dosw

It is perfectly fine for FRS radios and GMRS radios to interact with each other. They share all the same frequencies, except that GMRS has repeater frequencies too. If you're using a GMRS radio, you should state your callsign. He, using FRS, doesn't need to. ...honor system.

GMRS has become more popular than MURS because it's better laid out (a contiguous block in the 462s, and a contiguous block in the 467s), more channels, compatible with unlicensed FRS users, repeater availability (making it more attractive to hobbiests and people who need distance), and the fact that you can get a 10 year family-oriented license for $35 without jumping through ham hoops (a test, usually an in-person testing facility). FRS is a gateway drug to GMRS. MURS is the VHF band cousin to FRS. But MURS doesn't have contiguous blocks of frequencies, repeaters, compatibility with a gazillion FRS radios already in peoples homes, MURS doesn't have contiguous frequencies; there are licensed services sandwiched between the MURS frequencies. Repeaters will probably never happen for MURS -- offsets would be really strange, and power is unlikely to go higher than 2w, to protect the paid licensees. GMRS has become popular because of the fact that it is highly compatible, easy to get into, not terribly expensive to grow with, and it's useful. ...and because it has the Queen as a spokesperson; someone who is pretty entertaining, and a prolific Youtube content creator.

It's possible I have a defective 701. If I touch it exactly where the whip meets the base, the SWR drops to 1.01:1. Move my finger away, and it goes back up to 6:1

I have a Nagoya NA-701G, and a Nagoya NA-771G. I just wanted to point out some observations about the two. The setup: Antenna -> SMA Female to PL259 Male adapter -> Surecom SW102 -> PL259 Male to SMA Male adapter -> Baofeng UV5G The adapters don't use any cable, they're solid connectors. Methodology: Cradle hand behind the radio as I would when transmitting, select a channel, PTT and observe the SWR. I tested the NA-701G and NA-771G antennas with a Baofeng UV-5G connected directly to a Surecom SW-102, connected directly to the antenna. I also tested with a stock antenna. First test was a real world test: I drove around to a few locations within five miles of my home and tested sound quality (I was recording at home using SDR++ with an RTL-SDRv4 connected to a Comet CA2X4SR). In each of my tests, the sound quality recorded was best with the NA-771G, with the stock Baofeng antenna in 2nd place, and the NA-701G in last place of the three. I would expect the NA-771G to outperform the stock antenna, but I would not expect the stock antenna to outperform a GMRS dedicated antenna like the NA-701G. Next I tested the SWR with the Surecom meter and direct connections. I carefully held the radio as I would hold it when speaking; nearly vertical, hand cupped around the back of the radio, a few inches from my face. The SWR on the NA-701G ranged between 3.0:1 and 6.0:1. These are really awful numbers for an antenna that is advertised as <1.5:1 SWR.. Then I tested with the NA-771G, and it got a nearly perfect score of between 1.0:1 and 1.03:1. Excellent. Finally I tested with the stock Baofeng antenna. It got between 1.01:1 and 1.06:1 across all GMRS frequencies. My NA-701G and NA-771G both came in the same type of Nagoya antenna packaging. They appear to both be genuine, not knockoffs. Yet the 771G performed so well, for a handheld antenna (yes, it's quite long), and the 701G performed worse than a stock antenna. I'm not sure if perhaps I got a defective 701. It's rather hard to make a defective rubber-duck style antenna, I think, though. So this one is probably not going to get used now that I've tested its characteristics. On the positive side, it's about a quarter inch shorter than the stock antenna, and a lot more flexible. So the form factor is nice. The real silver lining is the NA-771G. Great antenna. I also tested the NA-771G on MURS, and it maintained an SWR of 1.4:1 or 1.5:1 across the MURS frequencies.=

There is not. There is nothing special about any GMRS frequencies other than the implications around power and what types of radios they can use. Channels 1-7: <= 5w for GMRS, <= 2w for FRS. FRS/GMRS simplex. Channels 8-14: <= 0.5w for GMRS, <= 0.5w for FRS, handheld ONLY. FRS/GMRS simplex. Channels 15-22: <= 50w for GMRS, <= 2w for FRS. FRS/GMRS simplex, plus GMRS repeater outputs. Repeater input frequencies 1-8: GMRS <= 50w, with outputs 5MHz lower. That's it, that's all there is to know about the GMRS channels. There are currently no special channels for emergencies, traveler assistance, nothing like that exists. A traveler assistance channel used to exist, but that stopped in the latter part of the 90s. This question does come up frequently and is answered frequently.

