Houston Area GMRS

[WRVF500]

I'm looking to get the tones for the NW Houston 725 repeater and/or the tones for the Memorial Park 550 repeater. I can hear traffic on them, but can never seem to hit the repeater from my radio. Maybe I'm doing something else wrong? 

I'd appreciate any help you guys could send my way. I'm new to the radio scene and trying to get squared away with it all. 

Thanks in advance.

[KAF6045]

4 hours ago, WRVF500 said:

I'm looking to get the tones for the NW Houston 725 repeater and/or the tones for the Memorial Park 550 repeater. I can hear traffic on them, but can never seem to hit the repeater from my radio. Maybe I'm doing something else wrong? 

I'd appreciate any help you guys could send my way. I'm new to the radio scene and trying to get squared away with it all. 

Thanks in advance.

725 is listed as a MEMBERS ONLY repeater, with no posted tones. (Trying to find the 550 but I'm getting an error message on the database look-up)

Northwest Houston 725

Name

 

Disabled by Owner

Access Requests

 

Members Only (Free)

Type

 

462.725 MHz

Frequency

 

Unlisted

Input Tone

 

Unlisted

Output Tone

 

Online

Status

 

25 Miles

Range (Estimate)

 

8 months ago

Last Updated

[MichaelLAX]

On 12/10/2022 at 3:30 PM, WRVF500 said:

I'm looking to get the tones for the NW Houston 725 repeater and/or the tones for the Memorial Park 550 repeater. I can hear traffic on them, but can never seem to hit the repeater from my radio. Maybe I'm doing something else wrong? 

I'd appreciate any help you guys could send my way. I'm new to the radio scene and trying to get squared away with it all. 

Thanks in advance.

WELCOME!

Join the TexasGMRS.net

I am going to post some repeaters and tones for their repeaters surrounding Houston, in the vicinity of Cypress, so please acknowledge that you have written them down and I will delete the tones from this message going forward:

Magnolia 625 xxx DPL

Conroe 700 xxx.x

Northwest 550 xxx DPL

Sugarland 600 xxx DPL

Montgomery 600 xxx DPL

Memorial Park 725 xxx DPL

Good luck!

UPDATE: Try this other repeater as well:

SW Tomball 575

[edited out tones - sent by PM]

[WRVM706]

I'm having trouble too.  I joined TexasGMRS . net and used the information on their site to successful get a reply to a radio check on Conroe (using PL tones).  But while I can hear transmissions on Memorial Park 725 I cannot get my other radio to light up / get a reply from anyone.  Those are digital tones, and I have tried both the N and I versions.   If you can confirm the TX, RX and tones I should be using I'd appreciate it.  Thank you.

[MichaelLAX]

Welcome to myGMRS!

I just obtain the Memorial Park 725 tones from their website, like you.

It would be xxxN.  Leave off the RX tone for now.

What radio are you using? What is "my other radio?"

Maybe it is a "desense" problem where the two radios are too close to each other; try more distance between the two (although it works for Conroe).

If an HT or mobile, can you take a drive closer?

[WRVM706]

Thanks MachaelLAX.  I purchased a pair of TIDRadio TD-H5 handsets.

Attached .png file is screenshot of how both radios are programmed...

1) When tuning both radios to channel corresponding to Conroe, radio 1 transmits, radio 2 receive (green light comes on), but my voice doesn't come across on radio 2.  But a couple days ago, someone DID reply to my request for radio check ... so like you mentioned, maybe my two radios are too close to each other (20ft away)

2) I have yet to get any response (automated morse code or a real person) to my requests for radio checks to Memorial Park 725.  I can hear people talking but they seem not to hear me.  I try this with only one radio.  Then, as another test, I speak on radio 1, and I never get a green light on radio 2.

 

If you think my settings are ok, then yes, I can try to drive closer to the location of the repeater (drive into town) if that would be a good test / eliminate a variable of being too far away.  Thanks!  WRVM706

  

 

[MichaelLAX]

1) That is because of "desense" - the transmission of radio 1 blocks out the reception by radio 2 even though they are on different frequencies; 

3) Maybe a different 725 repeater?

31 and 32 are set for offbeat frequency shifts; otherwise it looks good (there is no GMRS 467.52500 channel)!

[WRVM706]

re: "That is because of "desense"

> thanks for confirming

 

re: "Maybe a different 725 repeater?"

> Not sure what you mean ... do you mean that maybe I'm hearing a different .725 repeater, and not the one I think I'm hearing (i.e. Memorial 725)?

 

re: "31 and 32 are set for offbeat frequency shifts; otherwise it looks good (there is no GMRS 467.52500 channel)!"

> I don't know what you mean by offbeat frequency shift

> I was super curious and couldn't understand why the TX freq did not match the RX freq, nor could i understand why it .525 was programmed a TX freq for both 31 and 32.  I would have expected TX to be .550 on channel 31 and .575 on channel 32.  But these do not appear to be setting that I can control ... they seem to be programmed into the firmware of the radio.  I'm actually worried whether I received bad radios?

