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Yesterday I had a teenager home sick from school because he had thrown up in the night and the school has a 24 hour rule. My wife called me at work on her lunch break. "He won't answer his phone. Text or call." I could tell by her voice that she was already worrying. She is across town and I am in the next town. So I say. Walk out to your car and try him on the base station. I get a text back a few minutes later that he is fine but has lost his phone in his pig sty of a room. Not a major emergency she can get pretty worked up worrying about her babies. Maybe I got a couple of my radios justified with the Wife.

How many radios is the right number to have? N+1, where N is the number you currently have!

just be forewarned you won't stop there. I think @Sshannon said something like "how many radios is enough"? The answer, Just a few more... ?

Hide the kids cell phone to justify more radios,, well played sir, well played..

Every one of us at one time or another has either asked or attempted to understand the science of antennas on handheld radios. This video, by a well known ham radio antenna manufacturer, simulates a quarter wave antenna, held at ear ? height and illustrates the gain. It’s a short video and doesn’t go nearly far enough, but it’s interesting and could be a starting point for more in-depth conversation. The simulation software Callum uses is freely available here: http://gal-ana.de/basicmm/en/#180 And here is a video tutorial for how to use the simulator program: Finally, here’s the video on small antennas:

The comprehensive data sheet refers to the included mast as a reflector: https://www.commscope.com/globalassets/digizuite/262253-p360-db404-b-comprehensiveexternal.pdf Frankly, I think it's too much antenna to put on the top of a single 40 foot fiberglass pole that's 1.75", even with a heavy wall.

The other modeling software I use is EZNEC. https://www.eznec.com/ In any case modeling antennas is a great way to get a feel for what is going on. Now testing small HT antenna is something else!

I once did a range test with a friend. We got about ten miles on medium with our mobile radios. About 10 watts. When we cranked up to high, 20 and 25 watts, we gained about 100 yards. After that my desire for a 50 watt radio diminished a lot.

Excellent. Perfect. I am very new to GMRS and HAM. Looking forward to get more involved. I got my GMRS license a couple weeks ago and am signed up for a Tech test in April. Thank you and thanks to everyone for your input!

Ok for anyone that has this radio (Btech gmrs pro), I was able to figure out how to save Ham channels for monitoring. From the mobile app, you go to Device Settings, and then Channel & Groups. The FRS and GMRS channels are all saved in Group 1, so I put my local Ham frequencies in Group 2. I believe there are 6 groups and 30 channels in each group. I found it more challenging to program the Ham frequencies from the radio. You have to use the two function keys just below the screen to enter into the right screen to be able to edit channels. My next question I am trying to figure out is whether I can Dual Watch from different groups, meaning can I monitor a GMRS repeater channel from Group 1 while also monitoring a Ham channel from Group 2? I may have to program my local gmrs repeater into the same group as the Ham channels that I would want to monitor.

I can understand that; I had to look at the UV9R, UV9R Pro, UV9R Plus, and UV9R Mk1 to find the one that looked like it was the same as the UV9G. The GT-3WP that @wruu653 posted appears to be the same radio as what I posted, but in a 5w version rather than 8w and for 30% lower cost. Fortunately, Amazon has easy returns. ?

Baofeng GT-3WP Ham and the Baofeng UV-9GGMRS are exactly the same radio. you'll get the program cable with the UV-9G that works for both and if you are so inclined the GT-3WP can be unlocked.

Actually there are now 4 GMRS repeaters in the Detroit area. Of course all above "Line-A".?

We spent weeks debating over the use of CH19 as a "road channel" as your not allowed to use it above Line A. Everyone laughed and said no one lives north of Line A. Now we are debating a repeater above Line A. Odd

If you’re looking for a “cheap” radio the TYT TH-350 is a tri-band, 2M - 1.25M - 70cm, type. It can be opened up for GMRS. It uses the Baofeng type programming cable and microphone accessories. Just be aware the radio is NOT Part 95 certified if that matters. https://store2.rlham.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=74359&osCsid=gsc5lupm4qgc3dnoijn4go3o27 The other radios mentioned will likely work better but are going to cost more. You get what you pay for.

I'm holding out for one I can run off of one of the USB power adapters ?

I have the FT-65 as well. I really like it. I have it’s little sister as well. Both can easily be opened up for GMRS.

Don't let science get in the way of advertising. More watts is always more better! Who needs a receiver? I got 45 watts out, a cigarette lighter plug and a mag mount!

