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I have tons of radios, when I caught the bug i started getting everything that came out and seemed awesome. Unfortunately most of that is marketing. Here is what I found. When it comes to GMRS radios none of them are as good as the Wouxon radios, for mobile the KG1000g plus. The MXTA25 is one of the best if not the best antenna you can get it really is amazing. With that said if your not mounting it with a ground plane like the middle of the roof you would be better off getting a ground independent antenna. Comet has the GI series coming out they are primarily designed for vehicles that are not made of steel, but will work well for fender mounts. The other options that are good are to get old commercial radios like Kenwood, Motorola, or iCom. Hope it helps.

Yes, and you only get GMRS channels. No VHF/UHF scanning or VFO tuning.

50W is a lot and generally overkill to hit local repeaters. And in many cases, you won’t get enough amps to the radio to really sustain 50W. I’d say 25W mobile radios are more than plenty. And if you still need a little more range (?), try a higher gain antenna with a better ground plane position. IMHO

The downside to the Midland GMRS radios with everything in the hand mic is that you can only program them through the radio. There is no option to program them using a computer.

I have a IC-2730A that has had the MARS Mod done. The TYT TH-7800 and TH-8600 both do better on GMRS compared to the IC-2730. The unlocked TYT radios have better receive and transmit audio on GMRS.

I looked him up by FRN and the only FCC license he has is a GMRS license.

Can’t vouch for this myself, but recently found this guy that sells a head detachment kit for the AT-778UVII (which is a great budget 25W mobile radio.) https://www.ebay.com/itm/255048462858 I may try this later. If I do, I’ll post my results.

I, too, shopped forever to find a small ~25W mobile radio with a fully integrated mic or a remote/detachable head. The 20V2 is about the only thing there is in that category, but I was off-put by the reviews and the 20W limit. I ended up with an AnyTone 778UVII 25W mobile radio. This thing is great! And I also recently discovered there are folks out there that have successfully detached the faceplate and ran a cable from it back to the radio unit. There’s an Aussie selling a kit for that on eBay. Might do that later, but for now I’m pretty happy with this thing.

your better of getting the IC-2730a with mod to access GMRS RX-TX , I am able to use it.

I'm new to this also and went through the same progression, i.e. HT to mobile, with the expectation of eventually adding a base station -- maybe a repeater at some point. All this would, obviously, require lots of equipment and a modest stack of bucks, especially with more than one vehicle in the household. I've satisfied all of my use cases and spent a total of less than $150. How? By making everything portable. I have a 25W mobile radio and a small 3dB mag mount antenna. The radio plugs in to the cars' cigarette lighters so nothing is hard wired. I can move it between the cars and bring it inside to use as a base station. As I type it's sitting behind me in a closet atop a pizza pan hitting a repeater that's about 30 miles away. Hell, I could use it on my fiberglass boat but I don't want to explain why I have a pizza pan on the bow. Is this top-notch gear? Nope, but it works very well for me. I'll eventually upgrade (probably the antenna), but for now everything is working everywhere, and I haven't drilled a single hole. Oops, forgot the new inside power supply, so let's call it $200 total.

I love this bar.

Would this work?

Thanks for that info!!! I will definitely take a closer look at the WP-9900 product. And for the modest $115 price tag it is probably worth getting one to test out in person! It really looks like the Btech 20V2. Maybe, it is made by same company with different branding. The Btech 20V2, which I like a lot, is also a "cheap chinese radio" so that really doesn't bother me. I think a lot of folks (read: "Radio Dorks") get totally wrapped around the axel on that stuff or see the brand name of their radio as some kind of freak'in status symbol, as if anyone in the real world gives a rat's ass. I will concede that the specs, when measured with test equipment can differ, and some radios may even be noticeably better than others, but the average dude, like me, using a radio just doesn't care. As long as I can communicate with others around me with reasonable clarity and reliability that's all that matters. When I hear someone else talking, I don't know, and I don't care, what kind of radio they are using. It's a moot point! It is interesting that you speak of the volume control being a PITA because that is for me the biggest negative in the basic operation of the Btech 20V2. The orange button on top of the mic that you use to turn the radio on/off is also used to open the squelch to put the radio in monitor mode. Long press vs short press and I always manage to hold the button for the wrong amount of time for what I'm wanting to do. Then while in monitor mode, you use the up and down arrow keys to adjust the volume. To me, this is a little clumsy, but it works, and I really don't have to adjust the volume that often, so it is a quirk I can easily live with. It is also funny that you mention how some hams might like the aesthetics of visible radios. HA!!! I think what you say is true. They like having all the knobs and meters etc. on display. Besides, if you can't see the physical radio box mounted proudly and prominently in front of you, how would you possibly be able to admire the expensive brand name? I recently went to a local ham radio club meeting for the first time. I was the new guy, and they knew nothing about me. Surprisingly, the very first question I was asked by one of the members; "What kind of equipment do you have?". My answer; "Oh, just cheap Chinese junk..." I understand the value of technical quality, but form factor and aesthetics is important for different reasons. I like being able to keep things clean, low profile, somewhat unnoticeable whenever I can. It is a matter of personal preference and for me these small form factor radios with controls on the mic seem to work pretty well in that regard. Anyway, thanks again for the lead on the WP-9900, I'll check it out....

