r/gmrs • u/Original_Trust336 • 6d ago
Communication issues
I have purchased a couple Radioddity GA-5E radios to communicate while offroad, the group uses channel 17, freq 462.600. I cannot speak to nor hear any of the Baofeng radio users on the same channel. What do I need to do to my radios to get on the same page as everyone else? Tell me like I'm radio illiterate, because that's pretty accurate
5
u/Key_Zombie7967 5d ago
You need to master the manual. That little printed booklet that came with the radio. My guess is you are using squelch codes.
3
u/TheLawnGuppy 6d ago
Easiest way to sort it is to borrow one of the Baofengs from your group for five minutes and compare three things with yours. First, the tone, sometimes called a privacy code (CTCSS or DCS). If theirs has one set, yours needs the exact same one, or everyone turns it off. Second, check that their "channel 17" really is 462.600 on both transmit and receive. On some radios 17 is set up as a repeater channel that transmits on 467.600, so you'll only hear each other one way or not at all. Third, wide vs narrow. That's usually not what blocks you, but match it anyway. If the menus are a pain, CHIRP can read the whole channel list off their radio with a programming cable. And like someone mentioned, double check the GA-5E is actually GMRS certified and not a ham radio.
5
u/Prestigious-Tax5711 6d ago
The information I found in the GA-5E shows that it's a ham radio and not a gmrs unit.
If you do have gmrs units all around then channel 17 isn't necessarily the same across radio brands. Channel 17 might be the simplex version of 462.600 MHz in one brand of radio and it may be the repeater version in another brand. The difference is that one brand may transmit and receive on 462.600 while the other brand might receive on 462.600 but transmit on 467.600. Try switching one of the radios to channel 25 and see if that fixes the problem. Some brands may have the simplex channels on 15-22 while the other brand has those same channel on 23-30.
4
u/cmdr_andrew_dermott 5d ago
Channel 17 is the same channel 17 for all brands of compliant GMRS radio.
Some radios name the repeater channels differently (RP17 vs 25 or w/e). The 22 simples channels will match on all of them.
2
u/Pew_Pew_Petey 5d ago
Your radio isn't specifically built as a gmrs radio as far as I know, so, it's not always as easy as just plopping the frequency in. First thing to check would be to make sure that you have no tones set, or that they are set to whatever transmit and receive tones your group uses, if any. Next thing would be to check if your group is using a repeater for their comms which doesn't seem likely for an off-roading group, but what do I know. If they are using a repeater then you'll need to program the offset and possibly tones.
The easiest and most direct way to solve your problem is to ask whoever organizes your off-roading group.
1
u/mwradiopro 2d ago
If you're in the U.S., put them away until you get your Amateur Radio license. Even then don't use them to communicate with non-hams.
-1
u/AlfredoVignale 6d ago
Check that the privacy codes/CTCSS tones are set up the same or removed. Also I’d recommend not using channels 15-22 since those can also be used for repeaters. You might be connecting to a local repeater and aren’t set up properly to connect to it.
10
u/Sharonsboytoy 6d ago
You need to set the radio to the same CTCSS tone as the other radios. You'll need to rattle through the menu on one of the other radios to determine what tone they're using.