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You guys did me right with the recommendation for the Comet SBB-1. I finally got around to putting it through its paces. It was spot-on all the way up and down the 2m and 70cm bands. The highest SWR I got was 1.3:1 with most of them being 1.0:1. It even did well on the GMRS frequencies, which are technically "out of band" for this antenna, but I'm not going to argue with those numbers. It's on a mag mount in the middle of my roof, which is probably a factor, but the Nagoya was too, and its performance was okay, but not impressive.

I have a Comet GP9 dual band and a CA-712EFC. Neither needed tuning so I would say that the CA-GMRS does not either. Even though it says that, you best double check it with an antenna analyzer. I know the Tram 1174 I have stated it was good for GMRS, I did in fact have to cut/tune it for GMRS. It was tuned more for 70cm even though it was labeled as a GMRS antenna. You really can't go wrong with one of the GMRS antennas from Comet. Even some of their 2m/70 dual band antennas will work pretty good for GMRS, again always double check the SWR first.

Bigger and higher/above any (metal) obstructions will always be optimal... But unless you are trying to bounce your signal off the moon - ie; you are just talking with your friends on the road and/or using repeaters within 5, 10, 20 miles or so, I would question whether swapping out the antenna and having to fold it up/down all the time would be worth the money or the hassle. TL;dr: If you are some kind of radio dork that obsessively requires every tiny maximum bit of performance, whether or not you'll ever notice, and at any expense, then get the bigger antenna. If however you are a normal person that just needs to talk with your group while traveling, then your Ghost antenna is just fine.

Another thing to take into consideration is how manufacturers advertise the gain of their antennas. Most will state the gain in dBi which is always higher than dBd.dBI is the gain measured in free space while dBd is more realistic to what you will see in reality. Don't worry, it is easy to convert dBi to dBd. Just take the dBi and subtract 2.14 from it to get dBd. We will use the Comet CA-712EFC and Tram 1486 as examples. The Comet is listed as 9 dBi which equals 6.8 dBd. Buy Two Way Radio lists the Tram 1486's gain in dBd at 6.5. Comet antennas generally do not need to be tuned while Tram antennas do need to be tuned. Another choice if you need a shorter antenna with lower gain is the Comet CA-GMRS. It is listed at 5.5dBi which equals 3.36 dBd and it is only 42" tall. https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/base-antennas/gmrs-base-antennas/gmrs-omni-directional-base-antennas/comet-ca-gmrs-base-antenna-detail Now onto coax. First hear is a good online coax loss calculator that I use. https://kv5r.com/ham-radio/coax-loss-calculator/ Most people will use LMR400 for lengths of 100 feet or less. It will also be cheaper than LMR600 and Heliax. LMR400 Ultra flex will also be easier to work with since it is more flexible. Again get the best quality coax that you can afford. I can recommend DX Engineering 400MAX. Don't skimp on the coax with the el cheapo stuff from Amazon. It will not have a good shield and will have higher losses. What ever you do, do not use RG8, RG8X, RG58, or any other coax meant for HF. It will have a lot of loss with GMRS frequencies. Heliax, sometimes called hardline, usually requires special tools to install connectors. Where one can install connectors on LMR400/600 with regular tools. Another thing to consider is that Comet GMRS antennas have a N type connector while the radio has a SO-239 connector. So you will need to order a cable with a Male N type on one end and PL-259 on the other, change on PL-259 to a N Type or use a SO-239 to male N type adapter.

Good suggestion. He might want to try a homemade 1/4 wave groundplane feed with high quality feedline prior to buying any antenna. Keep in mind he did say the antenna price range is $200.

Don't be mean, and if you are insinuating that the ghost antenna functions as an antenna the same as a dummy-load, you would be very, very wrong.

Most people are happy with the Retevis mobile GMRS radios. Retevis does make a 40 watt GMRS mobile if you want more than 20-25 watts. Now if you want a 50 watt radio, I will recommend the Wouxun KG-1000G Plus. Yes the KG-1000G is more expensive but it is a much better radio than anything from Baofeng/B Tech.

I'd have a look at the Comet CA-GMRS Comet is a reputable brand, not terribly expensive, and not super high gain.

