FRS Default CTCSS Tone

[WRUX266]

When it comes to the standard bubble pack FRS radios, is there a default CTCSS tone that is pre-programmed from the factory, or is that feature generally turned off until the user defines their own tone?

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, WRUX266 said:

When it comes to the standard bubble pack FRS radios, is there a default CTCSS tone that is pre-programmed from the factory, or is that feature generally turned off until the user defines their own tone?

Ideally no tones are set. Most users generally resent a manufacturer presetting CTCSS tones. Some manufacturers have occasionally been stupid however. There is no standard. 

[WRUU653]

2 hours ago, WRUX266 said:

When it comes to the standard bubble pack FRS radios, is there a default CTCSS tone that is pre-programmed from the factory, or is that feature generally turned off until the user defines their own tone?

That's a good question. When it comes to the GMRS radios I think @Sshannon is correct and he may be correct for FRS as well, with a few exceptions I think the tones are left off but it seems to me I have heard of some FRS bubble pack radios coming with tones preset though I can't confirm this myself. 

[KAF6045]

3 hours ago, WRUU653 said:

That's a good question. When it comes to the GMRS radios I think @Sshannon is correct and he may be correct for FRS as well, with a few exceptions I think the tones are left off but it seems to me I have heard of some FRS bubble pack radios coming with tones preset though I can't confirm this myself. 

Any current bubble pack that advertises more than 22 channels (yes -- that's you, Midland!) has preset/fixed tones on the extra "channels".

https://midlandusa.com/collections/lxtgxt/products/gxt1000vp4

Quote

22 Channels PLUS 28 EXTRA CHANNELS

 

[WRUU653]

1 hour ago, KAF6045 said:

Any current bubble pack that advertises more than 22 channels (yes -- that's you, Midland!) has preset/fixed tones on the extra "channels".

That’s because that’s a GMRS radio. The question was about FRS radios. Extra channels are repeater channels.?  Just a guess. 

[back4more70]

I've never met an FRS radio that didn't come already "programmed" with tones.

[wrci350]

A lot of them come with "extra channels" (cough cough) as already discussed; they are just the same frequencies with a pre-programmed (and perhaps fixed?) tone.

Pretty sure the Motorola and Midland FRS radios (many of which were classified as GMRS/FRS before 2017) don't have any tones on 1-22 out of the box.  Contrast that to some of the CCR GMRS radios that come with tones on every channel, rendering them unable to interoperate with other brands unless the tones are removed (or added to other radios).

[nokones]

The Cobra FRS radios have factory default tones which is a mixture of both CTCSS PL tones and DPL codes

[MarkInTampa]

I was doing a job a few years ago and picked up 6 "Ozark Trail" FRS HT's from Walmart in two packs. Just found one of them in a box yesterday and it does have a default ctcss tone of 67.0 across 22 channels.

Range sucks on them - we installed truck parking detectors at the interstate rest areas and had to validate and time stamp every truck that came in and out of the parking lot to make sure the system was working. They had a hard time trying to make it across the parking lot, had to sit outdoors in the middle of the lot to coordinate things. Battery life is excellent on them, one of the guys forgot to turn the radio off when he threw it in the back of my car. Every now and then for the better part of a month I'd hear a muffled voice when driving for a second and couldn't figure out where it was coming from before I found it (low battery chirps). At least it didn't interfere with the voices in my head.

 

 

[AdmiralCochrane]

antenna polarization synchronization, or lack thereof, can decrease range

[WQAI363]

On 4/28/2023 at 11:33 AM, WRUX266 said:

When it comes to the standard bubble pack FRS radios, is there a default CTCSS tone that is pre-programmed from the factory, or is that feature generally turned off until the user defines their own tone?

According to my knowledge for most bubble FRS / GMR radios, there isn't a so-called standard default CTCSS or DTCSS.  I do know that Midland has one or two models with preselected channels with preselected PL/DPL tones.  So, I really can't really say that there isn't a standard default tone. Of course, each manufacture may number their tone differently, but they do match up.

 

[Sigma]

Hello, I have been asking myself this question for a few days, just started to learn about GMRS and while trying to talk to the guys at work with their FRS, I can hear them but they cannot hear me.

 

I found this link and will try it out tomorrow to see if it works.

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Family_Radio_Service

Edited February 23 by Sigma
Missing context

[WRXB215]

They are likely using tones. If you have a tone set on your RX, it will squelch out any signal that is not sent with the same tone.

Find out what tone they are using and set that in your TX and they should hear you.

You can year signals that are sent with a tone if you use the same tone on RX or no tone at all.

[Sigma]

On 2/23/2024 at 8:33 AM, WRXB215 said:

They are likely using tones. If you have a tone set on your RX, it will squelch out any signal that is not sent with the same tone.

Find out what tone they are using and set that in your TX and they should hear you.

You can year signals that are sent with a tone if you use the same tone on RX or no tone at all.

Indeed, I spent some time playing with an FRS from my work and was able to set it up.  I will post some links of the codes, charts and some other notes here later tonight, it may be useful for newbies like me!  It is actually not hard to do but it can be "Conf@&/@ting"

Thanks!

[Sigma]

Here are the links I used, I will also suggest to find the manual of your FRS radio.

 

https://www.k0tfu.org/reference/frs-gmrs-privacy-codes-demystified.html

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2022/11/chart-of-standard-dcs-codes.html

I used channel 7, the same channel they use with the Walkies at work, for the Tone Mode using Chirp, I had to use Cross, DTCS 143 MN DTCS- >  It programmed that when I typed in the DTCS.

[Davichko5650]

On 4/28/2023 at 11:54 AM, SteveShannon said:

Ideally no tones are set. Most users generally resent a manufacturer presetting CTCSS tones. Some manufacturers have occasionally been stupid however. There is no standard. 

On the three recent radios I picked up for GMRS, only the Retevis RA-87 was preprogramed with CTCSS and DCS Tones. Both the DB20-G and the GM-30 from Radioddity came with no tones!.  Quick work with the laptop fixed the RA87. Deleted the tones on the shared channels, except the ones wifeypoo and I use, and corrected the repeater tones for the 6 local repeaters hereabouts....