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Just made my first contact on a repeater, Woop! My story: I needed to talk to my son when he walked down the street to play with his friends. He's too young for a cell phone, so we bought him a cheap FRS radio. It wouldn't quite make it, so I bought a UV-5R which worked great for down the street (yes, Tx power was greater than FCC rules). Of course, that led me to NOTARUBICON's videos and Ask Dave and ARRL. I ordered a Wouxun and while waiting for it to arrive I picked up a BTECH GMRS-V2 and a Nagoya GMRS antenna (is that the 771G?). I figured out CHIRP and tones and got my GMRS license from the FCC's truly awful web site. Very exciting to hear a stranger say your call sign back to you over the radio for the first time.

There are companies that aggressively search for "open" areas lacking coverage that also have the ability to have a tower placed there. Those companies are responsible for 90%+ of all new tower site builds. They have lawyers at their disposal, zoning specialists, and years of experience building out sites. They also have relationships with wireless carriers, and know that they're likely going to have 1 or more carriers as tenants on the site before the first shovel hits the ground. That's the kind of business plan you should have before you go spending hundreds of thousands (or more) to put up a tower.

Thought I'd share my opinion on the MXT115 for various uses. I started with the MXT115 for my parents. Simple and cheap. Since then I installed one in our Kubota RTV for around the property as well as on my Kubota BX. I have 10+ acres as well as neighbors etc. I run a GR300 with 25 watts out of the duplexer into a DB404 at 30' at home. It works great for a 5 miles area (way more than needed). We are planning a trip to the GC this summer and plan to take the jeep and our new CTC. While setting the trailer up I decided to have GMRS, and WX. Ended up just sticking another MXT115 in the CTC. Small yet perfect for our use. Our CTC runs off a Jackery 300 that gets charged during the day while we drive. Again simple and effective. As with all Midland stuff I threw the supplied antenna in the dumpster and installed a Larsen HF NMO mount in the roof with a 1/4 wave antenna. I can pick up 3 WX channels at home in my driveway on the 1/4 wave so most likely stick with it. I do have a Larsen Triband I plan to bring in case I need better. I run the Tri-Band on the JT for my 8500 anyway. Our main use for the trip will be to talk to wife or myself when using the MSI talk about we carry also. Mostly campground communications when at bath house or shower. Anyway wanted to share. I plan to get a few more when i come home from my trip for our other utility vehicles around the property. Love midland or hate them these are all over in use for stuff like I am using them for.

Make sense. I am moving the other way away from the MXTs for radios that allow more. Altho the wife's TJ still running the MXT115 Re-did the wife's TJ mount. Found a LED third brake light for the TJ at the swapmeet today. Got home installed and the ball started rolling on a new mount, inspired from an earlier post.

If you are that sensitive to RF energy, you will not have a comfortable time with any transmitters. Do you use a cell-phone or microwave? How about WiFi? Those generate RF too. If you don't react to those, it may be that microwave frequencies are short enough to not be sensed. GMRS (and the 70cm Amateur band) are just below the OLD UHF TV channels (14 up). GMRS base and/or mobile run 15-50W power output depending upon model (5W mobiles are basically a handheld in a big box with a vehicle mounting bracket, and a mag-mount antenna on 10-15 feet of coax). GMRS handhelds theoretically top out at 5W.* However, handhelds put the antenna at, well, hand position from the body (if using a belt-clip with a speaker/mic, the antenna is within 2 inches of the body). For a base, the antenna will be 10-30 or more feet from the transmitter -- BUT if you don't have a perfect SWR (and between simplex 462MHz transmission, and duplex 467MHz transmission you will NOT have perfect SWR on many of the channels), you will have radiation reflecting back down the coax, and some may be reflecting down the /outside/ of the coax. You'll want RF chokes at the antenna end, and maybe also at the transmitter end. You'll want a good system ground (something I don't have myself -- I have had times when my HF transmitters had enough RF on the outside to "tickle hairs", at least I didn't draw sparks before making adjustments to tune the antenna system). Unfortunately, I don't know of any "common" GMRS radios that offer "remote control": putting a microphone/speaker near the computer, running a serial (old days)/USB cable to the radio in another room, and using control software on the computer to change settings of the radio. There is also Internet remoting for some models of Amateur HF rigs (a laptop near the radio connects to it, and accepts control commands from a computer somewhere else on the network. * Since the 2017 reorganization, FRS units with non-removable antennas top out at 2W, though the former FRS-only 467MHz interstitials [8-14] are restricted to 0.5W. FRS cannot do duplex (repeater mode) but now can use the GMRS primary channels too [15-22]. [1-7] are the GMRS 462MHz interstitials. "Interstitial" in that these frequencies were shoe-horned into the mid point of the primary channels, and power limited to prevent interference with repeater usage (that was the intent, at least). As a result -- radios with non-removable antenna, channels 8-14 at 0.5W, channels 1-7&15-22 at <2W, and no repeater capability are now FRS! If you can change antenna, or run at more than 2W on channels 1-7&15-22, or select repeater channels, it is a GMRS radio (if it has channels 8-14, they MUST be at 0.5W -- which is why many mobile and base GMRS do not have those channels: they run at full power, or 5W for low). I have a pair of Midland GXTs, and a pair of Motorola <somethings> with non-changeable antennas: The Midland's have high/medium/low power -- the high is >2W, low is 0.5W -- but does not have repeater access. The Motorola only has 0.5W low and <2W high, does have repeater access. Both are now considered GMRS radios (they date to the period the FCC allowed "FRS/GMRS" mixed approval. FRS NFM for 1-14, GMRS for 15-22).

