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Just a shoutout to all the people at BUY TWO WAY RADIO had a problem with my 905g .they did me right sending me a new radio when they get in stock .Could not ask for better service from anyone .I will tell every body .

Not to be a downer, but most SHTF ham use is fantasy. It just doesn't work like TV and movies.

Yaesu FT-818 or FT-817, will do down to 1/2watt and has a standard 259 plug on the back.

If the antenna you are using requires a ground plane and you do not have a sufficient one then adding one or upgrading to an antenna that does not require one could make a night and day difference for you. On the other hand, a change in cable or decrease in length will be undetectable. I personally have never operated my MXTA26 antenna without one so I have no first hand experience on that front to share. It has always either been dead center on my vehicle roof, sitting on a metal trashcan lid or other metal surface. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

A few days late to this thread, but I would put money on the HT being the radiator. The HD is designed to be the counterpoise/ground plane for the rubber ducky, and therefore would probably radiate more so than the dummy load. I would be interested to see this test done with a mobile unit, where it's designed with shielding to direct all RF to the coax.

drabina, let me weight in... I'm a newbie and my first two HT was the 805G with reviews I read from mbrun and others, it is the great radio... BUT then I got a data cable and use CHIRP on my Mac and the world of making life easier to setup radio was so helpful. I added several personal channels on the end of the radio channel list as well as for several repeaters and channel our family uses to most to be able to use with older FRS Cobras etc around the house or campground with the kids and G kids. So that was back in Nov/Dec and reading this forum, asking questions in post as well as PM to my mentors and coaches. Well I got a KG-905G from BTWR https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g.html with a 15.5 antenna and it great distance... I'm still formulating and writing a reviews. So far the feature I like the most is it is more beefer, great battery life, more water resistant as I have a Jeep top off from Spring-Summer-Fall. But the best feature is channel scanning by groups... I have made up so many groups like my repeater group with favorite channels, FRS channels, Just GMRS repeater channels to hear or monitor the repeaters that I do not have the PL code. So what I'm saying is I was like you, KISS at first but after getting involved in GMRS and where I'm at now, I would purchased a KG-905G over the 805G... no regrets as the 805G works for the family, light weight and easy to use but for me where I'm at the 905G is the answers. My cost justification is I can still use my 6 FRS with the G Kids without a license and teaching them to do radio correctly. Have fun, you will get what is best for you and family, so let us know what you pick and why. O I should say since I'm a fellow newbie I offer help to you, just PM me and will help if you pick and get the data cable with software or other accessories... (This offer goes out to all newbie with a 805G or 905G as well.) I found the secret sauce which will make sense and you will be up and running quickly. Jack

Hello Drabina. Welcome to myGMRS. I own the KG-805G and three other HT models. The 805 has 5 watts of power (max you are going to get on GMRS HT). It is usable right out of the box and does not require software until or unless you need it to do something beyond the basics. It is nearly as simple to set up and use as the Midland radios. On top of that, it is proving to be a pretty high performing radio for its cost. You can also use it with a mobile antenna in you car or external antenna at your home or campsite if that is appealing. It has fewer controls on the front panel which removes most of the intimidation factor often associated with other radios. It is repeater capable, but there is nothing that says you have to take advantage of that. That feature however is, IMHO, what drives most people to GMRS. Midland sells a GXT1000 radio. Back when I bought mine years ago they were nearly 5 watts. But since I bought them midland has decreased the power down to just over 2 watts for unknown reasons. Do not expect your simplex range to be dramatically better because you switch from 2w to 5w. However, the combination of improvements in radio quality, antenna quality and power together may cause you to experience a little bit better range. But don’t be disappointed if it only amounts to 5-15% increase. I live in a semi rural area that is 60% trees and I can only achieve 100% reliable communication range out to .6 miles with GRMS HTs (ranging from $35-$700 each). Yes they will go further in different directions and environments, and you experience may be different. Just trying to provide tempered expectations. One feature of the 805 that you may like is the ability to lock it to prevent accidental changes. This can be done via the radio if necessary. If you need a more advanced lock, you can use the software it so the user cannot make any changes except volume and channel. Perhaps that will be of some benefit to you. Hope this helps. Regards, Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

