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The Amazon man just delivered my BTech GMRS 50Pro - ask your questions now/post your concerns! I will be uploading a video about it in the next day or two and looking for feedback/questions, even from "some people". Update: Here is the video:

OK, today was the big day. I got my buddy to bring over the bucket truck. I had already made up the antenna with the cable as you all know. 1st thing to do was get the existing antenna down. So up to the lightning arrestor and cut off the water protection. Used a set of channel locks to undo the N connector. Didn't see anything that would be a water issue in there. So up the mast I went in the bucket clipping off the tie wraps as I gained altitude. Got to the antenna and loosened the nuts on the U bolt and removed the antenna. Back down to the ground. 2nd thing was to put up the guy wire system. I used a triple clamp designed for 1 1/2" mast and attached 1/8" stainless steel cable using loop thimbles and aluminum double barrel sleeves. Crimped them up using 2 sleeves. One tight against the thimble and one about 1 1/2" away where the sleeve hid the end of the cable to make it prick proof. Had 50' of cable on each of the 3 legs which I knew was more than enough. I also knew it wouldn't be too short. Up in the bucket again and mounted it about 2' from the top of the mast and opened up the looped cable and let it hang down. Back to the ground again. 3rd thing was bring up the antenna. All the way to the top this time and mounted the antenna using the U bolts that came with it. And slowly went down to unfurl the cable. Forgot to bring the tie wraps up, crap. Back down to fetch them and back up and tied the coax off about every 10" with two tie wraps at each spacing. Then to the bottom to attach into the lightning arrestor. Put the heat shrink tubing on, ya.. didn't forget LOL. And used the self fusing tape to seal the joint. Slipped the tubing over it and hit it with the heat gun at 700ºF. Back down again. 4th.. Went into the house to pull the trigger. Hit my repeater and it came back with a good signal. Hit the Holyoke repeater which I could barely do lately and I got a response from a friend that I was Lima Charley (loud and clear) which I haven't been in 6 months. SWR on my repeater frequency was 1.01. Switched to Channel 22 and the SWR was 1.00, fantastic. 5th I got the 5/16" stainless steel turnbuckles and crimping equipment and tied off one side to take the slight lean out of the antenna that I've had ever since a wind gust bent my chimney mount a bit. I put 2 more straps on and lengthened the mast 8' and tied it into the chimney with a wood working clamp which stabilized it quite a bit. The guy wire straightened out the slight lean. Had to install a screw eye that I needed the bucket to do (or a ladder, but why I had the bucket truck here) I pulled out one of the long nails holding up my gutter and put a 3/8"x8" eye hook with a PVC ferrule and it hit good. Very secure, I was worried it's be a rotted pc under the aluminum siding. But I hit a roof rafter end. Tied that off with the guy wire and crimped everything up. Time was up for the bucket truck and he went on his merry way. I gave him a pair of the TD-H3s for the help and a bit more. 6th .. One more guy wire to tie off and I just moved my truck into position and stood on my tool box and secured the guy wire and turnbuckle. Pretty much completed the job. Took about 3 hours, 2 1/2 with the bucket truck. Still have to clean up all the little tie wrap clippings. That'll be a job for tomorrow. Have to paint the blocks I put in to secure the eye hooks sometime soon.

1. Yes 2. No

A Fixed Station is one that's been repaired. /s

We all value knowledge and experience here, but the way you're treating newcomers is out of line. Everyone starts somewhere, and being dismissive, impatient, or outright rude doesn't make you look more knowledgeable—it just makes this community less welcoming. If your goal is to actually help people learn and grow, then your attitude needs to reflect that. Otherwise, you're not building anything—you're just gatekeeping. You were new once too. Try to remember that.

Dimmy antennas are used to contact stations 200 miles away.

Crap, there’s 30 of us? I only brought a dozen doughnuts. Happy Easter everyone! ️

Yes, good test equipment will last a very long time. Still using an old Fluke 87 (no series III or white backlight here). Leaking LCD crystal around its display.....and believe it or not, a metrology tech put the main knob on in the wrong position, had to correct that myself. (My personal fluke ended up in the work pool as it looks like many others.....has happened with a Motorola XPR7550e radio as well). Black gasket broke, so electrical tape seals the gap in places.....but still accurate and great for use in dark corners of electrical cabinets or floor board of cars. Some co-workers bought the cheaper Kelin Tools multimeters, only to find they lacked a backlight. The old expensive Fluke 87 continues to do the job (suspect mine is 30 years old or so). By once, cry once. Get good gear.

If you think this place is low on active members just wait until you start listening to your radio

Seen this picture before. It is bird crap on the windshield.

Well I'm getting setup for the big swap out. Getting the Comet CA712EFC ready for deployment. Wrapped the area where the antenna joins with self fusing tape. And then marine grade heat shrink with the adhesive lining on the inside. Then wrapped the N connector after wrenching it tight with the self fusing tape. And then the heat shrink tubing again. Put silicon where the aluminum tube joins the ground plane area before I put the mounting tube on. Pretty stiff stuff. I guess that's why they call it hard line. And the completed assembly. Should be going up sometime this week.

