A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GMRS Radios that work with the BeCERTAINN Repeater | becertainn.org | ||||||||||||||
2 | Manufacturer and Model | Recommend? | Image | Advantages | Disadvantages | GMRS Certified / FCC Part 95 Type Accepted | In Production / Available new | Form Factor | Cost, source | Notes | Product Description | Manufacturer's Manual or Operating Instructions | Instructions for use with the BeCERTAINN Repeater | Tested by [name, email, location, date] | May people contact you for help with this radio? | |
3 | GMRS Certified / FCC Part 95 Type Accepted | |||||||||||||||
4 | Motorola Radius P1225 | Yes, contact BeCERTAINN | Very easy to use; good for radio beginners. Can reach the repeater with excellent sound quality from most areas of Berkeley. Rugged, designed for professional use. Long battery life. Has an excellent detachable antenna; can be used with an external antenna to further improve coverage. | No longer produced. To ensure that it works with the BeCERTAINN repeater, it must be programmed by someone from BeCERTAINN. Relatively heavy and bulky. Not waterproof. Battery charging may be very slow with the standard "10 hour" charger (requires up to 10 hours to fully recharge a completely discharged battery). Standard battery charger is not "smart": leaving the radio in the charger after the battery is fully charged may overheat the battery and damage it. | TRUE | FALSE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $60-80 donation to BeCERTAINN requested | Used devices refurbished and provided by BeCERTAINN | https://fccid.io/ABZ99FT4073/User-Manual/Ex-6-Instruction-Manual-234909 | Mitchell Gass, mitchlists@gassworks.com, 1700 block of San Lorenzo Ave., 3/6/18 | Contact: BeCERTAINN@gmail.com | ||||
5 | Wouxun KG-805G GMRS | Yes, best value for quality & price | Good quality GMRS certified handheld from a reputable company. Reasonable price for a well built radio with a simple interface and replacable antenna. Water resistant. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $99 (was $80), BuyTwoWayRadios | Newly released in 2019 | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-805g.html | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1255/product/4864/wouxun_kg_805g_owners_manual.pdf | ||||||
6 | Wouxun KG-905G GMRS | Maybe (extra $ for features) | Good quality GMRS certified handheld from a reputable company. Well built radio with a simple interface and replaceable antenna. Similar to KG-805, with more memories, better display, tone scan, and better waterproofing. | tbd | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $120 (was $110), BuyTwoWayRadios | New in 2021? | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g.html | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1428/product/5340/wouxun_kg_905g_owners_manual.pdf | |||||
7 | Wouxun KG-935G GMRS | Maybe (extra $ for features) | More advanced GMRS certified handheld from a reputable company. Well built radio with full keypad for easier field programming, large channel memory, and numerous advanced features. Replacable antenna, good waterproofing. | More complex than other options, and potentially confusing for new or novice users. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $149, BuyTwoWayRadios | New in August 2021 | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-935g.html?___SID=U | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1464/product/5434/wouxun_kg_935g_owners_manual.pdf | Comes with repeater channels programmed, needs tones added. Best to program channels via PC/software. | Chris Adams & Tom Lent csadams@gmail.com, Valley St @ Channing, 2022-02-01 | |||
8 | Tera TR-505 GMRS Recreational | Maybe (expensive for the features) | Nice simple radio - not intimidating for newbies - dualband, supports MURS. The free programming software is easy. Several useful accessories are available. Removable antenna. FCC type accepted. | Stock programming doesn't include repeater, only two side buttons but they are programmable. Only 16 memory channels on knob. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $114, Powerwerx | https://powerwerx.com/tera-tr505-gmrs-recreational-handheld-radio | Martin Rothfield dcmk1mr2@gmail.com Cedar St & Scenic Avenue | Yes | |||||
