I’m looking to get a GMRS license and buy a water proof GMRS for a buyout bag I’m putting together. I know a lot of people have mixed thought on the quality of the Baofengs, but I’ve decided on one of these 2, the GMRS-9R or the UV-9G, based on budget. I also picked these 2 because they are readily available to purchase for my trip in 2 weeks, and they are water proof. I just don’t know which one would be better, easier to learn or if one operates better than the other? Can someone out there please help me decide?
I have some experience with technology, and I’ve purchased a book on the operation and programming of the Baofengs, so I’m confident I’ll get the hang of their use. The only experience I’ve had with radios is the old “brick” Motorola MX’s we used on the job!
Both radios come pre-programmed to GMRS and FRS channels, so you don’t need to program them. If you want to add tones and decide you would like to program on computer instead of from the keyboard, make sure you get a genuine FTDI cable. They are more expensive than the cheaper counterfeit chip cables, but you will thank me later.
Again, there is no need for a cable unless you really want to play around with tones. You will not be able to program either radio for any bands outside of GMRS and FRS.
Both radios are updated versions of the highly-regarded Baofeng UV-82C radio. Both are decent quality for a $40 radio. They are nowhere near the quality of a good Wouxun and the “waterproofing” only applies if you do not remove the cover to add any accessories to the speaker mic jacks. For family recreational use, they are fine radios. Be sure to buy from a reputable dealer as there can always be defective radios shipped from China … but that’s what to expect from a $40 disposable radio.
No one can tell you what to buy because everyone is different. As a firefighter, you need to trust your life to professional-grade equipment. That’s why those Motorolas are ten times the price. But for family use in environments where they are not really needed for protection of life, they are much better than the so-called “bubble pack” radios sold at big box stores.
I personally have never gone wrong with the Wouxun line, even at triple the price, but then again, I am using them in professional environments, not casual family communication.
By the way, here is how to save money. Aside from not buying a programming cable that you don’t need anyway, do not start reading about “upgraded” antennas. I have tested many aftermarket antennas over the years, and few if any are an upgrade over the stock antenna.
I hear ya. I purchased the Baofeng GMRS-9R. And just received my FCC license.
They were the most affordable, waterproof and arrived in time for my departure, but once I dive into this I’m sure I will be buying something a little better down the road. I’ve been spending a ton of money of survival gear, prepping etc… we RV a heck of a lot, and given the events in today’s society, I like to be prepared for anything and everything!
The radios came with a lot of accessories, including the PC cable, an additional long, folding antenna, belt clips, carry case etc… I feel I got a lot for the money!
I would like to label or name the 2 hand set’s differently, is there a way to do it on the display screen?
Hi JC. You should be able to change the text in the Power-on Message on both radios. It has to be done by computer and not by menu items in the keyboard.
Once hooked up to the computer and your programming software, ALWAYS download from the radio first before you try any changes. Look for a section marked additional settings or something like that. This section will have the universal settings for the entire radio, and you should be able to find a place where you can enter text for the power-on message. You will also need to find a menu item marked something like PONMSG or something similar and set it to “message” instead of what it says now. (It might display battery voltage or something else right now.)
This will show the text you have typed when the radio is first powered on. It usually disappears in a few seconds though.
With a computer, you can change the name of each frequency you are using as well. For example, these GMRS radios can be programmed to show the name of the frequency instead of the frequency or channel number. You might have one frequency as your main frequency for the whole family, and another frequency as backup, in case you get someone else already on your main channel. You can even program kids to have their own chat frequency and parent’s radios to have a parents’ channel.
This way, you can pick four channels and tones, and call them: MAIN, BACKUP, KIDS and PARENTS. (Just an example.) Each radio can be programmed individually, so kids don’t see the PARENTS channel. (If they know what they are doing however, anyone can listen in to your broadcasts by tuning in the channel with all receive tones off of course.)
I’m having issues downloading and installing the Baofeng program on my laptop. Once I unzip it, click on setup, it states unable to find file.
So that’s my first issue. 2nd is I purchased 2 GMRS books and they seem to be useless on guiding me through programming this radio! I’ve read the manual that came with it twice and it is useless also!
So far I’ve been able to turn on the flashlight, tune into FM and listen to my local NOAA station! That’s it! I’m trying to figure out what’s what on each line of the screen, how to pick up a GMSR signal, how to pick up a repeater etc…
I’m a little frustrated with the lack of written instructions!
Once I get the software on my PC Will everything be clear to me? I want to do the above with this radio.
Maybe my expectations are to high for this radio!?
Try downloading the CHIRP software instead. You can program the GMRS-9R using the Baofeng UV-9G model. It will get you started.
As for GMRS, there are some good forums devoted to GMRS, and RadioReference has whole sections on GMRS and on Baofeng.
If you still have trouble with the software not reading the radio, you may need to download a driver for the cable. It uses the counterfeit Prolific chip, and they can be problematic.
I tried downloading and using chirp. I had no problem problem downloading and installing it however, when I download from radio, I got this message “ Error reading data from radio: not the amount of data we want.” I tried it a few times, checked the com port driver, it was up dated, but nothing.
Then I decided to check the FCC I’d on the radio. It came up with this message
“ There are no applications on file that match the search criteria specified:
Grantee Code: 2AJGM Product Code: P52UV”
Did that a few times and received the same message. Does this mean this radio is counterfeit?
I think it is the cable. To run that Prolific cable properly, one must DOWNGRADE the cable driver. See if you can find a driver for that cable. Try at the bottom of this page. https://www.baofengradio.com/pages/download
You can also try a different com port. Sometimes they default to the wrong port.
If nothing else works, I have a couple of suggestions that will cost you a bit of money but will reduce your frustration. See if you can find a cable for that radio that has an FTDI chip in it. It will cost more than the counterfeit Prolific chips, but are plug-and-play.
The other thing you can do is to buy the RT Systems cable and software. Personally, I love their stuff, especially on radios that are not supported by Chirp.
I answered your email, thanks for reaching out. I just wanted to also tell you I didn’t even get that far with the Baofeng software, the file couldn’t be found after unzipping it and clicking on setup! Could be my 2019 laptop!
I did look at those RT Systems cables and software. Which one would I need? I’ll give it a try if all else fails!
Cables, software and reading and writing always fight each other. The thing with chirp is it can often identify radios as the wrong version and then when it loads in the data, it gets unexpected content and that goes badly.
Whe you say your laptop tries to install but then can’t find the file, do you have some kind of virus protection? Radio software often triggers false virus detection because the routines read and write from the devices, and that sometimes is suggestive of what some virus routines do? IF you have the virus protection, can it be temporarily disabled, and you could install as administrator which could help. You might try to copy the app to a unique location, and install it from there - that might help. Worse could be that you have a ‘protected’ product, maybe something to do with the US restrictions on wide open, programmable radios - maybe this is a problem, but that would normally be at the read stage.
The important advice above to read first is very valid here - if there’s any programming issues, a read, then a save is good practice.