Midland G8 PMR446

PMR446 Radio advice and troubleshooting

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Guzzy
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On the Thunderpole shop website, it lists the Midland G8 PM446 radio

http://www.thunderpole.co.uk/midland_g8.htm

It says:
The Midland G8 is a Licence Free 2-Way Radio covering both the PMR446 and DCS bands.
and
8 PMR and 104 DCS channels
Since when has DCS been considered channels? :?

Digital Coded Squelch is a form of channel privacy, it's nothing more than a digital version of CTCSS.

You only get 8 channels. CTCSS and DCS are not extra channels! :roll:

I really hate it when manufacturers try to bamboozle consumers. [-X
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ellitanthalas
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I think they're referred to as 'channels' for simplicity.
Most people who buy PMRs won't understand (or care) about what CTCSS is and how it works. They just want a radio to play with. This is why the packages claim things like 'up to 4km', when the reality is less than 40 yards in some circumstances!!

Try explaining CTCSS to one of your less-intelligent co-workers who knows nothing about radio. That's your target audience. Middle-management make good testees.
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Guzzy
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ellitanthalas wrote:I think they're referred to as 'channels' for simplicity.
Most people who buy PMRs won't understand (or care) about what CTCSS is and how it works. They just want a radio to play with. This is why the packages claim things like 'up to 4km', when the reality is less than 40 yards in some circumstances!!
Nah ah. [-X

That's called misleading advertising. :^o

There are only eight analogue PMR446 channels. The use of 38 CTCSS tones and 104 DCS codes just allow you to selectively ignore other users on those channels. Those other users are still they, and they are still taking up the channel when they transmit.

Many of the higher quality PMR446 radios have a feature called 'Busy Channel Lock Out' (or something similar), which will prevent you from TX'ing when the radio detects another station TX'ing using a different CTCSS/DCS to you. If you've ever used one of these higher end radios, and heard it beep at you or seen a red light instead of a green TX light when you tried to TX, that was BCLO working.

I think customers will care when they discover they've been bamboozled. No one likes to be conned, it leaves a very bitter after taste.

Midland should know better. [-(
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ellitanthalas
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Higher quality... and who is going to buy a high quality radio?
A serious radio user who already knows what CTCSS is.

For the lower end fringe user who just wants a cheap radio, I doubt they will give a damn.
Calling them 'channels' just makes it easier for their target market.

But, if it upsets you THAT much, feel free to slam Midland with the full force of all that Trading Standards can bring to bear. That offense will likely cost Midland a whopping.... £5,000 fine.
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Guzzy
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ellitanthalas wrote:Higher quality... and who is going to buy a high quality radio?
A serious radio user who already knows what CTCSS is.
CTCSS is one thing, the issue is the description of DCS.
ellitanthalas wrote:For the lower end fringe user who just wants a cheap radio, I doubt they will give a damn.
Calling them 'channels' just makes it easier for their target market.
The Midland G8 is £70 (each). That's a pretty expensive 'low end' PMR446 radio. If it was 'low end', I'd expect 4 for that price! :lol:
ellitanthalas wrote:But, if it upsets you THAT much, feel free to slam Midland with the full force of all that Trading Standards can bring to bear. That offense will likely cost Midland a whopping.... £5,000 fine.
Nah, I'll just sit here poking fun at them. :lol:
spiggy
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CTCSS, DCS?? cor blimey i have got a lot to learn! I bought this handset a few months ago and just about know how to turn it on and off and get my students on the other bikes. :lol: . The instructions are like a cookbook as they expect me to know the basics first..

I have encountered a problem for which no amount of button pushing seems to help...... The other day I left it on and the battery went flat (I know this happens to things when you leave them on for days) but when i charged it and turned it on it wouldn't transmit to my other sets. I noticed later that on the display, next to the channel number , the letter 'P' had disappeared ( You can guess I'm a novice as the letter P probably means something crucial) :oops: .

ANY guidance would be appreciated my friends. The 'TX' works only on channel 6 and no other channel and it will not receive anything. My other radios transmit to each other fine. Good grief! Gimme something tangable like an engine!
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stampman
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dont know the set but sounds like its locked on priority channel suggest back to the distructions and another read


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spiggy
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sussed it out! held the menu button down and the P came back, all seems ok now :D
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porky.69
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spiggy wrote:sussed it out! held the menu button down and the P came back, all seems ok now :D
#-o good luck with it
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