Another Baothing the UV-5G

[SteveShannon]

14 hours ago, WSHL413 said:

Appreciate the offer. The route is briefly north on I-15 to I-40, then eastward to I-44 and I-70 into Wheeling, WV. One-way trip as that will be my new QTH (big change but nice place to retire and close to family).

Not to stray too far off-topic...For 2m and 70cm I'm using an Anytone AT-D868UV programmed with analog repeater info from Repeaterbook. Similar to how I compiled the set of GMRS repeaters using this site's map function for my UV-5G, I searched for ham repeaters along the interstates that appeared to be available for travellers.

The D868UV also supports DMR. I don't yet have experience with code plugs or that digital mode. Are code plugs only used for DMR? It would be great to see a real-world example. Glad to talk further offline or create a new thread under the Amateur Radio section. You got my curiosity piqued so some web searching is in order as well.

If you do get into DMR, there are several good videos for it.  What’s important to remember for the Anytone is that each “channel” consists of a single talk group programmed for a single repeater.  The repeater information includes several items, such as frequency, color code, and time slot.  If you want to listen to five different talk groups on a single repeater you must program five different channels. If you want to use five different DMR repeaters and be able to listen to those same five talk groups that’s 25 different channels, five for each repeater.
DMR allows every channel to be included in at least one zone and the zone must be selected before you can use a channel, so it’s possible to do a perfect job of programming a channel but be unable to use it because it hasn’t been added into a zone. That has happened to a lot of people at first.  But being able to separate channels by zone is really convenient because you can separate channels geographically.  You could have a zone for each state, or in populated areas you could have a zone for a region.

I program code plugs for a few different friends.  One has 25 different repeaters with probably forty or fifty channels programmed for each repeater .  Because he’s blind we had to come up with a way to duplicate the assignment of channels per repeater, so each repeater is a block of 100 channel numbers.  For instance, LAX might be 2200-2299. Not all of the channels in a block are assigned, but those that are are assigned to the same channel in every repeater .  For instance, the worldwide talk group is 91.  So for the LAX channel, talk group 91 in block 2200-2299 means I assigned it to 2291.  (Most talk groups have more than simply two digits, but that one is just an example.) Because he’s blind, he can simply select the numeric channel 2291 from the front panel with some confidence he’ll end up on the right channel. If he’s not in the right zone he receives a tone that indicates that channel isn’t available and he changes zones and tries again.  At first we had all of the DMR channels in a single zone, but still in the same blocks, but we ran up against the limited number of channels that could be assigned to a single zone, so now we have a (very) few different zones.  It would have been nice to put each repeater into its own zone, but that didn’t work for him because the Anytone/Alinco doesn’t announce the zone and he can’t see the screen.

The Anytone 878, and I presume the model you have, support roaming zones also, which can be programmed to follow your location.  I haven’t played with that but it looks interesting.

[WSHL413]

On 1/28/2026 at 6:37 AM, SteveShannon said:

If you do get into DMR, there are several good videos for it.  What’s important to remember for the Anytone is that each “channel” consists of a single talk group programmed for a single repeater.  The repeater information includes several items, such as frequency, color code, and time slot.  If you want to listen to five different talk groups on a single repeater you must program five different channels. If you want to use five different DMR repeaters and be able to listen to those same five talk groups that’s 25 different channels, five for each repeater.
DMR allows every channel to be included in at least one zone and the zone must be selected before you can use a channel, so it’s possible to do a perfect job of programming a channel but be unable to use it because it hasn’t been added into a zone. That has happened to a lot of people at first.  But being able to separate channels by zone is really convenient because you can separate channels geographically.  You could have a zone for each state, or in populated areas you could have a zone for a region.

I program code plugs for a few different friends.  One has 25 different repeaters with probably forty or fifty channels programmed for each repeater .  Because he’s blind we had to come up with a way to duplicate the assignment of channels per repeater, so each repeater is a block of 100 channel numbers.  For instance, LAX might be 2200-2299. Not all of the channels in a block are assigned, but those that are are assigned to the same channel in every repeater .  For instance, the worldwide talk group is 91.  So for the LAX channel, talk group 91 in block 2200-2299 means I assigned it to 2291.  (Most talk groups have more than simply two digits, but that one is just an example.) Because he’s blind, he can simply select the numeric channel 2291 from the front panel with some confidence he’ll end up on the right channel. If he’s not in the right zone he receives a tone that indicates that channel isn’t available and he changes zones and tries again.  At first we had all of the DMR channels in a single zone, but still in the same blocks, but we ran up against the limited number of channels that could be assigned to a single zone, so now we have a (very) few different zones.  It would have been nice to put each repeater into its own zone, but that didn’t work for him because the Anytone/Alinco doesn’t announce the zone and he can’t see the screen.

The Anytone 878, and I presume the model you have, support roaming zones also, which can be programmed to follow your location.  I haven’t played with that but it looks interesting.

Steve, this is great information and thank you. Definitely want to learn more about DMR. I'll digest this and do some research - lots of good info on the interweb and Youtube. I have a few commitments that are pulling me away from radio for a bit, but you've got me off to a great start when I have more time to pursue.

[WSHL413]

On 1/27/2026 at 9:04 AM, SteveShannon said:

That’s where an SWR test can be helpful.  SWR test the dual band antenna on the roof mount on the car just as you would use it using GMRS frequencies.  If it’s 2.0:1 or less then I would just use it.  If it’s high, like 3.0:1 or higher then I would probably get a dedicated GMRS antenna. If it’s in between 2.0:1 and 3.0:1 then I would test it to see if you get decent range. You shouldn’t damage your radio at that ratio, but you’ll attenuate power in your transmission line.

Had a few minutes and performed a quick SWR test using a NanoVNA with the magmount antenna in place on the vehicle roof. 2m band SWR ranged from 1.5 to 1.4; 70cm band SWR ranged from 1.9 to 1.1; GMRS frequency measurement range set to 462 MHz to 468 MHz and the SWR varied from 1.5 to 1.4. Better than I expected!

I should note the magmount is also manufactured by SignalStuff.

[WRTC928]

15 hours ago, WSHL413 said:

Had a few minutes and performed a quick SWR test using a NanoVNA with the magmount antenna in place on the vehicle roof. 2m band SWR ranged from 1.5 to 1.4; 70cm band SWR ranged from 1.9 to 1.1; GMRS frequency measurement range set to 462 MHz to 468 MHz and the SWR varied from 1.5 to 1.4. Better than I expected!

I should note the magmount is also manufactured by SignalStuff.

In my experience, most 2m/70cm antennas will have acceptable SWR and performance on GMRS. TBH, I've never noticed that I get more farz from a mobile with a GMRS-tuned antenna, but that will probably vary according to where you use it. I have noticed an improvement in range and clarity with a GMRS-tuned antenna on a handheld, although it's usually not a whole lot. 

[WSHL413]

1 hour ago, WRTC928 said:

In my experience, most 2m/70cm antennas will have acceptable SWR and performance on GMRS. TBH, I've never noticed that I get more farz from a mobile with a GMRS-tuned antenna, but that will probably vary according to where you use it. I have noticed an improvement in range and clarity with a GMRS-tuned antenna on a handheld, although it's usually not a whole lot. 

Good to know and I appreciate the info.

If this was a more permanent installation (mobile and home) I would use dedicated antennas for both services for maximum performance. That's a goal for my new home station - GMRS, HF and UHF/VHF. For the cross-country road trip the temporary magmount 2m/70cm antenna should suffice. Hope to make a decent number of contacts along the way.