Need help contacting a repeater with a Midland 115 mobile radio

[WRUQ683]

I am using a local repeater on 462.600. Works fine with my Baofeng HTs. Input and output tones are DCTS 246. I programmed the Baofengs with CHIRP. The Midland cannot be programmed. You have to use the menus on the unit. I turned on the repeater settings using the Midland menu. I can hear traffic from my HT through the repeater. I can talk from my Baofeng to the Midland just fine. But I cannot  transmit to the Baofeng from the Midland. I set the DCS Privacy number to 90 which corresponds to DCS code 246 according to the chart in the Midland manual.

I am pretty new to GMRS. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,

David

[OffRoaderX]

5 minutes ago, WRUQ683 said:

Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

How close is the Baofeng to the Midland when you are testing?

[SteveShannon]

22 minutes ago, WRUQ683 said:

I am using a local repeater on 462.600. Works fine with my Baofeng HTs. Input and output tones are DCTS 246. I programmed the Baofengs with CHIRP. The Midland cannot be programmed. You have to use the menus on the unit. I turned on the repeater settings using the Midland menu. I can hear traffic from my HT through the repeater. I can talk from my Baofeng to the Midland just fine. But I cannot  transmit to the Baofeng from the Midland. I set the DCS Privacy number to 90 which corresponds to DCS code 246 according to the chart in the Midland manual.

I am pretty new to GMRS. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks,

David

Are you using a repeater channel?

[WRUQ683]

39 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

How close is the Baofeng to the Midland when you are testing?

Very close. I also moved back about 20 feet and still nothing.

[WRUQ683]

24 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Are you using a repeater channel?

Yes, I am. The Midland does see it as a repeater channel because it has an 'rp' next the channel number.

[OffRoaderX]

2 minutes ago, WRUQ683 said:

Very close. I also moved back about 20 feet and still nothing.

Get back 100 feet and try again..

[SteveShannon]

3 minutes ago, WRUQ683 said:

Yes, I am. The Midland does see it as a repeater channel because it has an 'rp' next the channel number.

Make sure you do as @OffRoaderX suggests to prevent desense. 
Also, with DCS there’s both a normal and inverted codes. Make sure you use the right one. If it doesn’t have an I after the code it’s assumed N.

Finally, I recommend leaving the receive squelch tone or code unprogrammed at first. That way you hear everything. 

[WRUQ683]

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

Get back 100 feet and try again..

I took a drive around the block. No luck. I can easily Tx from the HT to the mobile on the repeater channel but not the other way round.

[WRUQ683]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

Make sure you do as @OffRoaderX suggests to prevent desense. 
Also, with DCS there’s both a normal and inverted codes. Make sure you use the right one. If it doesn’t have an I after the code it’s assumed N.

Finally, I recommend leaving the receive squelch tone or code unprogrammed at first. That way you hear everything. 

I took a drive around the block. No luck. I can easily Tx from the HT to the mobile on the repeater channel but not the other way round.  I haven't touched the squelch but I'll look at that next.

[WRUQ683]

8 minutes ago, WRUQ683 said:

I took a drive around the block. No luck. I can easily Tx from the HT to the mobile on the repeater channel but not the other way round.  I haven't touched the squelch but I'll look at that next.

I know about the normal and inverted codes. But there is no option for that on the Midland radio. I opened a help ticket with Midland but of course it will be nexr week before anyone will get back to me.

[H8SPVMT]

First do a, "Factory Function" (reset) on the Midland and then re-enter all the pertaining setup fields like:

Rep - select "ON," etc.

Set "TALK" - OFF 

Now go to CH.Rp 17 (467.600) and listen for someone to communicate on it. 

Personally, I would wait on putting the privacy tone in until I actually hear the repeater operating myself.  Then input the privacy tone 90, if that is what you need. 

Edited 4 hours ago by H8SPVMT
Include the Talk function to OFF so as NOT to "talk around the repeater"