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You (and everyone) is welcome to join our National Net via Zello, every Thursday night at 7PM (Pacific).. No Facebook, no dues, no fees, no mandatory meetings. See how here: https://www.notarubicon.com/zello-gmrs-repeater/

For what it's worth, DX Engineering's 400MAX cable has the same properties as Times Microwave LMR-400UF.

{Blast -- sometimes I can get a quote block to "split" so I can insert comments under the appropriate text... This is not one of those times} Fiberglass roof is NO ground plane, so that should be essentially unusable. Hopefully you don't have to lengthen it much (you can always grind off part of the whip to set it deeper into the socket, but if it wants to go up where the set screws won't reach it...) I'm not really desperate for the Nano VNA -- I do have two MFJ Antenna Analyzers that cover HF-UHF (though the functions in UHF are limited compared to VHF and below). 'Tis just that manually tuning through the band and watching the SWR readout or needles move (one has LCD and needles, other is just LCD, needles are a bit easier to detect motion) is tedious. The Nano VNA was ordered for the graphical display and automated frequency sweep. Tracking information implies it has spent two days in New York "unloading".

There are places in the USA that stock NanoVNAs. Based on reviews on the Ham Radio 2.0 YouTube channel, here’s where I bought my NanoVNA. I got it in less than a week. http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=142&osCsid=fu3f0ql3nieitil9ir623bmcb6 I’m a Volunteer Examiner for my local ham radio club. We’re part of the Laurel VE organization. We (three VEs grade each test) do in person testing and then our VEC (Volunteer Examiner Coordinator) submits the scores electronically using an online portal set up for that. Usually a person has access to their license file within 24 hours. I have a friend in Seattle who is also a VE. His group does virtual examinations. Except for using video conferencing software to watch the person taking the test, it’s the same process. Three VEs watch each person and grade their test and then their VEC submits electronically. I didn’t even know that the test results could still be done snail mail. It’s funny what you said about biometrics. When I was working, my boss (who was a very nice lady much younger than me) thought it would be “really cool” if we had fingerprint scanners to enter our secure facility and suggested that I look into it. The group I supervised managed the access control system. A cybersecurity auditor explained to me that they prefer not to see biometric forms of ID verification adopted because once someone has the ability to spoof your biometrics, your biometrics are worthless as an ID. You cannot easily change your fingerprints, facial structure, retinal pattern, etc, like you can a password, pass phrases, PIN, RFID chip based token, etc. So, we avoided biometrics. Do you use them for identification somewhere? If not, the data captured from a Zoom call probably isn’t a threat. Hopefully your license will appear in ULS at any moment.

Most externals will pick up more than a rubber duck inside a metal cage. Also, for receive purposes, a long whip has more "surface" to capture RF, though it will tend to focus best on the frequency for which it is tuned (that RF capture will be focused perpendicular to the antenna, while other frequencies may have more capture at odd angles). Tuned for what? Midland's website indicates they ship it tuned for the 462MHz GMRS range (I'd have preferred something either in 465MHz with a bandwidth to cover both 462 and 467MHz, since one transmits on 467MHz to hit repeaters). I'm still waiting for the nanoVNA to arrive (really, China ships it to a New York port? Isn't San Diego/LA/San Francisco/Seattle closer?). Based upon scanning a users guide: select a trace, select format SWR, select CH0 Reflect, Stimulus to set start&end frequencies (460-470?), possibly modify "sweep points", calibrate, (Hmmm, the document I'm looking at doesn't seem to cover how one runs the sweep itself -- does the device just continuously run sweeps?) Look for the minimum SWR and see what frequency that aligns with... You may also want to look for the 2.0:1 points left/right of minimum as that will define the preferred bandwidth covered.

I spend a lot of my time on ships due to my work. Once when I took my wife, we took Midland GTX100 radios. They worked very well. At one point I was on deck 9 aft, lying int he sun, and my wife went to deck 1 midship to guest services. I was able to talk to her while she was there. Yes, there is a lot of steel, but you would be surprised. Just don't expect them to work everywhere. They are useful on deck. In port, remember that you are not in the US, and the laws governing the island may not allow the use of the radios. Phil

My radio, my choice.

Sorry... I have to.

I know the FCC doesn't like the idea of mixing services together in one radio so this idea likely will never happen but from an operational point it makes sense. Most Ham HT's are dual band so a FRS/MURS specific dual band license free radio is possible. Now that most FRS channels, NOT GMRS, are now limited to 2 watts, the same as MURS, combining both in the same radio would work out. Both are license free services. Nether service allows repeaters so no issue there. The radio would have the antenna permanently attached per FRS requirements however. There are plenty of cheap dual band radios with tweaked firmware to comply with FRS or MURS. Allowing both in one radio you get better utilization of the hardware. Dual band rubber duck antennas are common for Ham HT's and wouldn't be a problem to tweak those for FRS and MURS. Plus if FRS UHF is unsuitable outdoors the user would simply try one of the MURS VHF channels. No need to carry around two radios.