[KAF6045]

3 hours ago, WRVM706 said:

re: "31 and 32 are set for offbeat frequency shifts; otherwise it looks good (there is no GMRS 467.52500 channel)!"

> I don't know what you mean by offbeat frequency shift

> I was super curious and couldn't understand why the TX freq did not match the RX freq, nor could i understand why it .525 was programmed a TX freq for both 31 and 32.  I would have expected TX to be .550 on channel 31 and .575 on channel 32.  But these do not appear to be setting that I can control ... they seem to be programmed into the firmware of the radio.  I'm actually worried whether I received bad radios?

Based upon https://www.miklor.com/COM/Review_TDH5.php the 24 "DIY" channels are three sets of 8, and it sounds like you aren't supposed to change any frequencies for them -- just tone codes and maybe W/N. That means a set of 8 running from .550-.725, a second set, and a third set.

Modifying the frequency (even if you set it back) may make the radio treat it as a receive only channel.

I'd suggest starting with a complete reset of the radios to see if 31+ come up with proper offsets.

[MichaelLAX]

6 hours ago, WRVM706 said:

re: "Maybe a different 725 repeater?"

> Not sure what you mean ... do you mean that maybe I'm hearing a different .725 repeater, and not the one I think I'm hearing (i.e. Memorial 725)?

Yes; another 725 repeater in your area.

 

[WRVM706]

Drove closer to the Memorial 725 repeater and was able to comm with people.  So seem the issue was i couldn't TX over the distance from my house.

 

Did a reset of the radio and still getting unexpected values for the TX frequencies on the DIY channels.  Guess I will contact the seller of the TIDRadio TD-H5 for help

 

Thanks everyone!

[MichaelLAX]

Yes, those are strange Tx choices: it should be the 8 GMRS repeater input channels:

467.550, 575, 600, 625, 650, 675, 700 and 725 and then repeated again.

Try the Nagoya NA-771G antenna on your TIDRadio TD-H5, and see if you can hit the repeater from home; try a few locations around your home.

If not maybe a rooftop antenna can get you into the Memorial Park 725 repeater.

[WRXI489]

On 12/11/2022 at 6:40 AM, MichaelLAX said:

WELCOME!

Join the TexasGMRS.net

I am going to post some repeaters and tones for their repeaters surrounding Houston, in the vicinity of Cypress, so please acknowledge that you have written them down and I will delete the tones from this message going forward:

Magnolia 625 xxx DPL

Conroe 700 xxx.x

Northwest 550 xxx DPL

Sugarland 600 xxx DPL

Montgomery 600 xxx DPL

Memorial Park 725 xxx DPL

Good luck!

UPDATE: Try this other repeater as well:

SW Tomball 575

[edited out tones - sent by PM]

Hello, would it be possible for you to pm these tones as well? 

[WRXM238]

On 12/11/2022 at 6:40 AM, MichaelLAX said:

WELCOME!

Join the TexasGMRS.net

I am going to post some repeaters and tones for their repeaters surrounding Houston, in the vicinity of Cypress, so please acknowledge that you have written them down and I will delete the tones from this message going forward:

Magnolia 625 xxx DPL

Conroe 700 xxx.x

Northwest 550 xxx DPL

Sugarland 600 xxx DPL

Montgomery 600 xxx DPL

Memorial Park 725 xxx DPL

Good luck!

UPDATE: Try this other repeater as well:

SW Tomball 575

[edited out tones - sent by PM]

New to GMRS would you please send me the tones on the above repeaters.  

[WRUU653]

2 hours ago, WRXM238 said:

New to GMRS would you please send me the tones on the above repeaters.  

You will need to get them from their club. Click here Texas GMRS Network 

[WRHS218]

I have a daughter that lives in Southeast Texas and I live on the left coast now. I joined that club (Texas GMRS Network) and got access to their repeaters before a driving trip I took out there. Once I filled out the info it took about 5 days to get  my membership email. They seem to be a good group and have a good selection of repeaters.

[WRXB215]

14 hours ago, WRHS218 said:

I live on the left coast now

Sorry to hear that. You are welcome back to Texas any time.

[WRHS218]

"Sorry to hear that. You are welcome back to Texas any time."

I grew up there. Left for the military in 1978. Came back after that for a while and followed a job out here. Thankfully, I have never lived in a big city here. I have something most Texans don't have though, a declaration from the Texas House of Representatives signed by state congressman Jack Brooks in 1961 stating that I an official Native Texan. I was born in Louisiana and my Texan parents moved back to Texas a couple of months later. For some reason they seriously thought it was important that I was a bona fide Texan. I am more proud of being just a plain old American.

[WRXB215]

2 hours ago, WRHS218 said:

official Native Texan

OK, now I have to go dig mine out.