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If GMRS were allowed 10 watts on Channels 1-7, Baofeng would introduce a 15 watt version for Hams.

I came in fully expecting Lavatories On The Air

Thank you. The whole certification process looks like it’s limited only by the manufacturer’s honesty anyway! A five watt handheld really has just as much practical range as anything that a person could fit into a similar sized chassis anyway. Adding more power will only deplete the battery faster.

We went to my granddaughter's house tonight to celebrate her 8th birthday. We gave her the KG-S65G and she loved it. One of the first things she did was get into the menu. I showed her how to lock the keypad and showed her that I keep my radio keypad locked so I don't make unwanted changes. When we left we talked to her all the way to our house. She can hit a private repeater we use that is almost four miles from her house that allows us to talk house to house easily. We can talk simplex if we stand outside on one foot with our tongues sticking out. It was fun to see her excitement. She also really liked the desk stand from Etsy - Black Lodge Creative (he is a member here).

the only difference you will notice between 5 watt and 10 watt is the batter draw on higher power.

I hope your deference is not misplaced. I applaud your skepticism.

Spoiler alert: it's not.

And the fact that they misspelled "mutli" doesn't help either...neither does the fact that it's a knockoff website designed to look like twowayradios.com. But yeah, 20w. Really.

I like how they put the word "Really" next to the 20W. Cuz now... I'm convinced.

Solar flares/storms can cause a high noise floor. Thunder storms will cause noise too. Bad electrical connections on transformers will cause noise too. Sometimes that won't show up until there are high winds and/or heavy rain.

Yes. First point is the FCC certification requirement. Just like for the radios Part 95 certification is required. For UHF amplifiers used on GMRS that's almost non existent. If you don't care about the certification bit there are a few out there that are usable. When using the amplifier you're also responsible to follow the ERP, effective radiated power, based on the frequency/channel as outlined in the FCC rules. Second point. Even at the minimum output power, usually 1 watt, on many, if not most, HT's when run through the external amplifier could exceed the legal limit. For example on channels 1-7 the limit is 5 watts. The user would then need some method to bypass the amplifier, or turn it off. Likely not very convenient. Third point. Many HT's have a difficult time handling high strength RF signals. This is why some HT's seem to work OK using the included rubber duck antenna, but suffer from de-sense when connected to a high gain roof mounted antenna. Purpose built base/mobile radios typically do better in that area. Some of the mobile CCR's, cheap Chinese radios, have been found to suffer the same fate. That's one of the corners cut to lower the cost.

If GMRS allows all the features of Ham Radio, why require a licensing test for Ham Radio?

Cheap LED lights are going to cause RF interference no matter what type or brand of radios you get. I was worried bout my neighbors Christmas lights messing with my radios but she must have bought good LED lights or they are still the old incandescent lights. The cheap Amazon 4 foot LED lights and the Walmart brand screw in LED bulbs in the garage interfere with my VHF/UHF radios. I don't have any experience with Rugged Radios or with the Wouxun KG-905G. I do have a KG-935G +, two KG-1000G + radios and a KG-XS20G and all work well.

There are going to be many more ham radio towers and a lot of hams are interested and even knowledgeable about Meshtastic right now. But the basic steps to determine whom to contact is to either find a listing for a repeater on this site (MyGMRS) or Repeaterbook and then look up the licensee in the fcc database. Talk to them on the radio or drop them a snail mail letter and see where it leads.

Wanting to contact local repeater owners in my area to discuss implementing meshtastic nodes on their towers. I don't know any of them personally, so I wouldn't even know where to begin researching to find out who owns them to try to contact them.

Common mode chokes will help no matter what your setup is. The Smoking Ape has several videos on why you should use common mode chokes. His videos are worth watching. And using clamp on ferrite beads on the radio power leads helps keep electrical noise out of the radio, especially in mobile installs. The heat shrink does two things. It helps keep the ferrite beads in place and it protects them from UV light. I'm glad to help others. HF can be frustrating and rewarding at the same time. RFI and EMI becomes more of an issue with HF, especially the lower HF bands.

That's a good tip on the heat shrink. I'm having some RF interference on my GMRS base station that I think I've narrowed down to the street lights near my house. Maybe some ferrite beads on that coax would help too. More to look into! And as for me ever having a shack, alas, it isn't in the cards. The plan is to become an RV nomad once the kids leave the house. I'll be portable and mobile for my Ham journey. Again, I'm grateful for your help. God bless the Midwest!

