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Is he really an amateur extra though? He never tells us how long he has been an extra class operator and everyone knows you are supposed to let everyone know how long you have been a ham. I ought to know, I have been an amateur radio operator for over 20 years.

I installed a Comet CA-2X4SRNMO antenna on my SxS hooked up to my Wouxun KG-XS20G last night. I tested the SWR using my Surecom meter. I got 1.1 on channels 1-7, 1.5 on channels 15-22 and 1.8 n the repeater channels. Others heard me clear at low power with the repeater 21.5 miles away.

We called them VAR sucking bird whackers in the utility industry.

These threads (and the ones about Digital on GMRS) remind me of that episode of The Twilight Zone where neighbors begin fighting amongst themselves because electricity and their vehicles become sporadically available and unavailable!

Impossible! I have been assured by multiple people that have "....Been a licensed H.A.M. radio operator for [insert years here] years" that these people do not exist and NO H.A.M. operators are like this, and the certain youtubers just make up these stories.

I’ve known GMRS users who have no interest in ham radio and (unfortunately) I’ve known ham radio operators who have a derisive attitude towards GMRS users who reject ham radio and then attempt to make GMRS into a no-test substitute for ham radio. But here in Montana I have not personally encountered any hams that look down on the licensed use of GMRS for group communications.

Maybe you can stop throwing hams under the bus. You're ranting to and expecting support from an audience that in many cases have both our GMRS and ham licenses.

Every time I see these they remind me of a recent mygmrs discussion revolving around the notion of blowing up your radio with high swr or no antenna and that "no one has ever said such a thing online ever". I'm sure there's a resident youtube channel host who may find humor in both the content of this review and the fact that the extra class operator has questionable spelling and grammar skills to go along with his pontificous reviews. "I an extra class operator and have the proper equipment to measure such antennas on a proper ground plane and also under HT conditions as well. The following are my test results of the Radioddity RD-371 triband 144/222/440 antenna compared to my reference Diamond RH77CA 144/440 antenna. Both antennas were put under the same conditions during the testing. Eg. The same ground plane, coax, test equipment, location to objects, etc. *** UNDER NO CERCUMSTANCES TRANSMIT ON THE 222 mHz BAND UNING THE Radioddity RD-371 triband 144/222/440 antenna! You will destroy your radio in a very short time. The SWR is EXTREEMLY high. Advertising this antenna for Transmitting on the 1.25m band is FALCE ADVERTISING! Even as a dual band antenna this antennas SWR is poor on both the 2m and 70cm bands. The SWR needs to be under 1.5:1 for best performance even before field strength testing. I did not wish to burn my radios up so I did not even do a field strength test on it. I will be sending it beck for a refund. Buyer beware! Test your antenna or have someone who has the proper equipment test it out before you transmit on your radio. Beware of YOUTUBE videos that show some guy testing these antennas out and having good SWR results. Test them out yourself. I mostly buy these just so that I can test them out and review them. On RARE occasion I stumble across a good one and keep it. But a work of advice. Buy a Japan made antenna. The Chinese ones are garbage for the most part with few exceptions."

Get over yourself dude. Never said I blocked you specifically. Hell I'm Batman and your the Joker. We need each other. It's a love hate relationship. Where on a rare occasion when the stars align, we might actually agree on something. But we do have a symbiotic relationship where one of us is the host and the other is the parasite. We just can't agree on who is who. But that's all right. You'll keep making my butt itch and I will keep giving you headaches. It's all good.

@marcspaz very nice build list you got there my friend! Yes, please keep me posted on trailing trips. Maybe we can make something work.

What makes you think it was his wife's?

