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I just passed the exam this morning and should have my call sign next week they said. I was the only one there to be tested. If you could buy the A3 again would you. I was thinking about ordering one.

OK, a few more data points for anyone still following or if you landed here via Google. I recently picked up a Yaesu FT-897 and took it out for its maiden POTA voyage. It has an FC-30 tuner attached to it as well. Running off of a EcoWorthy LifePO4 20AH battery. 2hours, 25 QSO's all over the country on 20m. All park to park. Even managed one contact on 10m, despite the poor conditions. Strong 59 signals from most stations. The difference in a 20W QRP radio and this 100w beast were noticeable. Interestingly enough, the FT-897 tuned the JCP12 on 10m with absolutely no problem. It also tuned on 20m, no problem. But it would not tune it on 40m. Interesting. The G90 will tune the JCP12 on 40m no problem. So it looks like different radios work differently....who woulda thought? So it appears that there is nothing wrong with the JCP12 antenna. I'm chalking up the G90's inability to tune on 10m due to the fact that the radio's head unit is separated. Something about that, I'm guessing, and the close proximity of the antenna to the radio in a POTA setting is throwing it off. I've read a lot of reports about the front end of that radio being sensitive. At least that's my uneducated assumption, given that the FT-897 (a 20+ year old radio with a 3:1 tuner) will tune it on 10m, no problem. So it appears that if I want to hunt or activate on 10m, I'll either need an EFHW with the G90 or I'll have to take the FT-897 out. Data points all around. I'm beginning to feel confident in this POTA thing. Diamond Hunter now, with 4 activations under my belt. Ooorah.

My family went on a cruise 20 years ago. Several families went together. My friend and I were both HAMs at the time. We both took an HT with us. Mine was in a carry on which was searched when we boarded. My friend, who's more of a nerd than me, had his hanging on his belt. The security people who had just searched my bag half an hour earlier and saw my radio and even asked what it was had my friend take his radio back to his car which was a true pain. I never asked why I could keep mine and he couldn't. I even used my radio up on the deck. I theorized that since the chicks really dig the HAM operator with a radio on his belt that security wanted to give all the other guys on board the ship a chance. I haven't been on a cruise since then. My wife didn't really care for it and I spent enough time at sea when I was a member of Uncle Sam's canoe club.

here's an idea: Get a Garmin InReach and a Starlink Mini.. GMRS is not made for, nor intended to, contact law enforcement or search and rescue. You might cross through a few small slivers of area where Search & Rescue monitor a specific GMRS frequency, but those are in the vast, VAST minority of the area you will be covering. And even whilst in those few, specific, small areas, you must have line-of-sight to them to be able to communicate.

What you’re doing is certainly the way most of us do it, even with an antenna analyzer. We locate the frequency of the dip on the SWR sweep screen of the analyzer. The lower frequencies are to the left and the higher ones are to the right. We cut (or in some cases we fold* over) the wire to make it shorter if the frequency of the dip is too low and we have to lengthen the wire somehow once we cut off too much. An antenna analyzer allows us to easily test the SWR over a sampling of 200 or so evenly spaced frequencies and then display those samples so we can graphically see the performance of the antenna. So we can sweep the antenna, record the center frequency of the dip, cut a little bit off the antenna and sweep the antenna again. This will tell us (more or less) the frequency change per cut length. When I first started with my EFHW antenna I made a spreadsheet that would calculate the length that I would have to shorten the antenna in order to achieve the frequency I needed. Unfortunately, antennas are less simple than that; my spreadsheet got me into the ballpark but I quickly learned about antenna rule 2, everything affects everything. You can measure the crap out of the antenna on the ground, cut it to a length measured extremely precisely, and have it look perfect until you lift it into the air and the SWR dip suddenly changes frequency. Also, you’ll quickly find that just because a piece of wire that has a dip that goes all the way down to 1.0:1 at 459 MHz, when you shorten it to shift the dip to 462.550 MHz the lowest point on the dip might only go down to 1.4:1. Those are numbers I just made up but what I’m trying to say is that perfect SWR might only be achievable on frequencies that don’t interest us. *For a bare wire antenna, folding the wire over theoretically has the same effect as cutting, but can be undone if you go too far. For insulated wire it’s not that simple. Folding over ten inches might only have the effect of cutting off three inches. So don’t assume that you can cut off the entire section that you folded over. I like the fact that you’re trying all of these different things. That’s the best way to learn. Using disks to support the radiator of the antenna is a good idea. You could also tape it to a piece of Kevlar cord stretched between the endcaps. I’ll be really curious to hear if the pvc pipe and foam has affected the SWR.

Time to put the radios down and enjoy the cruise, which is the point of taking one. Plus,you won't be annoying other passengers. You'd be amazed at how enjoyable your trip is going to be when you get together with your family without cellphones or radios.

As part of a layered approach, I wouldn't ever say "you don't need radio." But you definitely can't expect to use them to dial 911.

