New to gmrs

[WSJD714]

I'm new to gmrs and can't connect to the repeater. I'm trying to connect to 462.675. I'm running a uv9g and have the offset and the ctcss tone put in as listed on mygmrs.com but nobody can hear me. Is it user error or radio error?

[OffRoaderX]

22 minutes ago, WSJD714 said:

Is it user error...... ?

..we will reserve judgement for now.

With a UV9g, you dont need to think about the offset - these are the basic steps:

• Put the radio on the correct REPEATER CHANNEL - Probably listed as either "Repeater 20" or Channel 28
• Go into the Transmit CTC menu and enter the tone
• IGNORE/REMOVE the Receive tone as it is optional and at this point its only going to add to your confukulation
• Be sure to save all your changes (you may need to resort to the manual)
• Push the talk-button and talk, let go of button and listen for the Kerchunk/Static back from the repeater, or someone responding

If it doesn't work then either you have the wrong channel, the tone is wrong, you are not close enough to the repeater (just because you can hear it does not mean it can hear you) or the repeater is down/broken/offline.

The fact that you said you "have the offset" leads me to surmise that you've done it wrong.

[WRHS218]

Since the uv9g is a GMRS radio it is pretty hard to mess up. Some things to think about: Are you close enough to the repeater? If you know the general location you could move closer to it until you are sure you are actually opening the repeater. Have you tried simplex with another radio to make sure your radio is transmitting? Is there traffic on the repeater? I'm sure you have double checked your RX/TX tones but you might want to leave the RX tone off if the repeater has one so you can hear all the traffic on that frequency. I'm sure others will chime in with things I didn't mention. Don't give up.

[WSJI648]

To the OP, I am somewhat in the same boat. My best guess, as it is something that I am only as of late learning myself, is that you are not hitting the repeater. I hear traffic from my local repeater all day and night. I've tried to work it with my HT and have had zero success. I've had simplex contacts out to about 3 miles, but the repeater is much, much further than that. And even though it is atop a mountain, I have no luck.

I've decided to move up to a 50w radio and bigger antenna to try my luck.

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, WSJI648 said:

To the OP, I am somewhat in the same boat. My best guess, as it is something that I am only as of late learning myself, is that you are not hitting the repeater. I hear traffic from my local repeater all day and night. I've tried to work it with my HT and have had zero success. I've had simplex contacts out to about 3 miles, but the repeater is much, much further than that. And even though it is atop a mountain, I have no luck.

I've decided to move up to a 50w radio and bigger antenna to try my luck.

Are you using the simplex channel that you hear the repeater on or are you on a repeater channel?

Power is seldom the problem or solution. 

[WRTC928]

14 hours ago, WSJI648 said:

I've decided to move up to a 50w radio and bigger antenna to try my luck.

The bigger (i.e., taller) antenna is likely to help. More power is less likely to make much difference. I'd definitely invest in the antenna first.

[WSJI648]

18 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

Are you using the simplex channel that you hear the repeater on or are you on a repeater channel?

Power is seldom the problem or solution. 

OK, here comes the part where the new guy learns something, I guess. I'm on the simplex channel that I hear the repeater on. Or at least I was. But then I learned about offsets, so I programmed in a channel with the RX frequency of the repeater and set an offset for 5mhz higher, still no joy. Repeater is listed with DCS tones. I have tried both with them programmed and without and still nothing.

[WSJI648]

7 hours ago, WRTC928 said:

The bigger (i.e., taller) antenna is likely to help. More power is less likely to make much difference. I'd definitely invest in the antenna first.

I thought that, too. I'm currently using a Midland MXT-25 Ghost antenna on a magnetic mount attached to the cap of my Big Green Egg. It's on a deck about 15' off the ground so I'd say it's 20' in the air, which I know isn't much at all. I'm surrounded by Army Corps property and pine trees but have nothing but clear sky over head. Using this set up,  I can simplex roughly 3 miles, but that's with an HT and a rubber ducky so I'm not really sure how many fars I'm getting as I lose TX from the other person after 3 miles and so they come back. I guess I could get them on a cell phone and just keep driving until they couldn't hear many anymore...but haven't tried that.

 

[WSJI648]

Well, in case anyone is waiting with baited breath, I did it. Turns out I had my tones wrong. With a 5w HT and a Midlands MTX-25 stubby attached to the hood of my Jeep with a mag mount, I was able to hit the repeater and get a contact. Repeater is roughly 40 miles from me, as the crow flies. I am absolutely gobsmacked I got it to work.