Phelan. I was stationed at George AFB in the very early 70's. The Phelan explains more than you could ever imagine.

I'll check out Ham Study.org. Much appreciated.

Thank you all for the information. Makes life easier... until the next blunder Any recommendations on other radios with the same or better capabilities... not just GMRS? Thanks

I can ask my wife to stop hitting cars in parking lots, but she doesn't need to respond or stop doing it. So, I guess I don't consider asking you to stop an "enforcement action" . But yes, your right, he was issued an NOUO (notice of unlicensed operation) asking him to stop. Before that he was left a notice of interference on his car windshield by the agent. And has a history of this type of action, which he did nothing about and never paid the fine in that case either.

but its the truth. Honestly, i'm surrounded by them.....

Well now you're just being mean!

You forgot that BEFORE that, in almost all (99%?) cases they first send a nasty letter asking you to stop. You also left out that his current NAL details his previous 1999 NAL ("fine") and states that he has still never paid that one.

I can vouch.. 'Tumbleweed' Sucks.

You shouldn't post his callsign because now people can very easily go to this link: FCC License Lookup for WRXP381 and see his full name and address via the publicly available FCC license information. But he probably doesn't mind if everyone looks up his full legal name and address because we know he read all the rules and regulations before he signed up for his license - because that's the number-one stupid thing he obsessively repeats in his posts to other people. So he obviously knows all of his information is free for anyone to look up.

The current FCC enforcement process is they issue a initial notice called an NAL (notice of apparent liability) which lists what you've done wrong and usually includes a proposed, proposed, penalty (called a proposed forfeiture) which is usually a fine but could be take your crap down, stop doing something or hand over your equipment, but all proposed. The target can contest the issue or do nothing, if the target does nothing, the FCC can issue a Forfeiture notice which is in the form of 'you need to pay the fine listed' or hand over your stuff or stop doing whatever your doing or whatever they had decreed . The target can continue to do nothing, and all the FCC can do at that point is turn it over to the DOJ for "collection" which must happen thru a US district court. This usually takes the form of the DOJ issues a pay up notice you appear before a judge and come to an agreement. In rare cases, usually involving big companies, like AT&T, Comcast...etc...you can opt for a jury trial. In the majority of the notices turned over to the DOJ from the FCC, the DOJ does nothing due to lack of resources. They usually only go after the big boy companies or big dollar fines so they can make an example/get news coverage and hopefully detour others. In the case of the original posters PDF, that is a forfeiture order, so after Leon got his NAL, which it says was May30th, 2023, so 2 years ago, and did nothing. And will probably continue to do nothing. The FCC's order says Leon needs to pay up within 30 days, the reality is, they will probably wait 2 years, turn it over to the DOJ, and nothing will happen.

Will you notice a difference in the antennas? At normal effective GMRS fars, probably not. Going for super extended mountain top to mountain top with antennas out of polarization angle agreement, yes.

So the antennas you’re looking at are ground plane antennas. Not to be confused with chassis ground. The radio will work great. The mxta is a great antenna. But needs 12-18” of steel or aluminum around it. Now some people will tell you it will work but it’s like neutering your set up. Why spend money on a good antenna just to neuter it. I know midland shows it in a lip mount but it is not a lip mount antenna. That’s why I don’t like advertising. If you actually ask midland they will tell you it needs a ground plane. The best possible way to mount any ground plane antenna is in the center of your roof with an nmo through mount or a mag mount if you don’t want to drill a whole. I saw get the highest gain antenna you can afford/fit for height. I started with a cheap mag mount ut72. Worked great. As they aged I stepped up to the midland 26 made a huge difference. As those aged out we went to the comet2x4. Those made an even bigger difference. We now run 5 trucks with the 2x4, one older truck with the ut72 and a 25w b tech. And one of my hands is still running the 26 with a 50w. They all get about the same distance in the 100mile range in the open. To the guys that don’t like facts and real world every day experiences, and you like to spend other people’s money by making them feel bad they don’t have a cruddy kg1000…. Kick rocks. I use my radios more than all of you combined and I’ve had them all.