9 | BTech GMRS-V1 | Maybe (poor build quality, limited features) | Simple GMRS-approved HT based on the same hardware as the ham-friendly Baofeng UV-82. It's cheap and you can get it new. You only need to change one menu setting to get it on the BeCERTAINN repeater and no computer is required. Also, you can listen to commercial FM on it. | Battery charger isn't "smart" -- you need to take it off the charger when done. Rated 2W output max. Limited channel programming, only one channel per GMRS frequency. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $70, Amazon (was $55 in 2019) | This radio is the same as the $20 cheaper Baofung UV-82. The only difference is you are paying $20 extra for the GMRS certification and to have the rest of the radio's capabilities limited accordingly. | https://baofengtech.com/gmrs-v1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWOLZ8L | https://baofengtech.com/usermanual/gmrs-v1-manual.pdf | You can just take the REPT22 channel and adjust it to put out the 88.5 TX CTCSS and you're in business. | David Jacobowitz david.jacobowitz@gmail.com Ward St 1600 block and from LBNL 5/3/2018 | Yes | ||
10 | BaoFeng UV-5X GMRS | Maybe (poor quality, limited features) | GMRS specific version of the "classic" BaoFeng UV-5R ham radio. 5W output. Good price for a pair, though you pay a bit extra for the GMRS certification, and corresponding feature limitations. | Poor build quality and poor receiver. This is essentially a copy of the much cheaper UV-5R (ham radio version). Limited programming options. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $60 (pair), BaoFeng, Amazon, etc. | This is Different from the UV-5X3, which is a tri-band ham radio, and the UV-5XP, which is an 8W ham radio. | https://www.baofengradio.com/products/uv-5x | ||||||
11 | Baofeng G11S | Maybe (cheap, some drawbacks, requires programming) | Low cost, repeater capable GMRS handheld. Simple to operate once programmed, USB charging. Build feels solid. Can listen to FM & NOAA WX radio, can be set up to monitor VHF/UHF frequencies. | Power only 3w, sorta small 1500mAh battery. Programming via BF software, no Chrip support (yet?). Limited custom channels. MUST be programmed before using, since factory program is a mess of channels & PLs. Only one charger comes with the pair of radios, so need extra charger to split the pair. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $65-$73 for a Pair (March 2022) Amazon | https://www.baofengradio.com/products/g11s | https://baofeng.s3.amazonaws.com/BAOFENG_G11S_GMRS_User_Manual_20210923.pdf | Tested by Doug Mosher (GenOAK), March 2022. | |||||
12 | Radioddity GM-30 GMRS | Maybe (poor build quality, limited features) | Low cost, repeater capable GMRS handheld. 5w transmit power, full keypad, recieve only: amateur/ham, NOAA weather, FM radio. | New in 2021, limited experience. Poor receiver design/performance. Limited channel programming, only one channel per GMRS frequency. [Channel limit reportedly fixed in firmware v2.06] | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $45, Radioddity | https://www.radioddity.com/collections/consumer-radios-frs-gmrs-radios/products/radioddity-gm-30 | https://radioddity.s3.amazonaws.com/Radioddity%20GM-30%20User%20Manual_Digital%20Edition_20200107.pdf | ||||||
13 | Retevis RT76P | Maybe (poor build quality, limited features) | Low cost, repeater capble GMRS handheld. | Untested. Limited channel programming, only one channel per GMRS frequency. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $42 @Retevis, $38 @Amazon | Cheaper in bulk from Retevis website. Version available without screen/display. | https://www.retevis.com/Retevis-RT76P-GMRS-Radio-Portable-Walkie-Talkies/ | ||||||
14 | TIDRADIO TD-H5 GMRS | Maybe (poor quality) | Low cost, repeater capable GMRS handheld. Has full keypad, comes with extra battery (w/USB-C charging), speaker mic and other accessories. | Untested, assumed poor build and signal quality, unknown features & programmability. Battery capacity appears low, probably short battery life before recharge. | TRUE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $42 per radio ($84 for 2 radios + accessories), Amazon | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z7MVVBH | |||||||
15 | Wouxun KG-1000G GMRS | Maybe (untested) | High Power (50 Watt) mobile GMRS radio. Full featured mobile/bench-top unit, very versatile. | untested | TRUE | TRUE | mobile (car mount or base station, requires external power source & antenna) | $320, BuyTwoWayRadios | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-1000g.html | https://www.buytwowayradios.com/downloads/dl/file/id/1411/product/5287/wouxun_kg_1000g_owners_manual.pdf | ||||||
16 | BTech GMRS-50X1 | Maybe (untested) | High Power (50 Watt) mobile GMRS radio. | untested | TRUE | TRUE | mobile (car mount or base station, requires external power source & antenna) | $180, Amazon | Newly released in May 2019 | https://baofengtech.com/gmrs-50x1 | https://baofengtech.com/usermanual/GMRS_50X1_manual.pdf | |||||
