GMRS NEWBIE

[DZEE]

I just installed my Midland MXT400, I tested it with my bubble pack Motorola GMRS and able to communicate clearly however I have tried communicating with guys form the repeater Channel 22 but they couldn't hear me. 

 

I have my repeater channel turned on (+ rpt on display) I hear these guys talking in full signal but I could not reach out to them. 

 

Please advise. 

 

Dennis  

[RCM]

Did you set the transmit tone?

[berkinet]

In addition to setting the PL/DPL tone, did you set the channel to repeater mode and set the transmit frequency to 467.725?

[quarterwave]

Those radios are narrowband, and may not produce enough PL/DPL deviation to open a wideband repeater. 

[DZEE]

I have a very limited radio (Midland MXT400). I did turn on the repeater channels that takes me to channels 22 (RX 462-725  TX 467.725Mhz)  I do hear you guys(I'm assuming)  with full strength from Whittier.   

 

Not sure what PL/DPL..and not sure what a transmit tone is.. do I need this to be able to connect with repeaters? 

[Logan5]

I have a very limited radio (Midland MXT400). I did turn on the repeater channels that takes me to channels 22 (RX 462-725  TX 467.725Mhz)  I do hear you guys(I'm assuming)  with full strength from Whittier.   

 

Not sure what PL/DPL..and not sure what a transmit tone is.. do I need this to be able to connect with repeaters? 

Yes, the repeater will not go online w/o a tone to open it up. I do not know Midland radios, but I think you need a translation sheet to set the tone. it will give you the midland setting for a given tone. Keep in mind the output tone of said repeater may not be the same as the input tone.

[WRAF213]

The tones are called CTCSS / DCS by Midland. PL / DPL is Motorola's naming for the same thing. CSQ (carrier squelch) tells a radio to ignore CTCSS/DCS and unmute on any signal received. Almost every GMRS repeater out there requires you to transmit a CTCSS tone or DCS code. MyGMRS has a bunch of those listed on the repeater map, while on private repeaters they'll be shown as Unlisted. Most repeaters require you to transmit the same CTCSS/DCS that they send, while a handful transmit a different CTCSS/DCS than what you're expected to be transmitting.

 

Make sure repeater mode is enabled. If you know the CTCSS/DCS you need to be using, set that using the TS/DCS menu setting. If transmit and receive CTCSS/DCS are different, you'll need to disable tone squelch. I don't know how to do this on the MXT400 since I don't own one, but several other members do; I don't even know if it's possible since a lot of people complain about not having split-tone operation. The manual is written well enough to explain the rest.

[marcspaz]

Yes, the repeater will not go online w/o a tone to open it up. I do not know Midland radios, but I think you need a translation sheet to set the tone. it will give you the midland setting for a given tone. Keep in mind the output tone of said repeater may not be the same as the input tone.

Yep. Page 26 of the manual.

[RCM]

Yep. Page 26 of the manual.

And page 17 tells you how to set it.

[berkinet]

 I did turn on the repeater channels that takes me to channels 22 (RX 462-725  TX 467.725Mhz)  I do hear you guys(I'm assuming) ...

Ok,  this information somehow got ignored. So...

#1, it probably isn't anyone currently active on this forum that you are hearing, otherwise they might have responded here by now.

 

#2, There is only 1 repeater near you in the MyGMRS database that is listed as being on 462/7.725. That repeater is/was located in Monterey Hills and belongs (or belonged) to a local CERT group. It was listed as members only with no access information. Also, that listing is marked as being out-of-date.  There is a repeater on .725 in Crestline, but I am not sure if you could het that.

 

Of course, there are plenty of repeaters that are (unfortunately) not listed in the database. So, it could be the CERT group you are hearing, or someone else.

 

You might want to look at the map and browse the database to see what might be near you and accessible.

[WRAF213]

Ok,  this information somehow got ignored. So...

#1, it probably isn't anyone currently active on this forum that you are hearing, otherwise they might have responded here by now.

 

#2, There is only 1 repeater near you in the MyGMRS database that is listed as being on 462/7.725. That repeater is/was located in Monterey Hills and belongs (or belonged) to a local CERT group. It was listed as members only with no access information. Also, that listing is marked as being out-of-date.  There is a repeater on .725 in Crestline, but I am not sure if you could het that.

 

Of course, there are plenty of repeaters that are (unfortunately) not listed in the database. So, it could be the CERT group you are hearing, or someone else.

 

You might want to look at the map and browse the database to see what might be near you and accessible.

 

Los Angeles has an open repeater on Mt. Lukens on 462.725. It's not listed in MyGMRS, and is the dominant repeater on that channel because it's running some ridiculous ERP. It's quite famous for its ignorance of the rules. CTCSS out is the same as the CTCSS in; I can't give the CTCSS out in the public forums but most people on other repeaters are well aware of it. Googling 'los angeles gmrs 725' gives a lot of results about it, including the CTCSS tone. I did miss that part on being in Whittier despite several re-reads of this thread.

 

It's Kevin Bondy's repeater. There's been several threads on this guy. This doesn't need to be another.

[gman1971]

I thought max legal was 50W? could it be, perhaps, a super high gain antenna? I mean, with 50W and a 9+ dB antenna on a mountain top you'll get pretty darn far... 

 

G.

[DZEE]

Thanks for all your input guys, I saw on the directory that I have 2 repeaters in mind, Mt.Wilson(says its open) and hanger 575 (Long Beach) 

 

WRAF213- Thanks for clarifying the difference on CTCSS / DCS & PL / DPL.. berkinet- These chatters on channel 22 might have been from Monterey Hills but now I saw the Mt Wilson so it could be anywhere.. thank you.. 

[WRAF213]

WRAF213- Thanks for clarifying the difference on CTCSS / DCS & PL / DPL.. berkinet- These chatters on channel 22 might have been from Monterey Hills but now I saw the Mt Wilson so it could be anywhere.. thank you..

Each has a different CTCSS tone, so that can tell them apart. If you have the CTCSS tone for one repeater on the same channel, you won't hear the other repeaters because the CTCSS tone won't match.

 

It's probably the Mt. Lukens repeater.