GP68-good or bad

[Res79cuE]

Anyone have an opinion on the motorola GP68??

[Tom in D.C.]

I owned both UHF and VHF GP68's for several years. In no particular order my opinions/comments are:

1. Great radio overall.
2. No alpha display a definite limiting factor.
3. Somewhat awkward to user program.
4. Early models had an FCC type acceptance number, making them legal for commercial use in the USA. Later models lack this, making their commercial use here questionable. Not a factor for amateur use, however.
5. No Motorola support in the USA for the GP68.
6. Lots of accessories available, both Motorola and aftermarket.
7. Small radio; easy to carry in pocket, especially with a short UHF antenna.
8. Full documentation available from several websites, as well a from the dealers who sell or sold this radio.

My only reason for selling my GP68's was that I moved up to Sabers.

Tom, W2NJS
...in D.C.

[Kirk]

Check out this website: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1295

[A10382]

My understanding is that a lot of the larger dealers got real vocal with the folks in the BatCave. Some shouting about "Margins, margins, do you know what you're doing to my margins?"

There have bee a few e-tailers bringing them in grey-market - no FCC ID.

I've used a customer provided UHF one for a bit.. Popular with Hams as they're field programmable. Most of the techs were hams and had the local repeaters plugged in.. the 12.5 was tight enough for GMRS without splattering onto the adjacent FRS 8-14 freqs.. Pretty good audio - much better than the crapo-late-model-GMRS hts. However, dangerous for a knowledgable user who can find the prog instructions on-line and set 'em up to talk to their kids' FRS units.

One Yahoo vendor is selling both verisons (hi-VHF and UHF) for just under $300 each. The hi-VHF version would be a winner (if certed) for someone who needs 2M Ham, MURS, WX, and Marine channels. All-in-one with a pretty good stock battery and a desk-top charger. The seller does not respond to an email asking if they have the FCC ID on them - leading me to believe that they do not.

[Al]

I've used a GP68 VHF for couple of years now and I have to agree with most of the comments made by others. I've found the weak link to be the battery contacts once the plastic slides on the battery start to wear/distort a little. Then you get intermittent operation not unlike an HT750 that's had heavy use on active people...the same thing happens there.

[Josh]

I have one on VHF currently plugged into railroad frequencies. It receives much better than a GP300/350 on the same frequncies with the same antenna.

However, the GP68 receives a lot of interference from my computer that the GP300 and 350 don't.

The audio output also leaves a lot to be desired. It offers a mere 250mw when most better radios (again comparing it to the GP300) have 500mw audio output. It makes a big difference.

I plan on using the radio for amateur uses once my license is granted, however, in the mean time and probably forever, it will remain as my VHF frequency scanner.

In reply to one of the previous posts, true GMRS radios are commercial HTs and mobiles. What you see on the market advertised as GMRS radio (including Motorola) is just a crappy toy- it does provide a lot of interference (especially the 22 channel models) with legal GMRS licensees, but that's what must be lived with now.

My GMRS radio, again, a GP300 works great and runs circles around the Motorola 'T7200' POS that I also own (although I hate to admit it). I also have an use an SM120.

-Josh
WPTP753

[April]

GP68 UHF... how do I reset the frequency, all channels are more than 750hz low. Is there a Refference oscillator soft pot or???????? Does some one have the alignment instructions? (NOT programming) Thanks.

[Al]

Aligning the GP60 series receive squelch threshold, deviation, low port moduation, power, and reference oscillator warp frequency is done with the CP50 RSS RVN4159A.