It's where 90% of people go wrong. The coax type is no trivial thing at UHF frequencies. The losses are alarming. Most people don't understand that MOST of the power is lost through a 50ft run of RG58 type coax. All of these people buying 50 watt radios just to warm up some coax lol...

I wish I could be standing in the area that you're trying to set up, because every terrain circumstance has it's own unique optimal scenario. If you have general line of sight, but varied elevations of desired contact, and are trying to remain in solid contact of simplex hikers around the trails around you, I'd stay at about a 6db antenna for your base. Think of gain in terms of 0 gain being an apple shape, 3db a bit more squashed than an apple, 6db being about a donut, and increments ascending resulting in a frisbee shape. Roughly.. This isn't exactly scientific, but just a sort of way to conceptualize what you're doing with gain. So with that being said, if you're doing a lot of local communicating but at sharply variable elevations, you might want the lower gain options to have the more vertical take off angles.

Wish you all a happy new year Stay safe

Nope, this is strictly a task for RG-8x.

I'll vouch for the Retevis 40 watter. The RA87. I use that at home on the Comet GP9NC. Beast..

I am aware of all the problems Marc points out, but so far I have had no failures of fold overs. I was aware of all those potential problems when I selected them and have been prepared to replace them and the coax if/when needed. Very lucky so far.

No tuning required for either the CA-GMRS or the CA-712EFC. The CA-GMRS has an SO-239 (UHF female connector), but you can use a UHF female to N male adapter. Get a good one, not one of the inexpensive ones on Amazon.

All great info, and I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I have the first 40' run as N male to PL259 to my lightning arrestor, which is Po239 on both sides. The interior 40' run is PL259 (From arrestor) to PL259 to a base unit, which I haven't purchased yet - haven't decided on what I want... I am considering the Retevis RA87, but their site didn't state that it could receive the NOAA frequencies, and that would be a deal breaker for me. Looked at the quad, fairly inexpensive BTECH 50v2, but not sure on its quality, and it doesn't have a Roger beep (not necessarily a deal breaker and I know some people HATE the Roger beep, which is why I want it haha. Just kidding of course). I will look into the Comet CA-GMRS

You should be fine with that as long as it is good quality LMR400. Using the loss calculator that I linked earlier, you will still get an ERP (effective radiating power) of 117 watts out when using 80 feet of LMR400 and an antenna with 6 dBd of gain. EDIT to add: the ERP is when using a 50 watt radio on high power.

My coax run going to my GMRS antenna is only 30 feet. Now if the coax length was 100 feet or more, then I would definitely consider LMR600 or Heliax if I could afford it. I would say that LMR400 (and equivalent) coax is a must for runs under 100 feet for GMRS and 70cm. Using the wrong type of coax effects 2m frequencies too. I had to say something to a friend that lives close by when I found out he got his coax cables mixed up and had RG58 hooked up to his 2m radio and 2m antenna. He was wondering why his receive and transmit was horrible. He put a 160 watt amp in line which overloaded my radio really bad. We are only 325 yards apart. I found out he had the RG58 hooked up to his 2m rig when I called him to ask that he stopped using the amp.

Very true! Not only do you have a really nice space heater when transmitting into that crappy feedline, you have the very best set of ear plugs. The loss for receiving is one of the most important aspects most people never consider.

My mistake.. Menu 11 for CTCSS output.

When you're looking at a radiation pattern diagram, it's usually represented as a sliced side-view. Everything that you're seeing as a lobe is actually meant to be conceptualized as a 360 degree pattern. What it's showing is precisely the take off angles. Usually there's come little packing slip in most good antennas like Comet or Diamond with an illustration of some kind of the radiation pattern.

