Trying to Program a UV-5G Plus via Chirp to get Repeater Access

[WSAP738]

Hi,

I am new to GMRS and am trying to connect  UV-5G Plus with repeaters in the Tri-state area. I joined a repeater club to access a large repeater in my area, and I am trying to program everything via Chirp. Below is what I have entered: 

• Frequency
• I set the tone mode to "cross," tone-tone, with the PL tones entered in the "Tone" and "Tone Squelch" columns.
• +5 offset
• FM
• power = high. 

These are three linked repeaters.

 

I am not getting any sound or contacts back when I transmit.  What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

Gabe

[WRXB215]

Are you using a repeater channel, that is, above 22?

[WSAP738]

 

Hi- I put the repeaters on channels 53, 54, and 55, as shown below. The last repeater on Ch 56 is an open repeater

 

Thanks,

Gabe

 

[DenMRadio]

What you've posted is correct for a repeater with a Tx CTCSS tone and a different Rx CTCSS tone. Is that true? Regardless of whether that's true or not, you might want to troubleshoot using just a Tx tone so that you aren't missing responses that might be sent without a tone or with a different tone. To do that you'd use Tone for the tone mode and enter the tone in the Tone column. If that doesn't work you might not be in range or maybe you've got the wrong tone.

[WRXR255]

If the TX and RX tone are the same, it needs to look like these:

[WRXP381]

Have you asked the club you joined for help? If one of our members need help one of use will help or even drive to them to help program and trouble shoot.   Can you hear the repeater traffic on simplex?  Are you close enough with good line of sight to actually hit the repeater?   

[WSAP738]

I'm about 30 miles from the repeater, so that may be an issue. I did speak to someone, and they gave me the setup steps that I outlined above. Your club sounds great, btw. Too bad I'm on the east coast!

To hear via simplex, do I just enter the frequency?

 

Thanks,

 

Gabe

[WSAP738]

26 minutes ago, DenMRadio said:

What you've posted is correct for a repeater with a Tx CTCSS tone and a different Rx CTCSS tone. Is that true? Regardless of whether that's true or not, you might want to troubleshoot using just a Tx tone so that you aren't missing responses that might be sent without a tone or with a different tone. To do that you'd use Tone for the tone mode and enter the tone in the Tone column. If that doesn't work you might not be in range or maybe you've got the wrong tone.

Hi- yes, the Tx & Rx tones are different. They sent them to me when I joined the club.  I will try again with tone mode. But where do I enter the two different PL tones in chirp? 

 I might be too far away as I'm about 40 miles from the repeater (which states a 100 mile range btw). Hopefully not.

 

Thanks again for your help!

[WSAP738]

47 minutes ago, WRXR255 said:

If the TX and RX tone are the same, it needs to look like these:

ok-thank you! I connected to the open repeater, which is a nice victory. No luck on the closed repeater yet, though.

[WRXR255]

5 minutes ago, WSAP738 said:

ok-thank you! I connected to the open repeater, which is a nice victory. No luck on the closed repeater yet, though.

Something that is a bit hard to figure out in CHIRP is it is mostly smart.

If you think of it as a left to right fill in the blanks task you usually get everything right.

1) Put in the freq

2) Select mode

    A) TSQL - TX RX same - it will ask for the tone.  Dont touch any other tone or DCTS setting or Cross mode setting, its in there.

        a) Cross Modes are weird.  You select tone->tone and it asks for them, if they are the same it goes, its actually TSQL (or DTCS for digital) and sets the mode for it.

            So, im not sure why in the cross mode setting it has an option of Tone->tone, when it just makes it TSQL in the tone mode (same for DTCS), but yeah.

3) At this point all you need to change on the channel is the offset settings, and if DTCS the polarity if needed.

4) If any of these are a mix like digital and tone, its best to add freq like in 1), then go to Cross mode and select direction.  It will ask for the tones.

    A)  On these settings, everything before "- >" is the TX, after is the the RX. it will ask for each and set everything else it needs for those options.

 

Basically, for CHIRP you only have to put in a freq, select something from Tone Mode or Cross Mode, it will ask for the Tones and/or Digital. put those in as it asks, and dont touch anything else in these positions except polarity for digital modes.  Its easy to overthink it otherwise.

 

This info piece was brought to you by someone on a Friday and already on the way to a shitfaced drunken weekend.  There could be errors, my bad.

[DenMRadio]

4 hours ago, WSAP738 said:

 But where do I enter the two different PL tones in chirp? 

From the Chirp documentation:

• Tone->Tone: This means use the Tone value for transmit tone, and the ToneSql value for receive squelch

[WSAP738]

56 minutes ago, DenMRadio said:

From the Chirp documentation:

• Tone->Tone: This means use the Tone value for transmit tone, and the ToneSql value for receive squelch

 

4 hours ago, WRXR255 said:

Something that is a bit hard to figure out in CHIRP is it is mostly smart.

If you think of it as a left to right fill in the blanks task you usually get everything right.

1) Put in the freq

2) Select mode

    A) TSQL - TX RX same - it will ask for the tone.  Dont touch any other tone or DCTS setting or Cross mode setting, its in there.

        a) Cross Modes are weird.  You select tone->tone and it asks for them, if they are the same it goes, its actually TSQL (or DTCS for digital) and sets the mode for it.

            So, im not sure why in the cross mode setting it has an option of Tone->tone, when it just makes it TSQL in the tone mode (same for DTCS), but yeah.

3) At this point all you need to change on the channel is the offset settings, and if DTCS the polarity if needed.

4) If any of these are a mix like digital and tone, its best to add freq like in 1), then go to Cross mode and select direction.  It will ask for the tones.

    A)  On these settings, everything before "- >" is the TX, after is the the RX. it will ask for each and set everything else it needs for those options.

 

Basically, for CHIRP you only have to put in a freq, select something from Tone Mode or Cross Mode, it will ask for the Tones and/or Digital. put those in as it asks, and dont touch anything else in these positions except polarity for digital modes.  Its easy to overthink it otherwise.

 

This info piece was brought to you by someone on a Friday and already on the way to a shitfaced drunken weekend.  There could be errors, my bad.

This is really helpful- thank you! 

 

If I were in the PNW,  I'd be buying you drinks!