935G is my favorite handheld. I have several 905Gs which are great radios, but having the ability to monitor other bands is great with the 935G.

I may not be understanding what you are asking but, GMRS uses +5 MHZ offset for repeaters. Transmit on 467.xxxx (into the repeater) and receive (monitor) on 462.xxxx. Most GMRS only radios have the offset baked in. On other radios you would need to put the offset in manually. Sean

For more information go to YouTube and do a search for NotaRubicon. I think you will find what you are looking for. He is some hobo that has a lot of videos, many dealing with that type of radio. You will occasionally find him on a GMRS forum. He seems like an alright guy no matter what Some People may say...

Klaberte, Do you already have some GRMS radios? Or are you looking to get something just for this trip? I have not used my GMRS handhelds skiing but have used them on foot and in vehicles in the mountains. If you already have them give it a try. I have been on the side of a mountain and talked to others up to a mile away without being in line of site. We were using 5w radios. I can talk to my daughter's family using the same handhelds house to house. I am at 3300 feet and they are 3.7 miles away at 2600 feet with a ridge between us blocking line of sight by about 80 feet. Sounds like a fun trip, enjoy! Sean

I don't have the 1000G but have the 905G and the 935G. I purchased the 9G Pro for my son-in-law and did some programming on it. The main reason I prefer the 935G and 905G is the can share batteries. I purchased one spare and it can be used on both handhelds. All are good radios though, IMO.

The way I read that is that he is setting the TX tone to "off". On my 935 there is no way to turn off the TX function. The firmware will do it for you if you program in a frequency out of band (GMRS). I really enjoy using the KG-935G, it is a fun and fairly simple radio.

I have shared this before, but, we had an unexpected power outage in our area. Normally when that happens (last year it was frequently) we call or text family that lives 3.7 miles from us. That day the cell phone system was either over loaded or down. We were able to contact our family via GMRS radios we had purchased for them. The power was only out for 3 or 4 hours IIRC and lives were not threatened, this time, but it was a real world experience. Having a plan, the tools, and the ability to use them builds confidence for those times when there is an emergency. Sean

I have been using the RAM-HOL-BC1U mount for years. It will hold just about any handheld radio with a belt clip. When I am off road I added a velcro strap. I have a Ram ball mounted on my dash area and it works very well. MyPilotStore dot com has them. Sean

I was driving a vehicle that doesn't have a mobile radio. I have a HAM and GMRS mobile in my truck. I have never been a "rag chewer" on the amateur side or GMRS. I have always used radios as a tool as I did in my professions. The post was just about what I heard along the way.

Interesting information. I live in an area that has only one repeater and it can only be reached occasionally by standing on one foot while facing North and holding your mouth just right. This is one reason I don't frequent the HAM repeaters anymore. Radio for me is no longer a NEED as it was in my job. I didn't realize that type of attitude had moved to GMRS. Although I shouldn't be surprised. I wonder if DD and KB have Amateur licenses as well...

Thanks for the testing and data. I don't have an SWR/PWR meter but I do have the 935G. I have found it to be a great radio for my use. Again, thanks for sharing this info.

That hurt, Randy. That hurt.

I live in a smallish mountain community not far from the South Gate of Yosemite. Several months ago I showed my son-in-law my KG-905G and after discussing GMRS for a while he ordered one and got his license. We have tested our radios and we can talk to each other from our houses. He and my daughter live 3.7 miles away with top of a ridge between us. I have lived here more than four years now and have become accustomed to power outages. Last week we lost power around 0730 on a weekday. When this happens to one of us we normally text each other to see if the other is in the dark as well. This time I couldn't text. My phone also couldn't get online. The Verizon tower is a little over 1 mile away with a direct line of site. I tried calling but didn't get an answer. My son-in-law called me a minute later and I was able to receive the call. We coordinated channels and were able to communicate easily with our GMRS handhelds. My phone was pretty much useless. When the power came back on three hours later my phone returned to normal. We are working on a communication plan for future outages and emergencies. This is the first time my cell coverage has been affected by loss of power. So this was a good reminder that cell phones don't always work during power outages and it is good to have GMRS as a back up if your geography allows.

According to the BuyTwoWayRadios website the KG-UV8H is a 2m/70cm HAM radio. I only see the TX frequencies listed and they are definitely 2m and 70cm. One of the pictures of the radio shows the dual display with GMRS 16 on it along with what looks a vanity HAM call sign on the other half. With 999 memory channels I'm guessing it can RX outside of the Amateur bands but TX only 2m/70cm. That is just a guess though. Email them, they have always been pretty quick to answer. Sean