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Do not use RG58U, loss is very significant on 460MHz. Just look at what Lscott listed. Another reputable company that sells cables with connectors is dxengineering.com They have 25', 50', 75' runs of their LMR400 equivalent with with N-connector or PL259. Coax loss charts: https://w4rp.com/ref/coax.html If radio-cable-antenna-connectors system is well-matched through all the components, the length of the coax will not matter. The 1/2 wavelength cable allows you to tune your device (usually antenna) more precisely with some equipment. Once match achieved, coax can be any fraction of wavelength. So, don't worry about it unless you plan to invest into instruments and knowledge. And 1/2 wavelength on GMRS is roughly 325mm, so quarter-inch less or quarter-inch more and you are out of optimal length anyway. Velocity factor is also needed to be considered... Do not worry about coax length. The shorter the better, but that's it.

I have an MXT115. I too searched the manual and could not find that you can set up a channel to skip during scanning. I also have an MXT105, which does have this feature. So I thought it might be similar, so I tried some key combinations, but I cannot get the MXT115 to skip a channel. Sorry, nice feature that Midland seemed to have forgotten. ...

Welcome George. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Good afternoon Steve. Yes, that is correct. The codes make is possible for multiple groups to share the same frequency, but allows you and other members of your group to limit what you hear to only those transmissions that use the same code. Now, this does not mean that two groups can use the same frequency at exactly the same time. You should not. If you do, you will interfere with one another and either your communications or the other parties will be adversely affected. At their essence, the codes make it possible for your radio to remain silent except for when someone transmits using the same code you have your radio set to. When you want to listen to any transmissions that might be occurring on a given frequency, you either press the “monitor” button on your radio, or disable use of any receive code on your radio. I hope this helps. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

If I'm wrong, I know someone will have the correct info Blue & Green are 154 MHz & use wide-band which some ops say will give you better audio quality The other three are 151 MHz & use narrow-band which some ops say lessens your audio a bit If you do go the MURS route, you're limited to two watts, but you can use an external antenna like replacing the stock antenna on hand-helds, or connecting a base or mobile antenna to them, depending on where you're using the radio GMRS lets you use more power, but MURS may work better for your situation, being VHF not UHF sending your two watts into a better antenna may level the playing field so to speak It's a situation where you may have to try both & see which works out better 73 Greg

Welcome to the group SteveM. I live in a mountain area and have a great owner of a private repeater who allow our family access. I Jeep in the woods with limited cell service so I did GMRS with just a two handhelds. If you are high enough up the mountain range, you can put your own private repeater for you and family to use and if you which a select few others to use. The select others are who will come to your aid if need be. In Lscott last line, "If you have GMRS repeaters in the area you can access where you plan to operate then GMRS would be a better choice in that case." So start looking around for repeater and not all repeaters are listed so listen in and talk to other GMRS folks. Happy hunting for what is best for you. Jack

I general VHF works better under the conditions you describe. The radio service that works on VHF is MURS. It is a license free radio service. The limitation you will find are the radios are restricted to no more than 2 watts of power. http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/murs.htm https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/multi-use-radio-service-murs Some typical MURS radios. https://baofengtech.com/product/murs-v1/ https://bettersaferadio.com/shop/two-way-radios/tera-tr-505-dual-band-gmrs-murs-handheld/ A note about the FRS radios. If they are more than a few years old they were likely manufactured to work under the old rules which limits the power to 1/2 watt. The newer radios are allowed up to 2 watts on (most) of channels. Under GMRS rules you can generally run higher power, which may not be that great of an advantage at the higher frequencies used. The following link shows the channels, bandwidth and power allowed by either FRS or GMRS radios. GMRS by the way requires a license while FRS does not. New FRS radio do not have the means to access the additional frequencies for repeater access per the FCC rules. Only GMRS radios are allowed to use those frequencies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mobile_Radio_Service If you have GMRS repeaters in the area you can access where you plan to operate then GMRS would be a better choice in that case.

Nice reply... I agree. Now on a funny note... you said CCRs or Cheap Chinese Radios and here all the this time I was thinking it was Communist Chinese Republic because my adopted Chinese twin daughters are so happy being an American. I have to loosen up and not get to correct so to see the humor in it. Thanks, Jack