Buy Two Way Radios

If you need a VHF two way radio for business, home or recreational use that's license-free, MURS may be a way to go. But what is MURS?

In this episode of Radio 101, Tommy explains what a MURS two way radio is and the advantages of using one. Check out our complete selection of license-free MURS radios!

CTCSS tones and DCS Codes help reduce interference by filtering out transmissions from others who are using the same channel or frequency. When used with repeaters, these tones and codes serve as sort of an “access key” to allow communications by radio operators who are granted permission to use the repeater system. So, what is the difference between them?

In this episode of Radio 101, Tommy explains the difference between CTCSS tones and DCS codes in a two way radio and how they work.

The TYT TH-UV88 is a reliable, solid handheld amateur radio at a budget friendly price. It's a great alternative to the original Baofeng UV-5R, mostly for its durability. Like it's lower end counterpart, the TH-UV88 can also be programmed with CHIRP. Now there is one more reason to choose the UV88 over a UV-5R. The TYT TH-UV88 now supports USB-C charging!

Not long ago, TYT introduced a new 2200mAh lithium-ion battery pack with a built-in USB-C charging port for the TH-UV88. We are excited to announce that the TH-UV88 we sell now includes this upgraded battery in the standard package!

The TH-UV88 originally included a standard, 1400mAh battery pack by default. But we changed all that. Now, when you buy a new TH-UV88 from Buy Two Way Radios, you get the 2200mAh TYT-BATT-UV88-USB-C battery upgrade as part of the deal, and at no extra cost!

A bigger battery, USB-C charging option, and a budget-friendly price to boot. In a TYT-Baofeng matchup, the TH-UV88 wins this one hands down.

Upon installing the programming software for the TYT MD-UV380 Plus, MD-UV390 Plus, and MD-9600 two way radios, the language is set to Chinese by default. Since most Windows computers operating in the English language do not use a Chinese font, it usually displays indecipherable symbols and letters as a result. How do you change it to English?

In this quick video tutorial, Steven from our tech department at Buy Two Way Radios demonstrates how to change the language in the TYT Programming Software from Chinese to English.

Want more videos about 2-way radios? Browse our video blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

How much power does a GMRS repeater owner have to control free speech? In an area where one GMRS repeater dominates others on a channel, does that repeater owner have the final word as to what can and can't be said on the air? Is it time for the FCC to update the rules for GMRS?

In this full video edition of the award nominated The Two Way Radio Show Podcast, we discuss the question of how much control a GMRS repeater operator can have over the use of their private repeater on a GMRS repeater channel. We’ll also take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our Two Way Radio Forum.

Listen to the audio only version of this episode and Subscribe to the show!

Want more videos about 2-way radios? Browse our video blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel and Rumble channel!

Recently someone in our forum introduced a discussion comparing the amateur radio service to the GMRS, and provided a short but interesting take as to why he thought ham radio was the better option. The reasoning put forth was based simply on the concept that while both were governed by rules set forth by the FCC, ham radio had more spectrum allocated to it than GMRS. While it is true that GMRS is limited to only 22 simplex and 8 repeater channels, to say that ham radio is better then GMRS isn't an accurate or fair comparison at all, and here's why.

Both services are governed and regulated by the FCC
One observation that was brought up in the conversation was that fact that both services were established by the Federal Communications Commission and are governed according to the rules set forth in Title 47 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The GMRS is regulated under Part 95(E) and Amateur (ham) radio under Part 97 Subchapter D of the rules, respectively. Both of these services have rules of operation, so no difference there.

Both services require a license to transmit
Another similarity between ham and GMRS is the requirement to purchase a license to operate on each service. Each license is issued a call sign, which the operator must use for identification when transmitting on the air. As of April 19, 2022 a license for either service costs $35 and is valid for ten years. There are no differences there, either. That's where the similarities end.

The licenses are different
Although both ham and GMRS operators require a license, there are important differences in the way each license is acquired, and with good reason. The GMRS is a fairly simple service to use, requiring little to no actual technical knowledge for basic operation. Most of the GMRS radios available are pre-programmed out of the box or "plug-n-play", meaning that you don't really have to configure the radio on your own to get it to work.

Sure, it can get technical if you are treating it as a hobby and really want to get into the nuts and bolts of antennas, feed lines and such. But the GMRS was actually intended as a utility radio service that pretty much anyone could access and use for general purposes, and it still is. Because of this, getting a GMRS license requires nothing more than filling out a form, plunking down the fee, buying an FCC approved GMRS radio, and that's about it.

Ham radio, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. Unlike GMRS, which operates only on the UHF band and a very limited number of frequencies that are, like CB radio, hard set by the FCC to pre-assigned channels, ham radio covers multiple bands across a wide area of the radio spectrum, including HF, VHF and UHF. The FCC gives Amateur radio operators a lot of latitude for operation. For instance, hams can build their own of equipment and experiment over the amateur airwaves to develop methods and technologies intended to further enhance the quality of life. The FCC recognizes ham radio as a bona fide hobby service, and it is one.

