WRXB215

I think that some GMRS users might be happier with a cell phone service instead of a radio service. With a cell phone you can talk to exactly who you want, when you want, and you don’t have to listen to anyone else. With a radio service it is a shared space where others may talk about things that you aren’t interested in. 

I think today will be one where Ham, GMRS and CB radio is going to get a bit of a workout. People driving around trying to beat out the traffic to find a good location to view the eclipse. With the weather forecast being crummy in some areas getting up to date viewing conditions is going to cause a lot of last minute scrambling to get to a better site.

@WSAK691 I want to touch on the EmComm stuff a bit. 
 
I have a 50w UHF station, a 110w UHF station, 50w VHF station, three 50w VHF/UHF repeaters, a 300w VHF station, and a 100w HF station. I have solar and batteries delivering enough power to run at 100w with a 50% duty cycle, 24 hours a day for the life of the batteries (translate to many years). And the reality is, in a real emergency, which I have worked many, I promise you are not going to be anywhere near 50% duty cycle. 
 
All of my stations drop to 5w, except my HF radio which will go to 0.4w. Even with no batteries, I can run any one of my radios on low power and pure solar for peak direct light hours. That can be 5 to 7 hours a day, depending on the time of year, weather, etc.
 
I mention all this to highlight the fact that just because a radio can produce 50w, 100w or more, that doesn't mean you have to run them that high all the time. In fact, the FCC rules and generally good practice for not causing interference, is to use the least amount of power required for reliable communications. I would rather have the power in case I need it, rather than not having the option. 
 
If you're going to spend the effort and money, there is very little cost or time difference when building a 40w power source and a 1,500w power source.

I suggest that you watch some YouTube videos on GMRS radios to get an idea of the basic concepts.  From there, you can ask questions on this forum.  
 
Many of us have that same radio.  It’s not hard to program repeaters directly on the radio without having the cable and programming software.   
Lastly, don’t be worried about pressing the wrong buttons.  It can probably be fixed with a little help or investigation.   

One note on the NOAA weather radio stuff... There is no official "channel" name/number/designation.  NOAA just has these as a frequency for each.  If its preprogrammed and not changeable by the radio Manufacturer by you, they can and do call them whatever they want.  WX 1 on one brand, with the same freq. on another it might be hard coded in as NOAA 3, for example.

50 watts can be overkill if one has a good clear line of sight to a local repeater. But 50 watts comes in handy when trying to reach others on simplex. I can get into the local GMRS repeater that is 21.5 miles away with 10 watts. I need all 50 watts to talk to guys on simplex that are at the same distance. One guy lives about 2 miles west of the repeater tower. His antenna is at 40 feet while mine is at 18 feet. The repeater antennas are at 400 feet.

Here’s what the regulations say. It’s certainly not limited to families. People can use GMRS talk about many different things. There is a longer list of prohibited uses, but talking about radios isn’t in there.
95.1731 Permissible GMRS uses.
The operator of a GMRS station may use that station for two-way plain language voice communications with other GMRS stations and with FRS units concerning personal or business activities. 
 

Seems to me “some people” have very strong opinions about how and what people can and can’t talk about on repeaters they don’t even own. This us vs them rhetoric is ridiculous. It’s just fn radios people, not the Middle East. You can turn the knob or oh wait if only there was a way to have private conversations with people we know without all the RF turf war tensions. Google it on your iPhone.😂 Go sports team go 😂. If I may interject some sarcasm of my own… Sad hams? Sad GMRSer or is it antihamite? Oh life is so horrible, why can’t I control how hams (AKA other licensed GMRS users) talk on repeaters that aren’t mine? Damn those sad hams! Damn appliance operators! Geezus! Funniest thread ever. 😂

Oh no it isn't just you. I saw it. I've been marveling at the irony.  😂

I'm glad that's not the case in my area. So far, I've only encountered one ham that was a jerk. He was on a ham repeater ranting about GMRS and NO other ham agreed with him. We all defended GMRS and basically told him to shut up. I never could get his call sign but I think, by his voice and his rant, that he was the same guy I heard several months ago on a GMRS repeater ranting about something.
I think it's more about the individual than the radio service they are using.

I've tested this 100-ways to Sunday.. and even Monday..
My results show that it might help.. a little.. maybe?.. on some radios.. I think?  Basically, any improvement was so slight, i wasn't even sure if it was an improvement or just my very vivid imagination, and it certainly wasn't worth risking my reputation by looking dumb walking around with a piece of wire wagging from my radio.
It should be noted that it almost always did show an improvement in SWR on my meter - but, a slightly lower SWR does not necessarily mean more farz

Height equals might.  Put up a tower first.  A repeater without a tower doesn't do much of anything.  An antenna mounted on a tower may be all you really need. 

