[Your First and current GMRS HT]

I had my GMRS license going on 2 months now. Right now I only own the Baofeng UV-5X which is only sold in pairs.

[KG-905G aftermarket antenna]

For a HT people tends to talk about the Nagoya NA-771G. You can get it here Authentic Nagoya NA-771G Handheld GMRS Antenna (15.3 Inch) (buytwowayradios.com)

 

 

[230 mile contact]

I hit a repeater like 21 miles away using Baofeng HT with stock antenna. There is a lot of houses, a lot of tree's , farm buildings, factory type buildings between me and the repeater. Should be lucky I can hit the thing at all. lol

[Baofeng UV-5X GMRS]

2 hours ago, WyoJoe said:

I wonder if you can add repeaters via Chirp, then write the new configuration to the radio, then read it and write it back with the Radioddity software, to have it TX to the newly added repeater. I think I tried this with mine, but I don't recall for sure. I'll have to give it a try and see what I can do with it.

I've heard that this trick works with some Wouxon radios to get the Chirp programming written to the radio correctly, so it may work with the UV-5X / UV-5G GMRS radios, too.

I just used Chirp software to add a repeater course using all the correct info for it and write it to the radio. At that point I launched Radioddity software then read the radio and I seen the TX freq field on that repeater was empty. The Radioddity software it self would not allow me to click on the TX freq field to add in the freq.

Only way I could fix that issue was to save it on my PC as a XML file. Then open the XML file using a editor and add in the TX freq then save it. Then write the changed XML file to the radio using Radioddity software.

[Baofeng UV-5X GMRS]

Just got my programming cable today so I tried couple things out on my UV-5X least that's what the labels says on the radio. But Chirp software sees it as a Radioddity UV-5G anyways moving on. 

I launched Chirp software and downloaded the info from the radio. I added a Repeater on memory slot #31 to see if it would work but it resulted not allowing it to TX.

I then done a reset on the radio to get a fresh stock radio. Which at that point I used the Radioddity software and downloaded the info from the radio. At that point I saved that on my PC as a XML file.

Then I opened the XML file in a text editor and added the same repeater on slot #31 and saved the changes to the XML file. Which at that point I used the Radioddity software to upload it to the radio.

Guess what I was able to TX just fine using the repeater I saved on memory slot #31.

 

 

[Another GMRS CCR offering from Baofeng - IP67 rated - the UV-9G]

If the Baofeng UV-9G does in fact let people setup memory slots 31-54 for repeaters right from the keypad.

That by it self will make it worth buying that model of Baofeng GMRS instead of the other Baofeng models like the UV-5X.  I find only having memory slots 1-30 available right out of the box like the Baofeng UV-5X for TX/RX is outright dumb.

[Base Antennas and lightening]

1 minute ago, Roadrunner74 said:

That's crazy... and was probably a bit scary as well!

You can say that.

[how many gmrs licenses in your state?]

If I used the FCC search correctly looks to be a total of 2829 active GMRS licenses in my state of Ohio.829

[Got my GMRS License]

1 minute ago, WyoJoe said:

I have a KG-UV9G, which is a pretty nice radio, but also has a couple of issues. The most talked about issue seems to be the display, which is often difficult to see in full sun. The second issue for me is that the battery life, while decent, doesn't seem to be as long as it is for some of my other radios. The third issue for me is the price. Since it's in the $150 to $170 range, I find that I don't take it out of the house much, because I don't want to break it or lose it. What do I do in that case? I end up grabbing one of my much cheaper GM-30 radios and taking that with me instead. If I drop it and it breaks, it's not really a big deal.

 I fully understand what you are getting at. My current smartphone costed me $300 dollars it most I ever paid for a smartphone. When I'm out and about and have it out of my pocket I handle it like very old unstable stick of TNT. Even though I do have a nice case on the thing I'm still worry I will drop it.

[Got my GMRS License]

20 minutes ago, WyoJoe said:

For new mobile radios, the KG-1000G seems to be about the best thing available at this time. It's a bit spendy at well over $300 currently, but it also offers features not found elsewhere. There are some other less expensive (new) mobile radios out there, as well as re-purposed business radios and other used equipment.

For about 1/3 the price of the 1000G, you can pick up an Anytone AT-779UV. While not as feature rich as the 1000G, and only 20W instead of 50W, it still does most of the things you would want a mobile radio to do.

