Setting up a UV-5R to connect with a GMRS repeater using Chirp

[WRYT304]

I've been using the Chirp software fine with my UV-5Rs for a few years, but for the first time I am trying to program a GMRS repeater connection.  I received permission from a few local owners, and they all sent me strings of characters.  But I cannot figure out how to code into Chirp because the column names (and dropdown values) do not seem to correspond.  Here is one example:

DPL662 467 input 462 output 5.0 split

Can someone please tell me which items go where in the Chirp grid?  I greatly appreciate any help!

[BoxCar]

The 462 number goes in receive, the 467 in transmit. The DPL number is the digital equivalent of a CTCSS frequency and would go in the slot for digital code transmit. Don't worry about the split, you have that between the transmit and receive.

[WRXB215]

@WRYT304

Change the decimal part to the correct frequency. The rest should look like this.

See https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns for documentation on the collumns.

[WRYT304]

Thanks very much for your response.  Here are the available columns: Frequency, Tone Mode, Tone, Tone Squelch, DTCS, RX DTCS, DTCS Polarity, Cross Mode, Duplex, Offset, Mode and Skip.  Most of the columns have dropdowns with limited values (Tone Mode has only three options TSQL, DTCS and Cross), and the DTCS Polarity column (for example) is forcing me to enter a value of NN, NR, RN or RR.  What do I do with that?  In any case, it's a bit confusing trying to shoehorn some of these values into columns that don't seem to correspond well.  Can you help me identify which values go in which column?

[WRYT304]

7 hours ago, WRXB215 said:

@WRYT304

Change the decimal part to the correct frequency. The rest should look like this.

See https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns for documentation on the collumns.

Thanks very much, Scott.  I will try that.  One question: Should the frequency be 462.550000 (as you display) or 462.000000?  Asking because 462.000 seems more logical based of the numbers I was given.  Please clarify.  I greatly appreciate the help!

[WRXB215]

I'm not sure who Scott is but yes, changed it to what is correct for the repeater you are using. This is what I meant by "Change the decimal part to the correct frequency."

[WRYT304]

51 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

I'm not sure who Scott is but yes, changed it to what is correct for the repeater you are using. This is what I meant by "Change the decimal part to the correct frequency."

Oops, sorry.  I mistook the "Scott Meyers" quote as being directly from you.

Thanks very much for the help.  So the parameters are: DPL662 467 input 462 output 5.0 split.  Do the below setting in Chirp look correct? 

 

 

[WRXB215]

Yes, except for the Mode. Sorry I did not show the rest of the parameters. Here they are:

NFM is Narrow Band, you will want Wide Band which is FM.
You will also want High power since you are using an HT which is very limited in power to start with.
You don't need the S in Skip unless you want to skip that channel when scanning.

P.S. I had forgotten I had that Scott Meyers quote in there. 

[WRYT304]

Thanks very much!  I've coded everything and I'll be testing it out tonight.  BTW - How can I set up the unit so that I'm able to hear the radio-check come back from the repeater?  I've seen a few vids where they do that, but these are two separate frequencies, so I don't really get how that works 

[WRXB215]

10 hours ago, WRYT304 said:

How can I set up the unit so that I'm able to hear the radio-check come back from the repeater?

You transmit to the repeater on 467.xxx and receive from the repeater on 462.xxx. Anything that comes out of the repeater will be heard on 462.xxx. That includes the repeater beep that indicates that the repeater has been activated. Sometimes the volume of this beep is very low and hard to hear. Sometimes it is sent without a tone. If it is sent out without a tone, and you have your receive tone set, you will not hear it.

Leave the receive tone out for a while until you feel comfortable that everything is working. Afterwards, you can set it so that you don't have to hear all the extra signals that you will sometimes hear in a congested area. Where I commute back and forth to work. I hear lots of signals from businesses along the highway. I have my receive tone set so I don't have to listen to all that extra noise.

Just a primer incase you don't understand tones:

A tone on the receive squelches out any signal not carrying that specific tone.
If you transmit with a tone:

• Someone without a receive tone will hear you.
• Someone with the same receive tone will hear you.
• Someone with a different receive tone will not hear you.

Hope this helps.