Like Boxcar said, study the radiation patterns for each of the antennas your looking at.. Don't go with the first one someone recommends as the best. It may be the best for them but crap for you.. My home is setting about 2800 feet overlooking a huge desert valley with long range mountains in every direction. I'm setting about 300 feet above the city i live in. I recently got a Laird 4607 7DB Base antenna and found out it lacked the range i had with my prior Hustler G6-450-3. I never looked at the radiation patterns for the antenna before buying. The Laird antenna has a sharp low narrow elevation pattern.. So i was not getting the range out of it. The antenna is meant to be setting on a high mountain top where a downward slope pleases its targets Setting 40' above my house worked good for short range. Long story short, ended up ordering another Hustler, which is 6 weeks backordered now. Gigaparts is a good source to get the antenna pattern information if they sell the specific antenna you are looking at. They are also a good source for information and have reasonable pricing DX Antennas is another good source based on what i hear.. Do your homework, Antenna's are expensive.. Don't be 'that guy' (me) making costly mistakes.

It's really nice to see someone paying great detail to their environment and taking the needed time consider all aspects of deploying a GMRS system that will perform. In my opinion, since you seem to be budget oriented, which is great, I will make a suggestion of buying it right the first time and doing it right. For the money, you are not going to beat the price and performance of the Comet CA-712EFC. Next is your feedline, keep it as short as possible and buy the best as possible within your budget. Unfortunately, this is where most people skimp. I always lean towards 1/2" Heliax or LMR-600 as a minimum for short runs on UHF, but others will chime in and give you good advice for your requirements. As for all the technical mumbo-jumbo, it's great for a learning experience, but you're most likely not going to gain anything more than a headache. Keep it simple by using gear that has built a good reputation. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-ca-712efc Another choice if shorter length is a requirement is the Tram 1418, but that will need tuning. If you don't want to go through the tuning procedure, get the Comet CA-712EFC. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/tram-1486.html

If these are both vertical antennas, how do you orient it so the stronger lobes are in the "right" place? Do you mean the antenna's take off angle? If so, that is not usually given in the specs.

NO! i = INVERTED, N = NORMAL By default, unless otherwise specified, a DCS/DTC/DPL tone is always NORMAL (N) .

I don’t think it’s bad hardware. I think it’s just the way it’s designed. About three different places in the instructions say to leave it powered off while charging because otherwise it can’t tell the state of the charge.

Assuming that you are not a Government Entity or a person and/or an entity involved in basic or advance life support services, you will need to meet the eligibility requirements of Part 90.35 of the FCC Rules and Regulations. The FCC filing fees for a Radio Station Authorization (License) is $205 and that application/filing must be filed on-line. Prior to filing, you will need to file a request to register for a FCC Registration Number (FRN), if you do not already have one. I assume that you already have a FRN because in order to be on this forum you need a GMRS license and that number will be on your license. If you are filing for a mobile itinerant frequency(ies) or an approved low-power allocated frequency you will not need to have your application/filing coordinated/approved by an appropriate authorized Frequency Coordinator. If you are filing for non-itinerant mobile and/or Base or Repeater Class Station Radio Station Authorization, you will need to have your filing/application coordinated by the appropriate Frequency Coordinator and approved. The Frequency Coordinator fees are separate and inaddition to any FCC filing fees. Some coordinators have posted their fees on their websites In most cases, if you are applying for a specific frequency or a pair of frequencies, you will need to submit a radio communication propagation study/coverage plot map with the required contour plot study. You will need to provide the technical data regarding your transmitter site location, tower height, antenna placement height at the tip, output power, antenna height above the average terrain, and maybe a radiation exposure study. Also, you may be requested to provided a frequency interference study depending on the requirements of transmitter site. It my be best to let the Frequency Coordinator select an usable Frequency for your requested coverage area. It is my understanding that the FCC will not longer approve any filings/applications for Statewide coverage. They (FCC) expects filers/applicants to apply for and use itinerant frequencies for statewide coverage. Filings/applications for a specific geographical area will only be granted with a specific radius from a center point and that point must be exactly identified. Don't forget to specify all the emissions types you intend to transmit with in your filing/application. You will be regulated to the listed allocated narrowband frequencies with their respective restrictions/conditions in the Part 90.35 radio service pool. Get your Visa/Mastercard ready.

The rule-of-thumb on power line separation is twice the height of the antenna.

What, an americanized Godzilla? What is this world coming to.

Dude.. just... duude... Either you are one of the worlds greatest trolls, approaching even my troll-status, OR you are seriously broken inside and should seek help and medication.

Says the guy who claims you can’t use inverted tones.