WRPB690

Hi welcome to the forum! (Should have been the first response.)

These GMRS forums is NOT the place to discuss your politics. If you want to do that take it elsewhere.

I'd rather have your expertise and there's no need for bickering. If someone knows what is best for each application, stand up and say it. The rest of us need to know when to lead, and know when to follow. 

The more I learn about the FCC's General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), the more I am fascinated by RF in general. It touches everyone's lives every second of every day, yet few people pay much attention. How cool is it that after 42 years and 14 billion miles away, the 22-Watt radio on Voyager 1 is still sending data back to earth every day (how important is that antenna?). So why aren't more people interested in GMRS or RF in general? There's no test to get a license like amateur (ham) radio. It's $70 for a 10-year license, and is really easy to get started. So here are some theories.
 
People don't know:
GMRS exists  Why GMRS exists  Why they'd want to use GMRS  How to envision themselves participating in GMRS  What it takes to get started with GMRS  What it takes to continue and improve with GMRS Technical information they should know about GMRS Etiquette when transmitting (TX) on GMRS What a GMRS "Net" is and why Most people within the GMRS community are helpful once you're in, but the community is very inviting in a go-figure-it-out-yourself way, and no one has assembled everything you need to know about GMRS all in one place.
 
We GMRS people are putting the onus on outsiders to sift through thousands of painfully esoteric webpages with a winnowing fork, separating useful info from useless, poorly written, or incomplete info.
 
When I first heard about GMRS on a 4x4 trip, I arrived home and Googled around and settled on a Midland MXT-275 because it seemed perfect for mounting on my truck dashboard. At the time, I had no idea that Midland doesn't manufacture a GMRS radio capable of operating on split-tone repeaters (Dear Midland, I know you're reading this: why do you squander so much potential?). Edit 6/28/2021: Midland heard our cry! They just updated the MXT-275 to include split-tone programming on repeater channels. So for example, now this radio is able to reach a repeater that receives (RX) incoming transmissions on 467.550 with a PL tone of 103.5 and repeats the transmission (TX) at 462.550 with a PL tone of 88.5.
I didn't even know what "split tone" was or even what "tone" meant, or carrier or squelch or hundreds of other little things you all take for granted. Since then, I realized that if the big, bad manufacturers like Midland, Kenwood, Motorola, and iCom can't even invite the public to learn more and provide useful content for each stage of the customer journey—Awareness, Consideration, Purchase, and Loyalty—the 2-way radio industry has much deeper problems and aren't there to help guys like me.
 
As we get involved deeper into GMRS, there's little-to-no hand-holding going on at each level of knowledge. I ending up relying on the Ham community here and there and a guy who is basically a saint at a little radio shop in Phoenix, Arizona (hope Tim over at Procomm and the others at the nonprofit AZGMRS.org don't mind me giving them a shout-out).
 
Edit 4/14/2020: By the way, AZGMRS made this awesome list of FCC-approved GMRS radios that they recommend. If you live anywhere near Arizona and are reading this, now would be a great time to become a member. Their repeater network covers some 100 miles around Phoenix with more and more repeaters joining the network (check out their sweet coverage map).
 
But it's still frustrating.
 
I wish a GMRS expert—presumably a manufacturer—would just come out and say exactly what a total newbie needs at each stage of their involvement or level of need. Two-way radio manufacturers should stop wasting time trying to sell, and start marketing and branding, which means educating the public about the 5 W's (Who, What, Where, When, Why [+how, +how much]) without trying to sell to them.
 
Most new users don't know what they need because they don't know what's possible. For example, I wish I knew that manufacturers don't typically include the best antenna on their radios right out of the box. It took me over a year to realize that the best bang for the buck for a portable base antenna to include in my go bag is N9TAX's Slimjim and that Smiley Antenna makes the best bang for the buck antennas for hand-held radios (which by the way, everyone just assumes newbies are supposed to know that hand-held walkie-talkie radios are called "HT" for "Handy-talkie" and what a "QSO" is).
 
How would a newbie know that the cheap Nagoya 771 "upgrade" antenna for Baofengs that everyone talks about actually isn't the best bang for the buck for the GMRS frequency band of 462–467? How would a newbie know that antennas work best when tuned exactly to what they call a "center" frequency that accommodates 5 Megahertz in each direction (+5 and -5 Megahertz) at the expense of hearing other frequencies?
 
I learned the hard way that in order to properly install an NMO antenna mount on the roof of my truck, I would need a drill bit specifically made for drilling NMO antenna mount holes, and that yes, it is worth the money to do it right the first time.
 
I'm still in the middle of learning how a "quarter-wave" or "5/8 wave" antenna works, the difference between dB gain vs. dBi gain, mic gain, antenna gain, because again, everyone seems to just assume I already know what all this means. I still don't understand what antenna "tuning" means and why you have to "cut" an antenna to "tune" it. Can I make my own antenna right now in a pinch with a copper wire in my garage? Ok, show me! How do I measure it or test it? What is SWR? Can I measure it myself? What do I need in order to measure it? Is one SWR meter better than another for my level as a newbie? Is there something I should learn to make it worth buying the better meter that opens up a whole new world of capability? Is it worth learning all that?
 