*since 2017

Glad you’re enjoying the HF-009. Keeping the rod with the coil installed, even if the coil is bypassed , it gives you some extra elevation. I had another good Late Shift Activation tonight with the HF-008 exclusively this time. It is getting easier to change bands, even in the dark with my Cheap Chinese Flashlight. Funny how in my last Late Shift Activation, 80 meters was the drag and 40 meters exploded on me. Tonight, it took me two hours to get my first 3 FT8 contacts on 40 meters and then when I switched to 80 meters, the squeal of FT8 just boomed from my G106 and I made 9 more contacts in one hour! I am preparing for my first CW Activation soon! Watching some YT videos there is a common format to be followed Hunting or Activating, which removes much of the anxiety of sending CW for me

Get one of the cell phones that uses satellite communications when regular service is unavailable. Back it up with one or both of @OffRoaderX recommendations. Do not rely on GMRS to contact emergency services. You can’t use it in Canada anyway and you can’t get to Alaska by land without passing through Canada.

100% agree with the above post. Great advice. GMRS radio is not intended for what you are trying to accomplish. Satellite communications is the best option for what you are planning.

Got to play a little on 10m today, but not much due to storms and the fact I do not have a permanent antenna nor a lightning arrester yet, so I was not risking it unless it was clear weather. Could not get any reception at first, I did not have the radials set and left it as a single ribbon, but looked further into my jpc-12 antenna and found out the coil was only to be installed for 20m and lower. I removed the coil and split the ribbon into 5 wires and layed out a poorly done radial off my porch, and I got reception. I was recieving transmissions from wyoming,canada, and not sure who the other one was but sounded like it was from russia. I also recieved multiple people on pota but could not tell how far they were away because the signals were fading in and out too much. Not the strongest propogation or clearest reception but there was propogation today, I imagine tuning my antenna properly I could receive much further out, did not get to test transmission as by the time I was flipping through the channels another round of storms was moving in so I packed up the antenna. Tomorrow will be a clear day though maybe I will get more time to tune and play with my antenna.

Unfortunately very few do antenna installs anymore, ever since everything went streaming for tv services, and tv uhf/vhf antennas were the bulk of the work for antenna installers. Not to say there may not be anyone in your area who will do it but it is not a common thing as it once was. Besides contacting electricians, if you have a local ham radio club try contacting them and asking them, they might have much better information on who in your area does such installs, and many of them are fairly friendly though not all.

Thank you!

I used GMRS on a couple of cruises in the past. I was able to reach my wife from deck 12, while she was on deck 4 using a pair of Midland GTX1000 radios. I work on ships, and actually just got home from one last night. Carnival used to actually sell FRS radios onboard, although I do not know if they still do. Many lines now have them on their do not bring onboard list.

and enjoy the forum!

I agree that a good soldering iron comes in handy around the house. My suggestion is to make sure you can get different size tips. Sometimes you need the big chisel tip and other times you need a very fine point tip. Don't get discouraged that the Great Foam didn't work. It doesn't surprise me one bit that it was goo inside the pipe as any spray foam needs exposure to open air to cure.

Invest is a good Weller 100w soldering iron and you will have a versatile tool that will last you a lifetime. I have two of them that I've used regularly for over 20 years. Built many coax collinear antennas made from Heliax and soldered countless connectors. The right tool for practically any job. https://www.ebay.com/itm/187466008578

I disagree. In the words of Thomas Edison, you learned what doesn’t work. That’s a success. I agree with the plan for controlled experimentation. I wish you lived next door so I could hand you my antenna analyzer for a day.

That whole experiment was a total bust, lol. First, you were spot on about the Great Stuff. I had a little more time than I thought I would this morning so I did some investigating. The two ends of the PCV were solid with foam. I did an SWR test and was floored. 17:1!!!!! I pulled the antenna out of the tube and all of the foam in the center of the tube had degraded to goo along the inner surface of the pipe. No foam. Needless to say no more Great Stuff. Tested the antenna and still 17:1. Pulled the plexiglass spacer out from between the elements and Voila! 1:1.5. I don't know if the RF was riding the filaments of the plexiglass or if the plexiglass was acting as a dielectric increasing inter-capacitance, or both, or something else? I then tried some foam (like you get inside a case) and that was better but still bad, around 1:7. Next was masking tape only, which yielded 1:3. You nailed it, anything I did messed with the antenna. Still don't know the effect of the PVC tube as I had bigger fish to fry. The foam was just nonexistent so that was a systemic bust. So...... Enter controlled experimentation. One change at a time. Time to get serious with this little enigma. One thing that came up in Google was the material used in a tie wrap. I am going to try drilling two holes in a tie wrap and sliding that over the elements, only impacting the elements with the thickness of the tie wrap (capacitance) while providing the rigidity needed. Kelvar cord just went on the list of things to try as well. I have found that Google interprets RF transparency only in regard to RF loss passing through a material it does not consider interaction. I get it as most folks are only interested in getting a signal through a barrier. I am also not willing to wade through endless white papers to get the answers I need. Makes my head hurt. Can't express how much I appreciate the coaching you are providing. I'm confident you have cut years off my learning curve. Not sure when I will get back to the work bench but by Monday if not sooner. Right now it's time for a mad dash to work.