These types of laws are passed due to the lack of common sense among the general public. I have seen too many people staring at their phones, tablets, or laptops while driving down the road. The worst was a guy on his tablet and reading a newspaper while driving in St Louis morning rush hour traffic. And it is ID10T's like those people that came laws like this o be passed. The federal government threatening to take away funding goes back a long time. They did the same thing to get states to reduce the speed limit to 55 MPH.

all things that normal people, aka the average GMRS user that this radio is marketed to, do not care about. This radio is marketed to normal people, not radio-dorks - It seems like you may be out of touch with what normal people want.

A Midland will fit your bill just fine.. No Bells and whistles, ho hype, just radio. They just work. You better get you a Midland

Being within a couple feet of another should have no effect on the finals. I bet that something with the programming resulted in inhibited transmit.

By accident. Apparently there is a 625 repeater that I know about, but he also has a 600 repeater I didn't know about. My repeater operates on 600 with a PL of 100 and apparently his is on 103.5. I can trigger his repeater on occasion when I key up. I noticed when I keyed up the other repeater would activate and it's a much stronger signal than mine. It would block out mine for a second before it released. One day I moved my TX PL and found it was only 1 click up from what I was using. Not sure if my radio PL is wobbly or the selectivity of his repeater is lax. Either way I've decided to change my PL to stop the interference.

Got the voltage regulator on today it's back to normal voltage, now I can get radio back in tomorrow if it doesn't rain. Thanks again, WSEK634

I don't like the idea of linking any repeaters for the sake of rag-chewing... but there is some practical applications that many seem to overlook. Things like remote receivers for extended talk-in to a high power repeater than can't hear handheld and other low power radios. Or, in an area that needs expanded coverage for emergency response (such as areas prone to flooding or severe snow causing issues) and any number of other situations. Maybe you own a massive farm or ranch and one repeater just won't cover it. Also, people keep saying linking repeaters is illegal and it is not. It is 100% legal. There is, however, a rule against using networks to link repeaters. You can do RF linking over GMRS frequencies (which uses more bandwidth, not a very friendly idea) or you can link repeaters over another radio service that you are licensed for. Also... just because you do or don't like something... that doesn't mean you're right. We are not in a world, or at least we shouldn't be in a world, were the majority bans what they don't like and mandates what they do. That is not freedom. If you don't like how the radio service is used near you, then don't use it.

Yet, MOST Still don't seem to understand WHY linking on this band is a BAD idea ! I'll explain it AGAIN, for those who Don't understand ... it's called Bandwidth !! You don't have enough to do this without interfering with other users on the Same band !! You have HOW many channel pairs ?? 8, EIGHT of them !! That's it !! If you start linking More than One pair, then your preventing someone Else from using that pair, out side of your range !! WHY the hell should anyone have to listen to the SAME conversation on More than one pair ??? GMRS is NOT and was Never intended to be Long range, more than 30 -50 miles. IF you Want that kind of range, then WORK for it, and take the Test and get your Amateur Radio License where Linked repeaters are Legal, because there's PLENTY of Bandwidth !! Ok, Rant mode Off ...

The VFO button will put your radio into displaying the frequency and the MR button will put your radio back into memory mode showing the names.

I just downloaded a copy and yes the restrictions are no longer on the license.

Here is an excerpt from the Missouri law. While they do not specifically mention GMRS, they do state that amateur radio and CB is exempt. One could argue that if CB and amateur radios are exempt then so is GMRS. Now I sure would not trie to program a radio while driving. Here is the link for the actual state statute: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=304.822

I would add make sure what you think you’re testing is what you think it is before putting that meter on it also. I got called out for a blown fuse on 4160 three phase. Each leg supplied a group of transformers and the electricians (not our company) thought the high side was 480… they opened up the back, one guy put the probes on while the other held the 600 volt rated meter. They both lived but they both went to the burn ward. Be safe and pass on stories where things can go wrong so the newbies may learn and hopefully avoid bad mistakes.

He was actually new twice here. He quit once, had his name purged, and then slunk back in. That’s why there are all those idiotic posts attributed to “Guest” in the non-guest forums.

You can still see how people react to him. I added him to my ignore list a while ago and it really has made my life easier.

I always love hearing/reading opinions of others. Especially if they are different than mine, because I may learn something new that could lead to a position change. Friendly chat is always welcome. You have some very good and very valid points. I don't see anything I disagree with. Good analysis, for sure.

Thanks everyone for the responses the vehicle in question is a 1994 ford f-150 and I could kick myself in the hind end for not thinking about the voltage regulator, I am also a small engine mechanic and should have figured that one out. I reckon my old age is starting show. Again Thanks to everyone for the help, I'll be getting a voltage regulator tomorrow and putting it on. WSEK643

Voltage in your truck is defiantly too high.. Is your truck under warranty? If so, take it in. Also double check with another volt meter to compare reading in case your volt meter is whacky

Yeah but some of us enjoy helping others out.

And the Titanic was unsinkable.

