TheNevilleKid Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 Hi all, I'm looking for suggestions for what you all consider the best commercial UHF mobile and handheld radios that can be used for GMRS, also the easiest to acquire CPS software for programing, Thanks  Quote
OffRoaderX Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 I was going to suggest a Motorola XTS 3000 or 5000 and the XTL-5000, but then you had to throw in the "easy to acquire the software" part.. So, stay way from the XTS and XTLs... But I'm really just here waiting for "some people" to proclaim that you will get a $10,000 fine if you even think about using a commercial radio on the GMRS. WSAN780, TheNevilleKid, WRZP493 and 4 others 1 6 Quote
TheNevilleKid Posted January 27 Author Report Posted January 27 19 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said: I was going to suggest a Motorola XTS 3000 or 5000 and the XTL-5000, but then you had to throw in the "easy to acquire the software" part.. So, stay way from the XTS and XTLs... But I'm really just here waiting for "some people" to proclaim that you will get a $10,000 fine if you even think about using a commercial radio on the GMRS. Thanks for the info and I researched quite a bit and Motorola software is not easy to get, I'm also looking into the Kenwood TK880H UHF version2 which seems to be easier to get the CPS for Quote
WRWE456 Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 Best means different things for different people for different purposes. What is your goal/usage? Quote
SteveShannon Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 3 hours ago, TheNevilleKid said: Thanks for the info and I researched quite a bit and Motorola software is not easy to get, I'm also looking into the Kenwood TK880H UHF version2 which seems to be easier to get the CPS for @LScott is a Kenwood aficionado. I think he likes the TK-3170 (corrected). Quote
TheNevilleKid Posted January 27 Author Report Posted January 27 2 minutes ago, WRWE456 said: Best means different things for different people for different purposes. What is your goal/usage? Just for a mobile unit for road and off road, The older commercial radios were built better and have better receive capability than the new stuff out there. Quote
Flameout Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 2 hours ago, TheNevilleKid said: Thanks for the info and I researched quite a bit and Motorola software is not easy to get, I'm also looking into the Kenwood TK880H UHF version2 which seems to be easier to get the CPS for I have a few TK880's and some Motorolas. For me, I prefer my Motorola XPR5550e over the TK880's. Of course the 5550 is a bit newer than the Kenwood 880. For my HT, I either carry my Wouxoun KG-UV9Px or my Motorola XPR7550. The 7550 receives weaker signals that the UV9P doesn't, but the TX side is about the same TheNevilleKid 1 Quote
WRYZ926 Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 Motorola hand held radios are hard to beat. We used them all the time when I was in the Army. In fact Motorola radios is all we used at Ft Irwin/National Training Center. Quote
TheNevilleKid Posted January 27 Author Report Posted January 27 29 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said: Motorola hand held radios are hard to beat. We used them all the time when I was in the Army. In fact Motorola radios is all we used at Ft Irwin/National Training Center. Yes Motorola's are good radios I used them for when I was in the police and fire department, but it's not as easy to get the software to program them unless you can get a shared copy. Quote
WRYZ926 Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 Getting the Motorola software is definitely the down side. I also used Motorola radios in industrial maintenance setting too. Quote
Lscott Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 1 hour ago, Sshannon said: @LScott is a Kenwood aficionado. I think he likes the 8173. Actually it’s the TK-3170. Great HT for GMRS carry. Can push it out of band for use in the Ham 70cm band. It’s also Part 95 certified too. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/?context=new If you don’t care about FCC certification there other Kenwood HT’s you can try. Mainly they are FM and some digital mode, the later usable on the Ham bands. The ones with DMR might be attractive for Ham useage. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/251-nx-300jpg/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/255-tk-d300e-fmdmr/?context=new  WRXB215 and SteveShannon 1 1 Quote
gortex2 Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 Motorola, Kenwood, ICOM all make good commercial gear. For SAR alot of our users utilize ICOM for cost and programmability. Personally I use MSI equipment but I did use alot of ICOM in the past. Kenwood has some good gear also. As far at Motorola there is no need for APX radios. A CDM1250 is a solid little GMRS rig. TheNevilleKid 1 Quote
