WRUU653

Absolutely. You don’t need any license to listen.

If safe (always like to throw that in there), try taking your hand held up on the roof and see if that improves your position enough. You may get an idea if it’s worth putting an antenna up. Also if you know where the repeater is you can get an idea of line if site using a tool like this.

Welcome Of those radios I only have personal experience with the KG-935G plus and I’ll say it’s my favorite every day radio and I haven’t heard anyone that has it that doesn’t like it. I know someone with the GMSR v2 and his sound quality is good into a repeater between us, where he is probably 10 miles away from the repeater. I’d say watch some videos like NotaRubicon and get a feel for what the different features are and what may be important for your use.

From everything I see from their site the RT99 looks to be a ham radio. Though one YouTuber says it goes into GMRS bands. It looks a lot like a rebranded VGC radio (check out the Bluetooth HT that works with this). Not being certified for GMRS seems obvious so that’s going to be your choice, that aside this could be a cool radio. Like a DB20 with more bells and whistles and at 50 watts for a decent price. A couple things I’d be concerned with is if it’s capabilities would be changed with an app update (like GMRS use disappearing) and the distraction of using the app while driving. I’ll second @Sshannon in saying please report back on what this thing can do if you get it. I think the gps mapping and ability to see your groups positions could have some cool real world uses.

@Sshannon very informative and well said sir. The most detailed answer to the least detailed question. Above and beyond.

@Sshannon that’s something there! Very cool! I have to ask though, does it come with a lanyard? Asking for a friend.

It helps if you are ambidextrous. Wasn't that the lyrics to a Beatles song? R is T and T is R and we are all together...

I was always partial to Roy Rogers myself, Yippie Ki Yay...

Your radios TX is transmit. Your radios RX is receive. The repeater is going to RX (recieve) your TX and TX (transmit to your receive) RX. Yes it can be complicating. What you need to remember is the TX and RX listed is where you need to program those numbers for your radio. Hope that helps.

I have nothing against the GM-30 it just isn’t my choice. Your argument against the radio I mention is flawed as in your stated scenario one wouldn’t need to replace the radio or the battery with the radio I mentioned and I don’t mind handing it over to family. I want them to have a good experience too. I’m the kind of guy that gives his wife the better steak. That’s just me. I also don’t leave ice tea or my radios in the car for two days but to each their own. OP has options and depending on his needs now he has more info for an informed decision.

I said it was IP67

Just an FYI, these seven repeaters listed under WR**** on the Monday list are duplicates. I reported my own thread in hopes to bring it to the attention of Rich but it is only Monday.

For simplicity and quality I agree with @pcradio on the KG-S88G. It’s superheterodyne, it’s IP67 waterproof, small and easy to use. I got one for this very reason of being able to hand it to a family member and know that it’s not over complicated.

Welcome @WRYJ591. If you’re like many of us you will end up getting more than one (or two, or three…) My favorite right now is the Wouxun KG-935G plus. You can spend more, you can spend less. Starting out with a less expensive radio is a great way to jump in and learn about GMRS and what you may want from your next radio. Good advice from both @Sshannon and @WRXD372.

@Sshannon thank you for the charts.

...and the horrors of hearing people using radios for work and speaking Spanish. .. . .- . .. . .. .. .. / . . -.

¡Llamando a todas los trabajadores, hay muchas malas hierbas! Trae Round Up!

@JamesBrox I like to think of tones as locks and keys. The TX set on your radio will unlock the repeater allowing you to open it. The repeater sends out a tone (a key if you will) that will unlocks the RX tone that you have on your radio and if you have a tone set for that RX that is the only thing that gets through. With no tones set on your radios TX you won’t open the repeater and you with no tone on your radios RX your receive is open to hear all. @Sshannon is absolutely correct here. There really isn’t such a thing as privacy in GMRS.

What @Sshannon said. I'm too slow

You should be able to here from the repeater on your UV-5R, no tone needed to listen. It may be your radios are to close to eachother though. desensing can happen when radios are close to eachother causing one not to receive transmissions. Try moving them further apart like fifty feet or so.

The listing have minor differences yes, like who owns them. I like the idea of writing something in that prevents duplicate entries. This happens a lot (the second time this week) and it seems to always be new license holders (this guy has had his for 9 days and listed seven repeaters as his). They are not and it wouldn’t surprise me that he has no idea what he has done. I am hoping that Rich can do something so he doesn’t have to keep fixing these problems, repeater owners are not getting angry with people that don’t know what they are doing and when we all see a listing we know that’s the owner to contact.

Repeaters output on the same frequency as the simplex channels (15-22). Only the input is different. What you hear on simplex is the same as from the repeater. No different. When you are on a repeater channels (23-31) and you have tones set then you won’t hear the simplex but simplex still hears you. Hope that helps.

No. A repeater can ID on the output (simplex) but still have tones to access it. It’s very common to hear the ID morris code on the simplex channel. You hear everything on simplex but if you have the output tones set on the repeater channel you’ll only hear what’s coming from the repeater. Some people set their radios with only the input for a repeater with the output off so they hear all that’s on the frequency. Hearing a repeater ID on simplex has nothing to do with being open or closed.

They can’t but to use their repeater you have to be transmitting with a +5 offset. If you set up a repeater without tones I really don’t think you should expect it not to be used and just listening on the output you couldn’t tell if they are on it or not.

My understanding is that some repeaters as mentioned here set the repeater ID without tones so when you are on the repeater you won’t hear it and disrupt communication. Of course as @ULTRA2 points out on simplex without tones you hear everything.