we can see which poison i've chosen...tinkering. better half asked me the other day..."when did you get so many radios?"

Dude! Dear lady! Drop this GMRS habit and stay away from ham license if your health and sanity have any value to you and yours. Hams attract waves just like lightning rods attract garden flies. Take care of yourself and your family! Health is first! Maintain the purity of bodily liquids, for God's sake!

The "bottom line", or the "bottom of the line"... pick your poison... G.

Looks a lot like mine does... I currently have three of them as the GMRS-V1, MURS-V1, and GMRS-V2 all use the same batteries. I might suggest the OP grab one, along with the -V2 (since any memory channel can be used for GMRS configurations -- useful if multiple repeaters on same frequency but with different CTCSS codes) I do hate their LED modes. No battery: flicker red/green to cause epileptic seizures Really dead battery: Red (the only time I've seen solid red was when I had the radio itself shut down from low battery) Partially charged battery: flicker red/green (duty cycle between red and green seems to track with level of charge) Fully charged battery: Green (though it takes hours to get to that point, even an overnight charge had mostly green with quick red flashes)

I will have to give that a try and see what i find. of course, i always re-calibrate it... every time i start it up and before i do anything. just in case.

I blame you. It should arrive today. ?

There is a lot more to commercial towers than just getting it in the air. If you have working capital, it could be a good thing. Just remember there is risk. Two recommendations I would offer is this... if you're going to a bank or venture capitalist, you need a solid business plan that looks like its going to work, and a backout plan to still make money if it doesn't. The other is, talk to potential customers. Tell them what you're planning and ask them what their needs are in order for them to consider doing business with you in the future. By doing this, the County emergency services office was able to help my friend get through obstacles that stopped the process, because the County said it served the greater public good. He had no idea they would be an ally until he talked to the Emergency Coordinator. Good luck! I hope you succeed!

One alternative is to figure out why it’s not working. Use a multimeter and troubleshoot it. Is it the base or is it the power supply? Many of the power supplies are interchangeable. I have four different handheld radios and three of them use wall warts that can be directly interchanged to use with each other’s charger bases.

Absolutely, the CCRs took the market by storm. And back in 2017ish, at 9.95 for a BF-888s with Prime, shipped to your home was a thing... and I bought like 20 of those... which, at the time, If you needed something to get you by, without having to deal with old/used stuff, that was pretty much unbeatable. During that time, most of the stuff worth owning from Motorola was quite expensive too... maybe the XPR6550 was somewhat affordable, but even that was still quite expensive at the time. Well, the same fate that happened to the US companies in the 70s/80s when the Japanese flooded the market with cheaper radios, its happening now to Japanese companies as well... Japanese people nowadays make a lot of money a year too, so the cheap inrush of radio stuff is no more... and Japan is now more like the US in terms of pay, and for any decent radio they make, its priced accordingly... you won't find any NX-5200 for 49.95 + Prime, that is for sure. Uncertain where/how the bottom of the barrel Motorola stands in terms of performance... maybe its worth owning some, at least given the expensive prices of even the CCRs are going for right now. The old Moto stuff if you can find good deals is really hard to beat. Sure, I am not going to argue that it will require some time investment to grasp the CPS and the other stuff that would've came pre-programmed on dedicated GMRS radios... but again, it would also seem that a lot of the people who post here are also radioaficionados too, so having to program a more complex CPS shouldn't be too bad... IMO. Now, for people who are not into radios at all, etc, I wouldn't recommend anything that requires any sort of tinkering.... just get the beers and pretzels Walmart Midland bubble pack and don't look back... I'd still take a Midland over non American brands... even if Midland is ultimately made in China... G.

He made his money back in just a few years. He is letting the county use it for free, but the other companies are paying over $30k a month, collectively.

I just have mine as "ask" ?

Neither of those reference GMRS. They are (old class D) 27MHz CB and MURS services. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E/section-95.1749 is the GMRS closest match. You obviously did not click the link to the letter from the FCC clarifying the regulation. Here it is again... https://swcrs.org/?p=682

Welcome to the rabbit hole of the radio world!