OK, since you're in the thread. What is "WSPR?" I watched a HRCC Youtube video last night and he was talking about it. I assume it's a digital voice mode? As opposed to FT8 or JS8? He played a recording from it. I was watching the video for the pole and trimming of the EFHW wire aspect but then he was all "Using Whisper, we're going to..." and I'm so stupid, I thought he meant he was going to speak quietly into the radio. ETA: Nevermind, I googled it. Weak Signal Propagation Reporter. The voice call he replayed wasn't from WSPR. He didn't clarify in the video. I can only assume he assumed that his viewers were smart enough to understand the difference. I wasn't.

It won't hurt one bit. All of my coax cables I use for POTA and at home have some form of CMC in place. On my POTA cables, they all have clamp on ferrite beads that are covered with heat shrink. And I use them with every type of antenna I have. I even have common mode chokes on my VHF/UFH and GMRS antennas to help keep stray RF from the coax. The coax from those antennas and my HF antennas all run close together along the house and into the shack. I will spend a little more for quality coax and usually get my POTA coax cables from ABR Industries. I always order them with 5 ferrite beads installed on one end. You will want to invest in different sizes of clamp on ferrite beads for all of your radio and computer cables once you start using the 40m and 80m bands. They will introduce all kinds of RF into the shack if you don't use common mode chokes on the coax and ferrite beads on all cable in the shack.

I got a spot on Antarctica using WSPR. They aren’t logged like ft8 but they’re still pretty fun to get. It’s amazing how far away 5 watts can travel and how WSPR allows you to see it.

These come in handy for securing masts and other things where you need to tighten things down. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nite+ize&rh=n%3A3395071

That is my fat fingers making typos and the dang stupid auto correct. That should have been separate. Since the unun does not have a place for a separate counterpoise wire, get some clamps ferrite beads and place them on the coax 2 meters/6.5 feet from the unun. Yes using the coax as the counterpoise works but you will need a CMC to keep RF out of your radio. And the preferred length of a counterpoise for an EFHW is 5% of a full wave length. You are smart to go ahead and make a 40m EFHW. Yes it should work on 40m, 20m, 15m and 10m. And if you use it with your G90 then it will definitely tune for 17m and 12m.

Yes that will work. You will definitely need some type of CMC - common mode choke if using the coax as the counterpoise. The best place is to put the CMC is 5% of a wave length from the unun. With 70 feet. I am guessing that you are making a 40m EFHW, if that is the case, put the CMC on the coax 2 meters/6.5 feet from the unun. Otherwise put the CMC at the radio end of the coax cable. Another option is to use a separate counterpoise wire. Again the counterpoise length for a 40m EFHW will be 2 meters/6.5 feet. If you use a sprat counterpoise then place the CMC at the unun feed point. I have found that putting a CMC on my coax where it connects to the unun and using a sprat counterpoise wire works better for me. You can make a CMC by installing 5-7 clamp on ferrite beads on the coax or by wrapping the coax through a toroid, you want 7-12 loops of coax through the toroid. Five clamp on ferrite beads works well for the higher HF bands while 7 ferrite beads works better for the lower HF bands. You will definitely want a CMC on the coax to keep RF out of your radio.

oops I misread. It's only 20 watts. My skull is thick enough for that...

I've been hesitant to comment on this thread, especially given that the OP is three years old at this point, but secondarily because I feel like I'm just raining on someone's parade...but here I am. I just don't see how it would be done. As @WSHL413 has already said, just the additional data entry and agreement on which parks to add would create an exponential amount of work for the POTA volunteers. So adding anything other than agreed upon state and national parks is out of the question. Now, as to doing a GMRS version of it, I just don't see how that would work. All of your contacts would have to be within a few miles of each other. As I understand it, part of the gamesmanship behind POTA is that it is a challenge. Figuring out propagation, working different bands, measuring conditions, etc. If you did it on GMRS, all of that goes away and it becomes a local, simplex game...and finding more than 10 GMRS users in an area - at least where I live - wouldn't be possible. I will say, I'm surprised to know that people do POTA on VHF. I had no idea. I've only ever looked at spots on 10m, since that's my access level at the moment. I would imagine that's a tough activation to make.