Strange thing: I turned on my UV5G with a 701G antenna on it and didn't pick up NOAA1 (I always pick it up), so I switched to the wider-band stock antenna, and still didn't pick up any of the NOAA frequencies. So I tuned my RTL-SDR to NOAA, and also didn't pick it up (using a Comet CA2x4SR). So at the moment, for the first time I've ever noticed, the local NOAA is offline possibly. You can check https://www.weather.gov/nwr/outages But there's no outage shown in my area. As for whether it should be able to be picked up with a UHF only antenna, that really depends on distance / signal quality. I have a GMRS-only antenna (tuned to 460-470) that doesn't pick up NOAA from my home. Other antennas do. It's possible that the bullbar antenna he's using just won't pick up VHF well enough for his area. (Update:) And a few minutes later NOAA came back up in my area.

Wishing the queen would decree that 9 is the official "kids playing walkie talkie" channel so that we could all get behind being irritated that nobody who hands toddlers a pair of radios to play with knows about the decree.

How is the antenna working out now then? I have that one that I use once in awhile. It's not my best antenna, but it's definitely my best shorter antenna (compared to my other short antenna, the MXTA25). To get any better you have to go longer.

Some sort of digital transmission that goes on hour after hour on GMRS 19 / 462.650. It's faint enough that my radios only pick it up if I have a good antenna hooked up, but strong enough that with a good antenna, even with squelch set rather high, the channel isn't terribly useful. audio_462650000Hz_12-48-09_27-07-2024.wav

That may be, but it's not illegal to use the same antenna. Antenna to diplexer to VHF and GMRS, separate radios.

I have that same antenna. it's alright. If you're looking for a 3dbi antenna it's a solid performer. If you take it off-road you might want to look for one with a spring instead, though. A 5dbi or 6dbi antenna would get you a little more range, though it would be a lot taller. For mounts you can buy any NMO mount that fits your application. Through the roof, lip mount, magnetic mount, mirror bracket, there are a lot of options. Middle of the roof will get you the best performance, so that would be a through-the-roof hole or magnetic. Midland sells double sided stickers in case you wanted to make a magnetic mount more permanent.

Of course all this is documented..... https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns

But I don't think the 771g is dual band. There are three versions of the 771. 771R retractable, designed for 144MHz and 430MHz (Amateur) 771 flexible whip, designed for 144MHz and 430MHz (Amateur) 771G flexible whip, designed for 462MHz (GMRS). It's a little hard to find higher gain handheld antennas for 144/440/465. As I mentioned in another post, if you are able to use a mobile antenna (with proper adapters), for example if you're at your vehicle, the Comet CA2X4SR is made for VHF amateur, VHF Murs, VHF Marine, UHF amateur, UHF GMRS, and other search and rescue frequencies in the vicinity. Great antenna for that purpose. I have one on the boat, along with a diplexer to feed a Marine VHF radio, and a GMRS radio. And I have one with my SDR dongles hooked up to it because it receives so well across such a broad spectrum of VHF and UHF.

I can confirm this. My Midland MXT275 isn't even all that new. It's the USB-C version, but I bought it sometime in late 2021 or early 2022, I think. I've looked at the spectrum with SDR++ using an RTL-SDR BLOG v4, and it appears wider when I watch the repeater input frequencies while transmitting on 15R-22R than when transmitting on 1-7 or 15-22. Additionally when I receive a signal on 15R-22R it is a little quieter than when receiving on 15-22, which is another phenomenon that can be explained by a switch in RX bandwidth. It was a PITA to test. Had to drive far enough away to avoid loading up the SDR's inputs. And I had to do it twice since repeater inputs are 5MHz above outputs, and the SDR's bandwidth is 2.4MHz.

I wasn't quite sure which category to post this in. I obtained a pair of RTL-SDR BLOG v4 software defined radio dongles. And I've spent some time playing with one of them today. It's actually pretty fun tinkering with them. And I've already learned a lot about how to configure SDR++ (aka sdrpp). One thing I haven't figured out yet: It is possible to set up dual virtual radios that can be tuned to different frequencies within the same sampling range (2.4-3.2mhz) but I think it's possible to set up two of the SDR radios at once so that multiple VFO selections can be made within separate sampling ranges. So that's the question: How do you get SDR++ to provide access to two software defined radios at the same time. Also, has anyone used one of these as a scanner? What software do you prefer for scanning? A reason for having dual SDR dongles is to be able to set up trunk tracking, but as I'm only a day in with these I'm still learning where to start.

I also find it hard to believe anyone would be terribly successful getting help in an SHTF situation if they're barging into an Amateur frequency with attitude and no license, having already been kicked out of a local GMRS group for showing attitude and disdain for the process. There's some crossover, and long memories between GMRS users and hams. Go into a GMRS group and treat people such that they kick you out, then find yourself in an "emergency" and key up on a ham repeater. Great plan.

