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This is correct.. The antenna on both my Jeeps is mounted on the rear tailgate where all of the "experts" have decreed it "will not work!!!1" because the lack of a perfect ground plane.. It is true the antennas would likely perform better with a good ground plane but both antennas have an SWR of around 2, and I regularly talk with people dozens of miles away, and was able to hit a repeater 93 miles away.

less than 10 paragraphs and no big technical-sounding words, so you did good!

You are seeing loss from the coax and/or the antenna. Using quality coax and a good antenna with some gain will help overcome any loss. A dummy load will show a perfect match of 50 ohms, there won't be any loss with the dummy load. @OffRoaderX was that a simple response? I know I have a ways to go to catch up to @SteveShannon

If they understand how radios work and want a handheld, then this is probably true.. You can get 10X - 100x or more farz with an FRS radio than you can with an FM CB handheld with the same-size antenna..

Apparently,, many 'smart' people in these riots committing crimes are being busted by their own phones Investigators are using StingRay and online videos to place criminals at a location then using that data to find, through cell records, who they are.. Pretty clever and funny

It on your highest level profile, not the forum profile. Toggle the switch that says Weekly Repeater Digest:

you do it on your Profile via a togle switch for the weekly updatss

The need for a ground plane are overrated. Here's a pic of the NMO2/70B on my new 2025 Goldwing, which is mounted in the right rear. As you can see there's no ground plane and the performance is equal to the NMO2/70B on the roof of my truck. You couldn't tell the difference in a double-blind test. I can hold a repeater in Baltimore all the way to down to the Patuxent river bridge in Southern Maryland with both vehicles. If there's an antenna any better than the Larsen I haven't found it.

If you use sort by date, you can usually figure out whether you are about to repeat something someone else posted a week earlier. Sort by votes can hide this from you.

Yeah, toting around an HT with a 5 foot antenna is a little annoying! FRS is a little more convenient and less obvious when you are walking around.

in search of 15 minutes of fame... and intstead they get busted. LOL!

Apparently people rat themselves out via social media pretty frequently. You'd think they'd know better after a few of them got busted, but they keep doing it.

This guy might have busted himself https://rumble.com/v6uoh8p-nyc-riots-paid-protester-comes-forward.html This guy definitely did, with a smile on his face at that. https://rumble.com/v6uoh6v-la-riots-paid-protester-comes-forward.html

i wonder how many of them actually get busted via their own on line posted videos. Funny as hell

When their phone is smarter than they are... well.. there you go.

Sure they would. It's the govt.

I intend on operating these as two-channel radios, having explored the programming software (it's browser-based) already. "The one repeater that I can reach" and "a simplex channel". I recommend looking at the programming software before deciding to blow these off. For all the complaints about these being too simple, if I'm close to my computer I can swap codeplugs at will, and these are to compliment radio-dork radios, not replace them. Actually, they appear to be identical across the Trailblazer lineup, save for color, and removable as well.

That would be a full violation of the eff sea seas rules/regulations. I can't imagine those breaking the law would decide to use these frequencies illegally and for illicit purposes. They should have their licenses takes away. As soon as you here them ID themselves you should write it down and report them. /S

GMRS was envisioned as a service for use by the general public for personal use, particularly after the 2017 rule changes that eliminated new business licenses in the band. Since that main target for GMRS was general public use, assumed non technical users, the simpler the radio the better. Less crap for people to mess up, get frustrated, and quit using the radio. I would say if one is a knowledgeable user, then perhaps going with a quality commercial grade radio is a good move. Much more in the way of features and more customization options. All the radios I use for GMRS are mostly used mid to higher end commercial grade radios. Some are even digital enabled, used on the Ham bands in that mode since currently it's not legal for GMRS use.

Gmrs is going to turn into CB after all lol. But really those business frs radios by Cobra have fantastic audio quality and nice loud speakers. Unfortunately they never lasted very long as the fixed antennas constantly get broken off by nearly everyone who uses them.

Well, the install isn't done yet, but I am pretty excited. I figured I would share as I make some progress. I am at about 35%-40% complete after about 8.5-9 hours of labor. I guess over the next few weeks, I'll try to finish up, but it's going to be a lot of labor to finish running wires and to do some custom interior work.

I have no idea why anyone would want to.

I still have a ways to go before I reach @SteveShannon status

Only if you remove the battery.

i had similar experience with a cowel mounted Midland antenna on my JK, which i dearly miss

I have a DB-25-G... it is good, but it really works best using it on one channel at a time instead of trying to monitor all 4 that it can at a time. (sort of)... I don't like how it auto jumps to last channel it got activity on (even if it is signal that is squelched out because of the tones you have on that frequency/channel). It's interface is annoying if you are monitoring more than one channel because that. it can switch the channel you transmit on right before you reply and that is really stinks. and switching from multi channel monitoring would be better if you had a single keypress to do it... but you haev to do about 3 or four things in a specific order to do that so... yeah. Mostly menu / interface software that I don't like on it.

I can’t get my radio to operate off the repeater system need help

I have no experience with the DB25-G, but many here complain about it. There is also the strangely confusingly branded DB25-D DMR mini-mobile that also has DMR capabilities in a mini-mobile with cigarette lighter plug functionality at a budget price that is very sound and versatile.

No

I doubt that will ever happen. Combining an unlicensed service with a licensed one in the same radio is the same mess the FCC created with the combo FRS/GMRS radios years ago. They won't want to repeat that mistake.

With the state of education in the USA some of the young kids can't even do that. And they can't even figure out out how to turn on the spell checker feature on their computer software or smart devices. Sad. When I can't spell something, at least I have an excuse, I explain "I'm and Engineer."

It would if your particular sample is capable of slightly more output than advertised... Check it with a dummy load and see what you get.

if you put your phone on airplane mode will the cell tower be able to ping your phone Yes, a cell tower can still ping a phone even when it's in airplane mode. Airplane mode primarily disables cellular radio for calls, texts, and data, but it doesn't stop the phone from periodically checking in with nearby networks. This "pinging" can still allow for tracking or monitoring. Here's why: Airplane mode is a phone setting, not a network setting: Airplane mode affects the phone's ability to communicate, but it doesn't prevent the network from detecting the phone. Periodic pings: Even in airplane mode, the phone may still periodically check in with cell towers to maintain its registration with the network. GPS and location services: Airplane mode doesn't turn off GPS, which can still be used for tracking. Therefore, while airplane mode can help prevent direct calls, texts, and data usage, it's not a foolproof method to avoid being tracked or monitored by networks.

Looking for a base station 50w that can be charged using usb-c. Looking to have a 50 watt radio I can toss into my duffel bag and bring to camp. There is no power at camp, so hoping I can charge it off a power brick with usb-c. Appreciate any feedback, thank you.

Well, you can always get you one of these..

That's what happens when unsophisticated users go radio shopping, they have little idea what they need, and what performance metrics translate into a good radio design. So, they go for the cheapest option. Then get disappointed with the poor quality in some cases and mediocre performance. With luck they find their way here where they can get some better opinions and radio options. I think the cheapest I've paid for a few of my mid range analog commercial radios was about $25, seller had no idea what they were selling or thought the radio was defective. At the upper end I've spent about $400 on a combo FM/DMR new Kenwood UHF HT. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new I do have experience programming a collection of radios. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/249-my-radio-collection/?context=new The bug-a-boo with many of the commercial grade radios is finding the programming software. Personally myself I've had far better luck with Kenwood radios. I have a good size software archive of many of the older programming packages. I've had a harder time finding software for Motorola, and Icom radios.

Even worse is the strange mean comments that come from you. I'd rather put up with kids having fun

My guess - FM CB will not supplant FRS because of the size of the units and their antennas.

In an effort to replicate "field conditions" I threw an Abbree tactical tape measure antenna into a tree in my yard about 15-20' up and connected it to the repeater with 40' of KMR400 coax. Unsurprisingly, the results were very terrain-dependent. To my S/SW, Red Hill blocks my signals pretty effectively and I get barely 1/2 mile. To my W/NW, where the hill only partially blocks me, I got a couple of miles. To the east, I was able to get 11 miles until I went down the far side of a ridge, and to the northeast I got 13. I wasn't able to test it to the southeast or due north because there are no convenient roads. Considering how little altitude I had, that's pretty good. If I were on top of Red Hill, I probably could get a good 15 miles in every direction. I plan to get a 25-30' push-up mast and a better antenna for my RV, which should give reasonably good range. If I can get a good location, it should allow us to make some pretty long trail rides and stay in contact.

I'm going to close my post out with something that will piss some people off, and others will say I don't know what I am talking about... so if you don't want to read all of the post, you may want to skip to the END. The reason CB went to the wayside isn't known for sure, but I have a few ideas. Modulation type isn't one of them. I think there is zero chance of CB replacing FRS. I don't think it could even take a significant part of the market, and I will explain why. First, people get extremely frustrated because their mobile CB radio performs so poorly, with regard to range. As mentioned above, that is almost always due to the antenna. The primary problem is, the average DIY person doesn't poses the tools or skills to properly install a CB and antenna, nor verify if it is working correctly. This wasn't always the case, but somewhere in time, this common knowledge kind of vanished, leading people to think they can just bolt on the antenna and life is good. Then, there is the size of the antenna. The shortest proper length for a CB antenna is 104 inches. That's not a type-o... that is over eight and a half feet. Not everyone is willing to put an antenna that big on their vehicle. So, you see everyone using a compromised antenna... like the 4' and even 3' firestik antennas. I own a 4 footer and a 1 footer, but I know they are only going to work for a mile or less. FRS is at a frequency that only requires a 6" antenna, and the installation is way, way more forgiving. Just by it's nature, its not common to incorrectly install an FRS antenna. And when manufacturers put even shorter antennas on them, say a 3", it's no where near the compromise made in CB with a 3' antenna. So, you take a radio and antenna that doesn't install correctly easily and complicate that install with an antenna that more resembles a dummy load than an antenna, and yeah, the performance is gonna suck. Creating an even smaller, overpriced version in a handheld doesn't sound like a good time, either. Now, there is also another issue to deal with. While there are FM CB radios available, FM quality on CB is no where near the audio quality of FRS. FRS radio uses a lot more bandwidth, which means the signal can carry more data, aka higher fidelity audio. Many people will prefer FRS just because it sounds better. END Now to upset some people... I believe that a properly installed mobile CB and antenna or a quality CB handheld will outperform an FRS radio 100% of the time. I also believe that a properly installed mobile CB and antenna AND a quality CB handheld will outperform their counterpart in GMRS radio a vast majority of the time, when it comes to P2P comms. The two top reasons why GMRS has made it to the top of the pile is due to repeaters and the frequency used is ideal for heavily wooded and dense urban areas. While generally, I believe CB is superior in many cases, it seems that US radio use in dense woods and cities are the most common use cases... hence GMRS (and FRS) win over mobile and handheld CB.

Most of my stuff is Kenwood. As far as I know only the new NX-5000 series supports P25 Phase 2. All their older radios are Phase 1, including the few I have. No upgrade to Phase 2 that I know of. If somebody wants Phase 2 they have to dump their their old radios. The feature license key to enable P25 on the new radios is almost $600! It doesn’t matter if it’s an HT or mobile, same price. For DMR or NXDN conventional it’s about $40. Yeah, dirt cheap. Trunking is another feature key add-on. The price list attached is for the HT.