Radioguy7268 Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 If you try to go the legit way for current model software for Motorola, you're probably going to be disappointed. Motorola is not interested in supporting Ham or GMRS at a corporate level, and getting things like Wideband entitlement for CPS software is nearly impossible. The newest CPS2 software for the XPR/Trbo series is not out in the wild, and the older CPS software won't even read new radios fresh from the Factory. If you are dealing with older model analog radios like the CDM1250 mentioned above, the PM400, M1225, etc. then there are plenty of unofficial resources and available software, but it's still not 'Plug and Play'. If you are starting from nothing, you would probably be best served to purchase a radio that's already programmed for what you need, and then try to acquire the software & cables to read that radio & save a baseline profile that you can begin to experiment with. TheNevilleKid 1 Quote
nokones Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 My only experience with Kenwood is a TK880 Mobile and its been very positive. I don't have any experience with the Kenwood portable but I have to assume the quality of their portables have to be as good as their mobiles. I use the Kenwood TK880 in one of my cars that can not accommodate a radio installation because of the physical size and the radio will accommodate multiple programming zones with as many channels you need in any zone. Also, the programming is not that difficult and the software is easy to acquire. One clue in the quality of the radio is the support in the model line by both the manufacturer and the after-market suppliers for accessories such as the batteries and audio components. I'm more of a Motorola guy. I have the XTL5000 and XTL2500 mobile radios in my other cars and I have a large selection of various XTS5000 portables, along with the XTS3000, XTS2500, XTS1500 series, and various Astro Sabers, and numerous JEDI series portables. I don't have any Waris radios but I have used them briefly in my previous life and have found them very reliable and easy to use. The programming software for the Waris radio line is becoming easier to acquire these days. If you're in the market for a Waris radio, you have to be careful with the channel capacities. Some portables appear to be 128 channel radio but some of them on the market are only 16 channel radios. I'm not sure if the mobiles are in the same situation.   TheNevilleKid 1 Quote
tweiss3 Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 To be fair, any current commercial radio that you can get wideband on is going to be excellent for GMRS. There are plenty of options that are considered end of life that are great too. Motorola didn't have many, if any commercial radios that did get part 95 certification, but there are a boatload of Kenwood's that did. Depending on what you need (mobile, mobile with remote head/rf deck, HT, etc) will determine what you find. TK8150 is 45w, will do wideband, and remote head is an option, I have 2 of them. TheNevilleKid 1 Quote
WRZZ473 Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 Kenwood Radios TK-3180 Portable TK-8180 Mobile Most on the used market are 450-520 radios and work well for GMRS You can share the same programming with each radio, but you have change the buttons from the mobile to portable having different buttons configurations. See my comments on Radio Reference linked below. (10) Kenwood TK-3180 great GMRS HT! | RadioReference.com Forums  TheNevilleKid 1 Quote
Lscott Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 On 1/27/2024 at 4:09 PM, Sshannon said: @LScott is a Kenwood aficionado. I think he likes the 8173. Actually it’s the TK-3170. Great HT for GMRS carry. Can push it out of band for use in the Ham 70cm band. It’s also Part 95 certified too. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/?context=new If you don’t care about FCC certification there other Kenwood HT’s you can try. Mainly they are FM and some digital mode, the later usable on the Ham bands. The ones with DMR might be most attractive for Ham usage. I have all of the below FM/Digital models in the UHF and VHF  versions except for the NX-1300 so far. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/251-nx-300jpg/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/255-tk-d300e-fmdmr/?context=new http://comms.kenwood.com/common/pdf/download/TK-5220_5320_Specsheet.pdf I have a few of the TK-3180’s. Nice radio with good features and 512 channels. https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/10/TK-2180&3180Brochure.pdf Even so I still have a preference for the TK-3170. The trunking version, TK-3173, is also very nice and uses the same software as the TK-3170. I have several of those.  https://pdfs.kenwoodproducts.com/12/TK-3173BrochureRev.pdf   SteveShannon 1 Quote
