2023's Best GMRS HTs

[@toddshook1765]

Thank you for the reviews. Been a ham operator for years but new to gmrs. I bought the Radioddity GM30 to start. Working on our emergency communication plan for church and high desert area.

[@GadgetTalk4U]

The GM 30 is a solid choice.

[@bettersaferadio]

It sound like you haven't yet tested the Wouxun KG-916, KG-UV9G PRO or KG-UV9GX, the PRO being the first SHTF GMRS radio with full keypad and programmability. I'm happy to give you a great discount if you want to review one. :)

[@GadgetTalk4U]

Thanks for commenting. I included one of the earlier KG-UV9G series radios you sell in last years video (about 8600 views) and erred in not including one again this year. My bad. Glad you saw this and added a comment! I'll contact you via your website contact page regarding your offer. Thank you.

[@lovelauracp]

You go Mark ( Bettersaferadio )I will be receiving my Wouxum UV9GX GMRS radio very soon from Bettersaferadio ,I was really surprised that Jim isn't up to date on the best GMRS radio's available , guess Jim is busy writing books ,, I'm glad to say I bought his latest book on GMRS and it's really informative teaching me alot, I am sure he will catch up soon on the radios at Bettersaferadio , you guys keep up the good work, what would we do without you.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Can't wait to get my KG-UV9GX Radio and Accessories for testing From Mark would love to get my hands on the Ham version One of these days For testing @BetterSafeRadio

[@whataboutjesus425]

Very new to GMRS... so new that I'm only in the researching phase : ). Does your book cover requesting access to Repeaters?, how to use DIY channels, antennas, and possibly a home station to handheld set up? I love that you wrote a book on this, as homeschoolers we prefer to teach our children that way. Trying to decide if GMRS or HAM is a better start for us/kiddos. Thank you kindly.

[@GadgetTalk4U]

My book covers all the topics you mention. It should work fine for your purposes. You mention homeschooling and whether going with GMRS or Ham is the direction you want to go. Since ham radio has a lot of resources focused on the science surrounding radio and ham radio repeaters and the total number of hams nationwide is greater than GMRS, I'd suggest going ham. Hams love to talk to young people on the radio so you'd likely find more folks willing to chat with the ham license. Depending on where you live, the GMRS airwaves can be pretty empty. That's great for you if you want to chat with each other, but otherwise, getting a ham license will get you more coverage. The ARRL (Amatuer Radio Relay League), has lots of resources to get your licenses and even teacher lesson plans. They currently have a grant program to reimburse the FCC license fee for those under 18 who test with an ARRL volunteer examiner. (There are several groups who test, so be sure to ask.) In the ARRL Learning Center, they have a set of videos by a friend, Dave Casler, introducing each section of the ARRL Technician class license manual and of course, they sell the manaual. Make sure you get the latest version. If this is a family learning adventure it should be fun and much more comprehensive than GMRS. You might also have a ham club nearby with someone who can help. If your home schooling needs some hard science lessons, ham resources should be a nice supplement. With the technician level licence you all can use digital modes to talk to people around the world (Computer, internet, sociology, geography lessons) and learn about weather and other cultural aspects from the natives. I spoke to a nice person last week from Korea who was proud to tell me about his country - using a digital hand held transceiver that operates within the technician class priveleges. A couple of cheap radios and a slightly more expensive hand held antenna can have you talking to a repeater on the International Space Station. That means space and orbital mechanics lessons to support your curriculum. Depending on your state and what they allow, homeschooling grants might even cover some of the costs. Good Luck.

[@whataboutjesus425]

Thank you for such a comprehensive and thorough reply. You’ve given us a great jumpstart and lots of great information. Blessings to you from California.

[@Ross13ful]

Thanks for the video the Btech gmrs pro is also great

[@GadgetTalk4U]

Thanks for sharing

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Great list of radios for 2023 they are all great i own All of them and I love my KG-935G Plus I use it everyday its a Great Radio one of my favorites @Gadget Talk

[@tburrows357]

So im getting into overland started doing more and getting into the group trips. So I need new comms as more are running GMRS over FRS. So here’s my question. I want plug and play. Simple. Want a handheld but with a vehicle kit(magnetic antenna connection, aux plug/power, and hand held mic). So been looking at the GMR2 + from rugged or the B-Tech GMRS pro. Whats the opinions?

