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this is why I'm a fan of VNA's to get a picture of both coax and antenna on a separate scale

I slap my hts into the charge bases and use a desk top radio. The charger base holds them just fine. Another solution looking for a problem? Doesn’t this belong in the for sale section

I've tried the Nagoya 701G and 771G on my KG-935G and the stock Wouxun antenna performs better. I do see an improvement when using the 771G on my Baofeng UV-5R GMRS radios.

Thank you for the reply I also have a baofeng but it's a uv5G plus and two TD H3's . I'm addicted to these little radios.

Put the SWR meter at the end of the run of cable and before the antenna if possible and you will get a more true reading of the antenna SWR. Coax can introduce as SWR as well so it'll still be higher than what the near antenna reading is.

I have the KG-S88G which is of a similar form and the 701 fits fine. That said the Wouxun stock Antenna I think is better than the 701G. I do use the 701G on a Boafeng UV9G and I think it is a little better than the stock on this radio.

Yes.

I was reprogramming channels on my K5+ using Chirp and could not find a way to block transmit in VFO. Chirp does not allow setting frequency range limits on these radios like it does for others like UV5R. I know about setting Duplex to off for memorized channels but that leaves VFO open. Is there something I'm missing or do I have to just hope Chirp will add the frequency range settings eventually?

It sounds like you're saying there's no point in testing. Any cable that's practical for a vehicle application will be lossy. RG58 is even worse, and that's what pretty much all mag mounts and NMO kits include. Are you suggesting we should use LMR400 for vehicle antennas? Why do you assume the antenna has an SWR of 10:1?

Maybe 2 tests, one at the radio and one with meter at antenna end of cable. Compare the two results.

Alright, smart guy. How do you hook up an antenna without using a cable?

Yep, he built a dummy load with that cable. Silly rabbit.

Hello folks, I have a wouxun KG-S65G among a few other HT's. Does anyone know if either a Nagoya 701G or signal stick 440 will fit this radio? There is a small wall on either side of the radio that is keeping some antenna's from fitting properly. The Smiley's I have will fit but only without the cone and there's a significant gap . My 771g will fit but is longer than I want on this radio. Thanks

Those SWR numbers are not accurate. Keep in mind that SWR is calculated by the following formula: SWR = (Forward Power + Reflected Power) / (Forward Power - Reflected Power) But that requires an accurate measurement of the percentage of the reflected power compared to the original power output. At GMRS frequencies RG-8x converts 44% of the RF output to useless heat before it ever reaches the antenna. So of the maximum of 50 watts transmitted by a GMRS radio only 27 watts reaches the antenna. That’s the Forward Power. Then, if the impedance of the antenna isn’t perfect, some amount of the power is reflected back towards the radio. That’s the Reflected Power. By the time it reaches the radio 44% of the reflected power has been converted to heat. So, let’s say you have an SWR meter right at the radio and let’s also assume that the antenna truly has an SWR of 10.0:2 at 462 MHz. An SWR of 10.0:1 means 67% of the forward power is reflected. That’s a pretty abysmal SWR for any antenna. So for a 50 watt transmitter 33 watts reflects off the feed point of the antenna and back towards the radio. But now let’s introduce attenuation. 50 watts doesn’t really reach the antenna. We’re using RG-8x so only 27 watts reaches the antenna. Two-thirds reflects back towards the radio, so only 9 watts of power is radiated instantly. 18 watts is the reflected power at the feed point but of course 44% of that becomes heat due to attenuation. 56% of 18 watts, or 10.1 watts makes it back to the SWR meter. So the SWR meter sees all 50 watts forward power and only 10.1 watts reflected power. It’s calculation says that is a perceived SWR of about 2.6:1. The point is that lossy coax results incorrect SWR measurements, whether done by a nanoVNA, an expensive bench model Vector Network Analyzer, or the priciest antenna analyzer out there and seeing a lower SWR becomes meaningless.