The whole experimentation part is a lot of power to place in the hands of anyone, and can make it a highly technical and potentially dangerous hobby to pursue. For this reason, someone can't just plunk down $35 and get an Amateur license. It requires one to study the technical stuff and take a test to prove an acceptable level of competency in this area.

Also, unlike GMRS, ham radio has not one, but three license levels. These are the Technician, General and Amateur Extra. Each license level requires a higher degree of study, training and expertise than the last. Each license level also grants different levels of access to the amateur radio bands. The Technician license grants you the UHF, VHF and a couple of HF bands, the General grants some additional HF bands, and the Amateur Extra grants access to all of the amateur bands available.

There is one other important difference between an amateur license and GMRS license that's definitely worth noting. A ham license is issued to an individual, and is not transferrable. The exception is a Club license, which can be issued to a ham radio club, but it is still assigned to an individual designated as the trustee of the club, and not the club as a whole.

On the other hand, a GMRS license, while issued to an individual, is also valid for that individual's entire immediate family. This includes the license holder's spouse, children, grandchildren and various other relatives. Watch our video Radio 101 - Who is Covered by a GMRS License? for details.

The services have different freedoms and limitations
As already mentioned, ham radio operators can operate on multiple bands and frequencies, and those frequencies are not assigned to any specific, FCC mandated channel numbers. The GMRS is limited to a total of 22 assigned channels, plus 8 pre-assigned repeater channels. This limitation alone gives ham radio an edge. Ham operators can also bounce those signals around to increase coverage across hundreds or thousands of miles, giving it even greater freedom of range than GMRS.

Also, there are fewer limitations for ham as far as equipment is concerned. Because hams can build their own radios, those transceivers don't need to be Part 97 type accepted for use on the ham bands. What this means is that a ham can program and use, say, a business or other radio that is capable of transmitting on ham frequencies and use it without prior authorization from the FCC to do so. In contrast, a GMRS operator is required to use a GMRS radio that is Part 95 type accepted and approved by the FCC for legal use on the service.

But GMRS also has an advantage. GMRS shares the same 22 simplex channels and frequencies assigned to the Family Radio Service, or FRS. This means that a licensed GMRS operator can communicate with a license-free FRS operator, and vice-versa. This provides some flexibility and freedom for families, groups and even businesses who are using these services for short range comms that are not available to hams, as they generally only communicate with other licensed hams.

The rules for repeaters are different
Amateur and GMRS operators have another commonality. Both can extend their range through the use of repeaters. Yet the rules for using them are a bit different for each service.

Obviously ham repeaters have an advantage when it comes to the number of bands and frequencies on which a repeater can operate, as well as the options for linking these repeaters together to extend that range even further.

On the other hand, GMRS repeaters have an advantage of their own. Although limited to one band, a GMRS repeater has a bit more latitude as to who can use it and how they must identify the repeater station.

Ham repeaters are limited to individually licensed ham radio operators with valid amateur radio call signs. GMRS repeaters can be used by a licensed GMRS operator and any family member of that operator who is covered by that GMRS call sign, as allowed by the repeater owner. In addition, if a GMRS repeater is only intended for private use by that license holder and the family, it does not need to transmit an ID, since the repeater station ID is the owner's own call sign and everyone on that repeater will be giving their family call sign during normal communications.

Each service has different power limits
It's no secret that ham radio has an edge when it comes to transmit power. The FCC granted the amateurs a fair amount of latitude when it comes to wattage allowances, although with a few limitations as well. It also depends somewhat on the license class. Technicians can transmit on up to 1,500 watts PEP on most VHF and UHF bands, but are limited to 200 watts PEP on HF bands. General and Extra Class operators can transmit up to 1,500 watts PEP on most bands with a few restrictions on additional bands they can access.

Conversly, GMRS operators are limited to 5 watts on channels 1-7, a half watt on channels 8-14, and up to 50 watts on channels 15-22 and the repeater channels. This doesn't seem like much compared to the limits for ham radio operators, but it doesn't need to be for this service. Considering the great responsibility that comes with great power in the hands of the average GMRS family, that's a good thing.

Each service has different restrictions on permissible speech
There is one big difference between ham and GMRS that needs to be discussed, and it is an important one, because it has to do with what you can and can't say on the air.

First, let's look at the similarities. Both GMRS and ham radio have rules about keeping the speech civil, clean, and above board, so to speak, and that really should go without saying. Both services have rules against advertising and "broadcasting" transmissions or messages. Scrambled messages or those coded with hidden meanings are also against the rules, unless they are standard "10" codes (or "Q" codes in ham radio).

Now here's the difference. There was a time when GMRS licenses were also granted to businesses, and as long as the license is still maintained, it is considered a grandfathered GMRS license. Technically, a GMRS radio can still be used for commercial operations if each individual working in the company or organization has their own GMRS license. Also, license-free FRS radios can be used by businesses as well as individuals. Since GMRS and FRS share the same channels, and operators on both can communicate with one another, business related activity is allowed.

