SteveShannon

Here’s the problem: while there are GMRS radios that send location information, best among them being the Garmin Rhino radios in my opinion, regulations prohibit radios which send digital location data from having a replaceable antenna or transmitting location data through a repeater, which will make it more difficult to build the “central system (with a nice, high, antenna).

When you say you are “entering random frequencies” are you truly entering random frequencies or are you trying to enter the 30 specific frequencies GMRS is limited to use? It sounds like maybe you are truly “entering random frequencies” rather than staying on the established channels: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E/section-95.1763

Morse code knowledge is no longer a requirement if you want to branch out into ham radio.

Measuring your SWR on the radio side of the duplexer will cause the SWR measurement be lower than it really is. The reason is because SWR is calculated using the forward power and the reflected power, but at the radio you see all of the forward power (because it hasn’t been run through the duplexer yet) and you measure less of the reflected power than actually would happen without the duplexer. Your forward power is attenuated going through the duplexer and then some of it reflects and the reflected power is attenuated again on the way back to the SWR meter so it’s simply a low reading. For the best SWR reading, put the SWR meter right at the antenna.

No it doesn’t, unless you’re one of those who feels better about himself when ridiculing others.

Are they or you licensed for that frequency? As others have said it’s not GMRS. That KG905G is a very good GMRS radio but it is not a radio programmed to use commercial frequencies. It is programmed to prevent you from violating regulations. Some Baofeng radios are also but people are attracted to the models that allow them to operate on oddball frequencies. The fines for operating like that can be steep but it’s highly unlikely to be cited. If your club has a commercial license for that frequency then you will need a different radio. If your club wants to operate in the GMRS service, they’ll need to use one of the channels that the FCC set aside.

Is there even a repeater where you are? I agree with amaff; use them until you outgrow them, then keep them for someone else in your family.

The OP simply struck me as someone who didn’t know much about radios yet. They might only have a couple FRS radios which don’t require licenses. With no license they could not register. That’s not necessarily an expectation to be coddled. The OP just didn’t know what they didn’t know and let’s face it, many of the manuals for the least expensive radios are nothing better than poorly translated lists of menu functions rather than a how to get started resource.

Amaff said it all; I’m just trying to offer something helpful. If you change your tone to 0, you should be able to hear your club members and anyone else on frequency 22. That’s because having no tone set for receiving, means you hear everything. That allows you to verify the channel. Then try stepping through the tones until you hear them again. Now can they hear you when you transmit?

That seems right. It’s a virtual com port created by the device driver that only exists to service the device, which is the radio. It only shows up when the driver detects the radio. The resources needed to create a virtual com port are not needed otherwise and are freed up when no longer needed. It’s not a problem so no “solution” is needed. But because the radio is detected and the com port is created just for it, you shouldn’t even have to tell the software which com port it is. Just turn on the radio and use the software. For some radios, the usb cable has a chip that converts the usb signals to audio signals and separates them to send them to the microphone jack and receive them from the earphone jack. In that case, the device is the chip built into the cable so turning the radio off doesn’t free the com port, but unplugging the cable does. Because this type is used for many different purposes, you have to tell the CPS which com port to use.

I’ll have to look for those. And I am interested in the backstory of you meeting Robert Vaughn.

Yes, RTSystems is careful to use a common table structure for their data editors, but why not use the CSV file capability?

Which “He” used a vibroplex?

First, I’m very sorry for your loss. Second, although there are some people who use GMRS like ham radio, listening for people to visit on either repeaters or using a popular calling channel like 19, for most of us it’s a service we use to support communications while engaging in other activities, like hiking, biking, rocketry (that’s mine) etc. Additionally some people have adopted it as a way to communicate and gather information in an apocalyptic event. But I will tell you that if you want to reach out to others over longer distances and visit with others who are interested in radio, ham radio is much more active than GMRS in more places. Plus it has never been easier to study for the tests and Morse code is no longer required.

1. Make sure they’re turned on and on the same channel. 2. Clear out any tones from all of the radios. You might have to read the manual for this. 3. Give one radio to a friend or sweetheart. Have them go to the other end of your house or yard. 4. Push the largest button (usually the top) on the left side of one of the radios. 5. Start talking. 6. Your friend or sweetheart should hear your voice. 7. If not, come back with some details about the radios.

That’s a very nice box, possibly one of the nicer ones I’ve seen. I’m sure glad I checked for new unread posts so I could see it.

You are wrong. Free means you don’t pay. Open access means you don’t have to ask permission.

A 100 watt radio needs about 23 amps. A 50 watt radio needs about half that, maybe 12-15 amps.

@JoCoBrian deserves full credit. In response to a post decrying the apparent lost of a repeater, I asked the original poster (OP) why he had gotten a GMRS license in the first place. JoCoBrian stepped up and gave a great answer and I realized this might be a good general interest question. I’ve been fascinated with radio as long as I can remember. My parents had one of those tall wooden consoles with a radio and record player and before I was school age I took it apart. Then in the 60s I became interested in two way radios while watching The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Every time a company came out with some kind of small walkie talkie I begged my folks for a set. In eighth grade I became interested in ham radio but I never followed through (a trait I still have). When I got into amateur rocketry a couple decades ago I noticed that people were carrying real radios. Eventually my mentor got a Garmin and I bought a less expensive Motorola Talkabout to talk to him. But neither of us were licensed. I signed up for an FRN in probably 2004 or 2005 but didn’t want to spend the money to buy the license. It took quite a few years but a few years ago (2021 I think) my conscience finally got the better of me. I got a license and started watching Notarubicon videos. Within a few months my interest in ham radio resurrected itself as well and in 2022, I took all three tests. But I still want a Man from U.N.C.L.E. communicator! So, why did you get a GMRS license?

Great answer, and although (as you understood) was really asking the OP, I will take your hint that it might be a good general topic. I’ll start a new thread for it.

Why did you get a GMRS license in the first place?

If you’re using the request function on this site, you’ll hopefully receive an answer that appears in your control panel where it says “My Requests”. Sometimes it takes a while. No secret knock, just your call sign, but in many cases the owner provides you with the input tone needed to access the site. Yes, sometimes, if the repeaters are linked together as part of a network, but most repeaters are not linked together and it’s an ongoing controversy whether it’s permissible under the regulations or even whether it’s something desirable. Keep in mind that if you link two repeaters together and you speak on them, everything you say is heard by folks listening on any of the linked repeaters. You might not like that and they might not either. I have no experience using linked GMRS repeaters. I don’t really even have a strong opinion on the question of compliance. There are none in my area. Also, there’s little to be gained by tagging me individually. I have no special powers or knowledge. I don’t know all the answers and someone who does know the answer to your specific question might not answer if you appear to be limiting your question to an individual member.

That’s usually an inadequate power supply. The voltage sags and the radio reboots.

The MT350R was sold as a combination GMRS and FRS radio before the FCC changed the rules for both services. Some channels at that time were GMRS only and some were FRS only. As such, it was marketed as a combination GMRS/FRS radio. I think I still have a couple Motorola walkie talkies similar to those and a couple similar Midland radios that claim five watts. But it was never programmed to transmit on the repeater input frequencies, the 467 MHz Main Channels, or with an offset, so while you’ll be able to listen to repeaters you’ll not be able transmit to them. They are still usable with your GMRS license or using them as FRS radios, just not on repeaters. The good news is that there has never been a time when more inexpensive GMRS were available.

You’re wrong.