[WRYT304]

Awesome!  Thanks very much for the help and advice.  I will test and report back 

[WRYT304]

I downloaded the params that I posted above (including the changes to FM and High Power).  I drove up to within about 5 or 6 miles of the repeater location, and I keyed a dozen or so radio check requests over the course of 20 minutes.  I did not get any response, nor did I hear my radio checks bounce back to me.  I realize it's possible that I wasn't close enough to the repeater, so I am going to drive up later this week to within a mile or two and try again (my HT is 8-watts on high power).  However.....as I look at the repeater listing info on the MyGMRS site, I'm a little confused and I have some questions. 

Below is a snapshot of the frequencies from the "My Repeater" screen for the four repeaters to which I've been given permission.  All four connection strings I was provided via e-mail are "DPL662 467 input 462 output 5.0 split".  So.....where do these other (below) frequencies go? (462.550, 462.650, 462.725 and 462.625).

Sorry for the newbie questions, but I'm just really confused!  Thanks in advance for any help  

[WRXB215]

Those are all different repeaters. You will put each one on a different line/channel. You can give a different name to each to keep it strait. I use the repeater name listed on the website. For instance, I mostly use the Channelview and Memorial Park repeaters. So I have them named as CH VIEW and MEM PRK.

Apparently all your repeaters use the same tone. Remember, only put the tone on the Tx (467) for now until you have everything else working.

[WRDJ205]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm trying to program a UV-5R with the same channels (frequencies) that I have used successfully on the GM-5RH using Chirp.  I copied and pasted the same repeater info from the chirp file for the GM-5RH into a new file for the UV-5R.  I only shifted the channels down to 51-73 on the UV-5R.  I am able to communicate between the two radios on GMRS frequencies via Simplex but i'm not able to link to the repeater.  As mentioned, i have used the same repeater from the same location using the GM-5RH and the same frequency/tone combinations all inside of Chirp.

I'm at a loss as to why the UV-5R can't get to the repeater.  Does the actual channels make a difference (even if the frequencies are correct)?

WRDJ205

 

[WRQC527]

2 hours ago, WRDJ205 said:

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm trying to program a UV-5R with the same channels (frequencies) that I have used successfully on the GM-5RH using Chirp.  I copied and pasted the same repeater info from the chirp file for the GM-5RH into a new file for the UV-5R.  I only shifted the channels down to 51-73 on the UV-5R.  I am able to communicate between the two radios on GMRS frequencies via Simplex but i'm not able to link to the repeater.  As mentioned, i have used the same repeater from the same location using the GM-5RH and the same frequency/tone combinations all inside of Chirp.

I'm at a loss as to why the UV-5R can't get to the repeater.  Does the actual channels make a difference (even if the frequencies are correct)?

WRDJ205

 

I'm going to throw out some ideas, but by no means are these anything scientific, and they may be obvious. Channels shouldn't nave an impact. It's about frequency. First, is your UV-5R "unlocked"? I know you said you can transmit on GMRS simplex, but check it anyway. Second, did your copy and paste carry over with the repeater offsets? Check that. Third, did your copy and paste carry over CTCSS tones? Check that. You may need to manually enter each channel rather than pasting from the GM-5RH. Also check the transmit frequency ranges on your radio. Mayhaps they are not set correctly. If you can insert a screen shot of your UV-5R settings, maybe we can take a look. These are all things to check. I'm sure others will pontificate further with additional ideas.

[WRXB215]

My bet is on the offset but, yes, any one of those could be the problem.

[WRDJ205]

I went through the steps recommended above on one of the UV-5R and left the other one as previously programmed to see if the changes made a difference.  I did not see any noticeable changes in accessing the repeater.  So, I drove closer to the repeater and it seems to come in as i would expect.  My best guess is that the UV-5R is tuned slightly different for the HAM frequencies and that affected the reception just enough that it changed my ability to hit the repeater.  

Thanks for your help on this.  I'll report back if I see any issues with the other repeaters that are programmed in to the UV-5R.

[WRWE456]

Swap the antenna for a GMRS antenna.

[WRXB215]

@WRDJ205 Please post a screenshot of your Chirp settings. Thanks.

[WRDJ205]

 

Here is the set up.  I was able to TX and RX once I was closer to the repeater.  I haven't yet tried swapping antennas.  The UV-5R antenna does say, "AR-771 VHF/UHF" where the GM-5RH says "AR-771 GMRS".