GMRS Radios for Newbies: How to Work Your New Radio

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GMRS Radios for Newbies: How to Work Your New Radio

Рет қаралды 22,341

Күн бұрын

If you are a new GMRS operator or just thinking about getting into GMRS radio, this video will help you understand what all the buttons, knobs and menus do.
Small GMRS radios can be intimidating to new operators. This video will get you off on the right foot.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:23 Opening
01:59 Exterior Tour
10:03 Power-on Tour
13:53 Menu Operations
16:36 Screen Icons
20:10 Privacy Codes
21:35 Menu Changes
26:52 DIY Channels
27:44 Receive Only Channels
28:34 CPS
29:03 Closing

Пікірлер: 46

@oxidize99 2 ай бұрын

Great video. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with us.

@dmolmsted 4 ай бұрын

Very good information that I have been looking for quite some time. Thank you

@GadgetTalk4U 3 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@user-ul8bl7cq3m 2 ай бұрын

Great video thank you.

@AskIveSolar 4 ай бұрын

Greetings Sir!! I've always wanted gmrs radios and I'm not looking to purchase my first pair and I REALLY appreciate that you seem to be keeping up with the radios that are coming out and talking about them. There are so many variants and options that it's refreshing. I subscribed and will be checking out a few other videos. I'm leaning towards the boafeng 15 pro for my wife because it's more walkie talkie looking than most. And I still have to decide which one I'll grab. Thinking about the uv 5g plus I think. Anywho, thanks again for the content from one KZfaqr to another!

@GadgetTalk4U 4 ай бұрын

Both are good budget class GMRS radios. Have fun.

@sammeme7452 4 ай бұрын

Great video! Thx!

@GadgetTalk4U 4 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching and commenting.

@stevenemert837 4 ай бұрын

CTCSS and DCS codes.. the very first time I used someone else's GMRS radio, he called them "sub-channels". He was using Motorola GMRS radios which, like Midland radios, assign a one- to two-digit number sequentially to the tones, so it may be that's what Motorola calls them, or perhaps just what the people he was communicating with called them.

@sombojoe 4 ай бұрын

Since I haven’t bought one yet, I definitely am the “novice” you’re talking about! :)

@GadgetTalk4U 4 ай бұрын

We all started there at some point. Cheers.

@BigInjun05 3 ай бұрын

Same

@carolparker2868 2 ай бұрын

THANK YOU!

@GadgetTalk4U 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers

@skiwillgee 2 ай бұрын

I purchased the Tidradio because I need more range than available with .5w family channel units. After watching this video hoping to understand all the features and menu items I am still very confused. Perhaps this is not truly for a "for newbies" video. Example: your explaining wide band vs narrow band just added to confusion on my part.

@mikel9567 Ай бұрын

All frequencies have a Bandwidth. In simple terms if a frequency band was a visible light beam, Wide band would be a flood light and Narrow band would be a spotlight. Generally it isn't real important in most cases but it can have an affect on range and data transmitted. Your GMRS radio will come from the factory with settings optimized for best use, so you won't have to worry about bandwidth. As you get more familiar and build your understanding, then you can start playing around with the settings. Ham radio, if you choose to get into it, is where bandwidth becomes more important.

@PalmettoNDN Ай бұрын

⁠thank you

@josemanuel2244 3 ай бұрын

Very helpful, thank you!

@RKingis Ай бұрын

You should check out the Midland GXT67! It just released, and it's a great basic GMRS repeater capable handheld.

@TWX1138 4 ай бұрын

Ended up also getting my GMRS license this past year, got it because we have enough times where the family are caravaning somewhere and we needed communications that work away from cellular service. I got the license because unlike my amateur license, my family can operate without individual licensing. Unfortunately the particular radios I bought, despite having memory channels, one can't program tones and other features for simplex communications that are stored separately from the original simplex memory slots. This seems to be because the radio is basically a ham radio that has been software-locked so that it's operating in the GMRS band. Unfortunately they've locked it down in an annoying way. The pair I bought are Tidradio TD-H5 if memory serves. It looks like it's the same unit as the QRZ Explorer ham radio with mildly different firmware. Wish I could change it to make it work as I expect even if it can only TX in memory mode rather than VFO mode.

