WRWE456

Hello and welcome! Have you contacted the seller or Retevis? That's the first thing I do when I have an issue with a product I just purchased.

Ya its almost like being under water. You have to get the antenna's above the surface so to speak. Both party's need a tower. That works for base to base but your out of luck with HT's and mobiles.

Interesting!

I always go direct to the Battery. Less chance of noise.

Of course I realize that. Probably more that most people. Its just why keep making it even easier for those who want to find the info.

I would be pissed if you put me on that list! Why would you do that? Most people that use GMRS are not interested in being contacted by random strangers. They use it to stay in touch with friends and family and that's all they want it for. Then to add it to google and Farce book who harvest and sell everyone's data already. Many things are easily done, doesn't mean you should. Not cool in my opinion.

I use DX Engineering 400 Max. Good stuff. They will make whatever length you want. https://www.dxengineering.com/cableconfigurator/cabletype They also have assembled cables in 75 foot length's with either UHF or type N connectors. Type N is better for UHF frequencies. https://www.dxengineering.com/search/department/cable-and-connectors/part-type/coaxial-cable-assemblies?N=brand%3Adx-engineering%2Bcoaxial-cable-type%3A400max%2Bcoaxial-cable-length%3A75-ft

This forum is a great resource. Use the search function as this is a common topic.

Out of curiosity what distance did the map indicate? Is the repeater on the left side of the graph? The higher one? You do have some terrain in between. The line will turn green when the path is in the clear. It may still work somewhat but that is likely part or most of the problem. And yes better cable is very important as well.

Hello and welcome! What is the terrain like between your antenna and the repeater? GMRS is UHF and is mostly line of sight. It can penetrate some amount of vegetation and homes etc but not hills or mountains. Use this Line of Sight mapping tool to check your path: https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/ In the pop up graph you can input the height of the antennas for more accuracy. Start there.

Twenty acres is not much for GMRS. You are not likely to need a repeater for that small an area. I would start with good hand helds and see how that works. The Midlands also do not have removable antennas as well as not being repeater capable.

Yes elevation above obstructions is your friend. If you and your contact can safely climb onto the roof of your houses with the radios as a test to see if that helps then you will know that it is possible and that a roof top or high window location for a remote antenna should work. Don't forget to hold the radios/antennas vertical for best performance.

I see on RR forum you asked for a GMRS mobile radio recommendation. You should ask that here. For GMRS specific certified radios (which your B-Tech is not). Wouxun is the current leader. The KG-1000G+ and the KG-XS20G+ are the top radios as far as many are concerned. They are however very feature rich and are geared toward what you might call "power users"(or radio dorks) who want all those features. They are well built and perform very well. They are not rebranded or sold under other names (that I have ever seen) unlike most other China brands. Buy Two Way Radios is the place to get them. They are a sponsor of this site. They are the importers and work with Wouxun to design the radios for the American market. Midland is geared toward and popular with folks that just want a more basic radio that is very easy to use and simple to operate. All GMRS radios are made in China including Midland. Some will recommend buying a used commercial radio but there is a lot to learn to use them. Maybe after you become a more seasoned radio operator you could look into that option. Just my 2 cents.

I have the 2x4 on my wife's rig on a mag mount. She likes how it looks. Works fine on GMRS as far as I can tell. We talked 30 miles from base to it with the KG-935G+ hand held no problem. She uses a scanner with it as well and it works great for both uses.

Alright great! Glad we could help. The quality control on inexpensive gear can be hit or miss. Good luck!

You could do a test. Get an adapter for the hand held to the antenna in the truck. if the the problem is still there with the hand held then it is the antenna or cable, if it is gone then the radio is likely defective.

What I'm asking is to give more details on your setup and testing procedures. Need more info.

Hello and welcome! Have you tried it outside of that concrete block walled garage? Is it a GMRS radio or ham Radio? The antenna is a duel band ham antenna but does cover the GMRS range. You are testing with VHF NOAA weather channels, Have you tested on GMRS?

Seems you have answered your own question. Be creative. Also get rid of duds.

Here is another review that may help answer some questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S5uSJmWsdg

I'm using a KB9VBR Slim Jim for my scanner and have two GMRS J-poles waiting in the wings as spares. Have used them with my KG-1000G+ to good effect. Should be very durable. Using a Yagi at the moment.

Interesting! Thanks for sharing that bit of history.

I would assume you have the GMRS version of the RT95? However the 144/430 antenna is a ham antenna GMRS is 462/467 MHz. They have a GMRS specific version that should work better. https://www.retevis.com/ma09-high-gain-gmrs-omni-directional-base-antenna-us

Welcome to the forums Steve! While I don't live near you I'm sure someone around may. What radios did you get? As you may or may not know GMRS is primarily intended as a bring your own contacts kind of service for families or friends staying in touch. Camping off roading etc. That's why the license covers your family. Do you have friends and or family near by that you can get to join you in having emergency comms set up? May be your best option for someone to talk to. 50 Miles may be doable depending on terrain with the right antenna.

Swap the antenna for a GMRS antenna.