As I approached a hospital today, GMRS 17 started buzzing loudly, in some pretty distinct sequences. This started about 3/4ths mile from the hospital. I was on my way to an MRI appointment. And when in the machine I quickly realized what I had been hearing on GMRS 17 was the MRI sequences. For anyone who has had one, the sequences are unmistakable and probably unforgettable. I just found it interesting that the interference started so far away from the hospital, and was so reliably attenuated to channel 17. I didn't hear it on 16 or 18. And the sound my radio made was just like what I was hearing inside the apparatus. And it was an intense level of interference. I don't have a question, just reflecting on the situation.

Getting excellent SWR reading with mine. It's not mounted on a metal mast. I see comments all over the place about the love or hate for the Ed Fong. All I can tell everyone is that I get three repeaters now that I didn't get before. Also more miles in Simplex. That's all I want.

Why would you swap it out ? Its much more stable with aluminum. Fiberglass will move around.

Hi, New to GMRS. I have KG-905G's with all their accessories x2. The wife and I wanted a form of communication besides cell phones, just in case, you know, an earthquake, etc. happens. We're in East County San Diego. I asked for access to the ECOM repeaters in my area, just in case, you know, zombies, etc. We did a quick test and we can get around 2.5 miles with the Nagoya antennas. I do not have a base station yet, but I was thinking of a Wouxan KG-XS20G Plus to start. Maybe a 1000G depending on finances. Frank Edit - Oh, I wanted to add - thanks to NotARubicon, your videos helped me with my purchases. Thanks, man!

Nice!! Definitely will need to collect some 5w slugs up to 2.7GHz Like I said, once you start, there's no end to it.

Most store ops are on MURS, they used to have Ritron h-t's, now they use Motorola configured exclusively for them I don't know what radios the drivers use, or if all of them have one, but usually it's so they can back up to the dock & say "management, Wal-Mart driver is at grocery receiving" since the stores are so busy & short-staffed, either no one answers the phone or there's no one in receiving to hear the truck arrive If it's on the drivers nickel, I doubt that they're going to spring for a MURS mobile, antenna & install 73 to everyone

Thanks Steve. It’s just been really difficult to find solid information on some of the slight model changes. I do like the other suggestions of looking at used or new commercial radios as Lscott had mentioned.

Between your experience & what I've read about the new IC-T10 h-t [everyone likes it, but thinks that it's overpriced], I'm starting to reconsider my wish that Icom would get back into GMRS equipment Last month I was lucky enough to pick up a used F21GM for $49.00, I just have to source an aftermarket battery for it, new Icom batteries cost more than I paid for the h-t I apologize for derailing the MURS topic 73 to all

The Baofeng UV9R (ham) and UV9G (GMRS) appear to meet your criteria. Both share the BL-9 battery and it looks like they both use the 328 Moto jack. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098JGLWZ1/ref=emc_b_5_i and https://www.amazon.com/Mirkit-Waterproof-Handheld-2200mAh-Portable/dp/B082Q1VL5Y/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3TV0O3YBECTEG&keywords=baofeng+uv-9r&qid=1675951266&s=electronics&sprefix=%2Celectronics%2C630&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHTkdOVFNQUVdZWEcmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NTE1NjQzTTlXRVBUNjhQMlRHJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5NzE4NDcxVjRRSjIwTFJBSjlCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I agree. In that case he would be better off looking for a good used or new commercial grade radio. Unfortunately they are almost universally mono band radios so he would need two, one each for VHF and UHF. The upside to that is with the right frequency range, typical range is 136 MHZ to 174 MHZ, the VHF radio will handle all of the 2M band, MURS, railroad FM, marine and NOAA weather frequencies. On the UHF side a frequency range of 400 MHZ to 470 MHz will cover the full 70cm band, GMRS and most of the commercial business band frequencies.

What is the intended use of both ? This will help answer the question. If this is a throw away handheld to use here and there the choice above is fine. If you want something that will last a a heavy use handheld none of the CCR stuff is in that category.

I would start here - https://www.repeater-builder.com/motorola/r1225/pdf/motorola-r1225-sm-6880905z53-o.pdf https://www.repeater-builder.com/zetron/pdfs/zetron-37-manual.pdf https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/41757881/motorola-r1225-gr1225-repeaterpdf-the-radioreferencecom-forums Basically you need to reprogram the repeater for General I/O. Both TX RX with CSQ. Flat Audio out and most importantly Repeater with External Controller. After getting the GR done you need to make sure dip switches and programming is right on the Zetron.

J-Poles demonstrate high common mode current, much more than dipoles and much-much more than 1/4 waves with ground plane. This is the reason Ed Fong antenna is a lousy choice if mounted on metal mast, SWR is all over the place because of coax coupling with the mast. Why more than one, look here at Figure 3: https://palomar-engineers.com/ferrite-products/ferrite-cores/ferrite-mix-selection On UHF frequencies, their sample bead has only 80 Ohm impedance, and you want much more, maybe 600 Ohm. And on UHF frequencies multi-turn toroid chockes also do not work because of capacitive coupling between turns.