[@GadgetTalk4U]

Not sure you'll find kits for HTs. You'll need the HT, a battery eliminator, and perhaps an SMA to SO 239 adapter. I'd get a cheap hand mic/ speaker mic, too. Then select an antenna and mount. Bracket or mag mount will depend on your vehicle's roof. The BTECH radio transmits data (GPS position) so its antenna won't come off. Good radio, just not for your purpose. I started with a Baofeng since all the accessories were easy to get. Link is to a video I did about going mobile - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXqweK2llL-ekLssi=7j1xW66Bou5J1q_1

[@tburrows357]

@@GadgetTalk4UI decided to go with Rugged GMR2 plus GMRS/FRT with there magnetic antenna, hand held, dash mount and the USB charger kit to plug into the truck. This seems the best plug and play option and can transition from hand held to vehicle mount by switching antennas and removing hand set

[@jamalnettles4689]

What about the Ailunce HA1G Gmrs

[@VINNY5674]

Would like to hear other user reviews on the HAG1 I purchase and received 2 units. After setting up the units both kept having a frozen screen on scrolling through the options menu only remedy was to turn off and back on. After trying to figure them out for 3 hrs I decided to setup a return.

[@budbass]

Why not include mobile in the discussions for those interested?

[@GadgetTalk4U]

Because this video is about HTs. I have several mobile reviews on the channel. Hope you find them helpful.

[@nats50]

The best is now the Wouxun KG-Q10H Quad.

[@GadgetTalk4U]

That's a ham radio. It's on my best ham HT list coming out next week. The Q10G looks interesting, too.

[@nats50]

@GadgetTalk4U Sorry, I meant the new G -- KG-Q10G

[@bettersaferadio]

@@nats50 Not a legal GMRS radio with the removable antenna and misleading advertising (6W), but otherwise a decent radio. The same goes for the BTECH GMRS Pro and the removable antenna.

[@nats50]

@@bettersaferadio Didn't you read my correction? I meant to say the newly released KG-Q10G GMRS!

[@budgetbasscovers]

@@bettersaferadioare you saying GMRS radios can’t have removable antennas?

[@badatpseudoscience]

5:15 My Btech GMRS Pro HTs are submersible and they are USB chargeable.

[@butchcassidy3562]

Great brief. Love the T37 and T38. I was UPT 84-03 Williams AFB. Love to hear your history on that!

[@FireplaceDoc]

you give so much knowledge that you share for person like myself that are a start up self employ thanks to you and youtube, I have to learn much by myself by watching yours videos thanks.

[@matttemplin1676]

I want to have a GMRS radio. I don't a license yet. My biggest question is if I were to talk to somebody with a tone set on so I don't hear anybody else except the person I'm talking to. I don't want to interfere with somebody else using the channel. So is there a way to turn off the tone switch so to make sure nobody else using the channel? My biggest worry.

[@GadgetTalk4U]

I don't think I'd be too concerned. You can do two things, one is to press the monitor button to break the squelch and hear anyone. The other is to look to see if the receive LED is lit. If so, someone is talking. With GMRS, tones are primarily used to access repeaters to prevent repeaters triggering each other. Unless you are in a very GMRS dense area, tones are overkill and needlessly complicate things. Cheers.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Im really interrsted in the tidradio H8. It seems like a decent middle of the road radio that woukd do all I want for a radio. I am licensed in GMRS and will probably get my technician HAM license and it can do both if you unlock it and its certified I belive for both HAM and GMRS. Thanks for all the videos. I really enjiy the channel... Best regards from Southern Central Indiana. Tim...

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

You can get a Ham Version of the h8 as well as a gmrs version of the h8 I know some people have unlocked the Ham version to do both Ham and gmrs. the h8 are great radios for the cost

[@ron5454]

You dont have the UVG9X which is one of the best GMRS radios on the market right now.

