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How long is the run? How flexible do you need the cable to be? (do you have tight spaces/tight turns?) What's your budget? Generally - what's termed "hard line" - Coax with a solid jacket (often called Heliax) - is going to have the best performance specs, the highest cost, and be more rigid. Braided coax (like LMR400/600) is more flexible, a little less expensive, and brings it's own issues.

There are plenty of good used quality brand name HTs on ebay at well under $50. BTW, it depends on which CCR you compare prices with. Right now on Amazon the lowest priced radios, 16 channel, no display, are at least $15. On ebay there are several Motorola P1225s listed starting $19. Though you might have to buy an antenna, battery and charger with the super low priced ones. You can easily get a working, ready to go, P1225 for under $40. OTOH, the P1225 is certified for GMRS. And, as far as I know, none of the really cheap CCRs are GMRS certified. Once you add certification, the CCR prices jump to over $50. And keep in mind, GMRS certification is not just snob appeal. It actually means something. Sure, in some cases it just means the radio has limited front panel programming capabilities. But, in other cases, it means the radio is not complete shit.

PIcked up 2 TK-8180K mobiles, one to replace the burned up 880 in my SxS, the other to install in my Cherokee XJ. With the front mounted speaker on these I'm thinking of a dash mount in both vehicles so wondering if someone has done this and might have a hint on the how-to? On the Jeep I'm considering replacing the Kenwood stereo head unit with the GMRS since I rarely do music and have my phone and bluetooth speaker for my radio listening. Again, anyone done something similar? I'll figure it out but maybe someone has insight. Will use 1/4 wave NMO antenna mounted in the roof of the Cherokee. Thanks.

I have my radios marked “Unit 1” and “Unit 2”. When both are mobile we use our Callsign plus the unit number. We use ‘Base’ when referring to the radio in the home. E.g. WRHS965 Base calling Unit 1. WRHS965 Unit 1 calling base. Etc. We only add the unit number or base when talking within the license (multiple family members talking to each other). Michael WHRS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Did I say this already? THIS... this is how its done.

Appreciate the information. On an unrelated subject, can I ask what is the correct protocol for signaling between two HT units when we only have one call sign? Is there a standard such as "WRJS228 Unit 1calling WRJS228 Unit 2" or "Mobile calling Base" with the call sign? Thanks for the help Dave WRJS228

Yeah rg400 can be tough. I found a easy way. Take scrap 2×4 drill a whole so the center conductor can slip easily through the center. Before you cut the sheath, slip the shrink wrap, ferrule, and the ring. (Using pl259 here). Proceed to cut the coax, slip the ferrule part way on to the shield wiring. Slip on the pl259, place the rest of the shielding around the connector. Take the crimper and gently grab the ferrule. Place the whole thing onto the 2x4, make sure not to damage the center lead. Using the crimper as a vise push down till seated. Finish the crimp and check for shorts as usual. Kinda works for n connectors as well. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Heliax is the only way to go, especially if in the future, you need to run duplex communication. When I set mine up, I opted for 7/8" Andrew Heliax, with N- Connectors of course. I also dived in and acquired a DB420 antenna set up in an omnidirectional pattern. RG 400 makes perfect patch cabling...double shielded, yet flexible. My wife had a small coronary when she first saw it up, but she got over it in less than 24 hours. Antenna, feedline, and grounding are where all the money and effort should be directed. Do it once and do it right.

You can't use 2 Btech radios or any other CCRs in the same room while trying to use a remote located repeater. The units are too close together, and transmitting on one of them will overload the receiver on the other one, so you will hear nothing. Get them 100 feet apart, and it will work.

You'll have access to the back catalog then. Every other issue or so there's an equipment review, and they're remarkable how comparable they are over 50+ years with consistent measurements.

I'll bite here. Rugged 575 in Naperville, IL has a 1500VA APC which is cheap as a primary AC battery backup. This will run my repeater for a LONG time... Like a couple days or more depending on usage. After that dies I have a 90AH Lithium Iron Phosphate battery (LiFEpo4 like others have already mentioned) that I built myself from scratch. This will run that repeater for about a week as well. What is nice is that if you get a proper commercial repeater (I have several Kenwood TKR-850's) is that you can set it to not only send out a tone over the air when the power switches to backup power but also to transmit a subtle beep when you are using it so you know it's on emergency/backup power. Take that a step further and you can also set the repeater to go down to 50% power (or any amount of power I choose) once it goes to said backup system to further extend your run time. I didn't do that myself as I believe in emergency situations being at full capacity is ideal... That and I have so many other batteries and generators that I wouldn't even worry lol. If you wanna save a ton of money (Like half the cost) I suggest you learn how to build your own LiFEpo4 batteries. Battle born batteries are nice but you're paying $1,000 for a battery you can build yourself for $550. The best resource for that would be to watch Will Prowse's videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj6RxIAQq8kmJme-5dnN0Q Thanks!

Morse, while being the "first digital transmissions" is not prohibited as long as the signal sent by the radio is still FM.

The mention of the P1225 was really just to illustrate the point that there are good quality radios available for not much more than a basic CCR, and around the same price as a GMRS certified CCR. Look through this forum and you will see lots of recommendations, and a few warnings as well. Both Vertex and Kenwood make excellent equipment and are readily found in the used market.

And, the P1225-LS, which is to be avoided since it was designed for trunking systems. I will still work as a basic radio, ut with only 2 channels.

If you didn’t find anything in the 1225 family of radios, you might not have been asking the right questions. Or searching too precisely. Cables are readily available on Ebay. The software is long EOL and readily found on the net. You can buy the software on ebay, too, but Motorola hasn’t charged for in at least 10 years. I’ll send it to you if you can’t find it. It runs best on an XP or a Win95/98 machine. I have a Panasonic CF-29 with XP on it and a real DB-9 serial port. I use the ribless serial cables. Everything Waris, 1225, Commercial, most Radius, older Minitors, and a bunch of other manufacturer’s stuff programs flawlessly with this setup. The mobile M1225’s use the same cable as Radius, CDM, and CM. Same 1225 CPS too. batlabs.com is full of reference info on legacy Motorola gear. There should be a model number chart there. repeaterbuilder.com is another great resource for legacy gear from a number of manufacturers. radioreference.com has many archived threads on programming and use of all sorts of legacy radios. The 1225 family is well featured there in the Motorola section.

The model you want will start with P94ZRC90 The P1225 came as either a 2 channel or 16 channel model (plus a 16ch keypad version with display). Software can be a stumbling block if you're not friendly with someone who has a copy. It used to be available for anyone who had a MOL (Motorola Online) subscription. I've got a boatload of the P1225's. PM me and I'll hook you up.

There are 128 memories. All memories are usable for storing transmit-receive capable settings. I currently have 93 programmed and I can affirm you can transmit on all of them. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

i bought mine new from https://northgeorgiacommunications.com/ a authorized Motorola dealer for $695. you have to by through a authorized dealer for the warranty.