Wouxun KG-XS20G. It may be a little more elaborate to set up than the Wouxun KG905G, but you can review the manual online and see if it will fit your needs. And it's $199, so it fits under your $200 threshold. It's a 20w radio. I have an Retevis RA87 40w radio. It's not what I would call simple, but only because the manual is written in a version of English that doesn't exist outside of China. Once you configure it with CHIRP, it's all set and good to go. And you can get it for under $160 if you do a little searching. You will still need an antenna and antenna mount. Staying under $200 with a decent antenna may be a bit of a challenge. There's also the Midland MXT275, which comes with an antenna, though a tiny one. That bundle is $169 on Amazon. It's a 15w radio. But here's where it may fall short of your needs: Yes, it can do repeaters. However, you get only one repeater per frequency. You get one repeater on channel 15R, one on 16R, and so on. So if you happen to have two repeaters you like to hit on 462.7000, you'll have to pick one and go with it. To use the other one, you'll need to reconfigure the radio's tone on that channel. However, the radio is otherwise extremely simple to use, and works quite well. It was my primary mobile radio for a couple of years.

For mobile consider the Comet CA2X4SR. It handles GMRS, 70cm, MURS, Marine VHF, and 2m. And it will listen to a much broader range than that. I've worked a repeater 63 miles away with less than 4w from a handheld with an adapter, with that antenna. Ideal conditions, to be sure. But it's anecdotal evidence that antenna is capable. I'm not really invested in the licensing rant, though.

Holy cow, that's amazing. I would have expected point of the mountain to get in the way.

Within CHIRP: Tone means you transmit with the repeater's PL/CTCSS tone, which you must do for the repeater to listen to you. TSQL means you transmit with that tone, AND only listen if the repeater is transmitting that tone, too. With "tone" the repeater will hear you, and you will hear the repeater plus anyone else transmitting on that channel: Kids playing walkie talkie, road crews, whatever is being transmitted on that channel. With "TSQL" the repeater will hear you, and you will hear the repeater. You won't hear everyone else who happens to be intermittently using that frequency. For getting things set up the first time as a newbie, "tone" leaves one less possible problem in hearing the repeater. Once you've gotten set up and made contact once to confirm you have the right tone, switch to TSQL so you don't hear unwanted chatter.

By way of an update, I just repeated the test from a slightly different location, 200ft lower, 1 mile west. But this time I used a Baofeng UV-5G connected to a magnetic mount, attached to a window air conditioner, and using a Comet CA2X4SRNMO antenna. This radio puts out 3.5w to 4w depending on its mood. My SWR with this antenna in its current mounting configuration is around 1.1:1, so very good. I tested against the Ogden repeater, which is about 43.3 miles from this location. This time I didn't get through, or at least didn't get a response. I might try again later, because ..... Then I tried against the Promontory repeater, which is 63.7 miles from my current location. With a handheld Baofeng UV-5G and a Comet CA2X4SR antenna, I got a signal report back that claimed "Clear, very little static, audio just a little low, but sounds good." I never really expected to reach the Promontory repeater at over 63 miles with a handheld, regardless of whether I had a good antenna connected to it, but to my surprise I got through fairly well. Failing to hit the Ogden repeater may be because my elevation is a couple hundred feet lower, and and the Ensign Peak area could be interfering from this elevation. Or it could be that I have more tree interference from this location. Anyway, one more proof that you don't necessarily need a lot of wattage to reach out over a great distance. You need a good antenna and pretty good line of sight. 63.7 miles at 3.5-4w with an external antenna mounted on a window air conditioner. It shouldn't be surprising that I was also able to hit the Ensign Peak Capitol repeater, at 15.6 miles:

That antenna has ground plane radials. The dish *could* be interacting in some way... well, not could, is. But it's hard to know what the net effect is. The biggest issue would be that coax. It's 75ohm, and very lossy. Probably RG6 or RG59. And given its age, could even have UV and water deterioration. Just moving the cable a little could change its attenuation a lot. Until you're running reasonable cable it's pretty hard to proceed to the next step of fine tuning the antenna placement.

From your position, you probably can see down into Utah County better than I can. Point of the Mountain is a big obstruction for me, to the south.

Trees absorb UHF radio waves, so do plan on losing some range, possibly a lot of range in areas with dense foliage. There's not that much to learn before you push to talk. If you have someone to talk to, pick a channel, optionally set a tone, and start talking. Identify with your call sign in your first transmission and every fifteen minutes of chatter after that. If you're using a repeater you will program the frequency and the correct tone, and then listen for awhile to understand how that repeater is used. When there's a break in the chatter you can ask for a signal report. Identify as before, and it's customary to sign out with <call sign> clear. The rest you can learn as you go.

Currently nobody's going to accuse me of spending $500 on a radio (though I've probably spent that much on various antennas). I have an RA87 ($155, on sale), an MXT275 ($179 on sale), two Baofeng UV5Gs, and two Midland GXT1000s. Next I'd probably get a TYT TH-9800 Plus since I think I'm ready to test for my Tech license. Overall I've spent less than $1000 on GMRS, including antennas, radios, coax, mounts, SWR meter, connectors, and license.