17 | Midland MXT400 MicroMobile | No | High Power (40 Watt) GMRS Radio with repeater capabilities, mobile format. | PL/Privacy tones can only be set with the same tone for both TX & RX, so wouldn't work with the old BeCERTAINN repeater setup, but should work now that repeater has 88.5 on both TX & RX. Also, apparently this radio is set to narrowband transmissions, not wideband like most GMRS systems. So it will mostly work with others, but audio may be poor and PL tone may not trigger repeater reliably. | TRUE | TRUE | mobile (car mount or base station, requires external power source & antenna) | $250 (Amazon, Cabela's) $199 (B&H Photo Video) | https://midlandusa.com/product/mxt400-micromobile-2-way-radio/ | https://midlandusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/MXT115-Owners-manual-Final-24Oct16.pdf | Not tested on BeCERTAINN Repeater. Compatibility expected based on detailed reading of specs, except for lack of separate PL tones for TX & RX. | |||||
18 | Midland MXT115 MicroMobile | No | High Power (15 Watt) GMRS Radio with repeater capabilities, mobile format. | see cons for MXT400 above | TRUE | TRUE | mobile (car mount or base station, requires external power source & antenna) | $150 (Amazon, Cabela's) | https://midlandusa.com/product/mxt115-micromobile-2-way-radio/ | https://midlandusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/MXT400-Owners-Manual.pdf | Not tested on BeCERTAINN Repeater. Compatibility expected based on detailed reading of specs. | |||||
19 | Motorola Talkabout MS350R (and MS355R, MR355R) | No | Higher-end of the consumer walkie-talkie style GMRS/FRS radios. One of the few in this category that includes repeater capabilities. Relatively easy to use and set up via push-button menu. Pretty rugged and "waterproof". I have the MS350R, though the MR355R & MS355R models should be similar, and incluide repeater capabilities. | Poor performance built-in antenna, with no way to replace or connect alternate antenna. Original rechargeable batteries tend to drain fast and provide lower voltage power, so Alkaline or Lithium AA's recommended. Has dual PTT buttons for low/high power, so potentially confusing to newcomers. Only high power PTT reaches repeater from my location. Discontinued model, so high/rising prices on both used and new old stock. | TRUE | FALSE A few still available new in 2019. | handheld / walkie-talkie | Discontinued by manufacturer. Found online (March 2018): Used $65 per pair (eBay), and New Old Stock $185 per pair (Amazon). | Looks like none of Motorola's current consumer GMRS models have repeater capabilities. | https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/business/products/consumertwo-wayradios/talkabout_ms350r/ms350_series_ug_kem-ml36100-15_web_04-11-11.pdf | https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G3boDt_NpVhFfuxoouKDNxL-9cl-he4a56tMc_CLlv0/ | Chris Adams, csadams@gmail.com, Valley St @ Channing, 2018-03-13. | Yes | |||
20 | Motorola T7200 | No | Simple consumer style GMRS radio, repeater capable. | Discontinued model. Not personally tested. | TRUE | FALSE | handheld / walkie-talkie | Discontinued by manufacturer. | https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/products/two-way-radios/consumer/user-guides/t7xxx-series/t7200_user_manual_e.pdf | Not tested on BeCERTAINN Repeater. Compatibility expected based on detailed reading of specs. | ||||||
21 | NOT FCC Type Accepted for GMRS | |||||||||||||||
22 | Baofeng BF-F9 v2+ | No | Common ham radio which can access GMRS frequencies | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. Notoriously difficult to program, generally not friendly for new radio users | FALSE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $48 (Amazon) http://a.co/7vwbLoz | https://baofengradio.us/fileuploader/download/download/?d=0&file=custom%2Fupload%2FFile-1423083989.pdf | Brian DeFreitas briandef@gmail.com Cedar/MLK 2018-03-13 | Yes | |||||
23 | Baofeng UV-5RE | No | Cheap ham radio which will work on GMRS frequencies. Requires programming, not very powerful but works | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. Notoriously difficult to program, generally not friendly for new radio users | FALSE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $26 on Amazon | https://baofengtech.com/uv-5r | |||||||
24 | Radioddity GD-77 | No | Cheap dual-band DMR handy-talkie (though works fine on analog). | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. Programming software is pretty clunky. Cannot be programmed from the front radio at all -- computer required. Not for beginners. Antenna is comes with ain't great but does make the repeater. | FALSE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $90 on Amazon | Users might be interested in its sister model, the GD-77S. It has no screen or controls, but is otherwise the same radio as the GD-77. That is, once programmed it is pretty much just PTT with no fussing. | https://www.radioddity.com/radioddity-gd-77-dmr-dual-band-digital-two-way-radio-dual-time-slot-compatible-with-mototrbo-tier-1-tier-2-with-programming-cable-cd-extra-battery.html | Dave Jacobowitz david.jacobowitz@gmail.com Ward St 1600 block, LBNL campus, other spots around town multiple times through 2017-18. | Yes | ||||
