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I made mine because I was excited to get it and bored at the same time.

I very much doubt I'll be in a position where I have to prove I have an amateur or GMRS radio license. I just bought the card because it's cool.

This should be good to watch. Looks like there is a FCC rule change being proposed to bar Chinese Labs from doing FCC testing for certification on various electronic items, including radios. Maybe this will end up clamping down on radios that seems to violate FCC rules from being certified due to questionable testing results. https://www.oann.com/tech/fcc-to-vote-to-bar-chinese-labs-deemed-security-risks-from-testing-us-electronics/

I did not notice any degradation in any signal level with my glass-mount antenna when turning on the Rear Window Defroster. In the Phoenix Area, we do not allow any frost on our windows and never had a reason to use it. Also, my rear window has the factory tint. My VSWR on 462 Megs is 1.2:1 and on 467 Megs is 1.6:1 and unfortunately, I hear a lot of FRS traffic about 5-6 miles away and I can communicate with several repeaters approx. 35-50 miles away. On the Trail, obviously it varies due to terrain, foliage, and obstacles and I am not disappointed in the performance. Some of the poor signal reception is because some of my fellow Jeep Creeps use cheap FRS radios from inside of their vehicle You just need to follow the mounting instructions and ensure the antenna is tuned/trimmed properly.

Glass mount antennas have special mounting requirements. They can't be installed on windows carrying electrical charges or metallic film. Embedded defroster wires, heated windows or FM radio antennas all are problems.

Are there any downsides to the glass mount antenna?

Continuous duty repeater transmitters rated at 100,+ Watts, run at 50 or less RF output, last forever and with building air conditioners set low, no problem.

Regarding carrying a license copy, Hamcrazy.com has neat "credit card" size plastic license copies you can order. While unlikely I would ever need it for anything, I do carry one of my ham and my GMRS license in my wallet. They now have a version with your ham license on one side and your GMRS license on the other. I figure it can't hurt to have it on you. I mean, if you wind up in a severe earthquake, hurricane, etc, and you are at a shelter that is radio equipped, having such proof on your person might get you sitting at an operator's desk if they need people to man their radios. https://www.hamcrazy.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_21

I'm not involved with that product (I do the BF-F8HP Pro handheld and the GMRS-RPT50), but BTECH seems to be committed to providing features people request, as upgrades. The BF-F8HP shipped with firmware V29, went to V33 about a month and a half later, and V44 which just came out. A bunch of the enhancements in that firmware were due to requests from Facebook, here, to me directly or to BTECH. So the radio you bought the week it was released in October 2024 can be upgraded to the same functionality as the units currently shipping. The only difference is that new V44 radios will come with a somewhat updated v44 manual which describes the new features. The GMRS-RPT50 got a bunch of features people asked for, like being able to used the microphone to use the radio as a base station, to get rid of the annoying (if you're the only person with physical access to the repeater) password prompt, etc. * Please bear in mind that I'm a contractor working with BTECH, so noothing II say should be construed as the official position of BTECH. vers-old.pdf

These off shore call centers (mostly India) the our banks, and medical professions contract with is scary, especially considering the personal informations these call centers have on you in another country that has zero identity laws.

in my case, it was just easier to close my bank account and walk across the street and open a new one with a different bank.. Symantec actually got sued for their scam practice a few years after this happen. I was part of the class action dn got a whopping $43 bucks for my part.

Geesh! Paranoia is growing rampant. Thank heavens the federal, state and local governments have access to every bit of my information. That way I don't have to wring my hands and whimper about it. And as to regular folks knowing about me, just ask, I love to talk about myself. Not to mention I have accumulated some really good stories over the last 70+ years. I suppose some one could try to steal my identity but since any fraud committed by such means wouldn't be done by me, I'd just choose to ignore any blowback. I just inform folks it wasn't me so deal with it. Besides, I am an old fart much closer to the end than the start and that makes ME completely unpredictable.

@tcp2525 and @nokones gave good advice. It is common for those with camper shells/toppers on trucks to use a piece of conductive metal on the underside of the fiberglass shell with a drilled hole for a NMO mount. And for the most part a glass mount antenna will also work. I personally would go with the Larsen glass mount on a Corvette to keep the classy and sporty look of the vehicle.

Laird has a Phantom Non-Groundplane antenna. You will have to order the White antenna unless you want to buy the black antenna in mass quantities. I would go with the Larsen Glass-Mount antenna. You will be surprised on the performance of this Antenna.

When someone is listening to you over the radio, the only thing they know about you is going to be your callsign, assuming you aren't an idiot and have not broadcast your full name for everyone to hear. So usually, over the radio, which is what the context of this discussion is, it is VERY difficult to look up someone's address without going through the FCC website.

Some just like to type and hit enter even when it is irrelevant to the conversation. It may be due something they need to have fulfilled. I do agree, the ignore function works to eliminate material that shouldn't be present to begin with.

I'm not saying you can't be charged if you change your credit card number. I'm saying your financial institution can't deduct from your account if you tell them not to. If they do, they are liable. I've always notified my bank when I stop an auto pay. Maybe it's unnecessary and all the companies I have dealt with are open and above board. It's your money, take charge of it.

It's actually not all that difficult to look up someone's address without going through the FCC website. The only way to keep all of your information private is to go totally off grid, get rid of any and all computers, phones, never banking or using checks and credit cards, have any public utilities in your name, etc etc. Oh and for those that have served in the US military since 1993, the federal government has your DNA on file. If you have ever had any type of government security clearance, they also have your entire life story on record.

Scrap the idea of using Midland garbage and go with a 1/4 wave NMO mount antenna and drill it in. On the inside of the car gain access to the underneath area of the fiberglass and place a piece of copper foil by using 3M spray adhesive. Make sure your NMO is in good contact with the foil. You won't even see that 1/4 wave whip.

Yes you are going to want some type of metal ground plane. A 12" diameter piece of metal with the antenna mounted in the middle will be enough for GMRS.

Wong.. again... Stalkers, haters, and other radiotards often look up FCC call signs to get home addresses.

I'd get a fiberglass magnet and try that

I've never been asked to produce a copy of either my Amateur or GMRS licenses. I've heard tell of a couple instances of SH's asking to see someone's license before they let them key up their precious Hams radio, but only as hearsay...

If you don’t like my posts there is an ignore function you’re free to use.