I want to make a pack radio using the MXT115 & 8 amp battery. I want to set it up into self contained box pouch . That way it still can be used while in the backpack. Like the older military pack radios. That way I have a radio that has a little more power then a HT unit in the field . I will also set up a 25 watt Ham radio . Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Uh... 500' of LMR on uhf is about 15db of loss. You'd have about no power at the end. 3db is a cut in half of power. A good repeater will use good cable. I just optimized an antenna and repeaters this week that is 275 high. Cable is 1 5/8 with a loss of .445. Sweeps show 1.2db of loss. 50 watts leaving duplexes with 8.1 db of gain. Thats basically a 7db gain in the system. The difference between public safety and critical infrastructure like this vs a hobby is money. Very few on this site would pay the cost of parts let alone tower crews cranes and such.

It's nearly impossible to troubleshoot a system you've never seen from a thousand miles away, but please explain what you did to "tune the repeater closer to the correct freq." ?? There's not much tuning that I'm aware of with a Bridgecom repeater. Were you trying to bring the repeater closer to frequency center on transmit? Just how far had it drifted?? If the setup worked fine (repeater + duplexer) with one antenna system, and then you changed out to another antenna system - it would certainly seem that your new antenna system is suspect. However, I'm curious why you would have needed to "tune the repeater closer to the correct freq." if your range testing with the old antenna system was producing stellar results. What connectors are you using on the LMR400 cable? Was that cable new or used? How hard would it be to swap out the cable? What condition are the duplexer jumper cables in? Heliax is "better" than LMR400 - but for a 35-40 ft run, it should be marginal - especially when new. That Harvest antenna probably has an SO-239 UHF connector, and the DB404 would have had a Type N. Type N is "better" - but again it's not a night & day difference maker. What connections are on your duplexer? Do you have a surge protector or lightning arrestor in the mix? For all the internet stories about duplexers going bad just sitting there, I haven't really ever seen it in the real world. Unless an elephant stepped on it, Zeus hit it with a lightning bolt, or Mike's Magic Golden screwdriver tried to field tune it, then it just kept on working. What I have seen is cheap cables with tin plated connectors deteriorating within a few years and causing all kinds of headaches that get attributed to a bad duplexer.

“Sweeping the antenna” means taking a series of SWR readings throughout the desired frequency range. By doing this you can see the SWR for the antenna throughout the range and where the antenna has the lowest SWR. You say you have a NanoVNA so you have the tool for the job. Be sure and calibrate the NanoVNA to that frequency range first, using a the no-load, short, and 50 ohm devices that came with the NanoVNA.

Nothing wrong with the MXT line. Its simple and just ready for use. I also like how small and compact it is!

I don't use my radio all that much, but for my needs the MXT115 works well enough. Is it perfect? Yeah right, far from it. I picked up a brand new one, unopened for $40. Can't beat that w/ a stick (well, I guess you could if you had a stick...). I really only use it to keep in touch w/ my buddies and family when we're wheeling together. It works great for that. And I do like the size and mounting bracket. Wish others would make a similar bracket.

All this country can make is Debt!!!

I'm old enough to remember when the sad hams laughed at all "that cheap Japanese garbage" that began to flood the market back in the early seventies. They all said, that "junk" would never replace their Hammerlunds, Hallicrafters, Drakes and Swans because "merica" was the king. By 1980 they were no longer laughing and all those great American companies had been relegated to the dustbin of history. Today the Chinese are doing the same thing. In a few short years their quality has improved and they actually listen to customers and try to give them the features they want at a price they can afford. It's sad that this country can't seem to make anything nowdays...not even toilet paper.

It's a great radio with many pre-programmed frequencies to play with/listen to and it has many fars. Sometimes I just stare at mine and caress it softly.

Looks good! I like programmable radios and am a geek with that kind of stuff, but for the rest of the family I have also decided to go Midland because they prefer simple, so that's what we are using in our cars and home. I do wish they would allow us to program them for wideband on the older models. I have returned several MXT275s to be redone for wideband (Assuming they have the USB C) but would be nice if CHIRP would work on them.

Gonna get me a roger beep, and door bell for key up and an echo board so I can sound like one of them big rig radio operators... maybe even get me one of them linears.

Who will be the national voice for our Service, other than the ARRL? Without their efforts, it's likely we'll lose all our spectrum to commercial interests. As Lscott pointed out, business interests have been sharpening their knives for years, waiting to carve it up. The cost of an ARRL Membership is cheap, considering what you get in just the magazine alone. Ads? Most pubs carry ads as the primary way to support their efforts. Ads can cover up to 90% or more of magazine revenue. Would you rather pay nine times more for a magazine with no ads? Suppoting local efforts are vital as well. Do whatever you can from where you are, but recognize the bigger picture. But it's not an either/or choice between supporting local or national efforts that benefit our Service (ask any ARES Member, it's not a "hobby," it's a Service). A group of passengers were stranded in a life boat. The lifeboat sprung a leak. Everyone joined in baling the water except for one guy. When asked why he wasn't helping save the boat, he replied, "Why bother? It's not my boat."

I keep my Roger Beep on - when someone complains about it, I remind them that its my radio and nobody is forcing them to listen to me.