[@GadgetTalk4U]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I'm sure others will chime in with their favorites, too. Cheers,

[@donalderickson-si8ww]

all of my gear is from rugged radio company thay have every thing you need

[@josephcampbell1693]

The H8 also is HAM capable and capable of both HAM and GMRS.

[@gilko61]

Hello. Thanks for your informative videos. I have a question that I hope you can answer, or at least give me some guidance. I fully realize there are plenty of complexities in radio propagation, but I thought I'd get your opinion. I live in the Hill Country just west of Austin, more or less near the edge of a steep ridge. It's pretty much a block of limestone. Nearby, I have a friend who is elderly and lives alone. I've always had cell phone problems because of a partially obstructed view of the transmitter, largely solved by the advent of 5G. However, because of topography, she is unable to receive cell service at all. She's in a hollow, so to speak. She has health problems and I worry about her. So here's where radio comes in. I'm not sure if this problem is solvable without getting into full blown ham gear. I used to listen to shortwave, and I've been to ham shows to buy vacuum tubes for my audio hobby, but, well, I have too many hobbies as it is to take on another. I only recently learned of the existence of GMRS. I am wondering if it might solve my problem, or not. The linear distance between our houses is .45 miles. I am at 1175' elevation. For the first .1 mile, the elevation rises about 3', to 1178'. Then, over the remaining .35 miles to her house, the elevation drops 197'. On a true, 3D line of "sight", the line would run through the limestone. Is GMRS a possibility? Or even FRS? (Which I doubt, given the 2 watt maximum). I can't justify too much expense, and it is not reasonable to ask her to get an amateur license, but GMRS sounds like it's just that little bit of money without her needing skills. I was thinking about your recommendation of the Baofeng GM-15, or similar. That's the ideal scenario. In 24 hours of study, it occurred to me that if that wouldn't work, maybe getting her a 20W+ base station, and me a handheld would work. The problem is that she really needs a handheld, in case she were to fall. That's the whole point. So, if you've read this far, I'd appreciate any guidance you might offer. Thanks. Scott

[@GadgetTalk4U]

I'm familiar with that part of Texas. My daughter lives in Johnson City. It seems to me that changing the angle from your antenna to hers to miss the limestone ridge might make a difference. By putting your antenna on a pole or your roof, you might be able to have a clean line of sight to her house. Putting an antenna on her house would help the angle and line of sight but wouldn't solve the safety issue you mention as the radio would have to be in one place. A lot of RVers use cell phone amplifiers on roofs or poles. The receiver end on the pole and a cell phone transceiver is in the house. I've seen folks who claim an increase of cell service from 2 to 3 bars. Obviously, there has to be a signal to amplify. You could also use something like StarLink. With Wifi in the house through Starlink, you could set her phone up for Wifi calling. Last, you might want to consider a satellite phone for emergencies only. They would probably be pretty expensive just to chit chat. All this assumes she doesn't have or couldn't get a wired phone at her property.

[@budbass]

O

[@kenjohnston2426]

Not very good for newbies. Sorry.

[@baileymoto]

GMRS is simple. Spend a couple hours on the internet and familiarize yourself. This isn’t geared towards someone who just learned about radios a couple days ago. 👌

[@kenjohnston2426]

@@baileymoto Thanks! I’m going to give it a go. Do you recommend I start with a higher end radio?

[@baileymoto]

@@kenjohnston2426 Nah, a cheap UV5r is fine to start with. While I agree they can be a bit confusing at first, especially if you try to program through the menu, so will most any radio. Id recommend either getting chirp or the tidradio Bluetooth programmer. I prefer the Bluetooth programmer, which you can use to program with your phone/tablet. It will become a lot less confusing once you dive in and start playing with it.

[@kenjohnston2426]

@@baileymoto Again, thanks for your help.

[@peterstoops5683]

you should redo this video without using any acronyms.... IHA (I hate acronyms)

[@theripper121]

If you are remotely interested in the subject of these radios you need to start learning the acronyms

[@peterstoops5683]

acronyms are used by narcissist to help them feel smarter than others. They save you a second that it would take to say the entire word, and someone in the audiance must spend a couple minutes trying to figure out your acronym that saved you one second. why not say the entire word?????@@theripper121

[@budbass]

Include mobile gmrs radios