This is quite the reverse with ham radio. The FCC explicitly states that ham radio cannot be used for pecuniary interest, meaning business or commercial communications are generally not allowed. This gives GMRS a huge advantage over ham radio.

Conclusion
So, is ham radio better than GMRS? Or is it the other way around?

That depends on who you talk to - literally. It also depends on what you want to do with each service. For instance, there are certainly advantages to ham radio for people who want to make contacts all over the world, but not everyone wants to do this. The GMRS allows an operator to interact with license-free users on FRS, but not everyone wants to do that either. Each service has its strengths and limitations, and everyone who uses them doesn’t need them to do the same things. Each will fit one user better than another, and everyone is different.

You wouldn’t say airband is better than marine band, or FRS is better than CB, would you? These are all different services intended for different purposes, so one isn’t really better than the other. They’re just different, as intended. Such is the same with ham radio and the GMRS.

The TYT MD-UV390 Plus Waterproof Dual Band DMR Digital Two Way Radio adds a whole new level of security for businesses with its AES 256-bit encryption. It can also be a little confusing, because programing and loading encryption keys into the radio is not intuitive at all. How do you do it?

In this quick video tutorial, Steven from our tech department at Buy Two Way Radios shows you how to load encryption keys into the MD-UV390 Plus via the TYT programming software on your computer.

Want more videos about 2-way radios? Browse our video blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel!

We answer a lot of questions from customers who are shopping around for their first radio and there is ultimately one they ask quite frequently. What is the best two way radio to buy?

In this first full video edition of the award nominated The Two Way Radio Show Podcast, we answer the one frequently asked question that is ultimately asked by someone who is shopping around for a two way radio for the first time. We’ll also take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our Two Way Radio Forum.

Listen to the audio only version of this episode and Subscribe to the show!

Want more videos about 2-way radios? Browse our video blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel and Rumble channel!

We discuss the question of how much control a GMRS repeater operator can have over the use of their private repeater on a GMRS repeater channel. We’ll also take some of your comments and questions from our blog and our forum.

Intro :00
Billboard 1:09

Censorship on GMRS Repeaters? 1:24
Recently I overheard an exchange on a local GMRS repeater between the owner of the repeater and a newly licensed GMRS operator who was using it. Although the new operator did not violate any of the FCC rules, he apparently did break one set by the owner of the repeater as a condition for using it. The question is, How much power does a GMRS repeater owner have to control free speech?

Questions and Answers 40:00
Comments and questions from our blog and members of the Two Way Radio Forum. Check out and join the forum! It's free!

Wrap up and Close 45:08
Send in your comments and questions for Danny, Anthony and Rick to show[at]buytwowayradios.com. Feedback on this and other topics will be read by the hosts and included in future episodes of the show. If we read your comment about this episode on a future episode, we may send you a free t-shirt or some swag! Visit us at www.twowayradioshow.com!

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Among the many features of both the original Wouxun KG-1000G and the KG-1000G Plus is the ability to connect one of these radios with a second one and build a working mobile or base repeater. It's easy to do, and we even made a video that shows you exactly how to make your own KG-1000G repeater.

One optional step that is not shown in the video is to connect a GMRS duplexer to both of the KG-1000G radios. While this is an optional step, it is highly recommended, as the addition of a duplexer eliminates the need for the radios to be connected to separate antennas for transmit and receive. This is much more efficient and eliminates other potential technical issues related to using multiple antennas.

If you are contemplating the use of a duplexer, Not any old one will do. Like an antenna, you will need to choose a duplexer that is tuned to the correct band and frequency that your repeater will be using. In the case of a GMRS repeater, it needs to support one of the 8 repeater frequencies reserved for the GMRS. We recommend the XLT DP-GMRS-50 Mobile Band Reject Duplexer. This is especially designed for GMRS radio repeaters and works with the KG-1000G Series radios.

When using a duplexer, it needs to be precisely tuned to that frequency. Yes, precisely. Of course, with a proper spectrum analyzer you could tune it yourself, but as shown in our video How to Tune a GMRS Duplexer, that sort of equipment is quite expensive and requires a modicum of expertise and patience to tune it just right.

Fortunately, when you purchase the XLT duplexer from us, you can choose the option to have us tune it for you at no charge. This will not only save you time, but the headache of doing it yourself.

That's great and all, but once you receive your duplexer and it is tuned precisely to the GMRS repeater channel you want to use, how do you do it? How do you connect it to your two KG-1000G radios correctly?

This is the simplest part of all. It only requires you to set up your repeater according to the instructions in the video, know which radio is set up as the transmitter and which is the receiver, connect the duplexer to both, and connect the completed repeater system to the antenna.

Here's how to do it:
1. Connect the TX radio (462 MHz transmit frequency) to the connector on the LOW side of the duplexer.

2. Connect the RX radio (467 MHz receive frequency) to the connector on the HIGH side of the duplexer.

3. Connect the antenna to the middle port marked ANT on the duplexer.

That's all there is to it.