It's only 25' so not much gain over the M&P Hyperflex 13. So .5db vs .37dB. The whole run is just over 80'. If I did that it would be more. 1.60dB vs 1.18dB but still, nothing Earth shattering. I waterproofed my original setup with two wraps of the self fusing and a outer wrap of electrical tape for the UV protection. No idea how water got in. Other than a crack in the fiberglass or something.

Google tried.

So I have a question. Why haven't you put one up?

As I mentioned on my last post (just above your reply) that I downloaded a copy last night and the restriction notice is no longer there.

Hundreds of thousands of members logged off just before you came on, they will be back. While you are waiting watch this video:

Oh hell no, just an old people

LMR600 is more expensive ($2.69/ft) than 1/2" Heliax ($1.99/ft) and has greater loss. It has the advantage of being more flexible. (antenna farm prices) https://theantennafarm.com/images/specs/34/lmr-600-coax-cables-datasheet.pdf https://theantennafarm.com/images/specs/36/ldf4-50a-product-specifications.pdf The fittings for both run about the same although the LMR has a wider variation.

I never messed with voltage above 480 three phase and I did not want to mess with higher voltages. KV is nothing to mess with. I won't get near a high power AM/FM radio station tower either. I also would refuse to use any type of welder outside in the rain for the same reasons. I had a 1st Lieutenant that wanted one my soldiers to stand inside a M113 engine bay and well the engine mount in the rain. The 1st Lt tried pulling rank but he forgot that the lead maintenance soldier was always in charge while working on vehicles. I politely and tactfully told hime that he was an ID10T and my soldiers would not weld in the rain.

Wow... Sorry to hear that. Electricity definitely jumps. Good on the two that said no. Working High voltage wasn't my favorite thing to do but when I did we always had a tailgate meeting to go over the task step by step and I always asked if anything seemed wrong or missing, I wanted input. If two people are saying no it sure would be cause to reevaluate the situation. Always more impotant to go home at the end of the day.

I can definitely believe that. But transmitting on one H3 while receiving on the other H3 doesn’t affect the final transistor(s) (the output transistor) on the receiving radio.

Love mine too. I'm up to buying 14 of them. Had 2 bad ones that were replaced without issue. I have 6 of them that I can use and the rest given away to family and friends.

Fixed stations don't connect to mobile stations.

Negative Nancy AKA Mr 200 Miles just can't resist can he.

I'm sure you folks are getting great coverage where you are, but there are a lot a variables that make it so that works in those situations. It becomes problematic for a vast majority of the US. On the ocean or in perfectly flat land areas, if you have an antenna that is on a 100' mast, you are only covering 14 mile radius. Even if you bump to a 300' mast (which cost over $1m for a good commercial grade 300' tower) you are only looking at a radius of about 25 miles. To cover 100 miles (200 total miles end to end) your antenna needs to be almost 1 mile above the average terrain. That simply isn't possible in a vast majority of the US. If you are able to put an antenna on a mountain that overlooks a valley, you are golden, though. We have one of our antennas 1,000 feet above average terrain and we are barely pushing it a 45 miles, with dead spots inside that coverage area due to terrain. That particular repeater is known throughout the mid-Atlantic for being one of the top 3 repeaters, even when we include amateur radio coverage, and the top coverage repeater for GMRS in the area. Due to the terrain limits here, people/companies running farms need networked radios for reliable coverage and most of them are using commercial radio for it.

Checking in from Spring Hill. I'm in the middle of the Thompson Station, Franklin and Rutherford repeater areas. Would really like to know if/when people are on the net and what channel so I can start making contacts.

Talk to your truck dealer about the voltage. There is a voltage regulator in the trucks charging circuit to prevent over voltage from the alternator. I don’t think that voltage is within specs. Most are right around 14 volts. 13.8 is optimal. However, to answer your actual question there are DC regulators that would deliver an output closer to 13.8 vDC. Here’s one I found with a google search: https://www.amazon.com/Diann-Automatic-Converter-Regulator-Waterproof/dp/B09TXSDSGS/ref=pd_aw_subss_hxwPER_sspa_mw_detail_m_sccl_5/134-6644960-5637816?pd_rd_r=4dcb5bcc-df15-449e-884d-5aa656cc2c99&pd_rd_wg=2ELCJ&pd_rd_w=emKb6&pd_rd_i=B09TXSDSGS&psc=1

That's because you have radios from a vendor who either feels that a) what you got was good enough, b) you don't need to know what was fixed, and/or c) if we deign to provide firmware to you out of the goodness of our hearts and it bricks your radio, tough - buy another one. For a look at what REAL firmware release notes look like, and the sorts of new features that can be provided: vers.pdf

Not sure how flat Texas is but simplex might work pretty well for most. And wide range repeaters cost a lot of money to install and keep running. You could volunteer your money and time and put one up for the masses to use.

Happy Easter, Gil!

The site guidelines (see number 8 ) ask that tones not be posted outside of the private area and tones that are not listed need to be obtained from the owner of that repeater on the repeater map site of mygmrs. You’ll need to send a request to the owner if the repeater isn’t open and tones are not posted.