SteveShannon

Right, I saw that you had yours unlocked and were able to transmit higher than 54.  I wondered if Imply4907 was using an unlocked radio. That’s why I prefaced my question with @Imply4907. 🙂
 

I bought my TS-590 based on Sherwood's receive sensitivity ratings, but gave up ground on noise suppression technology.

I don't have top tell you that the DB20 will survive anything you can throw at it and will still work.

I had one on a four foot RG-8x jumper I built just the other day.  I didn’t do the repetitive checking you correctly recommend.  I knew it was almost certainly just a single strand, and I was even tempted to connect the shield and center to the two posts on a battery to see if I could just zap it like a bug zapper. Instead I cut off the end and replaced it, being more careful that time. I had checked the other end before crimping so I was certain which end it was in.  

You haven't said what radio or which software!
Company software for UV-5G: Edit > DTMF
 
One example (for a different radio, ham version) using Chirp:
 

My Wouxun KG1000 has had no issues for the past couple years. Well, when it's cold the fan on the Wouxun tends to make noise for a couple seconds.  I also know a guy with a DB20G in his car and he's never had an issue.  Both in Michigan where it gets, yes, cold.

Had their marketing person written : “the KG1000G has been programmed to receive on the following bands” it would have been clearer.

@WSDE521 where do you stand with your base radio setup?

Gregg...thx so much!!

Yep, it's sad that you have to do things like this sometimes. You shouldn't have to find a way around it. I think some of the manufacturers misinterpret the regulations. Any GMRS radio should be able to have multiple repeaters programed in with the same frequency but different tones so that as you travel, you just switch to the one you are near.

Ah... I like that. so by default you can't save any other GMRS repeater channels with different tones wihtout unlocking it? Glad to hear there is a way around it!

^Welcome!

I bought the Radioddity DB20-G, during prime days, and then unlocked the frequencies using their own software, making it a DB20-GUV.  I only did it to get around the 8 repeater channel limit on this thing.  I have a ton of repeaters around here in the Phoenix area and 8 just ain't gonna cut it.  No desire to transmit on any of the HAM frequencies...  I'm still working on an antenna for the house (currently using a pizza pan with a cheap Bingfu magnetic mount UHF antenna) and I actually get better RX/TX when I'm in the car.  Anyways, new to the site and new to GMRS, but not radios in general.  
Jeff
Phoenix Area
WSFC997

I settled on a Radioddity DB25-G.  Amazon had it for $89.99 a while back. I had to return the first one because it wasn't right.  The replacement seems okay so far.  I went with 25W because it would easily plug into a car's cigarette lighter and could be moved inside to a power adapter.  This is not the best set up, but for a new user like me it's perfectly adequate.  I'm told that people tend to keep buying radios, so there will be plenty of opportunities to upgrade.

I take no measures to prevent this and honestly I haven’t seen it occur (I don’t mean I’ve never seen lcds fade to unusable, just not in my two way radios).  Nor have my encoder controls failed.  But other than a couple Baofeng radios I seldom use my radios are mostly Yaesu, Alinco, or Garmin. Perhaps their controls are sealed better against dust and perhaps they use a higher quality wider temperature range LCD.
My DB20Gs have been outside for a couple years during some pretty cold weather. It’s -10 here right now, but they’ve been down to -40°F without apparent issues. None of my vehicles live in the garage. 
 
Edited to add: I don’t turn on devices with frozen (black) LCDs until they’ve had a chance to warm up and thaw.

Guess my OCD took me down the rabbit hole

I would love to help you, but it varies per radio. If you could tell me what make and model radio you have, I could likely assist.

I had one on a four foot RG-8x jumper I built just the other day.  I didn’t do the repetitive checking you correctly recommend.  I knew it was almost certainly just a single strand, and I was even tempted to connect the shield and center to the two posts on a battery to see if I could just zap it like a bug zapper. Instead I cut off the end and replaced it, being more careful that time. I had checked the other end before crimping so I was certain which end it was in.  

I make it a constant habit to continue checking for shorts along each step of the connector installation before crimping the connector than after crimping I check again. It saves a lot of money and time. If I don't see "0L" on my volt meter than I look for that lowly wire strand.

Good job!  Trust me when I say any one of us could do the same thing. 

Test at the connections. You don’t need to remove the headliner if everything rings out well. Look for no continuity between the center and the shield without the antenna. It should be the same on both ends. 
If you put a dummy load on the end you should see 50 ohms between center and shield. 

Good job!  Trust me when I say any one of us could do the same thing. 

I will help enable others some more. If you are looking for a good IP rated 20 watt mobile radio then go with the KG-XS20G. 
The XS20G pairs well with the 935G. They actually use the same screen and have the same menu layout. So if you can program one, then you can program the other without having to learn a new menu system.

Okay...get ready to laugh...
 
After I changed the coax connector and tested the SWR...I forgot to put the antenna on.  I replaced the antenna and tested again and got SWRs mostly in the 1.5 +/- range all the way up and down the 70c and 2m bands. As I got to the upper end of 70cm and the lower end of 2m, it went up but still was acceptable, which I expected for a dual-band antenna. I'm going to call that good enough.

Bad connector installation on the coax. You are most likely shortening/grounding out the cable with a little itty bitty braided wire strand with the connector.