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

I only use two antennas. 1. https://www.amazon.com/Midland-Antenna-Durable-Connection-MicroMobile/dp/B084BPXNC5?pd_rd_w=Tr8TC&content-id=amzn1.sym.f8bd5c4a-4a1d-4518-8a74-d7b144a3f981&pf_rd_p=f8bd5c4a-4a1d-4518-8a74-d7b144a3f981&pf_rd_r=EMZY8AKVP8YZVKNTQWKT&pd_rd_wg=Vo7Bu&pd_rd_r=1af2672d-8467-4b75-adb2-be6d8664031e&pd_rd_i=B084BPXNC5&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_2_t. This has a perfect 1.01 SWR in channel 16 (462) and 1.5 SWR on 467 with out any tuning. Be aware that there is a look alike antenna that you should not buy. It fell apart as I took it out of tbhe package. The coil was loose. https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-Midland-GMRS-Radio-MicroMobile/dp/B0C13DLXGD/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?crid=2FXG6CLY7V7E5&keywords=gmrs%2Bnmo%2Bantenna&qid=1701981248&sprefix=gmrs%2Bnmo%2Bantenna%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-12-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.17d9e15d-4e43-4581-b373-0e5c1a776d5d&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1 2. https://www.amazon.com/Browning-450MHz-470MHz-3dBd-Mobile-Antenna/dp/B00IDTJ2EA?pd_rd_w=Tr8TC&content-id=amzn1.sym.f8bd5c4a-4a1d-4518-8a74-d7b144a3f981&pf_rd_p=f8bd5c4a-4a1d-4518-8a74-d7b144a3f981&pf_rd_r=EMZY8AKVP8YZVKNTQWKT&pd_rd_wg=Vo7Bu&pd_rd_r=1af2672d-8467-4b75-adb2-be6d8664031e&pd_rd_i=B00IDTJ2EA&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_8_t. This antenna needed to be trimmed. I achieved 1.01 SWR on Channel 16 (462) and 1.5 SWR on 467.

Josh? Jason? The old guy? Oh, wait...

Yeah, man... getting together to do some trails would be awesome. I'll let you know when we plan to come down next. This is the list of stuff I had done so far. Mickey Thompson Baja Boss MT's, 40x13.5x17 Method 106 beadlocks Metalcloak 4.5" Lock N' Load front and rear long-arm lift kit. (parts included below) - springs - front and rear upper and lower control arms - control arm angle correction brackets - spring perch correction pads - front and rear sway bar links - front shock relocation brackets - 24" front brake lines - front cross member - rear track bar relocation bracket front and rear track bar Teraflex rear 33" stainless steel braided brake lines Rock Sport 14" extended travel shocks Metalcloak 3" rear shock relocation brackets Metalcloak Drag Link Metalcloak Tie Rod Rock Sport steering stabilizer MOPAR steel steering box SteerSmart steering box and track bar brace RCV axles with FAD delete Artec front axle truss Front and rear 5.13:1 Ring and Pinion gears Metalcloak Baller Joints Front and rear brake refresh (ceramics) Front wheel bearings Adams front drive shaft Teraflex rear spring retainers Teraflex rear suspension limit straps

I heard that one of the big GMRS youtubers is going to be reviewing this radio in the next few days.. FWIW, ones shipping now come with a programming cable and the antenna is removable - no screw, no glue..

It’s not, but there are two different logins, one for the www.MyGMRS.com site and another for the forum.mygmrs.com site.

And communicate back if using the same channel and tone.

Yes Sir! Looking good! I know I asked in another forum about your lift but this answers that question for me. MC is an outstanding company and I love their lift.

Don't know of any radios that have it built in but you can run a Argent ADS-SR1 simplex repeater on almost any radio. Runs around $90 plus $10 or so for a premade cable for your radio. It does a bunch of cool things like CW-ID, Voicemail boxes and Voice-ID. I just run mine as a straight simplex repeater on occasion on the base station for testing out radios and antennas in the field by myself, works great for that.

What lift do you have on your Gladiator? I have Metal Cloak 3.5" on my Jeep. Keep me posted on the Gulches,Windrock & Uwharrie trips and maybe we can hook up for the ride.

