- Fast US shipping in 3–7 business days
- Extend communication range efficiently
- Easy plug & play installation
- Lightweight and portable design
- Rugged structure for long-term use
Description
Retevis RT97S Portable GMRS Repeater: Range Extension Solution
Retevis RT97S Portable GMRS Repeater
Retevis RT97S portable GMRS repeater extends the range of your handheld or mobile GMRS radios. Ideal for farm use, community communication, and various outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, and off-road driving, as well as for emergency preparedness, this portable repeater is a valuable addition to your gear.
Extend Radio Range Efficiently
Full-duplex working mode effectively doubles or extends your walkie-talkie communication range, improving signal coverage for short-range radios.
This version of the GMRS repeater RT97S features an updated case and a DB-9 Female connector for adding an external controller for linking purposes. You can add this repeater to the myGMRS Network by purchasing a linking bundle or an all-in-one kit that is plug-and-play (coming soon).
Featuring 8 GMRS repeater channels, full 5W of output power after the duplexer, and a built-in notch duplexer, all you need to do is add an antenna and feeder cable to get on the air.
Built into a cable TV amplifier box, the RT97S is rugged and water-resistant. Two power adapters come with the repeater, a 12V/24V cigarette lighter plug, and an AC adapter. A USB programming cable is also included, so you can program the repeater to your channel and CTCSS/DCS tones of choice.
The RT97S is ideal for solar-powered repeater sites where low power and a small footprint are required. At such a small portable size, this repeater is perfect for camping trips or emergency preparedness.
Inside the case, there is a small 10W notch duplexer, an LCD, a DC-DC power adapter, and the integrated radio module itself. This repeater does NOT simply have 2 handheld radios inside.
Spec
| Specifications | |
| Frequency Range | 462.550 - 462.725 MHz (TX), 467.550 - 467.725 MHz (RX) |
| Channel Capacity | 8 GMRS Repeater Channels |
| Channel Spacing | ±12.5KHz Narrow/±25kHz Wide |
| Operating Voltage | DC12V - 24V |
| Operating Temperature | -22° F - 140° F (-30° C - 60° C) |
| Frequency Stability | ±2.5ppm |
| Antenna Impedance | 50 Ω |
| Dimensions | 10.25" x 8.3" x 2.8" (260 x 210 x 70mm) |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs (1.66 kg) |
| Transmitter | |
| Power Output | 5W |
| Modulation | F3E |
| Spurious Emission | -60dB or less |
| Maximum Frequency Deviation | Wide: ±5kHz Narrow: ±2.5kHz |
| Audio Distortion | 5% or less |
| FM Noise | Wide:≤45dB Narrow :≤40dB |
| Receiver | |
| Sensitivity(12dB SINAD) | 0.2μV (Wide) 0.25μV (Narrow) |
| Squelch Sensitivity | 0.15μV (Wide) 0.2μV (Narrow) |
| Adjacent Channel Selectivity | ≥ 70dB (Wide) / ≥65dB (Narrow) |
| Intermodulation | ≥ 55dB |
| Spurious Rejection | ≥ 55dB |
| Image Rejection | ≥ 55dB |
| FM Ham and Noise | ≤-45dB(Wide) / ≤ -40dB(Narrow) |
| Modulation Type | F3E |
| Operating Bandwidth | ≤±7KHz / ≤±5KHz |
| Audio Distortion | ≤ 5% |
Features
● 10 Watt GMRS Duplexer, 5W Output Power
● LCD-Display, Built Into a Cable TV Amplifier Box
● Wide/Narrow Band Selection through PC Software
● 50 CTCSS and 210 DCS Privacy Codes
● Independent Receive and Transmit Privacy Tone Selection through PC Software
● Repeater Delay (Hang) Time Adjustment through PC Software
● Noise Squelch Level Adjustment through PC Software
● High/Low Transmit Power Selection through PC Software
● Include Antenna and Feeder Cable to Build Your GMRS Repeater System
● DB-9 Female Connector for Adding An External Controller for Linking Purposes
●GMRS License Required
FAQ
RelevantDocuments
Reviews
All Reviews
The compact size is a game changer for portable ops.
Shipping was lightning fast. Got it in 3 days.
Simple, effective, and affordable.
Worth the hype.
We can finally reach the back 40 acres clearly.
The 12V adapter is a huge plus for my solar shed.
The LCD screen is bright and easy to read.
Paired it with a Browning antenna—crystal clear.
