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FWIW, several years ago I ordered the Browning base loaded NMO antenna. Hole mounted it on the right rear fender of a 08 or 09 Hyundai Sonata (older and better body style). It performed very well with an Anytone Smart CB inside. I found the performance as good as any Wilson 1000 or K-40 I ever used. Unfortunately, the car was totaled with in a wreck with a dump truck. My next car was bought in a rush and I had no real estate for antennas. If I ever get another car or truck, it WILL have a CB and this is the antenna I plan to use. https://www.amazon.com/Browning-BR-140-Land-Mobile-Antenna/dp/B0043I6FJA/ref=asc_df_B0043I6FJA?mcid=55684a0f4a963b8bb4dfae26a94289f4&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693362547589&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7567373534784621621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021278&hvtargid=pla-761964227712&psc=1 Note: As with most CB antennas you WILL need to trim the whip. An SWR meter will be necessary.

He might be an old fart that needs help... Go give the gent a helping hand

i guess they make 'Dummy Antennas' for Dummies than Dummy antenna A dummy antenna is used to simulate an antenna during testing, allowing the transmitter to be adjusted without radiating radio waves and interfering with other services.42 It typically consists of a resistor that matches the impedance of the antenna or transmission line, usually 50 Ω or 75 Ω.4 The purpose of a dummy antenna is twofold: it loads (terminates) the cable from the signal generator with the characteristic impedance of the generator and coax cable, and it makes it look to the radio's antenna input as if it is being fed from a source impedance that resembles a real antenna.24 There are different types of dummy antennas, including dry dummy loads, which do not require coolant, and wet dummy loads, which use mineral oil to dissipate heat.46 For example, the Opek DL-60 is a dry dummy load designed for CB and ham radio testing, capable of handling 60 watts peak and 20 watts average power.5 A simple dummy antenna, as specified by the Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA), consists of a 0.0002 μF capacitor in series with a 20 μH RF choke, with the choke shunted by a 0.0004 μF capacitor in series with a 400 ohm non-inductive resistor.8 In some cases, a dummy antenna may include reactive elements like capacitors to block any DC voltage potential differences that could damage the equipment.

What do you need help with. Put up antenna. Put up coax hook up to repeater set radios and talk.

Any one near Bushnell, Fl that can help me set up a repeater for my ranch & range please let me know. I have a 25' tower. Thanks

Nope. Never heard of a dummy antenna. Dummy load? Yes. Dummy antenna? Nope. Another question that could have been answered by a quick internet search.

EMR Corp, Celwave, and any quality brand from a Radio Electronics Retailer that measures out at 50 ohms with the appropriate power rating for the radio you are testing.

I'm sure you folks are getting great coverage where you are, but there are a lot a variables that make it so that works in those situations. It becomes problematic for a vast majority of the US. On the ocean or in perfectly flat land areas, if you have an antenna that is on a 100' mast, you are only covering 14 mile radius. Even if you bump to a 300' mast (which cost over $1m for a good commercial grade 300' tower) you are only looking at a radius of about 25 miles. To cover 100 miles (200 total miles end to end) your antenna needs to be almost 1 mile above the average terrain. That simply isn't possible in a vast majority of the US. If you are able to put an antenna on a mountain that overlooks a valley, you are golden, though. We have one of our antennas 1,000 feet above average terrain and we are barely pushing it a 45 miles, with dead spots inside that coverage area due to terrain. That particular repeater is known throughout the mid-Atlantic for being one of the top 3 repeaters, even when we include amateur radio coverage, and the top coverage repeater for GMRS in the area. Due to the terrain limits here, people/companies running farms need networked radios for reliable coverage and most of them are using commercial radio for it.

Any 50 ohm load rated for 50W or more.

Any 50 ohm dummy load that is rated for the maximum power output of your radio is just fine. Understand that there are continuous power ratings and ratings that are derated based on time and output power.

I have no idea the impact of the Heliax. It was only 25', less than 1/3rd the run. But the price difference wasn't that great so I said just do it. Was more worried about the problem of different metals in the coax blah blah blah. Plus this is an N connector antenna and the other was a 239 which isn't waterproof. The main reason is I already had to do it twice, and I do not plan on doing it a 3rd time.

So is there any particular dummy antenna that is good for measuring output on your radio?

There are still a few pretty active linked repeaters around me. Still programmed in the radio but set to skip on scan. There is just way to much garbage - from dead keys for hours on end, kerchunking, folks thinking they are GMRS police or professors (take your pick), irrelevant out of state traffic, bad voip connections, etc. Just no real control to be had. All the problems you may see on your local repeater and then some multiplied many times over. Don't really care if they exist or not - just not my thing.

