nokones

The firmware update that Midland put out about 2 years for the MXT500 was worth the effort because it increased the channel capacity.

Midland has discontinued that cable some time ago. I remember helping someone a couple years ago for his MXT400. If my memory serves me right, the MXT400 programming cable is the same cable for the Midland DBR2500 and I believe BlueMax 49ers still produces cables for the DBR2500. You will need the FDTI driver to make the cable communicate with your repeater. You should contact BlueMax 49ers. Also, if the cable is no longer available, I can program your radio for you. I don't charge, you just need to pay for the shipping both ways.

I'm not sure about the milk & honey, but we do have a lot of pucker bushes and giggly weeds and plenty of means to get dirty. I left the same State you're speaking of that is to my left 6 years ago and I haven't looked back nor will I go back and visit. I'm glad I made the move and should have done it sooner.

I live approx. 25 miles northwest of Phoenix in "Old People Country" a.k.a. "Limber Dick Acres" where every time your hear a siren there is going to be a future Golf Car For Sale on the near corner and an Estate Sale, which is near a gazillion Jeep trails, and I am able to hit an analog wideband GMRS repeater approx. 80 air miles away that is southeast of Phoenix with a 40 watt XPR5550e on an analog narrowband channel using a Laird Phantom on my 23 Wrangler "IZARUBICON" 2 Dr. that is mounted on the hood just in front of the A Pillar/windshield. The radio does not have the wideband entitlement so I am regulated to just narrowband emissions for that radio which is not my primary GMRS and UHF radio. The radio is my primary DMR and Digital Channel radio. My primary GMRS and UHF radio is my XTL5000 Remote Mount. Also, I have a XTL2500 VHF remote mount with the base load 2 db omni antenna on a bracket on the side of the hood near the cowl/A Pillar and I am able to hit a low-level repeater on a four-story building approx 40 air miles away looking around the side of South Mountain. It appears that I fail way short for qualifying for the 200 mile club. I guess, I have more work cut out for me to make that happen and so I can hang with and shoot UHF skip for 200 miles away to anonymous "some people". Umm, maybe I don't.

Although LMR400 cable is not constructed the same as RG8 coax cable, but they do share the same physical dimensions and RG8 coax was predominantly used in mobiles several decades ago especially when a ball and spring mount was used. The minimum bend radius spec for heliax in addition to the difficulty of routing heliax throughout a vehicle would make it impractical.

DCS code "123" is not a standard code nor is it in the MXT400 DCS table. DCS "125" code is in the table or you can select the decode DCS be "Off". The DCS "411" is a valid DCS code. The MXT400 will do split tones or codes even a split combo of CTCSS/DCS. If you want to set up a simplex channel to transmit on a specific channel directly to another radio device talking around the repeater, you would program your radio to transmit and receive the output freq of the repeater, in this case, the respective 462 MHz freq for that channel, with the same repeater output tone freq or DCS Code with your transmit freq. It isn't necessary to program a receive tone or code for you to have direct communication with another radio.

If his friends/Trail Dudes are using FRS radios the OP may be forced to go narrowband since most or if not all FRS radios are only narrowband emissions.

Panda bears are cool.

What radio are your friends receiving you on? Are both you and friend's radio set for the same bandwidth for emissions? If your friends are using cheap pandaland POS it is very likely their radios can not handle the power being injected into the receiver's front end or has very poor or no shielding to handle other radios that closes which is normal for those radios.

Why would anyone want to communicate in this fashion? What does this accomplish? If it is for privacy, you only have two options, 1) encrypt the channel and don't give out the key code to anyone; or 2) stay off the air

I decided to convert my Motorola XPR5550e Dashmount radio to a Remote Mount in my 23 Wrangler IZARUBICON. It was a fun project in the early morning hours on a Hot Momma Day here in Arizona. I'm still waiting for my accessory connector so I can hook up my remote speaker.

There were several names used by the real radio manufacturers for their CTCSS marketing names. PL for Motorola Private Line; CG for General Electric/ Ericsson/Tyco/Harris Channel Guard; QC for RCA Quiet Channel; CG for EF Johnson Call Guard; and QT for Kenwood Quiet Talk. For the DCS Digital Coded Squelch names used by real radio manufacturers, there are DPL for Motorola Digial Private Line; General Electric/ Ericsson/Tyco/Harris just went with DCS; RCA stayed with QC; EF Johnson also stayed with their old CG name;and Kenwood uses DQT Digital Quiet Talk. I don't believe that the CPRs (Cheap Pandaland Radio) manufacturers used any marketing names for CTCSS/DCS.

Use a Polyphaser arrestor with N connectors and grounded with least an 8 awg wire to the house earth ground. Don't screw around with cheap junk.

Your multimeter continuity reading on the coax cable should be reading "OL" meaning no resistance. Your coax has an itty bitty short, that's not good. And more than likely it is at one of the connectors. If your coax run from the radio is more than 20 feet you should be using LMR400 coax that is purchased from a reputable radio electronics supply retailer and not from an operation that specializes in cheap discount inferior products.

And step away from the keyboard