Great for keeping the family connected across the acreage.
Rugged little box. Feels quality.
Solid duplexer isolation for such a small unit.
Solid investment for reliable comms.
Was on the air in less than 15 minutes.
Excited to get this on the myGMRS network soon.
Ran it off my portable power station for 48 hours straight.
Set this up at deer camp. Works flawlessly.
Great value for the price point.
Tested it during a local outage—performed flawlessly.
Love the portability of this rig.
Took a tumble off the tailgate. Still works perfectly.
Fan is a little noisy, but I keep it in the garage.
Was surprised how quick this got to my door.
Programming was straightforward with the included cable.
Great little repeater for the money.
Very happy with the purchase. Fast US shipping too.
The 12v plug is great for using it in the car.
Retailer was helpful with my programming questions.
Much better than those 'two-handhelds-in-a-box' setups.
Clean audio, no distortion on the receiving end.
Stays in my 'go-bag' gear. Highly portable.
Much smaller than my old unit, but just as powerful.
A lifesaver for deep-woods camping where cell service fails.
Plug and play is right. It just works.
Best entry-level GMRS kit I've found.
Retevis nailed the balance between size and performance.
Best budget GMRS repeater on the market right now.
It just works. That's all I care about.
Perfect for keeping in touch on the farm.
Fixed all our dead zones in the neighborhood.
Living the solar dream with this RT97S.
Unboxing was simple. No messing around.
This thing rips. Highly recommend.
Sits in my barn and works 24/7. Rock solid.
The update to the RT97S was worth the wait.
Community events are so much easier to manage now.
Great backup for when the grid goes down.
Left it in the barn. Dust and moisture haven't bothered it.
Takes our trail comms to the next level.
CTCSS tones are easy to set.
A must-have for any GMRS enthusiast.
Range is way better than just using the handhelds.
Doubled my HT range instantly.
Power efficient and reliable. Hard to beat.
Retevis knocked it out of the park with this one.
Packaged well, no damage. Good job, Retevis.
A pre-programmed guide would be helpful for newbies.
Perfect size for taking in the RV.
Can't beat it for the price point.
Range is night and day now.
Finally, a reliable way to keep in touch with the ranch hands.
Covered the whole ranch with this little guy.
Water-resistant housing gives me peace of mind.
Took it off-roading in Moab. Kept the convoy connected.
Super fast delivery, ready for the weekend.
Super easy to set up. If I can do it, anyone can.
Drawing very little power on my solar setup. Impressive.
Best bang for your buck in GMRS right now.
It's been sitting in my truck for a month. Holding up fine.
Great entry-level repeater for the community.
Perfect for my solar setup in the shed.
No more static on the handhelds.
The DB-9 port is a game changer for linking.
The box is small, but the unit feels solid.
Setup at basecamp was easy. Kept the whole group in range.
The 5W output is solid and stable.
I've tried DIY setups before, but this is way cleaner.
Solid coverage in wooded areas.
Essential gear for disaster preparedness.
Like that it has all 8 GMRS repeater channels.
Took it out of the box, connected power, good to go.
Already told two of my friends to buy one.
Love how lightweight this is for camping trips.
Covers my entire property with no dead spots now.
This thing is a beast for emergency prep.
Appreciate the included programming cable.
Total game changer.
Feels rugged, not like cheap plastic.
The cigarette lighter plug makes mobile setup a snap.
Would be nice if it had Bluetooth, but for the price, no complaints.
The LCD screen is clear and easy to read.
The RT97S portable GMRS repeater doubled the range of our handhelds instantly. Now we can talk from the far pasture back to the barn with perfect clarity. The plug & play setup was exactly as advertised—no technical headache at all.
Easiest repeater setup I have ever done.
As the trail leader for our off-road club, communication is vital. I mounted the RT97S in my truck using the car charger. Its compact size takes up no space, and it created a reliable communication bubble for our entire convoy in the mountains. Worth every penny for safety and coordination.
Finally upgraded from the old Motorola setup. So much cleaner.
Small footprint. Fits right on my desk.
Really impressed with the build quality here.
I recommend RT43 for 2 way radios long range needs. The 5W power covers our large construction site, and the sound quality is consistently clear.
No complicated software needed to get started.
Solid entry-level GMRS repeater.
Handles heavy traffic during our events without overheating.
Portable enough to throw in the Jeep for weekend trips.
