I have the dual KG1000G+ repeater setup with duplexer to a CA-712EFC about 50 feet above my home. It works well but the RX radio is basically wasted. I've been looking at other solutions such as the BridgeCom, Retevis 45w Repeater Composed Of Two RA87 which is currently priced for a little more than the 5 watt RT97, and finally the BTECH GMRS-RPT50 50W GMRS Repeater with Built-In Duplexer and Auto-ID. I'm hoping to make a selection soon.
Great video. My problem with investing in GMRS tech, or the $35 license, is that it is so underused in my area, and I'm in a very populated area 20 miles west of a major US city. I bought an inexpensive GMRS radio and put a very capable antenna on it for "Just-in-case" purposes. I've found there is next to zero activity on any GMRS channels including the 1 repeater that I can hit which has, and I'm not exaggerating, 2 radio checks a week that go unanswered! Other than that, I've heard some CB'ish chatter 1 time but that may have been on the FRS channels I don't remember. I guess I'll sit on the sidelines waiting for GMRS's utility to increase. Thanks for the video.
While the Bridgecom repeaters work well, they are not without their own problems. The main issues is with the CW ID. The ID will cut anyone off if it ID's when a person is transmitting. Another issue is the CW ID does not get transmitted with tones. So if you have receive tones set on your radio, you will never hear the CW ID. We use a Bridgecom with a separate duplexer and other than the CW ID issues, it has been working great for us.
Great information Thomas. Thank you
I have the dual KG1000G+ repeater setup with duplexer to a CA-712EFC about 50 feet above my home. It works well but the RX radio is basically wasted. I've been looking at other solutions such as the BridgeCom, Retevis 45w Repeater Composed Of Two RA87 which is currently priced for a little more than the 5 watt RT97, and finally the BTECH GMRS-RPT50 50W GMRS Repeater with Built-In Duplexer and Auto-ID. I'm hoping to make a selection soon.
Great video. My problem with investing in GMRS tech, or the $35 license, is that it is so underused in my area, and I'm in a very populated area 20 miles west of a major US city. I bought an inexpensive GMRS radio and put a very capable antenna on it for "Just-in-case" purposes. I've found there is next to zero activity on any GMRS channels including the 1 repeater that I can hit which has, and I'm not exaggerating, 2 radio checks a week that go unanswered! Other than that, I've heard some CB'ish chatter 1 time but that may have been on the FRS channels I don't remember. I guess I'll sit on the sidelines waiting for GMRS's utility to increase. Thanks for the video.
@@mcallahan9060 in some ways it’s nice if you use it for family and friends and yes it’s very under utilized
Folks should get into GMRS for family and friends comms. If you want a radio hobby to talk to others then you need to learn ham radio.
While the Bridgecom repeaters work well, they are not without their own problems. The main issues is with the CW ID. The ID will cut anyone off if it ID's when a person is transmitting. Another issue is the CW ID does not get transmitted with tones. So if you have receive tones set on your radio, you will never hear the CW ID. We use a Bridgecom with a separate duplexer and other than the CW ID issues, it has been working great for us.
@@bryanpegg1445 thanks for the info, mine is mainly used in the summer for the lake association
@@Thomas-ZET You're welcome. They are good repeaters and would be better if Bridgecom would just fix the CW issues. They are aware of the problems.
Retevis...🙂