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I've seen reports that one brand (Retevis?) comes with tone squelch enabled by default, seems like a bad idea to me. I haven't heard this being true for other brands, I know for sure my Radioddity GM-30 did not come configured that way.

Reserved for additional updates

Convoy expectations and procedures We will leave camp at 8am every morning except the first. If the group wants to leave before 8am the next day, we can agree to do so the night before. But we will not be waiting beyond 8am. At 8am the vehicles will be packed, ready, and lined up to depart...

More things to bring: Permits: you will need to obtain two permits. The first one is the Arizona State Land Trust Recreation Permit from the AZ State Land Trust (AZSLT). You can now obtain it online at Applications & Permits | Arizona State Land Department. The second permit is needed when...

Comms requirements: We will be using HAM radio for communications on the trail, please be properly licensed. A hand held Baofeng might be sufficient as long as you’re somewhere in the middle of the group, but your antenna needs to be outside the vehicle and you need to make sure you have...

Vehicle requirements: I expect a stock mid-sized 4x4 with a 2 speed transfer case to make it through the trip. I also expect that all vehicles will get scratched up a bit, especially on the southern part. Judging by the video, I do not expect that a full sized pick-up will make it. I’ll be...

I have not traveled the AZBDR before, heck I’ve barely been to Arizona before, so this will be an adventure for me as well. I’ve travelled the Washington and Idaho BDRs alone and in groups, and I’ve travelled through the Mojave and Death Valley deserts so I’m not a total newbie. But not...

Before you sign up, please read through from here post #8 and make sure you’re comfortable with the requirements, procedures, and expectations listed. This is a group trip, and traveling in a group is not for everyone. If you are not comfortable with what’s below, please do not sign up...

Following the Arizona BDR, planning on 6 days or so. Starting at the State Line Campground on the Utah-Arizona border, and ending up at Coronado National Memorial. View Rally Point

Nicole, you haven't said much about how you plan to use the radio, so I'll offer my $.02 from my perspective... I'm firmly in team mobile + hand held. The mobile will have a higher output, which will some times make it easier for others to hear you. I always run my radio on the lowest power...

Your Baofeng might be different, but on mine I can turn those off by Making sure I'm "Frequency mode". If I'm not, turn the radio off, then hold down the menu button while turning it back on. Because the process below does not on my radio when in "Channel mode" Press the menu button, then...

Might be worthwhile to see if the Baofeng has T-SQL or receive DCS enabled. Look for CT or DCS on the display panel, or browse through the menu to check.

There are long stretches without campsites on the IDBDR too... Recommend don't be shy about ending the day early when you get to a nice place to camp.

There's definitely more to a good radio setup than wattage, I never had problems hearing Paul despite usually being on opposite ends from him on the convoy. I spent most of the trip transmitting on low power (~5w) but boosted it up to 50w when Paul or someone else had a hard time hearing me.

You'll want to add an antenna cable as well. Nakman at Gamiviti seems to be a fan of the Comet cma-ck-3m to go with his bracket, I don't have any experience with it since I use NMO antennas instead.

What's too fast for one particiipant can seem like just right for another and vice versa. I haven't figured out how to recognize this ahead of time other than traveling together and learning about others' preferences. 100 miles per day might be fast in some sections, and 150 miles per day...

Lessons I learned on convoying: 1) There will be dust, lots of dust... Lead will want to keep the convoy together, and those in the back will want to spread out. Occassionally we would wait after a turn for everyone to make the turn, this meant those in the back would be waiting or crawling...

Lessons I learned on comms: 1) First trip I've been on where we didn't have interference while using GMRS! 2) When we spread out we need good comms setups. Using a handheld with an integrated or rubber ducky antenna doesn't cut it, it means someone else needs to relay messages. 3) External...

Big Kudos to @armyRN for setting up this trip! I had a great time, this was an excellent way of seeing a neighboring state, not something I would have done on my own. Truly enjoyed getting to know Steve, Roger, John, Pete, and Larry! Great to see so many of us coming from all directions to...

All I know is he said his GMRS radio was set to high power - I have no more details than that. Edit: Ham was using VHF, which should also in theory work better than UHF in the backwoods of Idaho. Not at all a scientific test, just sharing my experience. The difference in reach was quite...