I never claimed it was. The dPMR service in the EU seems to be working out OK so apparently it's very possible to do, share the spectrum. In fact they have TWO digital voice modes, dPMR and DMR. Further on 11M people have used AM and SSB for years and now FM is added to the mix. I don't see any huge crying over that either. I have to agree with those with how annoying a mode like TDMA, which is how DMR operates, with the machine gun like pulsing. I do know that the TDMA nature of the signal is known to cause false opening of the squelch, when using CTSS, on analog radios. It happens on the CCR tri-bander I have in the office I use as a cheap scanner from time to time. The two modes I mentioned in the paper are FDMA, no pulsing noise. I also am NOT advocating using digital voice on repeaters. I would keep those analog only. Analogue and Digital PMR446 Information Sheet.pdf The-effect-on-dPMR-446-of-the-new-digital-license-v3-2019.pdf

Looks like that's were we should start, get the FCC to enforce the rules. The whole point with enabling digital voice, in some limited manner, on GMRS has nothing to do with experimentation or making it a "Ham Lite" type service. It's more about improving the quality of service. As it exists now the general GMRS user really only "practically" use channels 1-7 and 15-22 due to the above restrictions on channels 8-14. The proposal I made in that paper would take the nearly useless narrow band low power interstitial channels and put them to better use. The topic of this thread was more "repeater" channels. While not exactly adding more channels by allowing using digital voice on 8-14 and at a reasonable power, 5 watts in simplex mode, we effectively gain 5 more channels without asking the FCC for more spectrum, which likely won't ever happen. Better than nothing and a kick in the butt from the FCC.

It appears you overcame, but can you describe your ordeal?

Wow! That’s impressive.

I wheel. Have been doing it for 40+ years. I have a 2020 Gladiator on 40" tires and a 4.5" long-arm. The channel varies depending on who I'm wheeling with. When I'm with FRS folks, we use 7, with GMRS folks, we use 15, 19 or 22, depending on what other radio traffic is happening. I usually wheel at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area, Rausch Creek, The Cove, Uwharrie, and random trails in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson national forests. Looking to hot up Gultches and Winrock in the Spring.

Nar stands for narrow bandwidth. I don’t know what M stands for.

4 X 4 = 16 ...Which coincidentally is the official GMRS and CB radio off-roading channel..

Got me some Broncos. Have CB in the old and GMRS in the new. Doesn't seem to matter as no one else seems to ever have anything that works . At least with GMRS you can toss 'em a walkie. As for channels, CB4(4x4) is usually what I run, however technically you're supposed to run whatever is posted on the logging roads, which was big part of my hesitation to switch to GMRS.

I really want to get a drone but all my Jeep upgrades are coming first.

I've been known to get my Jeep dirty from time to time 2006 LJ Rubicon & 2012 NotARubicon Ch16 or Ch19, open. Also scan/monitor all channels so I can rescue Toyota's in distress Mottino Wash, Marble Canyon, John Bull, Doran/Odessa (Calico), anywhere in Old Dale

I will also add that if an analog signal comes along and happens to be as strong if not stronger than the digital signal you are trying to listen to, the analog will either make it impossible to hear the digital signal or you just wont hear it at all.

Could be true. But I swear some of the operators might be brain dead.

Thanks for the help to everyone. I went with the MXTA24 cable, MXTA26 antenna and the NMO fender mount. Had to modify the plastic spacer for the cable to work with the mount but I'm used to doing stuff like that with jeeps. Hit the Sheraton hotel repeater in Dallas which is close to 30 miles away. Going to try again tomorrow at work which is to 40 miles away.

I have had/used every brand of GMRS radio in my Jeep(s) and almost every model of every brand, and for Part 95 "GMRS" radios, I prefer the Wouxun KG1000G. It is a better quality radio than BTech and most (maybe all) the other brands, it outputs a full 50W, and has a remote-mount removable faceplate. Several of my off-road friends use this radio and they are all happy with it. And FYI - even though its spelled Wooks-On, it's pronounced "Ocean" .

