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Dang this thread is picking up! Way to go LScott... G.

I would like to see a buy and sell section here on the forums.

That all seems to make sense. Thank you all for the responses, you guys rock!

Yes, that's a weak point on some used/older XPR6550 radios. That, along with a PTT side button that becomes kind of picky about exactly where you squeeze to transmit. The fix for the side button is to replace the entire housing (Motorola doesn't sell the microswitch & flex assembly separately to my knowledge) - or to just use a Remote Speaker Mic to supply PTT. The volume pot is a difficult repair for a hobbyist, but if you've got skills, it can be done. Before I'd pay someone else to do it, I'd probably look for another radio. That volume pot problem is rare enough that you don't always see it on older units, and even a "soft" pot still has some life left in it if you're not turning it on/off up/down 10 times a day.

Any SWR meter that will handle the 462/467MHz range will get the job done. Mine measures SWR, power, and frequency. They're not that expensive. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D86IKIQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 As for coax: RG-58 is fine if I'm messing around in the shack. For a permanent install I use nothing less than LMR-240 (including my HF antenna). The VHF/UHF antenna runs around the shack are DRF-400 (same specs as LMR, but 20% cheaper). For a mobile install, you're going to need to balance your acceptable coax loss with what is practical. I'm using LMR-240 in the mobile install.

Truthfully but understandably...yes, overthinking a little. ? GMRS and 70cm ham bands are still UHF, and quite similar. There's no reason you couldn't do the mount of your choice, either mag or hard mount, and swap antennas at will. NMO mounts and NMO antennas are plentiful, and almost anything meant for UHF that covers the 450-470 is usable, whether or not it states GMRS. A SWR meter will be a very good thing to have, though more to double check than necessarily tuning. Most mounts, whether hard mount (bracket or drill through) or mag mount will come with cable; you'll find a few options on connectors, along with unterminated, but most radios will be uhf connector (pl-259 is the male side, so-239 is the female side). Not familiar with the swivel mount, so I'd be a tad wary about the antenna bouncing against something when folded, and might lean toward swapping to a shorter antenna off-trail. depending on your trails, having a short antenna available might not be a bad thing anyway (more trees and brush on the trails here). i currently swap antennas on a midland mag mount; it's gone through a variety of antennas, both gmrs and ham. I mostly run a Browning uhf 5/8 over 5/8 wave which trades some gain for more frequency flexibility; it plays nice with both 70cm and GMRS. Since the Browning is a little tall at 33" above the roof of my truck, it gets changed out for one of two (70 cm or GMRS) Laird 1/4 waves as needed for clearance (which are only 6"-ish tall). radio wise, i previously used a mxt115 for GMRS, and various handhelds for ham, but recently put in a mobile that covers both (90/95a certified Vertex).

Is it you just get a communication error or some other message? A few unlucky people get stuck with a used radio that is password locked. One thing to check if it's a communication issue is the quality of the programming cable and the port on the radio it plugs into. Sometimes the cable port contacts are dirty or the cable isn't fully inserted into the socket. On the issue with programming cables, the USB to serial type you commonly see people use, could have a counterfeit Prolific chip. The official Prolific chip drivers can detect those and simply refuse to work. A lot of people have gotten burned on cheap cables due to the counterfeit Prolific chips used in them. The best cables use the FTDI chip.

YES

Based on the descriptions, it looks like the repeaters are part of a linked network, and those are just a form of numbering the nodes on the network. i also found G-5 Spokane Mountain G-5 the repeaters i think the OP is referring to are: East Wenatchee 700 G-7 East Wenatchee 575 G-2

Those are good questions: The least expensive, usually from China, hand-held radios ("HT"), use what is known as SOC technology: System on a Chip - The whole radio is virtually built into one chip. Most of the more expensive radios (usually 3X the cost and more), have additional circuitry known as a superheterodyne circuit. This gives the receiver both more selectivity (the ability to differentiate between two powerful signals on two close frequencies) and sensitivity (the ability to pull in more distant and/or weaker signals). In simplex mode: one HT is transmitting on a frequency and the other HT is receiving on the same frequency. There is no second transmission to overwhelm the receiver of the second HT; only the one signal. In repeater mode, the first HT is transmitting on 467.abcd up to the repeater; and the second HT is receiving the retransmitted reception signal from the repeater on 462.abcd. The second HT must differentiate between two received signals: the signal you want to receive on 462.abcd from the repeater many miles away, and the HTs more powerful signal on 467.abcd. Hence the HTs signal washes out the reception of the repeater's signal on the second HT.* Superhetrodynes have that ability; SOC's do not. How much is far enough away? Differing factors are at play here: The power of the HT transmitter; the distance between the HTs and the distance and power from the repeater. Experimentation will help you determine the answer. *NOTE: this is why when two inexpensive HTs are bundled together with the appropriate cabling and settings to act like an inexpensive semi-portable repeater, they must be on the two separate Ham bands: 2 meters (144 MHz) and 70 cm (440 MHz) to avoid this washout effect.

I recommend just placing you order if that is the radio you want. They come back in stock frequently but get snatched up quickly. The only place to buy that model is still BTWR. Not sure how long they have an exclusive on that model. BTW, I own that radio for use in my home and do like it. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

That would be a big improvement. Just about, if not all of the commercial radios where I looked at the schematics, use some type of tracking filter on the front end as well. If somebody has access to the service manual for this radio it shouldn’t be hard to tell if the same was done there. From some comments made on another site I believe the Anytone D878UV, and likely the D578UV, have tracking filters on the receiver’s front end. Very likely the reason why they cost more and perform better that your typical $20 CCR. In any case a super heterodyne design will help with image rejection if the IF frequencies are picked right.

Kudos to Wouxun. From a features and knowing what customers want perspective, Wouxun is doing well these days. For example, their GMRS mobile and handheld radios provide the capabilities that are conducive to GMRS *repeater* use (e.g., split tones, the ability to store multiple versions of the same frequencies with different tones in memory slots, wide band as well as narrow band, etc.). With their new KG-XS20G radio, I see it includes a feature abandoned by many radio manufacturers, including the big names. I am referring to Wouxun's use of the robust, old style mic connector, the one with the circular retention collar. That collar plus the strain relief cover over the mic cord makes for a sturdy mic system. I prefer this hands down over the modern trend of the RJ-45 style of mic connector. My $0.02 anyway. Hopefully Wouxun will read this and it will encourage them to continue making good design choices. And if their competitors read this, maybe it will give them something to think about going forward. I have no connection with Wouxun or companies such as buytwowayradios.com which sell this product. Just had to give props to Wouxun for their choice of a mic connector in this case.