Hi everyone! For those of us who are Hams and GRMS enthusiast, we will like my newest build! Recently I created a 3D printed Desktop Mount for the YAESU FT5D Radio. I've placed the Cradle Mount on Etsy with a significant price discount! Price: $8.22 USD Shipping: $3.91 USD Warranty: 1 year warranty with free shipping of replacement if the mount does not fit as desired, or breaks due to natural use. https://www.etsy.com/listing/4304708866/ The radio fits snugly into the mount and is guided by rails built into the design, keeping it from moving loosely while standing upright. With a flared bottom that prevents it from tipping off the desk! This cradle mount is ideal for ham radio enthusiasts who want a stable place to secure their device, while having the option to charge the device while in its mount. It stands upright, allowing for ease of use, while being able to monitor the LED display at the bottom of the device. It is customizable with your CALL SIGN, up to eight characters! black primary color, with the CALL SIGN recessed, which makes the mount look FANTASTIC! We have customizable colors, so please inquire if you have a specific request. This design was created by That Medic Andrew, as seen on TikTok and MakerWorld, using 3D printers by Bambulab and FlashForge. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. I'm always looking for new ideas and quality input to improve my designs for those of us in the hobby. 73 all, Andrew, N2AL & WRTD229

Welcome! I think my first experience with FRS was road tripping, too.

Babble, Babble is all you do ... About Nothing !! State troopers, turn signals ... WTF ? That's right... GO READ STUFF, SOCAL !!

RG8x on UHF? Definitely not a optimal choice no matter where it's made. I use RG400 on all my NMO mobile installs. It's quality stuff even if it's made in an Asian country.

DCS code "123" is not a standard code nor is it in the MXT400 DCS table. DCS "125" code is in the table or you can select the decode DCS be "Off". The DCS "411" is a valid DCS code. The MXT400 will do split tones or codes even a split combo of CTCSS/DCS. If you want to set up a simplex channel to transmit on a specific channel directly to another radio device talking around the repeater, you would program your radio to transmit and receive the output freq of the repeater, in this case, the respective 462 MHz freq for that channel, with the same repeater output tone freq or DCS Code with your transmit freq. It isn't necessary to program a receive tone or code for you to have direct communication with another radio.

I understand that some repeater owners want to know who is using their repeater even though they list it as open and therefore the request permission option is set. It’s their repeater so I guess it’s their prerogative. I do personally feel if it’s open then turn requests off. Less to deal with for the owner for sure. I guess it depends on how people behave in a given area. One thing I think for repeater owners that is not a great choice is listing a repeater as permission required, keeping the tones hidden and then using 141.3 as your tones. Many consider this to be a travel tone and may not be a great choice for a permission required repeater if the owner is trying to make it obvious it has restricted use. Just my two cents.

If the repeater is using different tones for RX/TX (123/411), and you enter the input tone (123) in your radio for both TX and RX, your radio will not receive any audio from any station on that channel that isnt transmitting that tone (123) - you'll see the signal bars light up on your screen but no audio from the repeater. ***Just re-read your question and missed the whole (CH19/RPT19 part), and in short, yes you are correct - if you put tone 411 as receive on RPT19 and simplex channel 19, you will only hear traffic from stations sending the 411 code (ie, the repeater)

With the Midland MXT-400 I have a similar question regarding the split tones. Say for example, the repeater receives a TRANSMITTED Tone (RX) on the CH 19 of 123 and then transmits the message out to the world on (TX) tone 411. It seems to me I could just set the RX tone to the input code (say channel Rp19) and do the same for the output channel 19. Of course I would only hear the output of the repeater and nothing transmitted simplex correct?

I've been thinking of turning access request off on mine.. My repeater is open with no tones. It's there for anyone to use as advertised. Of course, rules apply. Only had one problem early on when a local guy insisted on belching every other day on the repeater, until i actually busted him doing it as he was sitting in his mini van in a nearby grocery store parking lot. Kind of funny when you roll up on someone and you nail em .. Never had a problem since. Nuff said.

So you have a ground plane antenna with out a proper ground plane? Why bother you neutered your antenna. The whole system is not good at that point. You probably 1/4erd your tx distance. All that time and money wrapped up in a bad ground plane makes the rest pointless.

I don't have a repeater so I don't know what the setup page looks like. My point was the combination presented should be logical from the user's perspective.