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You sure? Because: I have been dying to use this image somewhere

The question as stated in the title "What is the best antenna and brand for HT GMRS radio?" So any references to non GMRS radios really don't apply to the question. In support of @Sshannon's statement the cheap GMRS radios like the Baofeng UV-9G come with duel band antennas. They are not specifically tuned for GMRS. Some of my less cheap (as far as GMRS radios are concerned) Wouxun radios came with antennas that are not duel band and at least are stated to be properly set for GMRS frequencies. The Nagoya NA-701G and the NA-771G are better than a stock Baofeng in my experience, the NA-771G may be just sightly better than the stock Wouxun and as mentioned by @WRHS218 I like the flexibility of the NA-701G over the stock rubber ducky.

She isn’t saying that in this particular post; what she posted is the requirement in 95.1761(c). But she’s using it to support an incorrect interpretation. We have to consider the paragraph in its entirety. The buttons on the outside of your 935(g) don’t allow you to program your radio to a frequency capability not listed in 95.1763, so they’re not what this paragraph is talking about: (c) No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with a frequency capability not listed in § 95.1763, unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized and for which certification is also required. No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service. All frequency determining circuitry (including crystals) and programming controls in each GMRS transmitter must be internal to the transmitter and must not be accessible from the exterior of the transmitter operating panel or from the exterior of the transmitter enclosure.

I have been going back and forth on this idea for a while now. But I keep thinking that if we did have a sticky and newbies actually would look at it then it would give us all a lot less to talk about. These forums are already very quiet most of the time. I don't know.

I like the FAQ idea. Also I like the idea that many other forums have of locking threads so they don't get revived months or years later.

Yeah, a decent FAQ or “Start Here” post could help with several of these questions, or just a referral to Notarubicon videos.

The people that you might be hearing on 15-22 and trying to talk to are probably on repeaters - very common in my area. The repeaters transmit in the open on channels 15-22 but you can't talk to them unless you're on the repeater channel. That's a whole other ball game. You need to activate the repeater channels - they are inactive from the factory. And then you would have to program the repeaters in your area - again, that's a different ballgame but the way to go eventually. Also, you might have accidentally set the high power channels 15-22 to low power when setting up the radio. Like was mentioned above, ask for a radio check those are always replied to if there is anyone listening on frequency. PTT and say "Good morning/afternoon/etc. this is -license call sign- on -channel #/repeater name- requesting a radio check on a new radio" When you get a reply then say "Thanks so much you are coming in loud and clear/a bit scratchy/broken/whichever" this could start a conversation about location, type of radio etc. then after you're done pause a bit and say: "Thanks again I'll be listening here from time to time -call sign- out or standing by" Once you are past radio checks and want to jump in at another time out of the blue you can always say "Good morning/etc. -call sign- listening on -channel/repeater name-. that tells people you're available to chat. If people want to talk they will respond. Polite is always the best intro and it works .

IMO, @foamhand is misinterpreting the regs. Having buttons on the microphone does not violate the regs; the buttons don't change what the radio is able to do. That's the problem with having everyone trying to apply their own interpretation - it doesn't work well. And that's why the regs need to be written better.

But those aren’t GMRS radios where cost is king.

That’s pretty common. For the most part GMRS is something you buy to talk to friends or relatives who also have GMRS radios. If you want to meet new friends on the airwaves, ham radio is more fitting.

With the exception of some built in antennas such as the Garmin Rhinos, none of the antennas used with commercial GMRS radios are “designed for the radio.” They’re standard off-the-shelf items picked for a combination of cost and performance.

Okay, I think many of us recognize that an FAQs thread would have some value. So here’s what I propose. Start a new topic in the Guest forum called FAQs. Whenever we see a good answer to a question we consider an FAQ, we copy the question and it and add it to the FAQs. We ask a Rich to pin it to the top of the Guest forum. I recommend we keep the bickering away from there. For example, Iif I don’t agree with your interpretation of whether repeaters must identify, I should go somewhere else to argue and mark the question as ambiguous in the absence of an official ruling from the FCC. How does that sound? Steve

Perfect! I’ll give this a try tomorrow. Thanks again!

For info on Beta loading go here. Looks like the issue number for the KG-Q10G is #10925. More here. The Beta for the KG-Q10H worked good for me so I hope the same is so for the KG-Q10G. Good luck.