(Disregard....this would be for the k1 plug, not the multi pin) Wouxun...kg805g, and the uv7d (dual band, 2m and your choice of 6m, 1.25., or 70cm as the 2nd). Ip54 and ip55 water resistance, same battery, same k1 cable, and same desk chargers. Edit: missed it was the multi pin similar to the xpr rather than the k1 plug....disregard.

So the two plug connector used by Baofeng is a K-1 connector, as in K for Kenwood. There are better radios than the Baofeng. I would look at Wouxun KG-UV9G and KG-UV9D or P. https://bettersaferadio.com/wouxun-kg-uv9g-pro-gmrs-two-way-radio-shtf-scanner/

The only problem with Bird meters is you can't have just one. It started out innocent enough, but I just been finding sweet deals on them and now I have five of them. The one in the pic is hooked up top my GMRS radio pushing 47 watts. I won't even tell you about my slug and dummy load collection.

I’ve been on both sides of this issue. This is a quote from the FCC GMRS site: But, it’s important to note that the actual regulations are phrased differently: . https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

No different antenna needed. It’s receive only for the vhf/uhf bands other than GMRS. At least that’s what’s advertised. I’ll see if I can find the manual, but I would expect that all you have to do is tune it from the front panel or program receive frequencies using the CPS.

This is true…in many cases. However, as stated earlier, the band plans do vary locally. As an example of this, many years ago, I had a group of ham radio friends that operated simplex FM on 146.400. That frequency was designated as a simplex frequency in our coordinated band plan. It also appears on modern amateur transceivers with no pre-configured offset, nor does any other frequency offset to 146.400. At some point, we received emails from Riley Hollingsworth, who was the legal counsel for the FCC at the time. Hollingsworth stated in the email that he had received complaints regarding interference to a repeater over 160 miles south of us, in another state, and asked that we contact him, in order to get more information in the matter. Each of us talked to Hollingsworth, and explained how we used the frequency (simplex FM operation, either mobile or base, how much power, antennas used, etc.) The issue at hand was this…the repeater to our south had numerous input sites, and one of those inputs was about 90 miles away, on a tall tower, and the repeater had no PL tone on it. Further, the output of the repeater was on 147.000, and the input was on 146.400, the simplex frequency in our region. When Hollingsworth told us of the issue, he asked we do some testing, and we did tests and found that a 5 watt HT signal from a third floor apartment in an urban area, 90+ miles away, could hit this input with mild band enhancement. Now if you take your modern amateur 2m transceiver and look at the “automatic repeater shift” setting for 147.000, you will find it will indicate a “+” (positive) offset. However, the repeater in question used a negative offset, putting the input on a designated simplex frequency in our coordinating region. I recall mentioning this to Hollingsworth during our phone call, stating that my FCC approved equipment puts me on simplex on 146.400, and that the input to 147.000 would be 147.600 on my Yaesu radio. Upon completion of his investigation, Hollingsworth told us that we were operating correctly and to continue doing what we were doing. We were operating correctly and in compliance. The repeater owner had been told many times to tone the input to the repeater, as he had filed other complaints with the FCC regarding the same matter. The FCC determined it was unreasonable for a high profile repeater to operate in this manner, when in fact, all FCC approved gear will indicate a positive offset for 147.000, and tone access has been an established convention for nearly two decades at this point in time. The repeater owner had been advised to tone his repeater several times by the FCC, but refused to do so. So here is a case where the band plan in one location was different from that in a neighboring state, as conceived by “coordination councils”, and the typical ham transceiver would have a different repeater shift from what was in use. And to put the cherry on top, we contacted the coordinating councils in the two regions about this matter while the FCC was doing it’s investigation, and both council bodies responded with “you are wrong. You can’t interfere with a repeater, so you must change frequency”. These “councils” were, in fact, wrong, and went away with their tails between their legs when presented with the findings from the FCC. it is always best to understand the rules of amateur radio, and the conventions of operation within your region, so that you have the FCC on your side, and you can educate arrogant hams who “think” they know what they are talking about.

I don’t know of a single introductory thread here. If anything you’ll be permanently scarred by the arguments about what kinds of radios are best and whether a roger beep portends the end of the world as we know it, but it’s actually a pretty fun bunch of people. Some of the best introduction to gmrs is in the form of Notarubicon videos on YouTube, although you will also want to pay attention to some of the people here to hear some reasoned differing opinions. In particular, look for his GMRS for Dummies video. Don’t let anyone tell you your radio isn’t good enough. Eventually something someone says may sound like that, but don’t take it personally. You’ll quickly learn what’s good enough for your own needs. Welcome to the forum!