This graphic did a great job beginning to explain what dBd gain means for those of us who know next to nothing about it, but now I need to go find out on my own and sift through a thousand webpages to find out if dBd is something new I need to know. Speaking of dB, I know that "dB" is a decibel, but is it the same as my stereo volume? Why do I see manufacturers saying that the microphone and cable have a dB rating? What is going on here? This is madness! We can Google things all day, but which info is true and correct and the most helpful?
 
I think that the entire industry is sitting on a Gold Mine of consumers sitting at home for weeks on end who would love to buy GMRS equipment and communicate via GMRS to friends, family, neighbors, and other GMRS users. Whoever provides the most useful, relevant, and engaging content that stops making assumptions about what people know or don't know will win.
 
STOP ASSUMING. START EDUCATING.

Your choice of radio brands, types (HT, mobile or base) and what purpose you want to use them for, e.g. GMRS for family under one family license to the different levels of individual Ham licenses.  So those just starting the venture I hope that the following will help you plan where and what you want to do.
This review of the Wouxun KG-935G is more for how should one position this radio since Wouxun has made several GMRS radio which I have KG-805G, KG-905G now KG935G for GMRS and a Wouxun KG-UV8H for Ham.  They all have their place in how you use them.  The 805G has it place for smaller hands, easy to use.  Then going up to the 905G and 935G for a more beefy feel, programing and what I like is scanning group options to name a few.
I have my Ham ticket and so how do I plan to fit GMRS and Ham radio into my life.  Though out all the forum and posts on Part 95 for GMRS radios and Part 90 for Ham and the two can get married per FCC, I choose to carry two radios that share batteries and other accessories plus program on the HT face and software menus are some what alike.
So the KG-935G is a solid commercial radio for GMRS but allows you to monitor 2 and 70 meter ham frequencies, to be clear only receive and can not transmit.  So if you want to monitor a Ham repeater, pick the correct frequencies to hear the repeater when you set it up.
I have only had the KG-935G radio a few days and still working on making it my daily carry in my Jeep.  Yes, I could get a Baofeng or other multi band radios for Ham and GMRS in one radio but if you have used a $40-50 radio, you may not reach a repeater or others may not heard your audio.  Do not get me wrong, many who have these multi band radios and works for you great, you are closer to a strong repeater and it is your radio choice…  Happy for you.  I was given a free BaoFeng UV-82 Classic and could trigger the Ham repeater but no one could hear us in both GMRS and Ham…  Now I know why the gifter gave it to us.  Do not read into this statement BaoFeng or other brands… are fine, you get what you pay for.  It just where I live and the equipment did not match to my radio environmental needs.
So for fueling my Ham 2 and 70 meter I have a Wouxun KG-UV8H which is a Ham radio that can monitor GMRS but not transmit on 462.xxx…467.xxx  KG-UV8H is Part 90 legal for Hams per FCC.
So on both KG-935G and KG-UV8H I can scan away and in my area of Western NC, we have great high mountains and privately owned and friendly repeaters owners as long as you are license, follow the repeaters owners rules and get permission before hand to get the PL codes.  So one day the GMRS is busy or I need to reach family/friends/others approved operators on the GMRS repeaters.  Then on other days the Ham frequencies is active like on Net Control nights or Fox Hunts or just general communication with other Hams.  In our area we have more Ham repeaters then folks to use and talk on them.  Out of the 6 repeaters in all bands, it like crickets.    
O let me add one of the latest thing new to me as a Ham, it is DMR and the DMR repeaters are linked and you can have miles and miles of communication plus talk to others around the world with just a handheld HT radio.  No big antenna or collection like an antenna farm in your backyard which might upset your wife.  As soon as I understand more about DMR I will let you know.  So for those wanting digital GMRS and roam which FCC has not made the rules changes to fit that function, go get your Ham ticket… and do DMR as we have more DMR repeaters in our area.
Ham ticket test is not that hard… I’m 74 yo and my 12 yo grand daughter and I did FRS for years just in the yard and close neighbors.  Then we got a family GMRS license and many GMRS folks who are Hams also, suggested to us to study and take the Ham test.  You no longer need Morse Code as part of the first level of license.  Second get a study buddy, friend, one or more of your children or grand children.  For a preteen to get ones Ham ticket has caused her to grow, be confident and has new friends, fun events.  O yes she had Mic fright at first, I still do and ex LEO.  How we got started is we first reached out to the local Ham club, we meet the folks at a lunch meeting and felt welcomed and asked for a coach to walk us through the process.  It not hard, it took us one and half months of online study three times a week for one plus hours and we pass the test end of May 2021.
It is quoted that Ham radio is the art, science in communication and helping others in times of an need or emergency.  My 12 yo grand daughter caught the radio vision after going to Rocket Museum in Huntsvilles, AL and saw all the radio equipment and all the astronaut where Ham and you can talk to the ISS as it goes overhead.  So one of her many goals in life is joining Space Force as well as be a pet sitter and walker.       
Feel free to PM me if you want more personal detail, otherwise all comments accepted as this is IMHO which that is why no one radio fits all your needs, it personal, so share your story so others can see if that fits them.
So go and enjoy your radio journey.
MacJack