Agreed, but I guess this gets us back to the OP's question. Like I said, my guess is that the difference is rooted in influence and lobbying with the FCC. Manufactures often have both Ham and GMRS versions of the same radio, but the GMRS radios require Part 95 certification. Since GMRS radios are regarded as "consumer devices", I doubt any manufacturer presenting a >5W HT would be awarded Part 95 certification, even though there is no explicit FCC rule against it. Hams are trusted to self-monitor operations while consumers are not trusted much at all. Just my humble opinion....

There is no regulation limiting the power output to less than 50 watts for handheld GMRS radios, except for the interstitial channels.

You raise an interesting question. There are a great many things in life that appear somewhat arbitrary and arguably many of the FCC rules are no exception. While the technical aspects of an HT's signal range or battery life are relevant to TX power, to your point, it is still difficult to understand why those considerations would necessarily be more or less relevant to one group vs another (GMRS vs. Ham) with both services being in the same general section of UHF spectrum. If there is a definitive answer, I don't know what it is. However, I'm sure there is no shortage of opinions or theories. My humble guess, for what it is worth, is that the HT TX power difference is simply rooted in the influence and lobbying power of one group vs. the other during the FCC rule making process with one service being classified as non-commercial allocation (70cm Ham: 420Mhz - 450Mhz) and the other service classified as consumer-oriented (GMRS: 462/467Mhz).

The town board called me yesterday, I do need a $150 permit. I was incorrect as listed above. I will post up pics and info as I go along on this project. The vehicle ferry to take you to and from the island starts out in May. I'll file the permit prior to going up and then meet up with the town board member and goto my property so he can flag the location of the tower. I have to be so far from the road and the property lines. Small world went to Admirals hockey game last night, they won in overtime, good game. No fights, kinda shocked at that....

Here is startup with another battery:

Thanks to a tip from a member of this Forum, back in September I purchased a 2-pack of GM5RH's from Amazon for $18.54. My understanding is that this model is very similar to the UV-5G Plus and uses the same battery. I just switched the Power On Menu Item #40 from Logo to Voltage and here is my Startup:

Here is a picture of the UV-5G Plus with a charge of 7.4 volts.

Sure is. There are a lot of UHF amplifiers out there. Just make sure you choose one for that frequency range and input wattage. The most important part about UHF is the coax. Coax cable is extremely lossy at UHF. It is not hard to lose over half your output power in your coax. For long runs, heliax is a common low-loss choice (just expensive and requires a special crimper). Most coax datasheets will show the loss per 100 feet at various frequencies.

I'm not saying this is the only reason (there are many), but one of the reasons for amateur radio was for advancement of the art and to increase the odds of making discoveries beneficial to all. With that being one goal in mind, I believe it would be hard for someone to provide anything useful in terms of advancing the art if you can't even pass a tech exam. It is also hard to believe that a person unwilling to study for and take a 35-question test would have the motivation to be a community asset during a time of need, such as skywarn, disaster relief, or special event coordination. There are people who like using radios, and then there are people passionate about understanding it. Amateur radio is for the latter and I think there should continue to be a distinction between the two groups. There are unlicensed parts of the spectrum, and as a ham myself, I would like to see unlicensed operation on a few more bands. But I don't think it should be a free-for-all. CB is a shit show, so is 40m, and there is only so much spectrum for everyone to share. I would like to see the people who get upset about amateur radio licensing put a little more effort into understanding the fundamentals of radio before having an opinion about the rules that govern it. A little understanding goes a long way. As for power, a couple more watts won't mean a thing. This is where that radio education and common sense come into play. Consider the fact that you need to double the power twice to cause a 1 S-unit (6dB) improvement in signal at the receiver. Where do you draw the line between battery life and talk range? You really want your battery to die within a half hour of casual use for an extra quarter mile?

Thank you, appreciate it.

And it still wouldn't produce 15w.

I'm sure your repeater will work just fine and will be much appreciated by the GMRS folks on the island! Good Luck !

Probably true - I'm just wondering why the difference in the regulations or manufacturing.

You can go up to 50 watts on Channels 15-30

LOL, just want the setup to be a quality setup. I've been somewhat lucky in life, management for over 20 years running steel plants & stamping plants. Island properties are in an irrevocable trust for my daughters. I appreciate the help from the people on this website. Lots of knowledge here.

I have no experience with the Rocky Talkie but it is $180.00. The Rocky Talkies do look simple which can be a good thing sometimes. You can also pick up a Wouxon KG-S88G Plus for $129.99 which is a superhet (though I agree with @SteveShannon,I have no issue with a good SOC). It's also the same IP67. It has 400 channels VS Rocky's 128 (not that you'd need them), Bluetooth audio, usb-c charging... I have one original S88G and bought a new plus version for the wife for kayaking, SUP and camping (Orange). Lots to choose from including cheap Baofengs, I just put this out there because you mentioned outdoors and they are similar in function and cost to what you mentioned. Good luck in your decision.