There seems to be some confusion when reading the regulations. I had to re-read it several times before it made sense, at least to me, with how it was written. It made more sense when I considered the radios, the commercial ones I have, with Part 95 and 90 certification. The radios where manufactured to sell into different markets. This was before the 2017 rule changes. If the radio was programmed with Ham frequencies AND those were an exclusive allocation for Ham we would have a problem. At the time those radios were designed and certified for business use of GMRS frequencies it was legal. With the 2017 changes not anymore and why you are very unlikely to find a manufacture that will bother, no market. The FPP issue is pretty clear cut with little wiggle room. The reason why you can find it on some radios apparently there are some government agencies where it is allowed.

Slow your roll, there, Tonya. What I said was: I agree with you that the regulations say that having the ability to easily configure a radio to transmit on frequencies in ham bands on GMRS radios excludes them from 95E certification. In fact, if you took the time you would see that I posted the same paragraph from the regulations.

Maybe. And/or show both viewpoints.

A bit off topic but the above section "C" is phrased in a peculiar way with regard to what frequency, or frequencies, are programmed into a radio. The specific argument has to do with having Ham 70cm frequencies in the radio while also having GMRS frequencies at the same time. There are people who claim it isn't legal. I disagree. First off I mentioned in a post a while back that the Ham 70cm band is not an exclusive allocation. Hams only have secondary privileges. The primary users, typically government stations, are. Those frequencies are licensed and the radios require certification, even if they fall within the Ham band. Due to the statement: "unless such transmitter is also certified for use in another radio service for which the frequency is authorized and for which certification is also required" Having a "Ham" 70cm frequency in the radio along with GMRS can be argued to comply with the above quote rule section and thus legal. Where you do run afoul of the rules is with the FPP, Front Panel Programming, that allows the user to enter an arbitrary frequency into the radio. I believe that's what doomed the first generation Baofeng radios. They had Part 90 certification, BUT that also required the radios can not allow arbitrary frequency entry under Part 90. In a quick move the radios where shipped with the frequency programming functionality disabled and either required it to be enabled through a menu setting or the use of the programming software to enable it. Some of the current model LMR, commercial, type radios also allow FPP. However it has to be specifically enabled through the radio's programming software. It can't be enabled by accessing any controls the user can manipulate. The programming software has warnings about making sure the "feature" is disabled before turning over the radio to the user for normal operation.

GMRS is analog.

I'm thinking that since this topic comes up so often by new GMRS licensees, an email should go out to every new registered user of this site explaining the distinction(s) between FRS/GMRS and amateur radio. Just a thought.

No. Being able to configure legal GMRS channels from external buttons isn’t what the regulations refer to. You can’t interpret a single sentence outside of the context of the entire paragraph.

Many items pointed out above are accurate. I'll add my experience. One of my GMRS repeaters is at a great location. Prior to being a GMRS repeater it was used by a public safety agency on public safety frequencies. The agency had portable coverage over a large area. When it was transferred to our SAR team all I did was change frequency and retune the cavities on the combiner. The old frequency was not far from the GMRS channel I chose. We used it with our LMR radios with no issues. I had other ask about using it and over time finally opened the repeater. One month later all I had was complaints that it didn't work at all or horrible receive reports. Every complaint I went and tested and never saw the issues that were reported on my LMR gear. Many of the complaints were from the same locations the agency used this repeater. Digging in more all the users complaining were using CCR stuff. Those using LMR gear had no issues. In the end I just closed it and removed it from all listings. This is just my experience with true LMR gear and not cheap stuff. As reference when that repeater went into the site it was in the $15,000 range and all our portables were in the $2500 range so none of it was cheap. Can stuff be done cheap, sure and in some applications it can work just fine. As I say to everyone it depends on your application, location and available resources.

In the LMR world we use the antenna that was designed for the radio. Its all part of the design. Changing it may result in loss of performance. Just my experience.

The UV-5R(G)(X) series of radios is an excellent "gateway" radio into a lifelong struggle of buying newer, bigger and better radios to meet your needs!

Donated as well, keep it up !!

I put a BNC-SMA adapter on my Yaesu FT5DR so I can remove and replace the antenna easily without wearing out the factory connector.

1. SMA, but there are 4 different SMA connectors. There’s the outer threaded shield which can be either male or female and there’s the center pin and socket. You will find male threads and female center sockets, male threads and male center pins, female threads with female center sockets, and finally female threads with male center pins. (RG-58 is a cable standard). 2. No, they do not. Of the radios I have, the Baofeng UV5R dual band radios, Yaesu FT65R, Yaesu FT4x, and Alinco MD5 all use the female threads and male pin on the radio, but my FT5DR uses male threads and a female center socket.