The RT97S GMRS repeater is perfect. It’s so simple: plug it in and it's ready to use. The all-aluminum alloy casing feels indestructible. It now sits in my emergency kit, ready to extend our range if the grid goes down.
For our volunteer search and rescue team, this repeater is a force multiplier. We set up the lightweight RT97S at a central high point during a recent forest search. It effectively doubled our walkie talkie talking range, allowing teams on opposite ridges to coordinate directly through it. Incredible performance.
Our neighborhood watch group finally has solid comms.
Peace of mind in a rugged box.
Surprisingly rugged. This thing is built like a tank.
Picked up signals from further out than I expected.
I manage a large campground, and cell service is spotty. I installed the RT97S repeater in the main office. The extended range now covers every corner of the property. Staff can respond to guest requests much faster. The military durability gives me confidence it will last through seasons of outdoor use.
The compact GMRS repeater fits perfectly in my overlanding rig. Its lightweight design means no penalty for carrying it. On our last trip through the desert, it kept our three-vehicle team in constant, clear contact over miles of barren terrain. Setup was truly plug and play.
We use GMRS radios on our family farm. The RT97S portable repeater solved our dead zone problem in the lower fields. I was amazed that something so lightweight and compact could make such a dramatic difference. Communication is now crystal clear everywhere.
For a summer camp with sprawling grounds, this device is a savior. The RT97S portable repeater is so lightweight that our IT guy could install it high in the bell tower easily. Now, counselors can communicate from the lake to the dining hall seamlessly. Fantastic investment for safety.
Haven't had a single power-related hiccup yet.
Nice to have the DB-9 port if I want to link it later.
Fast shipping from the US warehouse. Appreciate it.
Thumbs up from me.
I needed a simple solution to boost signal for our warehouse and outdoor yard. The RT97S was the answer. It’s a mini removable GMRS repeater that I can even move between sites if needed. The extended range means our forklift drivers and yard managers are always on the same page.
Box arrived in perfect condition. Quick shipping from US.
Does exactly what it says on the tin.
Compact and powerful. Perfect for my needs.
Got the tracking number right away. Smooth process.
Five stars. Will buy again if I need another.
Every neighborhood needs one of these for emergencies.
Threw it in my go-bag for emergencies.
The updated case is much more durable than the old version.
Menu system is intuitive. Didn't need the manual.
Small footprint, big performance in the backcountry.
The 5 watts go a long way with a good antenna.
Exceeded my expectations for the price.
Runs perfectly on 12v. Barely sips power.
Ordered on Monday, arrived on Friday. That's fast.
Internal components are well-secured for transport.
Wish it came with a cheap antenna just to test, but I get it.
The new linking capability makes this a powerhouse.
Water-resistant housing gives me peace of mind.
Stays cool even during long transmissions.
The range increase is unbelievable for 5 watts.
Essential tool for farm safety and coordination.
Works as advertised. 5 stars.
Solid buy. Fast shipping.
Really extends the life of the handheld batteries too.
Factory reset was easy, programmed my freq, and done.
Used it during a power outage. Lifesaver.
Came with the programming cable and both power adapters. Nice touch.
Glad it has a real duplexer, not just two radios glued together.
Took it hiking last weekend, fits in a backpack easily.
True 5W output after the duplexer. Verified on my meter.
The duplexer works great; no interference.
Setup was a breeze. Highly recommend.
Pleasantly surprised by the quality.
Actually hits the specs advertised. Rare these days.
Rugged enough for the trails. No issues so far.
Mounted it on a shelf in the garage. Barely takes up space.
Keeps our neighborhood watch connected.
Money well spent.
Having the built-in duplexer saves so much space.
Bought this for my son to use on the farm. He set it up himself.
Retevis for the win.
Used this to bridge the gap between our valley and the ridge.
Had to read the manual for the tones, but easy enough.
Essential for our volunteer fire department backup.
Perfect for my off-grid repeater site.
Good customer service and a solid product.
Worth every penny.
Solid little unit. Works exactly as described.
Powered it with a small solar panel and battery. Works great.
Compact notch duplexer works surprisingly well.
Night and day difference in coverage.
Dropped it during install. Not a scratch.
Built like a tank. Love the metal case.
Clean audio on both the RX and TX side.
Low amp draw is the best feature for my emergency kit.
Stout little box.
Cable worked right away with my laptop.
Handles the dust and heat in the tractor shed just fine.
Came quicker than expected here in Texas.
Five stars. Does what it says on the tin.
A cornerstone of my emergency comms plan.
