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SO239 = SOcket PL259 = PLug your jumpers need to be terminated with PL259. At 18 inches I would still use an LMR400. At that length the difference in cost of the cable is small. Most of the cost for a short jumper is in the making. PL259 connectors connected to SO239 are not weather proof and if subjected to moisture will eventually begin degrading the ends of the cable badly. There are several kinds of self amalgamating tapes and compounds that can be placed into the fittings to prevent moisture damage. also gigaparts has a 10% off sale on their ABR jumpers. I just bought some LMR 400 jumpers from them. The discount code appears when you click on their special deals advertisement.

Yes, 1/4 wave antenna for UHF. On my car, I use a dual band Tram (VHF/UHF) NMO mounted antenna, and it is about 1.5 feet long that would work pretty well in an apartment too if someone were to need dual band, and a small antenna on a magnet mount, baking sheet ground plane setup.

I posted my Bridgecomm experience a while back. The units definitely have a problem with DPL. I would write a letter to them firmly requesting your Sales tax to be refunded back to you - and copy your State's Sales Tax/Revenue department. It's not their money to keep...

been meaning to put this out there for a while,since I have had a few conversations about this w/various members. first pics,cables from L-R w/associated N male connectors. RG8/213 LMR400 type, 1/2Inch superflex, 1/2inch hard line also known as Heliax, 7/8inch hard line. [ MyGMRS STAFF EDIT: 3 Photos no longer available from linked source.] now lets talk about the losses in Db and how much power that is. Cable type loss at 100Mc 400Mc RG8/213 2.0dB/100' 4.7dB/100' LMR400 1.2 2.5 Hardline type 150Mc 450Mc 1/2" superflex 1.3dB/100' 2.3dB/100' LMR600 1.0 1.7 1/2" Heliax 0.85 1.5 7/8" Heliax 0.44 0.8 1-1/4" Heliax 0.3 0.6 dB loss power loss in % 0.5 10 100W in 90W out 1.0 20 1.5 30 2.0 37 2.5 44 3.0 50 3.5 56 4.0 60 all of the above loss specs are manufacture specs, I strongly suggest that you measure your line loss w/watt meter if possible to know exactly what you are getting at the antenna. IME most of the book specs are on the money for hard line ,RG8/213 can be a crap shoot depending on manufacturer. I've had some really bad and some pretty good. LMR I've had a love/hate relationship w/, good cable but seems to be prone to moisture issues. wish I had pic of the 7yr old cable that pretty much self destructed. hope this is of some help to those looking to put up a machine or control station in the future. JE ***EDIT*** found this very useful http://www.arrg.us/pages/Loss-Calc.htm

I received my UV-9G over the weekend, and excitedly broke it out and put it together. Well, right off the bat, I notice something wrong. The antenna did not sit "true". It was slightly canted. I couldn't say for certain if it was fully seated. I checked my local NOAA, and it would not receive, even with squelch turned off. I did some image research, and I'm fairly certain that the antenna was not what it was supposed to come with. It had a different base, and well as a thin orange ring around it near the base. I didn't see a single instance of that. So, do I look at ordering another one, or look foe something else? Now, I did just today get a Radioddity GM-30. The original idea was that I'd have the more rugged radio, and my wife the less often used radio. I liked the idea of the UV-9G, but certainly not my first experience with it. Since I'm new to all of this, I am wanting to keep the price low. Thanks.

It appears that the new $35 fee for GMRS licenses will take effect on April 19th 2021. Great news! for those up for renewal and those on the fence. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/03/19/2021-03042/schedule-of-application-fees-of-the-commissions-rules Jack

I'll check that out. I didn't realize you could make a jumper out of LMR400. Thanks

Update: I have been in phone and email contact with an agent from the FCC's Portland office, and they are now beginning to investigate the the issue.

Bob, you could also use your HT as a scanner to listen in on any Ham traffic. https://repeaterbook.com/repeaters/index.php?state_id=none Program some local to you 2M/70cm band repeater frequencies into your radio, then scan through them to see if you receive any traffic. That will at least tell you if there is a presence out there. The mag mount antenna is a good idea too. Stick it on a cookie sheet and place it somewhere high for better odds.