I make my living working this type of scenario (huge ranches) and I’ve never come across a ranch big enough that a single repeater won’t cut it. I mean 50w does over 200miles. Most ranches I’ve been to from central California to Texas and Alabama run 20-40w used motorola repeaters. They are mooooore then enough for a few 1000 acres most cover well into town and adjacent ranches. The main 20w repeater I use every day all day covers the whole valley 100miles long and 60miles wide. I don’t really think linking would add anything in these situations.

Likewise Mark.. I appreciate your opinions as well. And i admit, i have learned a lot from your post.

I always love hearing/reading opinions of others. Especially if they are different than mine, because I may learn something new that could lead to a position change. Friendly chat is always welcome. You have some very good and very valid points. I don't see anything I disagree with. Good analysis, for sure.

from what i see, most people are linking repeaters through the internet because of its simplicity and easy access to equipment. Yes, you can link via radio waves and yes that would be legal, but i doubt it is the most used approach.. So if you want my opinion on linking, i don't agree with it GMRS Linking because they are not managed systems. No frequency coordination's, no consideration to other users wanting to exercise their rights as a GMRS user. And then where i draw the line with the practice is when someone doing it is making money doing it. And yes that is happening, I've spoke with someone that admitted to it. Fortunately they are in the process of decominishing due to the rule clarification.

Amazing what a little piece of Heliax makes. Buy it once, install it once, and never look back.

I don't like the idea of linking any repeaters for the sake of rag-chewing... but there is some practical applications that many seem to overlook. Things like remote receivers for extended talk-in to a high power repeater than can't hear handheld and other low power radios. Or, in an area that needs expanded coverage for emergency response (such as areas prone to flooding or severe snow causing issues) and any number of other situations. Maybe you own a massive farm or ranch and one repeater just won't cover it. Also, people keep saying linking repeaters is illegal and it is not. It is 100% legal. There is, however, a rule against using networks to link repeaters. You can do RF linking over GMRS frequencies (which uses more bandwidth, not a very friendly idea) or you can link repeaters over another radio service that you are licensed for. Also... just because you do or don't like something... that doesn't mean you're right. We are not in a world, or at least we shouldn't be in a world, were the majority bans what they don't like and mandates what they do. That is not freedom. If you don't like how the radio service is used near you, then don't use it.

I've got two maybe three FRN's in my name but with different business names and addresses. I see that happening as a person responsible for FCC stuff at work. But for someone with the same name and address for personal use make no sense not to mention the headache to keep tabs on each one.

I have two FRN's. Got my ham license in 1996 and don't remember anything about FRN's. Don't think they existed, were required yet or if the club I tested at handled it all for me. I let my license lapse in 2006 and when went to get my GMRS license in 2022 I saw I already had an FRN that was registered in 2001 that I knew nothing about and had a old physical address from when I got my ham license. From what I understand, FRN's were not required prior to Dec 2001 for amateur radio so I assume the FCC created one for me based on my license details that was still valid at the time. I didn't know or care to figure out the issue so I just created a new FRN with the FCC. I got my ham license back with a new call, requested and got my old call back under my new FRN with the checkmark box clicked "expired license" as the reason. FCC didn't question any of it.

The most surprising thing was I thought it would take me 2 hours with the bucket truck and I did it in 2 1/2. Usually you are off by a factor of at least double when you do things you aren't use to doing. And the original guestimate of time didn't really include the guy wires other than putting the harness on the mast. We attached 2 to the house which probably took about 20 minutes and then cleanup. I was very happy with how it progressed and the results. With my other antenna, even before the water infiltration issue going from my house to my shop repeater was usually R3-R5. Every once in a while it was R7. I had an wind issue that bent my mounting hardware at the shop repeater and that's when I had the best connection. I ended up turning the repeater antenna 10º and that helped a lot for some reason. Cheap antenna I'm guessing. Now with the new setup from my house it's coming in R9, not quite full quieting. But miles different than before. So between going from 7.2dBi to 9.8dBi gain and the new antenna being 5' taller (raising the center of radiation 2 1/2 ft) it made a world of difference. Now I have to investigate what's bad on the other setup. The antenna or the coax. Hoping the antenna so I can keep the length of coax for future repurposing.

Nice! You should really feel great that you it it behind you and it's working.

There might be some reason why a person would have multiple FRNs, such as to compartmentalize licenses. Just speculation on my part.

thats the 'sand box' i was pointing out