Keypad usefulness?

[PartsMan]

I am new to GMRS. My kids gave me a pair of GXT1000g for Christmas and I have started shopping for a mobile for my pickup.

I have not been able to find any repeaters in my area so I will likely be simplex only.

Do I want or need a keypad? 

I keep thinking the ones on the mic will be in the way more than I will use them.

[Mikeam]

My K1000 came with a usable key pad Mic and at first I did not see a use for it but after using it I would not want to be without it. You can channel up or down change power settings per channel etc.  For me very useful!

[wayoverthere]

Imo, I wouldn't call it a deal breaker. If you're going to be scanning, or want direct channel access it's nice. If you're generally going to be parked on one channel, it's probably not necessary. 

I've mostly used mine for changing channels, and jumping in and out of scan; also sometimes in vfo for punching in a specific frequency I want to listen to outside gmrs.

[AdmiralCochrane]

Same here, I occasionally use keypad to change channel, volume, likewise vfo direct entry. There are many days I don't touch it

[mbrun]

I am new to GMRS. My kids gave me a pair of GXT1000g for Christmas and I have started shopping for a mobile for my pickup.
I have not been able to find any repeaters in my area so I will likely be simplex only.
Do I want or need a keypad? 
I keep thinking the ones on the mic will be in the way more than I will use them.

Good Day PartsMan. Welcome to myGMRS.

By GXT1000G I assume you are referring to Midlands GXT1000 handheld radios. Is that correct?

Different feature sets and uses of your radios will ultimately influence whether a keypad is beneficial to you or not. The simplicity of a radio without keyboard is nice. My EDC GMRS radio does not have a keypad.

Of the radios I do own with keypads, they are all field programmable. This is a nice feature if your use of radios necessitates frequent channel additions in the field, on the fly. However programming with a keypad is very laborious (IMO) and it is not something I cherish doing. I consider it nice to have in an emergency, but not something I want to do except in an emergency. Programming with software is much more friendly and flexible.

I personally have worked out a system that I use now, in all my GMRS radios, keyboard or not, that has completely eliminated the need for field programming any new GMRS repeater channel. So I have removed that obstacle for myself.

A keypad is nice if you have a radio with perhaps 100s of channels programmed into it (like I do in my amateur radios). The keypad will usually allow you to directly enter the channel number you want. Of course this is an asset only if you can remember what you frequency(s) you assigned to what channel number.

A keyboard can be an asset for direct entry of CTSSC or DCS codes if you change them frequently or need to enter a custom one in the field. This is so rare and such an edge case situation as to be insignificant. Every radio I own has all the standard codes available and they selected at will and saved on the fly. No keypad needed.

Now, on my mobile radio, it does have a keypad. In my case I want and need the keypad because it provides access to features and settings I want direct access to that are not directly available on the radio. For example, power, squelch and some other settings are only available via the keypad in my configuration. Of course if the radio were bigger and had more buttons on its control panel then perhaps the keypad on the mic would become less of a need.

Food for thought. Hope this helps.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

[PartsMan]

Thank all of  you for the input.

[PACNWComms]

Just like any radio I own, it seems like the "go to" ones have the keypad on their face or in the mic. Menu's become a mess after a few levels in, and I get tired of remembering programming trees for so many different devices, to include actual radios. For my entire professional career, dealing with radio equipment, I tend to prefer those that have keypads over those that do not. For front panel re-programming, on the move programming, and quickly changing channels, frequencies or memories a keypad helps a lot. I also tend to prefer actual buttons over touchscreens, as they just show fingerprints, and tend to have more layers of menu's to them. Whichever way you go, enjoy your radios. 

[PartsMan]

I still haven't gotten a mobile yet but I did order a GM-30 with a keypad.  I will see how much I use it.

[DownEastNC]

On 12/29/2021 at 2:27 PM, PartsMan said:

I am new to GMRS. My kids gave me a pair of GXT1000g for Christmas and I have started shopping for a mobile for my pickup.

Do I want or need a keypad? 

I keep thinking the ones on the mic will be in the way more than I will use them.

I use my mobile in the truck and in the RV. I find the keypad mic useful while driving. It keeps me from having to lean over and fiddle around with buttons on the radio and more importantly, keeps me from getting distracted. In the RV, the radio is sitting on the table and I'll generally move around channels via the face-plate controls. I don't find the keypad on the mic to be any issue at all. Nothing is in the way. I also have a speaker in the mic so that's helpful at times when it's noisy. I say it's better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

[Citizen]

I absolutely hate buttons on the mic (other that PTT of course).  You don’t need it.  Here’s my observations, sorry if this steps on some toes.

1- Base or mobile, inevitably I hit one of the buttons that changes the radio, usually it’s the channel up/down button, and I lose the conversation temporarily.  Very frustrating!  So I have to employ the keypad lock (if available), which also means I have to deactivate it when I DO want to make a change.

2. Very unsafe while driving.  Takes two hands, which takes both hands off the steering wheel.  Now there are those that will say I should be able to do it with one hand, and I can, using my thumb and some dexterity, but with difficulty and while looking at it.  So it forces me to take my eyes off the road to look at the mic.  Very dangerous!  Of course one can say the same applies when using buttons/knobs on the radio face plate.  But I can glance down only for 1 second to find the radio and put my hand on it, and do the rest by feel while watching the road.

When I first got into GMRS, I was very annoyed that probably 98%+ of the radios have keypads on the mic.  So I get it, that’s what the customer wants.  But I’m in the 2% that don’t want it.  One of the few GMRS radios I could find without a keypad on the mic was the low power/simplex Midland MXT100/105, and I have a couple of those.  I like placing them in family cars (other than my own) because it reduces the chances of non-radio-savvy family drivers from messing up the radio accidentally.  But for my own personal, non-family use, I was forced to buy several other radios as well to be able to use repeaters and have more power output. 

Thus, I have a couple of Anytone AT-779UV’s and MXT115’s, and they are very good mobile radios due to size, but I wish they didn’t have a keypad on the mic (I normally pre-program new radios on my computer before installation in a vehicle, so don't need it in the car).

Now for full disclosure, I DO have a Retevis RT76P which does have a keypad, and I very much like that radio for a number or reasons.  But it is an HT, so whenever I use it, I’m either sitting in my chair at home, or hiking, and in both cases I have both hands available and there is no danger from distracted driving.

Just my 2 cents.

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