Personally I wouldn’t shy away from a good quality direct conversion radio, but I don’t know whether that describes the Rocky Talkie. My experience with my Wouxun kg-805 has been positive. I have no experience with Rocky Talkie. The NLCV light display is apt to interfere with nearly any nearby radios, radar installations, and data centers. The only radio that might not hear it is deaf anyway.

I've not messed with it, but does Kenwood OVCM act as promiscuous mode? I don't really see a need to use promiscuous mode after trying it at one point, if I'm really curious, I grab the scanner or an SDR, but I do see it as an option in Armada. Also, @PACNWComms, same to the Bridgecom purchase. At one point, they did replace my 878 to shut me up, but the thing still suffers horribly to frontend overload.

@KBSherwood Thank you for the list. I have ran through and programmed a lot of the repeaters that I have found into my radios. I got lucky yesterday as I am normally monitoring Salem 675 and was able to hop in on their NET. @Santiam, We might get lucky one day while I'm down in that area to connect. I am about a 45 min drive north of you here in Salem and have the Brownsville / Central Valley repeater programmed in on my HT and Mobile. And thank you everyone for the warm welcome to the GMRS Community!!!

https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-257-602b (b) "Mobile electronic device" means an electronic device that is not permanently installed in a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, a device capable of text messaging, voice communication, entertainment, navigation, accessing the internet, or producing email. Mobile electronic device does not include either of the following: (i) A radio designed for the Citizens Band Service or the Amateur Radio Service of the Federal Communications Commission or a commercial 2-way radio communications device or equipment permanently installed in a motor vehicle.

Believe it or not that Promiscuous Mode is the best feature of the radio. The typical commercial radios have nothing like it that I'm aware of.

You asked if my headphones included a microphone, which by its very nature makes it a headset. Then asked what made me think you asked you about a headset. Now you are upset because Steve is teasing you a bit because of it. Just my opinion, but I think you may be overreacting a bit. We're genuinely contributing to the conversation... After all these years, I expect nothing less. It's almost every thread. Same in most forums... plus, if someone quotes a person you are ignoring, you can see their post in the quotes. I just got a cheap set of Stereo/Mono headphone from Avantree with 32 ohm impedance. They work really well for my mono out radios, like my GMRS and VHF/UHF radios, as well as my mobile HF radios. I just use the mic that goes with the radio, for all of those uses. However, I got a Heil Pro Headset for my IC-7300. The headphones have fantastic audio and the mic is the same element that is in my PR-781G boom mic. It's a fantastic set. It does have the 1.5 k ohms impedance for the output. I will also use my Avantree headphone with my IC-7300 when I am using my boom mic and monitor.

I am on my second unit. I am only on my second unit because the first one went up in smoke. As it turns out, I had a mismatched frequency antenna and according to the techs at BTech, high SWR made my radio go boom. How exactly they knew that, I don't know. In fact, I have my doubts that they did...but alas. Having said that, if it did kilo bravo due to my error, BTech was kind enough to send me a replacement radio for free just the same. So there is that. I generally like the radio. I use it as a base station in my home and routinely use it to talk to my family while I am out and about. I also use it to talk to a repeater some 40 miles away and it makes the trip just fine. I get glowing reports on how the radio sounds. I monitor two different repeaters in addition to our family channel, so the quad watch feature is nice. I understand that some may think the display is a little crowded. It is...and if I was running this in my Jeep, that would be a different case altogether. But sitting stationary on my desk, just a few feet from my face and next to my laptop, I like being able to see all the info. If I'm completely transparent, I do have a little bit of buyer's remorse. I think I could have bought a Radioddity DB20 for less than half of what I paid for the GMRS 50V2 and had access to 2m and been well happy. But I bought this as a new guy in GMRS and that 50 watts sure seemed sexy. Knowing what I know now - primarily that I can hit that same repeater 40 miles away with a 5 watt HT - I'm not so sure I'd have bought it. As always, your mileage may vary.

My CCR works as expected and does a fine job for how I use it. I have zero regrets. The company treats me well. No idea how they treat anyone else. At this point I have no need for an expensive HT as the H3 suits it's purpose.