I had a similar experience with the BCR-40U repeater. I had to ship it back twice. The first time it was a faulty duplexer. The second time was for low power (15 watts) on transmit. I wanted a refund, but they informed me they would charge a 25% restocking fee! I bought an Anytone 878UV last year. It would program and work analog mode but would absolutely not work digital! Every time I tried to transmit I'd get a popup error message "Repeater is out of range" along with a voice announcement. I drove to the tower and got the same results even though I was standing literally in the shadow of the repeater's 900' antenna. Long story short, I had to ship it back twice, and both times I had the same problem... I asked for a refund but was informed again about the 25% restocking fee!!! They can afford to give away at least three or more of their 878 bundles every month, but cannot make good on my defective radio??? I'm kicking myself for falling for their lack of integrity.

Thanks for the "Heads-up" there SDK I Was not clear on the actual lines. So I'm thinking that only the two Ch/Freq limiting us at this location should not be a big loss to us. If you have anything else to share please do. I'm having internet & cell service issues as usual so might not be able to respond at times.

Is this a video about GMRS jamming or How to Perform a Hollywood Stop (a/k/a California Stop). At every Stop Sign in the first 8 minutes, watch the lines on the road and he slides through every Stop Sign!! ? Proud to be a Californian!

One minor addition: while the uv5r (and other radios in the same form factor don't natively support USB charging, the high capacity (3800mAh) batteries do have a barrel plug, and BTech sells a USB charging pigtail that can charge the battery via that plug. https://baofengtech.com/product/bt-1013/

The UV-5R fits the bill, except it's not type certified for GMRS or FRS use, and it doesn't offer USB charging. There is another model that is type accepted, and that's the UV-5G/UV-5X GMRS radio. It looks nearly identical and has the same form factor. As you might have already figured, there are two different names for this model: UV-5G and UV-5X GMRS. Unfortunately, there is also another model called UV-5X that is not a GMRS radio, and it has a different form factor. If you stick to the GMRS model that looks like a UV-5R, you'd be fine. Anyway, these radios cost about $60/pair, and offer the low cost and small form factor desired by the OP. They do require charging cradles, but once charged, they last quite a long time on the included battery. There are also spare battery options available, including high capacity batteries for even longer run time. In addition, there are multiple antenna options available should you decide to upgrade, but beware that these radios require an SMA male antenna as opposed to the UV-5R's SMA female antenna. These radios also offer the option of Chirp programmability in case that's needed or desired. The Tidradio TD-H5 (also sold as the Radioddity GM-30 and Pofung P15UV) offers similar functionality, but also offers USB-C charging. It is a little larger than the UV-5 series, at about 1/2" longer, and perhaps up to 1/8" thicker. Overall, it's not a much larger radio, but it feels a little bigger. As of now, it is not Chrip programmable, so to program it requires use of the front panel (for some functions) or the factory software. The G11S (aka Pofung P11UV or Retevis RB27) may be another good option, although I haven't ever used or even seen one. In a quick search, I was unable to find the actual radio dimensions, so I can't compare the form factor. The simplicity of the radio may be better for kids, though, since it doesn't have the full front panel. Something else to keep in mind is that the "bubble pack" radios from Midland and others are not compatible with repeater use. While this may not be a consideration at this time, you may wish to use a repeater in the future to increase your coverage area. The UV-5 series, TD-H5, and G11S radios are all capable of working with a repeater. This is just something to consider for the future. Any of the radios mentioned would be fine for the intended purpose. I'm not a fan of the bubble pack radios because their battery systems aren't very good, and they don't offer the same functionality of other similarly priced GMRS radios like the UV-5G/UV-5X GMRS, TD-H5, or G11S.

I did see in the reviews mention of it being repeater capable, and "30 channel" is usually (but not always) a hint as well. 22 simplex+8 repeater, and all...

We hear the same thing on the roads.. A lot of nothing and people that dont respond (probably using privacy codes).. When offroading, the official GMRS channel is 16.. This a scientific fact because is "offroading" = "4 X 4" and 4 x 4 = 16 .. so this is the scientific answer to the question - it is explained in more detail in this video made by some Youtube clown: