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I don’t know. But, having any class of amateur radio license allows you to build your own radio and put it on the air.

Same here. I wasn't aware of a lot of semiconductor physics until I started looking at the Extra class study guides. Some of the info has helped me understand electronic circuit boards on the HVAC equipment I work on on a daily basis. Deeper understanding also helps me explain the how and why to the next generation of techs. You never know where knowledge will take you, even when it seems trivial or unrelated.

BuyTwoWay Radios does a good job at a reasonable price and their turn around is pretty fast. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/prog-mdpx.html

Check with a local amateur radio club. Sometimes they have members with the proper equipment to tune duplexers.

I managed to actually get a couple QSO's today even with my bad SWR. First one was in Missouri on 28.400MHz/USB and the 2nd was in B.C. Canada on 28.345MHz/USB. This HF stuff really is awesome. To make contacts that far away Simplex with my kind of crappy little dipole antenna(antenna tuner incoming tomorrow to sort out SWR) is really amazing to me. This is way more fun than 2M/70cm IMHO. Anyway, just wanted to share the good news. 73

Hi all: Bill here, on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, WSKU 631. Decided to re-up my GMRS license after being enticed by Baofeng on Amazon. I got my first GMRS license in 2002, but let it expire in 2012. Have been happy with FRS meeting my needs, but the allure has returned. Just for perspective I got a CB license over 50 years ago (KFO 0811 if I recall), so yes, I'm a bit older. GMRS is pretty quiet here. When I look at license records there is only one other active licensee here and I've never heard her. There are about 8 expired licenses in my zip; just not much happening. I've flirted with Amateur licensing the whole time, but just haven't gotten one of those round-tuits. I was active in Red Cross disaster for some years, so I am still interested in helping folks. I have an idea that GMRS could be a useful service in community emergencies, bridging between the HAM services and EOC ops. There is a tremendous 'installed base" of FRS radios in every community. I'm interested in exploring how to effectively marshal and corral these resources with GMRS being the skilled guide. I recognize the cacophony that would be involved, but might it be managed somewhat? Happy 2026 to all.

Get your General and you'll have access to the entire 10 meter and 12 meter bands. Mod that radio so it will do 12 meters (easy, clip one wire and move one jumper). Quite a few POTA activators go above 28.500, and some use 12 meters. You'll need to add about a foot to each side of your inverted V, so make it removable so you can switch back and forth between 10 and 12 meters. The QT60 Pro is a great radio. I've had mine for a few months. I get great audio and signal reports.

I've been getting a lot of POTA contacts. Most come in at 5/3-5/4 but we still make the QSO. I guess I'm becoming a POTA Hunter, LOL.

Nothing wrong with a portable setup. I only mentioned a flagpole for a possible permanent solution,

Not sure if we can put a flag poll in the backyard or not. From what I'm seen they're more expensive than the tripod and wouldn't be portable. This will be something I can move around and even take with me if I wanted to.

Aluminum is fine, give it a shot. it's cheap enough.

Aluminum won't hurt at all with an inverted v dipole. I have mine hanging off a steel mast made from 1 5/8" fence posts.

Yeah, seems kind of trusting of them, doesn’t it?

I couldn't really move the columns around and since all I can do voice wise is SSB it's just a given for me that it'll be USB. The log sheet I modified had a lot of stuff I don't need or use so this works better for me. I've been not only logging contacts but also stations that come in clearly along with their call sign and location just to figure out how far they're transmitting. I hear a lot of guys running the Icom 7300's so I guess that's a fairly popular radio but well out of my price range. I do want to get a better tripod for my antenna to get it a few more feet up in the air. I think if I can get it from 9 feet(1/4 wave length) up to 15 feet(close to 1/2 wave length)it'd help some. I'm just surprised at the contacts I have made with my little set up. 35w and an inverted V has gotten me to Quebec, Alaska and a number of States like Michigan, Georgia, Missouri, Georgia, Illinois and New York. It's crazy how far HF will go. I'm having a lot more fun and actually using my radio on HF than I did on GMRS or even VHF/UHF HAM Radio.

Okay. Was not aware of that.

Today marks the 4th anniversary of NOVA GMRS. We couldn't have done it without you! I just wanted to thank our Founder, Eric (we miss you buddy), David and Mick for all the fantastic support over the years. Keep an eye out for new events and get togethers in 2026. Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to seeing what 2026 brings!

You're welcome.

I would stick with the 10m inverted v for now. It is a simple design and works well for you since you only have 10m band privileges. I know you have HOA restrictions to deal with, but if you can get the center at least 16 feet above the ground it will work much better for long distance contacts. To answer your question, yes EFHW antennas work well. But you definitely need a NanoVNA or antenna analyzer to make one. They are good for multi band use. Keep this in mind for when you upgrade to general. And you are going to want a 49:1 UNUN for a EFHW. Another thing to remember about an EFHW, they do need a counterpoise to work well. You can either use the coax as the counterpoise with a good common mode choke closer to the radio or use a separate counterpoise wire with a common mode choke at the antenna feed point. A separate counterpoise wire is more efficient than using the coax as the counterpoise. The counterpoise wire does not need to be very long. You want it to be 0.05 of a wave length. So for a 10m EFHS the counterpoise will be .5 meters or 1.6 feet in length, for a 20m EFHS it will be 1 meter or 3.3 feet. You can go longer but you want to make sure that the counterpoise is not at a resonant length I occasionally use EFHW antennas for portable setups since they do work on multiple bands. I always use a separate counterpoise wire and a command mode choke at the 49:1 UNUN.

Hello, WSKY556 (Brandon) here and glad to join. I'm in Murfreesboro and pretty new and learning. Just have a few hand helds atm but looking forward to getting a base station setup.

Who is supposed to be hearing and replying? Are you transmitting directly to another radio on channel 1-22? Or are you trying to work a repeater?

You can get a Yaesu ft-891 for just about $640 and it’s a much better radio, 160-6 meters, and 100 watts. But, it doesn’t have the antenna analyzer and tuner that the g90 has. Again, I recommend you don’t buy power rather than more useful features. It’s a fools errand.

Update/Follow-up for those who care: I finally got around to buying and testing a QYT KT-9900 as it is the same radio-in-a-mic form factor as the BTech 20V2 GMRS radio. The original idea was to have one hidden out of sight mobile radio that could work on 2m, 70cm and GMRS (Yes, I realize it is not FCC Part 95 certified - thanks in advance for your admonishment). Although some said this radio is unlocked and will work across the entire VHF and UHF bands, things have apparently changed. On the unit I received the firmware has been locked so that the radio will RX across the entire bands but only TX on the ham frequencies within the VHF and UHF bands. Things have apparently been locked down. Just thought I would pass this along......

I can confirm that it's more than enough...sometimes. I think that A LOT of it has to do with conditions and propagation. And when i say "A LOT" I mean most. Today, on a G90, I made a contact 4,800 miles away. Longest contact yet. He gave me a 55 signal report and I gave him a 59. But earlier in the day, I hunted a POTA in California - a thousand miles closer - and he gave me a 45 and said I was just above his noise level. But we spoke and had a conversation and understood each other. Same radio, same operator. I suspect, different propagation.

I'll be on tomorrow morning which seems to be the best time for East Coast contacts. Let me know what frequency you'll be on and I'll see if I can pick you up. I got a QSO from a guy in Quebec Canada that was doing a POTA and also one in Ohio so Georgia should be easy enough. Talk to ya' later. 73

Maybe, but it could just as easily be terrain, nearby buildings, or even propagation. I’ve been on nets that started out crystal clear to stations several hundred miles away and then within seconds faded to inaudible. Radio is fickle. Sometimes it seems to depend on how you hold your mouth! Based on what I see that you’re doing, you and @TNFrank are doing very well. You’re learning like drinking from a fire hose.

I think I've got this thing running. Went out to the park for the afternoon to play radio and did pretty good, I think, for my little QRP rig. Still haven't managed to activate a park yet. I tried again this morning and got no contacts and was having a hard time hearing anything. Went to a different park and boom. DX'ing across the hemisphere. I'm beginning to think that there's some RF interference or something wonky going on at the other park.

@TNFrank I'm glad to see that the inverted v is working so much better now that you have it away from the house. And you are correct that a good antenna is important. An expensive radio with a poor antenna won't do as good as a cheaper radio with a good resonant antenna. I have proven this to guys in my club with my Xiegu G90. The G90 with a remnant antenna gets more contacts than someone running a 100 watt radio with a poor antenna that requires an external. I think everyone's first HF antenna should be a dipole the they make themselves. It teaches you a lot and the experience will help when you start making other types of antennas. A good DX antenna is a 1/4 wave ground mounted vertical. You can buy ones that come with a telescoping whip or you can make your own. The nice thing about a 10m ground mounted vertical is they are only about 8' 3" tall. Add at least 8 8 1/2 foot ground radials and it will get out well for those long distance contacts. A 10m ground mounted vertical made with wire is easy to hide from a HOA. I will suggest again for you to invest in a NanoVNA or antenna analyzer. They will make life so much easier when tuning antennas. This even goes for tuning mobile VHF/UHF/GMRS antennas that require tuning.

Happy 2026!

Good to see another "Spring Chicken" here trying new ideas while rubbing ole bones together for communications! I've got four years on you using GMRs for a practical form of communications while running down the freeway... My best help to offer would be to just slow down and read, then re-read the owners manual. You're not going to break or ruin anything as long as you a somewhat gentle with the radio. Learn the sequence to reset the radio back to "factory setting" until you get the hang of programming with those lil' buttons.... In watching a video about your radio I can only suggest that you go thro the owners Manual and number each page. Then write up a Contents page to help you with where all the information is located. HAPPY NEW YEAR and Best Wishes for many more...

and enjoy the forum!

This is a conspiracy. You guys are trying to get me motivated to take a test, aren't you? I can tell. Admit it.

There’s nothing wrong with that!! It’s great that you are enjoying yourself!

Tune to that channel (28). Press the menu button and go to menu item 11, which is "Tx DCS", which is probably set to "Off". Press the menu button again to highlight "Off", then press the up button until you see "D043N". Press the menu button again to select that code (the highlight will go away). After about 10 seconds the menu mode will time out and you will see the normal screen. You are good to go. If you are close to the repeater hit the Tx button, the red light will come on. If you are connecting properly the repeater will acknowledge with the light turning green, and you may hear some static or a morse code. You don't need to set the Rx code, but if you want to you can use the same method described above. Hope this helps. And welcome!

So anything that says DPL is not actually a tone, but a digital code. It won’t be found under CTCSS but it might be called DCS, DTCSS, or DPL in a different menu. Welcome to the forum!

Keep at it! You’ll do fine. When you actually get to the test you might be surprise that there were so few math questions.

So...I just want to pop in and say that the learning curve between technician and general is substantial. I got my technician with very little effort. The general on the other hand.....hoo boy. There's some much math and things in it that I just don't know at all. And now that I have this G90 and POTA itch, I'm a little sad that I'm stuck in 10m for the time being. Feeling a little defeated, honestly. The pool of questions for general feels a lot bigger. I've been churning through HamStudy and am only at something like 32% seen. Ugh. As an old West Virginia coal miner Coach used to tell me..."Keep shovelin' boy. Keep shovelin'."