Picket fencing is when signals are fluttering in and out.

I heard if you put on a bikini and wash his Jeep, he is slightly nicer.

The problem is, an advantage or disadvantage is a matter of perception based on what you want to accomplish. I can point out differences that push me in one direction or another. This is just really high view... and just the stuff I use. I am very sure there is more. In Ham bands: Max power is 1,500 Watts. There is a frequency space equivalent of 1,200 channels. Any mode of digital voice. Any mode of digital data (no encryption). Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) global positioning, messaging and more. 50w portable/mobile repeaters for under $300. Crossband repeat support. One radio will cover some of MF, all of HF, 6 meter VHF, 2 meter VHF, 70 cm UHF, all modes, at 100w for $1,000. Much more repeater coverage, including on HF and state-wide networks in many states. A much wider selection of hardware, including the option to build your own gear. Experimentation is encouraged. In GMRS: Much quieter / less users. Repeaters are available. Ease of licensing. Shared Licensing. Extremely affordable radios (as little as $9 each) Not at all. I have several handheld radios for redundancy (EmComm), but all of them cover everything from air traffic, MURS, VHF Business band, Marine, Amater 2m VHF, Amateur 70cm UHF, Business band UHF, GMRS/FRS and more. As I mentioned, in populated areas, with the option of the equivalent 1,200 channels compared to GMRS' only having 22 channels, you can always find a clear frequency to talk, send data, or whatever you plan on doing. And did I mention 1,500 watts on Ham for the opportunity to talk way further than you ever could with GMRS? HF gives you the option of communicating from 0 to 12,450 miles with just a few watts. If people go in the habit of it, there would be almost no practical reason to use anything but HF, beyond the data speed advantages of VHF and UHF on digital applications. You can do CW on GMRS. It is an authorized mode. I don't know anyone who does it because its considered a weak signal application. I did list a few more advantages above. I'm not sure what you consider a large antenna, but I have a 4 foot tunable HF antenna and I have talked to people in every state in the US as well as 102 other countries. Granted, a 7 inch antenna is definitely shorter than 4 feet, but 4 feet is hardly a hateful size. All of my radio friends are on GMRS, but that doesn't mean anything. An overwhelming majority of my radio friends are also into amateur radio because GMRS just can't offer everything that we want to do. We all do a lot of digital data and voice (such as email and computer networking over RF), EmComm support requiring much more power and portable repeaters, as well as the ability to talk long distance (like outside of the area if affected by natural disaster) without relying on anything but someone else with a radio on the other end... and much more. Honestly, I have a nice HF base station, massive amp and antenna. Same for UHF and VHF. I hardly ever turn them on. Most of my HF, VHF and UHF use is from the mobile. However, having the base station is nice if I do need to do EmComm or just don't feel like sitting in my truck to run a radio. I guess, the bottom line is, don't feel like you are missing something if you don't have a base station. You're not. One of the biggest things I love about Ham radio is, I can make my handheld seem like its a lot stronger that 5 or 8 watts. I have a mobile repeater installed in my Jeep. I don't need to have a ton of power in my handheld, because my portable/mobile repeater will transmit my handheld signal at whatever power I want, up to 1,500 watts. So, my HT never has to talk any further than wherever I parked my Jeep. As far as mobile power goes, 50w is kind of the standard, but it's not the limit. I have a collection of radios with all different output levels... 35w, 50w, 65w, 85w, 120w. I also have 200w and 300w amps... and 1,500w amps are available. There is no limit to digital. You can do voice, data like emails, video, file transfer, GPS, messaging, even things like chat consoles... you are limited by nothing but your imagination. The big draw about digital in general is, many digital services are called "weak signal services". Basically, what this means is, if you are on a frequency that zero voice can be heard... the digital connection can still be made on the exact same frequency and power level. So, in an emergency or extreme boredom, you are going to get you communications accomplished. I hope this help provide some insight.

Ham offers more frequencies, more options to explore as a hobby, more repeater coverage, while GMRS offers ease of use with family and friends that have no interest in radios other than to communicate. One may help you get assistance where there is no cell coverage while the other may help you spot that tire placement off road or keep you in touch with your wife at camp while you paddle a kayak around the lake. Is one better? Sure the one you need to do the thing you want in the moment. I fully am in favor of both.

Man, you're kind of a dick online. You were one of the people I would watch regularly when trying to figure out this whole GMRS thing. Your schtick is funny on YouTube but something is getting lost in translation via text.

Try this one: Super-Elastic Signal Stalk — Signal Stuff