Nice to see a real integrated radio module inside.
Finally, an affordable repeater that supports external controllers.
Huge upgrade from the RT97.
Fits in a backpack easily. Great for SHTF prep.
Great for coordinating large hiking groups.
Exactly what I needed for the hunting lease.
Everything you need is in the box (except the antenna).
Works great for our campground. Voices are clear.
Perfect for the farm. Now I can talk to the back 40.
Exceeded my expectations.
Rugged, reliable, and ready when you need it.
Set the tones using Chirp. Worked first try.
Runs great off my solar generator.
Programming was a breeze with the included cable.
Perfect for our off-road club events.
Came in 4 days. Well packaged.
Reliable comms when cell towers are overloaded.
Solid little repeater. Hits all the spots on my property now.
Works great! Definitely increased my range.
Way better than the radio-to-radio repeaters.
The built-in duplexer is tuned perfectly out of the box.
Great for coordinating with the fishing buddies.
My buddies can hear me clear across the lake now.
Getting 10+ miles in hilly terrain with a good antenna.
Love the DB-9 female connector for myGMRS linking.
Plug and play. Had it up and running in 5 minutes.
Updated case looks way better than the old version.
Idles low, works hard. Great for battery-only use.
Exactly as described. Plug and play in 10 minutes.
Huge improvement for our rural homestead communication.
Instructions were clear and easy to follow.
Highly recommend this to anyone in GMRS.
No brainer for GMRS users.
Sturdy construction. Should last for years.
Easy peasy setup.
Good value. Happy with the purchase.
Reach has doubled on our property. Worth every penny.
Ideal for remote locations with limited power.
Signal stays strong even at the edge of the range.
So portable I take it hunting with me now.
Simple, effective, and portable. Can't complain.
The DB-9 connector is exactly what this model needed.
Software is basic but gets the job done quickly.
Took me a minute to figure out the programming, but got it.
Low current draw. My battery bank lasts for days.
Power board went out on my 97s , emailed retevis about it , they wanted me to send them a video of it not working and of the tests I done to confirm it was the power board , I didn't get a video of any of that before I contacted them , but I finally convinced them it was the board , and they shipped me a new board , I soldered the new one in and buttoned it all back up , hooked the antenna to it and plugged it in , Walla it powered up and is now back to working , they stood behind there warranty and I have the 97s and the new 97l , and Angela was very great to work with on this and I'll be buying more from them due to them standing up to there warranty , and I thank you Angela and retevis , Scott
Literally plugged it in, hooked up an antenna, and it worked.
Retevis RT97S, I live on a little hill (145 ft) and my mast is 20ft, I have hills behind me and a bit on the left and right but get good range with just the HTs, 3.5 - 4.5 miles. Because of my location I will never get far(s) but fun to play with.
Fixed installed on my Toyhauler Camper w/a Multi-Polarized 1/4 wave NMO (08-ANT-0864), and a 6 Pack of RT22 Handhelds all on licensed GMRS for use somewhat near camp. Ive built my own GMRS repeater before and this has better audio and is much more portable and power efficient.The handheld coverage is far more solid than simplex, being inside a building like the showers/bathroom does not cause issues like before, the handhelds can hear the repeater from much further away than they can be heard, like 8m+ Rx and 2-3m Tx. The range is perfect for base camp, we switch to simplex if we have a bunch of handhelds too far out from base, could likely gain range for HT's with a higher gain base antenna but I don't need it and this multi polarized wideband antenna is getting me great audio without LoS and better range in Canyons.Mobile Rigs can now venture off at great distances and keep coms, tow vehicle has 25W with 5/8 wave radio and I've got over 15 miles out, and from behind obstacles I didn't think would work like earthen dams. Anyone in base camp can communicate with the far-off mobile rigs with a simple handheld, audio is clear. This is great and just what I wanted, I can install nice radios with nice antennas in toys such as OHV's and Boats and still communicate with base camp over large distances.
Very impressed with the build and abilities of this repeater. Well designed and very functional. Once ordered you will receive a message from the company about any special programming you may desire. For me I simply wanted the typical GMRS repeater frequencies programmed into the unit. They said it may be 30 days before delivery but - for me it came withing about 10 days. Easy set up and worked great. Now just trying to locate a good high location for the repeater to be placed in an emergency. I would definitely recommend this repeater as a very good purchase and value.