The Wouxun 805G is not that intimidating. If you don't use privacy codes there is almost no setup required. You can just use them right out of the box pretty much. The bigger deal than the 5W is the antenna connector allowing use of an different antennas. So you can put a mag mount on it for in the car or get a Smiley GMRS super stick or a Nagoya 14" flexible whip antenna. These better antennas really do help. They are very nice radios and I like that you can have spare batteries and switch any time. If you are going to use repeaters you will want to change the display so the chan Freq is displayed rather than just channel #. This is pretty easy. Menu item 19 takes care of it. There is no power level control so if you wan to save batteries at close range you need to switch to the low power channels. That's about my only complaint. Vince

I'll issue a pre-emptive welcome to GMRS. It's a great community, especially here. Hopefully you'll get your license soon. I have a 27-foot Forest River Wildwood and always use my handheld GMRS units for several reasons when camping, but not for the reasons you stated (or at least I haven't done so yet). My wife lets me know I'm screwing up when backing into a site with the radio. A few feet makes a huge difference as you know and by the time I hear her shouting or she dials a phone a tree could be in the trailer living room. I also take a lot of photos in some remote regions after nightfall and before dawn. A two-way is the ideal solution if an emergency arises, assuming I haven't ventured too far. When we caravan with the son-in-law radio beats even bluetoothed phones in the trucks because it's faster if you need to alert the person behind or in front of you. There's something of an official GMRS channel for roadside emergencies, I think Ch. 20, but I'm confident someone here will clarify or confirm. I also contact owners of repeaters near where we are camping to secure permission to use their repeater in an emergency. As you know, cell phone service stinks at some campsites, but if someone has a repeater on a mountain nearby you can punch a signal out to summon help. That's critical in my case because my daughter is a quadriplegic and the first trip with our trailer the state park locked the gate at 8 p.m. and there was no cell service. We were instructed to drive to the check in station in an emergency and use an outside landline to call 911 in an emergency....when sometimes it's not prudent to abandon the victim, even temporarily. I think your idea is great, though and I'd sure be game to help start a trend (although I have my doubts with Smartphone addiction today). The traffic/weather report idea, though, is sort of like truckers with CBs. There's some propagation differences that shorten most transmissions, but there's also none of the trash talking on GMRS...well, exponentially less anyway. So have you posed your question on any RV/trailer groups? If not I'll post it on the Forest River groups I belong to. Not sure if the admins will delete it, but I'm sure interested.

Nice review of the KG-805G... I learned a lot from your post and I do have two as a newbie to GMRS. BTWR suggested them and later to read they played a part in designing them and getting them through the certification process. No regrets. I did add the Authentic Nagoya NA-771G Handheld GMRS Antenna (15.3 Inch / SMA Female) https://www.buytwowayradios.com/nagoya-na-771g.html which is out of stock... Made a big different to reach repeater as the rubber ducky antenna could not do it. Wait it was one of your post saying it is all in the antenna. So I'm still waiting to install my Midland MicroMobile MXTA12 Antenna Mag Mount and Midland MicroMobile MXTA26 6db Gain Whip Antenna as awaiting shipment of the cable ends you suggested to complete installation in my Jeep Wrangler JLR. Because I have a Mac, I use CHIRP software and can not do some of the things you like.. e.g. select scan channel. So tell me more about firmware... I do not know how to find what release I have and how do you get and update firmware... I checked Wouxon website for firmware info. Guess I must use Wouxon software on a pc. I do like this CCP product, like you will not drop test it yet. I have said in other posts, I have two adopted Chinese twins girls now in their 50's now, who are so thankful to be here in America and have adult children here as well. They have felt the loved of so many of Americans... They where victims in China and like American freedom. They are great girls, my other 4 kids should learn from them. So as it comes to products, I look for value, character of the mfg, and who will service the radio... I'm not pro CCP but people have to do what they have to do in China... NO spy girlfriends either... political joke. In close over 30+ years, I spent 15 years in law enforcement and have used and respect Motorola equipment... and will add them to my select list if I do my own repeater.