I'm not positive, but I don't think the mount you shared will work 'out of the box' with a UHF connector, which is what you need for the Diamond antenna you mention. You may have to modify it to work. If you are handy with tools and have a drill, you should be fine. I have used Diamond and Comet lip mounts on the swing gate, too. You may want to look and see what they have, and get a proper mount for the antenna selection you make, rather than a CB antenna mount. If you do get a lip mount, be sure the mount doesn't have a stabilizing tab sticking out or you can destroy the back window. Also, that is Diamond way too much antenna for you. It's a wonderful antenna and performance is amazing, but I use it because I have several radios sharing that antenna, of which all but my GMRS radio are way over 100w out... one being 315w. I agree with Randy on a lot of what he mentioned, including going with the MXTA26. I also have the same UHF to NMO adapter that he linked and it works well. If you get an NMO antenna and use the adapter on your UHF mount, be sure to set the jam nut correctly and use anti-seize to be sure the NMO disc doesn't unscrew with the antenna on removal. It can be a massive pain in the six to get out. I have had a bunch of antennas installed on the swing gate over the years. Follow the grounding advice and you should be fine.

Just FYI - Prepare yourself for all the "experts" that are going to tell you that antenna location "won't work".. Just ignore them. It is true, that location wont work "the best it can be", but it will work just fine for trail comms. On both my jeeps i have the antenna mounted just about a foot to the left and I can get 30+ miles simplex and i have hit a repeater at 93 miles - that should be plenty "good enough". When mounting on the tailgate like that you should run a grounding strap (not a 'wire') from the antenna mount to the tub of the Jeep - make sure the connections are metal to metal. You can use any UHF coax - try to keep it as short as possible but if you have a foot or two extra, just loosely coil it up. Ignore the "experts" that tell you this will make your antenna/radio "not work". Be aware that the Diamond NR7900A is not a GMRS antenna - unless you are also planning to transmit on the ham bands, I would recommend getting an antenna made/tuned for GMRS antenna - I use the Midland MXTA26 You will probably also need an NMO mount to connect the antenna to the bracket, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Connector-Adapter-Connect-Vehicle/dp/B0BLMHJ338/ You may also need some kind of SMA to SO-239 connector to connect the BoofWhang to the antenna cable - something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bingfu-Antenna-Adapter-Coaxial-Kenwood/dp/B083D5TMKG/ But check the gender on both ends to make sure you get the right one for your radio - and get a couple of them because they tend to wear out. I'm sure i'm missing something, but this should get you started.

I finally figured it out folks.. Thanks so much for all the help! Regards Tim

You're doing it wrong!

Hello Everyone, I recently acquired my grms license with the intent of it being a gateway into amateur radio( let the radio addiction begin). I'm attempting to hit my first repeater. 1. When attempting to contact the repeater as a test, what is the appropriate way to do so. Is it just a matter of keying the mike to get a response or should I broadcast my call sign? 2. Radio setup. As I understand it, I should use a offset of +5.000mhrz and then any ctcss or dpl value specific to the repeater. Should the the offset be used when not attempting to use the repeater and just making contact locally. Any additional guidance would be appreciated. Thank you for your time and patience as I claw my way up the learning curve. Regards, John

I have had great service and support from Buy Two Way Radios!!

Should probably point here: https://forums.mygmrs.com/guidelines/ The other link was from before a pretty big site/forum upgrade, I suspect things have shifted around a bit. They're also in the menu in the top right, under the "browse" submenu, at least on mobile view.

You should key up the repeater, state your call sign, then say something along the lines of "testing...testing". Some people instead of saying "testing" ask for a radio check. Whatever you do the FCC requires you to identify with your call sign. Just keying up the repeater to hear the squelch tail and not ID is called "ker-chucking" the repeater and is bad practice, yet you hear people doing it. Some repeaters have anti ker-chucking protection where the transmitter doesn't key up right away, there is a slight time delay. Others need to detect some real audio before going into transmit mode.

About once a day a freebander drives past my house on the busy highway yelling "Audio, audio, audio!" coming in on my stereo speakers and TV sound bar.