There are also some other mobile radio offerings from B-Tech and Midland that are priced between the two models mentioned above.

For used mobile radios, buying Kenwood, Motorola, or Vertex commercial radios and getting them reprogrammed for GMRS seems to be the hot ticket. There are a lot of posts in the forum about these radios.

 

For new handheld radios, you also have several options. For new dedicated GMRS radios, you can get a "CCR," otherwise known as a cheap Chinese radio. These are the typical Baofeng type radios, the virtues of which have been greatly debated on these forums. For use across the GMRS spectrum, including repeater usage, this is, in my opinion, the minimum you'll want to get. Be aware that many of these radios are ham radios and are not type accepted for GMRS, and as such, are not legal for GMRS use. In my opinion, the better type accepted radios in this group would be the Radioddity GM-30, Tidradio TD-H5, or the Pofung (Baofeng) P15UV. I believe all three are basically the same radio, just branded differently, although I have yet to get my hands on the Pofung version. There are also some Retevis branded radios that seem to be comparable, though I have no experience with them.

A step up from the CCRs are the Wouxon handheld radios: KG-805G, KG-905G, and KG-UV9G. While still made in China, as are almost all current GMRS offerings, these radios offer better tuners and better features than the class of radios mentioned above. They are also about two to four times the price of the "CCR" class.

There are also a number of "bubble pack" or "blister pack" radios, typically sold in big box stores, that are GMRS type accepted, but do not allow you to use them to access GMRS repeaters. I would only recommend these for people that want short range radio to radio communication, with no intent of ever using a repeater.

Finally, there are also used handheld radio options to consider. As with the mobile radios, you can purchase used commercial radios and get them reprogrammed for GMRS. Typically, the same brands seem to be preferred (Kenwood, Motorola, and Vertex). There is also a lot of information on these forums about this.

 

For the used radios, whether mobile or handheld, you'll want to do your homework to find out about type acceptance for use on GMRS. Again, there is a lot of information on this topic within these forums.

 

Yea, I bought a Baofeng UV-5X for my first GMRS radio which now comes with the updated firmware which fixed the code issue and narrowband/wideband issue as well. My GMRS radio I bought is on the UPS truck right now and will be in my hands in today.

I wanted something cheap that's portable and where I could take with me when I go fishing. Least that way if something happens to it I'm not out of a lot of money after all it's only a Baofeng.

Maybe at later date I'll get something better something like the Wouxun KG-UV9G which looks like a nice GMRS radio to me.

 

[Got my GMRS License]

For me I'm limited to either a handset OR mobile device for car cause I don't own the house I rent. I decided to get the Baofeng UV-5X for my first GMRS device which comes with the updated firmware which fixes couple issues with it.

Bought the GMRS handset for couple reasons. First one being it will let me try it out to see if GMRS is for me which could end up being. Another one being I like to go fishing at a lake not too far from me. Owning a GMRS handset will give me the option to carry it with me when I go fishing and waiting for the catfish to bite.

Besides that I can all ways get a good antenna for my car to help get little more range for car use.

Since I'm new to the GMRS scene I'm not up on all the good GMRS mobile's and handsets. But I seen people talk about the Wouxun KG-1000G GMRS Base/Mobile Two Way Radio. I'm not sure what kind of money you are looking to spend and if your looking for a base/mobile OR a portable handset.

Side note our call signs close to each other you must have got yours just shorty after I did.

 

[Base Antennas and lightening]

This topic brings back a memory from the very early 1980's when I was young.

My dad was a semi driver all his life and back then we lived in a trailer. He had a CB base station with a tower and a fiberglass CB antenna. Which the antenna came in two sections with a metal couple in the middle and had a metal tip.

One night there was a nasty lightning storm. That night lightning hit the CB antenna blowing it up in little tooth pick pieces. Few days later we found the metal couple fused together and found the metal tip in the cornfield like 200 yards away.

[University using GMRS without license...]

Maybe the employee's of the mall don't even know the license expired.

[Thanks USPS...]

Anymore these days USPS is hit and miss when it comes to your mail/packages showing up. Even though it has the correct address on it which you been using for years.

One time a package of mine ended up in New York which is two states away from where I live. The package clearly had my address on it which I been using for years.