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I fight the urge with the Vertex stuff...there was one I had my eye on, but apparently software and cables for that are NLA, along with a p25 mobile that only seems to be available in 450-512, not 400-470... (Edit: it was the vxd-720, which looks to be a near twin to the moto xpr6xxx series) i did give in on a Midland P25 handheld, though. something new to futz with. Have it in hand and it's a nice solid little device. Haven't had a chance to dive into programming yet.

The FCC has not "stopped allowing it", they never allowed it to begin with but they did clear up some of the wording on their website so it is now less ambiguous/more clear, but no rules have been changed. You cannot "work around it" and "stay ok" with the FCC. The (many) repeater networks that are still online are simply ignoring the FCCs rules knowing that the worst that will happen is that they have 1 in 1,000,000 chance of getting a mean letter asking them to disconnect their repeater(s) from the internet/other network connectivity. There really is nothing more to "the situation".

Just to clarify, 935G = GMRS with dual band receive and IP66. The 935H = Ham tri band (which like the Q10H can be unlocked if desired) and IP66. Q10H = quad band with AM airband receive and IP67. Good luck.

Necro-posting.

OMG you don't even know me ... yet you KNOW me!

Thanks. May get the 935G Plus then. Definitely need a ride to radio anonymous meeting. I have 4 cheap radios and the Q10H and am looking for more. What's bad is i have no friends to share them with and no repeaters around me. I so I need some serious help...

I have been using my WP990 daily for over 3 years with no issues. I got the first one sold in the USA. I see that iut can do GNRS so I am adding those freqs this weekend and listen around here in Indy to see if worth buying a dedicated gmrs 50 watt mobile

Go with what works for you. That being said, it sounds like there are some issues with the DB-20G that need to be addressed. The radios should work fine when set to wide band without any interference. And it is obvious that there is a problem with the radio since people are having issues when transmitting on wide band. And the seller and/or manufacturer will not know about the issues if people don't let them know.

While I'm all for a continued discussion, just in case anyone missed it it has been nearly ten years since OP posted this question. I hope he isn't still trying to make this decision.

That’s right, but not only that it’s not AM, which the air bands are. If I knew how to unlock it to transmit on the Airbands I wouldn’t tell you.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheNotaRubicon

So the common denominators are the computer, the cable and the operator. I recommend changing/replacing/testing each one, in that order, to see if that makes a difference.

Thank you for the clarification and responses!

We can start an on line group. Hi, my name is Mr. Kenwood, and I can't resist buying more HT's.

Good luck...currently waiting for my 935h to ship I was debating between that and the Q10H for want of more 220 gear, but the price difference and the fact that I already have a 6m (vx7r) handheld left me giving the 935 the nod. Truth be told, I have another 220 handheld (uv7d), but it's vhf (1.25 and 2m) only...current plan is to throw that in the truck with an amp.

Weird because the Coast Guard does not enforce radio regulations.. That is the FCCs job. Nope...

I bought the radio and obtained the GMRS license so my family can keep in contact with me while I am mobile. There is a repeater or two in Roswell NM that is 40 miles away. While it was fun to talk to some of those guys my primary reason to use this radio is for family coms. So I am satisfied. I have heard of other people sending in there units to only have the new radio doing the same. Simplex and the less than 20 watts the DB-20 provides is sufficient for me. Also the radio in my F-150 is not a Radioditty DB-20G so I have no problem talking to Roswell repeaters with it. Jim

And you also don't have to worry about what operating system you are using either. The RT Systems cables have worked with Linux, Mac and Windows 10/11 without issue for me.

Ok I came back to this radiation pattern and I think I'm understanding it a bit more. Basically you need to think of it as angle and not distance. So if you put the antenna at 20' and another antenna a mile away still at 20' then the gain is 9.77+/-. If you have that antenna on a mountain top at 400' and the same receive antenna at 20' the angle is going to be much greater and you follow that angle on the graph and where it connects with the blue line is the gain that you will have. Power received will be determined by the square of the distance. So from my shop to my house the angle is 0.52º so that keeps the gain pretty close to max. Probably drops it by .5db or something like that. Hard to even see it with the fat lines and the resolution of the graph.

Crazy that GMRS advice 10 years ago was buy old commercial radios and software. Today so many off the shelf, errr order online, GMRS options to just turn on and go.

Most vehicles with the Auto Stop Start systems all use sealed and spill proof AGM batteries. AGM batteries are a whole lot safer than a standard flooded lead acid battery. And the Auto Stop Start system is standard on most newer vehicles now days. I do agree that you should always be cautious when working around any type of battery.

Although (as you pointed out about the BMS) there’s an even greater reason to do that now, it has been that way even before BMS. You want the final connection to the battery (which almost always sparks) to be somewhere else other than near the vents of the battery so the hydrogen gas released by the battery doesn’t explode. I knew of a guy who was blinded when a truck’s battery exploded with his face above it. I was 18 or 19 and working for the same oilfield roustabout company as he was. I’ve taken it very seriously ever since. The final connection is to a point on the chassis.

I would rather have one of each than two Q10h’s. Long answer- If it were a one or the other it would be the Q10H because it is quad band, IP67, super het. It’s probably going to be able to take a good beating. I really like my 935G plus. I’m pretty sure the battery life on my 935 last longer and I like how it fits in my hand. It is my favorite GMRS radio and recently I was wishing it did Ham. Even though I have the Q10H and other Ham HT’s. So two weeks ago I was looking at the KG-UV8H. I decided I really can’t justify it, I have other radios that will do everything it does despite my want. Did mention I have been stricken with the I want another radio affliction? The minute I saw the KG-935H and saw it was tri band I thanked myself for not giving in to my whim of getting the UV8H. Yeah I ordered a KG-935H three days ago. Well I’m off to my radio anonymous meeting, Anyone need a ride?

I have about 4 outstanding requests. They're for repeaters on my way to visit my stepson and his family and I wouldn't use them very often. I too don't understand why the owners don't reply back to us. Maybe they're looking for users in their area that will be using them alot. Maybe my sporadic usage isn't high enough on their approval list.

Incorrect. The NMO mount takes the shield of the coax cable and creates the ground plane with the roof of the car. When you have it above the the roof on a roof rack, the shield doesn't get to roof to make the ground plane. You can use a 1/2" wave on a roof rack mount https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-rs-660u. You can also use a ground plane disc if you wanted better performance, or to use a 1/4 wave whip https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/antenna-accessories/misc-antenna-parts/11713-taf-disc346-detail

I was at my typical Thursday night radio coffee group get together last night. One of the guys had a good setup for a ground plane for a mobile antenna mounted on the rack behind the truck cab. I took a couple of photos to share on the group here. Might give a few people some ideas to try out.

All they really need to do is increase the diameter of the ground plane adapter to the same diameter as the antenna at its base.