WRXB215 Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 Just a little anecdote on commercial radios. A few months ago I was given an old Kenwood TH-75A. I also have a brand new Baofeng UV-5R8W. Last night I was listening to the NOAA Galveston station and decided to check out the difference between these two radios. I still like the Baofeng but WOW! the Kenwood sounded significantly better. SteveShannon and WRUU653 2 Quote
Lscott Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 2 minutes ago, WRXB215 said: I still like the Baofeng but WOW! the Kenwood sounded significantly better. Kenwood radios are known for their good audio quality. TheNevilleKid, SteveShannon and WRUU653 3 Quote
UpperBucks Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 I have a very nice Motorola XTL-2500 in the correct bandplan that many claim would be a good GMRS radio. It is in excellent condition - it just sat there for years, didn't get much use at all but I learned that it is impossible for me to get programmed the way I want/need so I'm going to get rid of it.  Quote
nokones Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 12 minutes ago, UpperBucks said: I have a very nice Motorola XTL-2500 in the correct bandplan that many claim would be a good GMRS radio. It is in excellent condition - it just sat there for years, didn't get much use at all but I learned that it is impossible for me to get programmed the way I want/need so I'm going to get rid of it.  If you're using the control head with the round CAN type connectors I can program it for you. All I ask is you provide a return shipping label. If you want it programmed, I'll heed you'd email address so I can send you some files for the programming worksheets that I use. gortex2 1 Quote
Socalgmrs Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 19 minutes ago, UpperBucks said: I have a very nice Motorola XTL-2500 in the correct bandplan that many claim would be a good GMRS radio. It is in excellent condition - it just sat there for years, didn't get much use at all but I learned that it is impossible for me to get programmed the way I want/need so I'm going to get rid of it.  That’s why I won’t use them.  I can’t program them and I can’t make changes from the front panel while on the road or if a new repeater goes up or if a repeater changes tones.  I’m Taking back my xti3000s.  Plus I’ve been testing them all over the place for a couple months and my other hand helds with 771 antennas actually perform better and if a horse steps on the cheapies and they end up in a water crossing I dont really care that much.  Quote
UpperBucks Posted January 30 Report Posted January 30 20 hours ago, nokones said: If you're using the control head with the round CAN type connectors I can program it for you. All I ask is you provide a return shipping label. If you want it programmed, I'll heed you'd email address so I can send you some files for the programming worksheets that I use. Worth a try. You're getting an email with the subject "XTL 2500 - thanks" - in case it gets spam-trapped.  Quote
UpperBucks Posted January 30 Report Posted January 30 20 hours ago, WRXP381 said: That’s why I won’t use them.  I can’t program them and I can’t make changes from the front panel while on the road or if a new repeater goes up or if a repeater changes tones.  I’m Taking back my xti3000s.  Plus I’ve been testing them all over the place for a couple months and my other hand helds with 771 antennas actually perform better and if a horse steps on the cheapies and they end up in a water crossing I dont really care that much.  What's amazing to me is that more GMRS radios don't offer a bluetooth-based companion app for the occasional tweaking of settings that are a PITA from a front keypad; stuff like CTCSS/DCS in particular. 462.600 has at least 4 different repeaters in my general area, each with different tone combinations, and there's a 625 repeater that just came up with another CTCSS code. 90% of the time, all I need is PTT and a preconfigured "Channel" - but when that other 10% happens and the laptop is back home, keypad programming for ALL of the GMRS (and Ham) radios out there is an exercise in frustration.  Quote
WRYS709 Posted January 30 Report Posted January 30 14 minutes ago, UpperBucks said: What's amazing to me is that more GMRS radios don't offer a bluetooth-based companion app for the occasional tweaking of settings that are a PITA from a front keypad; stuff like CTCSS/DCS in particular. 462.600 has at least 4 different repeaters in my general area, each with different tone combinations, and there's a 625 repeater that just came up with another CTCSS code. 90% of the time, all I need is PTT and a preconfigured "Channel" - but when that other 10% happens and the laptop is back home, keypad programming for ALL of the GMRS (and Ham) radios out there is an exercise in frustration.  TID-Radio offers a K-1 plug in dongle and Bluetooth App that works with a limited number of HTs. https://tidradio.com/products/high-performance-handheld-radio-wireless-cable-programmer WRXB215 and WSER249 2 Quote
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