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This is very true. And the side of a standard US military 50 caliber ammo can will give you a good ground plane for GMRS. I've seen plenty of people use 50 cal ammo cans for dual band and GMRS go boxes. They will usually take the lid off and set the can on its side. You can then use a mag mount or drill the can for a SO239 or NMO mount. Lots of possibilities for a go box or small backpack/sling bag. Here is the ready to go Fara-J GMRS antenna https://vfcomms.com/shop/antenna/fara-j-antenna-for-gmrs/ If you are handy with soldering and sewing then you could always make your own. The downside to this is if you hang the antenna from a rope. You will have to support the end of the coax to the clothe so it doesn't put too much stress on the BNC connector.

That's what I think, but I don't understand one way obstruction . Like a diode.

I wouldn't overlook the use of a magmount. It is an antenna and it can be quick to get on the air. It's better than no antenna.

I wouldn't bring diffraction into the conversation. Most likely just an obstruction than different antenna pattern.

We got a QSO!

The FTDI or Prolific chips that are in programming cables emulate serial connections. So yes when you plug in a USB programming cable it does create a virtual serial port. Windows likes to default to a baud rate of 9600 and some radios will use a different baud rate. I haven't had to mess with the IRQ settings but I did have to change the baud rates for a few different radios. Changing the baud rate is mostly for connecting HF radios to a computer though some mobile VHF/UHF radios do use a baud rate that is different from the default 9600. I have not had to mess with the baud rate when connecting any of my hand held radios to a computer.

Glad to hear that antenna is working out for you.

Yes that is what I did. You can also go into the regular grid tracker settings under audio alerts and check callsign

Do you do that under Call Roster, add the call sign as a “watcher” and then set an alert for wanted call signs?

@SteveShannon can mark one off his list for 20m By the way. I am using my IC-7300 and cobweb antenna.

One of the hardest parts is getting coax that won't have too much loss on GMRS and still keep it light weight. A lot will depend on how high you are planning on getting your antenna up in the air and also what type of antenna being used. Using a sturdy mast will allow you to use heavier coax. Some of the cheaper telescoping masts are thin and won't support the weight. Go with the lightest coax with the least amount of loss that is acceptable to you. I actually have a couple of clothe roll up j pole antennas made with faraday cloth. One is for 2m and the other is for 70cm. The 2m j pole works fine for both 2m and 70cm with a SWR of 18 or less. And the 70cm j pole works fine for GMRS with a SWR of 1.7 or less. I am using 30ft of LMR400 equivalent coax along with a Sotabeams 7m/21 ft telescoping fiberglass mast. I hang the clothe j pole from the top of the mast and run the coax down, attaching it with velcro straps to keep things from flopping around in the wind. 30 feet lets me get 9 feet away from the mast. I normally will use some type of stand or 3 guy ropes on the bottom section of the mast to hold it upright on calm days. I will add three more guy ropes towards the top on windy days. I also have throw line and throw bags incase I want to just hang either antenna up in a tree. I can throw my dual band or GMRS radio into my go kit along side my G90 HF radio for any type of portable use. I am also setup for sending emails with Winlink on HF and VHF if needed. My go kit is one of the Hart rolling tool boxes from Walmart. I have a couple of 50 AH batteries in the bottom case and everything else (besides telescoping masts, fits inside the other cases. I can also throw a radio or two, some throw line, and the clothe/wire antennas and 1 or 2 10 AH batteries into a backpack and go light.

You'll find affordable models used. New will likely exceed your budget. I would look for Kenwood radios. Personally I've had far better luck finding programming software and support for many Kenwood models. I've hard much harder time finding stuff for Motorola. Some here might have have better luck with Motorola than I've had, might know where to get the software etc. If you're looking for a Motorola radio I do own a few of these. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/261-motorola-xpr6550jpeg/?context=new A number of the older Kenwood radios had FCC Part 95 certification so they are legal on GMRS, so long as they are properly programmed. The one I usually carry around is the TK-3170. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/417-tk-2180jpg/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/?context=new If you don't care about FCC certification this one is a nice radio. It's currently manufactured and available new, but it's going to cost you a lot more than the other ones. Even used they're not exactly cheap. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new

I ended up just adding you to my watch list on grid tracker. I'll definitely try to work you when I see you on.

Hello again folks, I wanted to report back on my stick on glass antenna that I have been trying out. Wide-Band Adhesive Glass Mount Antenna | 400-470MHz Frequency Range | Taoglas it works just fine and checks out great with SWR! I am hitting repeaters that are 20 to 40 miles away and communications have been clear. This antenna sticks on the inside only, there's nothing on the outside. I'm not saying an external antenna wouldn't do better, I'm just saying this antenna works great for what it is. If you would like to check it out you can visit Taoglas.com and look up I-bar 400-470 Adhesive glass mount antenna. They can be purchased through ProLogic ITS for 15 bucks, contact is Lance Bullock, 931-212-9048 Mine came with SMA connector so an adapter to PL259 would be needed which I got off amazon for a few bucks.

@marcspaz has already mentioned using a portable mast system. Here is one I've used. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/257-portable-mast-antenna-system/ For portable power this is one of several solar power systems I have. This particular one all you need is a lead acid battery. It does use one of those cheapo PWM charge controllers. Personally I would use an MPPT, but I got this at a swap really cheap. I was mainly interested in the panels. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/562-dokio-100-watt-panel/ I tend to use LFP, LiFePO4, type batteries now. They last much longer and weight significantly less. To get the most out of a solar panel I recommend a good MPPT charge controller. The one in the photo I got used for $40, including shipping and sales tax. Normally they're around $100+ new. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/569-gv-10-lead-acid-mppt-charge-controller/

Try AtlanticRadioCorp.com https://www.atlanticradiocorp.com/

Oh, I understand. But out of all the radios I have only one doesn’t create a virtual serial port. But I never have to do anything with IRQ. Sometimes I have to set baud rate. Usually, I have to set the port so the software knows, but not always.

Not when the radios themselves are 20+ years old, and were first programmed with a true serial port. I can't remember if the TK-880 needed booted up in a programming mode or not. I guess check the manual to see? That may only be for firmware updates though.

You won't find them new anymore. TK-3140 was a great Kenwood that has Part 95 certification. They used to be $70-110 used, I still have a handful of them, used the KNB-55 battery, which is also used on the NX-3000 radios. These guys check the radios out before selling them, for $150 its fits your budget https://used-radios.com/kenwood-tk-3140-uhf-450-490mhz-250-ch-4w-portable-radio/?srsltid=AfmBOor3hXfzNg6frpl6zsTfAzixQGKZJjih1N4fJGGRJn8_YKKdad4w

I guess my biggest surprise is that they are USB. You know "UNIVERSAL" Serial Bus". That crazy idea that port and IRQ selection would be a thing of the past.

I had to try. Oh well. His loss.

That is because they don't make GMRS radios - You might find some Motorola GMRS or FRS radios, but those are the cheap/low quality type radios, not the high-quality non-GMRS radios he is referring to. Basically, just ignore him because he is rheet-hard-ed.

Do you have any suggestions for online retailers for these brands, other than Amazon? I'm not finding much of a selection there.

I found this thread, to give you some visuals....

Unfortunately, most of the computer software creates virtual serial ports and require the user to determine which ports are being used.