25 | Anytone AT-D868UV | Mabye - for Hams | Mid-level dual band DMR hand-talkie. Really a nice radio overall. Works fine on analog (for BeCERTAINN and ham repeaters). Really of interest for hams who want a do-all HT | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. Programming software is pretty clunky. Cannot be programmed from the front radio at all -- computer required. Not for beginners. Antenna is comes with ain't great but does make the repeater. | FALSE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | ~$150 from BridgeCom Systems or Connect System | http://www.connectsystems.com/products/top/radios%20DS868UV.htm | Dave Jacobowitz david.jacobowitz@gmail.com Ward St 1600 block, LBNL campus, other spots around town multiple times through 2017-18. | Yes | |||||
26 | TYT UV8000E | Maybe - for Hams | Nice, robust, brick-like HT with 8W power output and big battery. This is a solid radio that I like a lot. | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. | FALSE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $90, Amazon | https://www.amazon.com/TYT-Cross-band-Repeater-400-520MHz-Transceiver/dp/B01H3KZ1YO | Dave Jacobowitz, david.jacobowitz@gmail.com, tested from Ward St 1600 block, from LBL campus, and other spots around town. Tested multiple times through 2017-18. | Yes | |||||
27 | TYT TH-9800 | Maybe - for Hams | Powerful, does-everything mobile amateur radio. Can do 40W into UHF for BeCertainn repeater. Very flexible muti-band radio with some cool tricks like cross-band repeat capability. Faceplate is removable so that radio body can be mounted in trunk and only controls in the vehicle. | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. Programming is a bit tricky from front panel but possible, and sofware is straightforward. | FALSE | TRUE | mobile (car mount or base station, requires external power source & antenna) | $214, Amazon | I use this radio daily in my car for ham use. It also works very well into BeCERTAINN repeater. | https://www.amazon.com/TYT-TH-9800-Cross-Band-Mobile-Radio/dp/B00I53VUEY | Dave Jacobowitz david.jacobowitz@gmail.com Ward St 1600 block, LBNL campus, other spots around town multiple times through 2017-18. | Yes | ||||
28 | Wouxun KG-UVD1P | No | flexible radio, works on ham 2m/70cm as well as GMRS | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. | FALSE | TRUE | handheld / walkie-talkie | $105 Amazon, other source | https://www.amazon.com/KG-UVD1P-136-174-400-470MHz-Handheld-Transceiver/dp/B007UYINY4 | |||||||
29 | Yaesu VX-8DR | No | High quality 4-band handheld with lots of advanced features for ham/amateur radio operators. Full 5W output, antenna connector, etc. | Not FCC certified for GMRS use. Requires minor modification to open up transmit to GMRS frequencies. Legal to transmit on GMRS frequencies by a licensed ham operator in an emergency situation. Also, very pricey, not worth it for only GMRS. | FALSE | FALSE | handheld / walkie-talkie | Was ~$540, recently discontinued. A few available used on eBay, recent prices $250-$450 depending on condition & accessories. | https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=03484E782FF9B7DFA27AEE086A68F530 | https://www.yaesu.com/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=8033&FileCatID=151&FileName=VX%2D8DR%5FDE%5FOM%5FUSA%5FEXP%5FEU%5FENG%5FEH029M259.pdf&FileContentType=application%2Fpdf | Chris Adams csadams@gmail.com Valley Street @ Channing 2018-05-08 | Yes | ||||
30 | Kenwood TK-880-1 & TK-880H-1 | Maybe - for Hams | Very robust mobile radio from commercial UHF service. Can be reprogrammed for GMRS use. Powerful 25W (880) or 45W (880H) output, and clean, high-quality transmissions. Available used for a resonable price. | Part 90 certified for land mobile, but not Part 95 certified. Somewhat complex programming software, not for beginners. | FALSE | FALSE | mobile (vehicle or base station), requires external power source & antenna | Approx $50-$150 on eBay depending on condition, accessories and specific version. | Recommend getting "Ver 2.0" with the new firmware, for easier programming with Windows software. See doc for details. | http://manual.kenwood.com/files/B62-1322-30.pdf | https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-2VENrmDT9DVIF-_1XYE5lrfTgQfk-Zzj9II0pO5aJ0/edit?usp=sharing | Chris Adams csadams@gmail.com Valley Street @ Channing 2018-05-08 | Yes | |||
31 | ||||||||||||||||
32 | ||||||||||||||||
33 | ||||||||||||||||
34 | ||||||||||||||||
35 | ||||||||||||||||
36 | ||||||||||||||||
37 | ||||||||||||||||
38 | ||||||||||||||||
39 |