I have always wanted a radio the same color as the Bat phone under glass at the Wayne Manor. The chicks would be able to see it better on my belt and you know what that means...

§ 95.1751 GMRS station identification. Each GMRS station must be identified by transmission of its FCC-assigned call sign at the end of transmissions and at periodic intervals during transmissions except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section. A unit number may be included after the call sign in the identification. (a) The GMRS station call sign must be transmitted: (1) Following a single transmission or a series of transmissions; and, (2) After 15 minutes and at least once every 15 minutes thereafter during a series of transmissions lasting more than 15 minutes

I like your idea of using end caps. Though I would use some silicon sealer instead of JB Weld. You can always get some dense foam and cut it to fit inside of the PVC pipe. That is how most commercial vertical antennas are done. And if you don't want to glue the caps on, you can always use some self amalgamating tape with a wrap of UV resistant electrical tape over top of that to seal things up. As far as knowing when to cut or add lengths, this is where an antenna analyzer or NanoVNA comes in handy. Both will show you exactly where the resonant point (dip) is and you can see if you are long or short right away. Yes you can tune an antenna with a SWR/power meter. The problem is that it will only show what the SWR is on the frequency that you are transmitting on. A SWR meter will not show where the resonant point actually is so you are guessing if the antenna is long or short.

For me, it wasn't about the size. It was that all those floppy, thin whips just annoyed me for no real gains. The Smiley is nice-n-thick, short at around 6", and reached out better than the whips did. I tossed the TIDRadio antennas into a draw immediately. They vary too much to be reliable. I also had the Nagoyas and the Melowave - returned them all. The Signal Stick sucked pretty bad until I snipped it down to tune for GMRS. I still hated it since every time I turned around, the damn thing wanted to stab me in the eye. So I tossed it into a drawer somewhere. All my HTs are converted for BNC, so if I needed the range (like when in the trucks), I'd just pop off the Smiley antenna and jack into the vehicle antenna. At home, the Smiley does plenty good for receiving and sometimes transmitting to the closest repeater. If it didn't work, I'd just jack into the "real" antenna and add the Kenwood 45 handpiece so I didn't have to go outside.

My guess is they don't want interference on their radios. Some of the Carnival and Royal Caribbean (MSC doesn't operate here) ships here in the Tampa area use 467.550 and 467.575 MHz (GMRS repeater input frequencies) and 467.5625 (GMRS Channel 8), both analog and digital depending on the ship. I did bring some FRS radios on a cruise and found them to be almost useless. The ambient noise level with crowd noise, band playing, etc made it so I couldn't hear the HT even if I wanted to.

Without the coil. I tried both ways and the coil made no difference. It tuned just as well without it. 1.8:1 without, best I could get with the coil was 1.9:1. The radio's SWR meter worked just fine to tune the antenna.

I have tried them all over the years both on my HAM and GMRS HTs. I also landed on the Melowave for GMRS because of the form factor. I like the thinner antenna with a little more flexibility. To be honest, unless I know I am going to be needing the extra range the longer antenna may give me I run the shorter stock antennas. If I am out in the desert or the mountain boonies I carry the Bandit G in my day pack. It takes up no room and if I think I might need it I switch.

Pine and cedar trees are the worse when it comes to blocking UHF. There are plenty of places where either pine or red cedar trees are growing next to the road here. I have no problem using the 2m repeater in those spots but I can forget about using the 70cm or GMRS repeaters as they are dead zones.

That may be correct. Terrain and vegetation are always factors. I don't know your property. I doubt you'd regret buying the 25 watt repeater if it's within your budget.

The biggest misconception is everyone focuses on output power and forget the biggest portion in the equation, it's your recieve. If you can't hear it's game over. When one wants to deploy a repeater they need to focus more on squeezing every fraction of dB out of their feedline and antenna. Also a properly tuned duplexer is key. And as others have said, altitude and and location then should be considered.

Exactly. That's why I always say that you won't know until you try. I have tried the 771G on all of my GMRS radios. The stock antenna did better on my Wouxun radios while the 771G did better on my Baofeng radios I also tried the 771 on my 2m/70cm radios. The stock antenna did better on my Icom and Wouxun radios while the 771 did better on my Baofeng, QRZ/TYT, and Quansheng radios.

I've noticed that two identical radios can have different preferences for antennas. That's why it's so hard to answer "Which antenna is best?" questions.

I don't have the KG-Q10G but I do have the KG-935G+. I tried the Nagoya 771G on the 935 and the stock antenna actually performed better. Each radio and antenna will be a little different. You won't know unless you try.

I have this radio, and it is my goto handheld. So far i have had no issues with even thinking about needing a different antenna. I can consistently hit four different repeaters from inside my house that are all over 25 to 35 miles away. Now to answer your questions about the removable antenna. Earlier models had a healthy dab of glue on the threads. Mine however did not, it came off with little to no effort, it is hit or miss. I caution you on trying force it off as some have tried and ruined their radios. As stated earlier, this little handheld really does do great with the stock antenna, but if you really want to replace it, turn it very very slowly, lol.