@GadgetTalk4U 4 ай бұрын

Lots of GMRS radios are ham radios with different firmware. I looked at the H5 and they should do what you mention. I almost always use the customer programming software - it's just so much easier. The Amazon page says they kit comes with a programming cable so you may have one already. Some radios only allow DIY channels in the first 24 or so channels beyond channel 30. Try one of those. Channel 35 might work while channel 75 won't. I did a video on using a CPS to program GMRS radios. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iJlkmqSSqpOckWg.htmlsi=E6mWoX1ilUQaxYM9 Here's the link to the CPS walkietalkiesoftware.com/portal/index/software_detail/id/42.html

@shaunteckno 2 ай бұрын

Hello there. Awesome video! I’m just beginning in GMRS radio, and this is helpful. I’m very glad to hear that the radios talk, as I am blind, and cannot see the radio screens. However, I’m noticing that they don’t speak the menus fully. Do you know of a radio that transmits and receives with plenty of watts, but is, able to speak all of the menus? Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

@GadgetTalk4U 2 ай бұрын

Voice announcements for the menus is pretty rare in budget class radios. I checked a couple of brands I own both budget and more expensive, and found most had no voice for menus, although a couple would announce the menu name, they didn't announce the menu choices in that item, as you mentioned. Not much help. Sorry.

@shaunteckno 2 ай бұрын

@@GadgetTalk4U thank you for looking. Which radios announced the menu names? If it’s something like Vox that I’m selecting, it might be pretty easy to tell what I’m clicking on, based on how many vox options there were. Thanks for any assistance. Would you be willing to do a video on the voice prompts for the radios that announce the menu titles? Thanks.

@Sonicgott 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for clarifying CTCSS and DCS for actually NOT being “privacy” functions. I hate it when marketers refer to these things as “privacy tones.” Such baloney.

@robertstolz2272 28 күн бұрын

Do I need a license for every GMRS RADIO I own? I currently have 4 radios

@GadgetTalk4U 28 күн бұрын

The license is for you, the operator, and your family, not the devices. Have fun with your radios!

@NWcpl Ай бұрын

I'm very new to this. just got my 5G plus (just like one you have on the far right at the beginning of your video) and I'm just trying to figure out how to sync/connect the channels to just use them as radios.?

@GadgetTalk4U Ай бұрын

You should be able to simply select a channel and talk. Some models come with CTCSSS or DCS codes preprogrammed. That's a pain. Look at the radio's display and see if there is an icon for either of those two things showing. (Check the instructions for what they look like.) Either way, just work through the channels and check menu items 10 trhough 14. Set each menu item to off for each channel. That is the most likely issue. If you have a programming cable and the free downloadable CPS. do the same thing. I find the CPS is a bit faster. If you're new to CPS's just go through the menus for each channel. Good luck.

@NWcpl Ай бұрын

@@GadgetTalk4U Thank you. 🙂

@jerryberkel8421 21 күн бұрын

If I connect to a repeater close to me and my friend is on a repeater say 500 miles away, would we be able to communicate because we are going through repeaters?

@GadgetTalk4U 20 күн бұрын

Not normally. Some GMRS repeaters are networked together, providing longer range. Some question whether this is legit. Myself, I don't know. What you're trying to do is very easy with a ham license.

@johnc3225 3 ай бұрын

Just purchased 2 Baofeng GMRS 9R. I’m clueless how to operate this thing! Will your book be informative to guide me through the button functions and settings? I’ve just wasted money on 2 other books that were useless! And the included manual is terrible!

@GadgetTalk4U 3 ай бұрын

Most of these radios work the same. I'd use some KZfaq tutorials, even on other Baofeng radios. My book isn't radio specific. Good background but not button presses.

@johnc3225 3 ай бұрын

@@GadgetTalk4U thanks so much I appreciate your advice.

@bthemedia 3 ай бұрын

Setup for repeaters is generally the main challenge.

@GadgetTalk4U 3 ай бұрын

Yes. Try this: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q7Zxg9KAvrPaeX0.htmlsi=tqqCU3ytSFfKqyiq

@blade75964 4 ай бұрын

I filled out my gmrs license, been 7 days and I still have not heard anything back from them yet. Why is it taking so long. Been checking my email, but not getting anything yet. I want to get my gmrs license, but still waiting to get the forms to pay for it.

@JoseArrom 4 ай бұрын

I think you pay it online. You probably applied for a FCC FRN number.

@KaL_Tero_Vet_RET 4 ай бұрын

I called the FCC, a real nice lady assisted me and about 2-3 days later, I received their email blessing my request and granting me the license. Contact them!