I'm sure some folks will be by shortly to give technical insight on if you "need" to put one up. (you might)
I'm wondering what you plan on doing with your radio(s). Where you'll operate and who'll you talk to... why did you get into gmrs?
I use mine to chat with family and friends when we kayak, hike, caravan on the road. I also check in on the local repeaters occasionally. I use ham as well but not with family. em-coms is my secondary use.
btw- there are few threads to read that might be helpful (or at least entertaining! I have a sick sense of humor) grab some popcorn and wade through these...
 
my takeaway is to buy a commercial repeater solution rather than build your own, but if you have the skill, it probably would be fun. Drama seems to depend on where you are.
welcome to the family!
-john

Wow is short for, “Thank you for explaining the issue with hams on GMRS.”  The issue is not the hams. 

No. It depends on whether you choose top or bottom. This is done with the exit button and indicated with the arrow left of the channel name. 

The thing about the Wouxun's version of GPS is that it only works with Wouxun radios. The Baofeng/B-Tech radios are the same, they only work with Baofeng/B-Tech radios. They are not compatible with other brands.
I have a Wouxun KG-Q10H and it works well on 2m and 70cm. I have not had a chance to test it on 1.25m or 6m yet. AS mentioned, any 6m antenna for hand held radios is  a compromise due to the short length. Plus 6m is called the magic band for a reason, it is not open all of the time like other bands are. And most people use single side band of digital mode on 6m. There aren't a lot of 6m repeaters on the FM portion. Activity on the 1.25m band will depend on your location. It is more active in some regions and hardly used in other regions.
This radio can also be unlocked to transmit on MURS and GMRS too. I can say that the Q-10H does work well on GMRS with the 2m/70cm antenna attached.  have not had a chance to test MURS yet. I do pick up traffic on MURS but I haven't transmitted.
I have zero experiences with the Yaesu VX-6R so can't comment.

I have owned several VX-6Rs and VX-7R and they are both great little radios. I still have one VX-6R. The VX-6R makes a great e-comm radio, in my opinion, because of the size and waterproof rating. I think most tri-band and quad band radios are a compromise at best mostly due to the antennas. When I carried the VX-6R into the back country I would bring two single band antennas tuned to the range I expected to use. My biggest problem with the VX-6R is the older I get the smaller the buttons seem to be so the feature I liked most, the small size, has now become a problem for me.
I don't own, nor have I been able to fondle the KG-Q10H. I have multiple Wouxun GMRS radios and one of their HAM 2m/70cm HTs. I like them a lot and trust them, but again, I don't have the Q10H. I would think the GPS function would be a plus for me and my wife, being able to have a location function. My wife isn't and has no desire to be a HAM and the complexity of the Q10H or G would be an issue for her (and me). She will use a GMRS radio but wants me to set it up and then lock the keypad for her.
I suppose a big part of the choice of which radio to have for e-comms would be who would be using them. In a situation where you have to depend on radio communication the stress level is probably going to be a factor anyway. So handing any HT to someone who is not accustomed to using them and trying to have them change bands or even frequencies may be problematic. I try to follow the KISS method when I can.
 
 

In my original post I was questioning only getting 22-23w out of my 50w MXT575. I was able to have my radio tested by C&M Communications.  On my Pyramid P59KX (5/7amp pwr supply output was 23-24w.  On his power supply reading 50W on the MXT.... Guess who just bought a decent pwr supply!
Thanks to all the original replies.
Tim
WSAC215, Star Valley AZ

The broader point.  From my limited experience on GMRS, talking about radios is not uncommon - either from hams who are interested in radios, or new non-ham GMRS operators who want to learn more about their new hobby, and non-hams GMRS operators who enjoy using their radios and want to learn more about ham radio.  I agree with Steve, that behavior is independent of radio service, so how are hams negatively impacting GMRS? 

This!  If a person is an ass, it doesn’t matter what radio service they’re using. 

I'm glad that's not the case in my area. So far, I've only encountered one ham that was a jerk. He was on a ham repeater ranting about GMRS and NO other ham agreed with him. We all defended GMRS and basically told him to shut up. I never could get his call sign but I think, by his voice and his rant, that he was the same guy I heard several months ago on a GMRS repeater ranting about something.
I think it's more about the individual than the radio service they are using.

I'm glad that's not the case in my area. So far, I've only encountered one ham that was a jerk. He was on a ham repeater ranting about GMRS and NO other ham agreed with him. We all defended GMRS and basically told him to shut up. I never could get his call sign but I think, by his voice and his rant, that he was the same guy I heard several months ago on a GMRS repeater ranting about something.
I think it's more about the individual than the radio service they are using.

Many radios have the ability to monitor two channels. Those are the two. 

Why then would you pose the question in a forum, which by definition is populated by random internet people?

I'm glad you aren't a Sad Ham. It's nice to get strait answers. 👍
 
Did the first one this morning. Now to find a crayon. 🤣