I am starting off with a 4 star, I will edit in the future should it change. Repeater up and running for about a day now. Good coverage and noce clear audio.Shipping from Hong Kong was super quick less than 2 weeks. Retivis customer service resp were great making contact a few times.Only complaints so far, dodnt come programmed with the correct gmrs freq. However programming cable and a software download made short work of that. Antenna quality height and over all placement is more important that wattage anyway.So far I am happy with my purchase. Thank you retivis.
Out of the box this thing was ready to go. I was easily able to get my handhelds programmed and working with this repeater. We use it as a city wide repeater for my friends and family. It covers 5 square miles pretty effectively on a 40' tower with the Retevis base station antenna. I also had it deployed at a summer camp in a heavily forested area on a 20' pole and it worked very well for over a month. The unit only had to be rebooted once when the squelch got stuck open.All and all, this is a great starter for folks playing around with GMRS radio.
This repeater works out of the box. Power and hopefully a good antenna and location. Altitude of your antenna is essential. You are only getting about 5 watts out of the transmitter and duplexer. But no complaints. You get this unit high enough and you can attain really decent coverage. It would have been nice if they put a station identifier into the unit but it's really for quick and ready communications. Worth a buy. I hear a new version coming out soon...
Works great may have to get one more to cover all the nooks and crannies in our twenty square mile mountain ranch. Highly recommended.
I recently got back into radio, and figured I would set up a GMRS repeater. I bought the Retevis RT97s and have been pretty happy with it. The setup is easy. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be compatible with CHIRP, but it does have a Windows-based app for making programming changes.
Good for off-grid setups. The RT97s works wonderfully with my solar-powered system.
Durable in harsh conditions. I’ve been using the RT97s on a construction site for months, and it’s been flawless.
Perfect for local communications. I use it for family communications in a rural area. Great clarity!
Works great in valleys. Even in low spots, the RT97s has significantly improved our range.
Plug and play convenience. RT97S is incredibly easy to use. Just hook it up and it's good to go.
I love it. I have it hooked up temporarily until I can get my antenna on my roof. Great product. Small compact and easy to transfer over to my vehicle.
This increased our coverage from 3 miles to six miles/Coverage on a 35' push up pole on a silo.Really helped our portable radios along with increased our coverage in our vehicles from around 3 miles to 9 miles.Really great product and worth the buy.
Like Radio All Revis
Works perfectly for neighborhood communication
I currently have 2 of these repeaters. One I modified to by upgrading the duplexer to a larger unit and adding a 50watt amplifier on the TX side. The 2nd is a stock 5 watt. (actually about 8watts +\-). 2 things I discovered. 1st) make sure your repeater is set for Wide Band. The default programming is for Narrow Band. 2nd) have your duplexer re-tuned, after your receive it, for the specific channel you will be using. My TX and RX ranges increased significantly when I set the radio for Wide Band, and my TX and RX signals improved dramatically as well with a fresh tuning of the duplexer. I have my repeaters permanently linked together with the GMRSlive allstars link. My 50 watt unit is on a 5600ft mtn top in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It's range is about 70 +\- miles. I use the smaller 5watt unit from a ridge top to reach into a small mining community down in a steep narrow canyon. With this link, now these folks can communicate outside the canyon quite easily to family members on the highway heading down into the town. With no Cell service anywhere near these rural mountain communities, this is the perfect way to communicate. I love these repeaters and I'm planning on ordering 1 or 2 more over this year to expand my network of linked repeaters into other remote outlying areas.
it's on the air (gmrs) at 50ft + works great! about 4 miles to ht would like to connect the 9 pin to run android apps for ID etc it would be great if you offered a 50w max out repeater.
I bought a Retevis RT97S about 2 months ago and recently bought the speaker mic to go with it. I used it for the first time at a summer camp event this past weekend. It worked great! I used a home made J Pole antenna mounted on the snack bar. We used 6 Wouxum KG905 portables and one KG 935 portable as well. We used it to communicate with the entry gate, the golf carts for dispatching for transportation and the security folks. All this was done with it set on low power! The mic on the repeater sounded top of the line. Everything about it worked out just fine and it was everything I expected.
I purchased my RT97S six months ago and have it linked with MYGMRS. It is a great all-in-one solution for someone stepping into the hobby. I have a TRAM 1486 antenna (approx 25 feet high) married to the RT97S and easily get 5-15 miles coverage radius (range resulting from terrain around my area). I highly recommend this repeater for people who want to invest in a repeater solution on an appropriate budget.
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- International delivery time - 7-10 business days
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