focker

I have heard rumors that they will be available for sale beginning the last week of July, and on the same day the worlds most popular and most widely-loved GMRS YouTuber will be releasing a video about all 4 of the new antennas.
But, you know, those are just rumors...

Welcome to myGRMS.

From a portability standpoint, the FRS & GMRS radios are smaller than the CD handhelds have historically been. And because they operate in the UHF band their antennas are naturally much smaller.

FRS and GMRS both use FM modulation which means that atmospheric static is not introduced into the audio. CB(CBRS) using AM, USB, LSB. FM has recently been approved by the FCC for use in the CBRS, so in time that difference will become moot.

FRS and GMRS hardware supports squelch codes (CTCSS & DCS) that give you and your group the ability to prevent the squelch on your radios from opening except when a transmitter using that code transmits. So if you are on a camping trip and your family all uses CTCSS 67.0, you will only hear radios that use that code.

FRS and GMRS are not subjected to the gross degree of daily signal propagation changes that affect your range and the ability to communicate locally as CB is. Don’t expect skip to suddenly permit you to talk to Texas from New York because of temporarily atmospheric condition change. But you may experience conditions were perhaps you can talk another town or two away.

FRS and GMRS radios can mostly interoperate because they share 22 or 30 frequencies in common.

GMRS radios are permitted to use wide-band modulation, which can give some GMRS radios an audio quality advantage over FRS. FRS is limited to narrow-band modulation.

GMRS requires a FCC license whereas CBRS and FRS do not.

The GMRS service permits use of radios up to 50 watts. FRS maxes out at 2 and CBRS maxes out at 4.

The GMRS allows for the use of repeaters. Repeaters make it to possible to increase the usable coverage range, most notably when the repeater is installed in a prime high location. It is not uncommon to have repeaters that cover an entire City, even some that will make it possible for two handhelds 40 miles and more apart to communicate.

A GMRS license gives you the permission you need to put up and operate your own repeater.

Antennas for GMRS do not have the 20’ above building or tree rule that the CBRS is subjected to. Instead, height limit rules are the same as for Cell Towers, TV Towers and other tall structures where the FAA rules dominate. If you can afford to put up a 200’ tower and get approved to do so from your local AHJ you can put it up.

Regarding hardware. FCC rules require the use of part 95 certified hardware for CBRS, FRS and GMRS. Each service has its own set of technical certification criteria. I know of no equipment that is dual-service certified. This does not mean there is not hardware that can be modified to operate on two or more services, just that doing so violates your authority to use it. Many, including some members of this forum, choose to operate outside the rules.

Hopefully this information is useful.

Regards, and again, welcome to myGMRS.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

Oh dear: someone forgot to tell that to Yaesu! ?
 

RX 462.600 - DCS 023
TX 467.600 - DCS 023
Now Google has it and there is no getting that toothpaste back into the tube.
 

Take a look at an EMR Corp. Duplexer. They're not cheap but reliable and durable.
https://emrcorp.com/product/duplexers/mobile-duplexer/65316-0-mc5g-talsa/

Put it in reverse and it's Driver Returns On Foot.
To get back on topic, I think the KG-UV9GX is going to be the better of the two, partly because of that sexier wrist strap, but also the fact that it's superhet.

If anyone knows which wrist strap is going to impress all the chicks, it's @OffRoaderX. He may also agree with me that keeping the Rubicon is the better way to go.
Then again, I'm the type that firmly believes that FORD stands for F&$@er Only Runs Downhill. Seems like everyone I know that owns anything produced by Ford is constantly repairing it. One even had a turbo seize up on an EcoBoost F-150 with less than 20k on it.

I was very impressed with the KG-UV9PX

I don’t think you would go wrong with those choices. The KG-935G Plus is just a great radio. I grab that more often than not. I think the KG-UV9PX being the ham sister to the KG-UV9GX and superheterodyne is a good ham choice. I’ve been eyeing that as well. If I could help you spend your money 😂 and you clearly spend time outdoors, I’d say give a look at the KG-S88G as well. It doesn’t have all the bands others have but it’s a superheterodyne and waterproof (IP67) GMRS for when it’s wet and muddy out. 
 
I have the Nagoya NA-771G and I feel it’s my best GMRS HT antenna, though at 15” it’s a bit unwieldy so I use the almost as good NA-701G at 5.5”. To be honest the stock antennas do seem pretty good. Just my opinion. Cheers, buying radios is fun and addictive. 😀

Thank you for the input everyone.  Of course having a sexy wrist strap is a deal closer and should complete the look if I sell the Rubicon and get a Bronco Raptor. 
For the sake of the conversation, I have a handful of other radios, some long in the tooth like some very old Kenwood GMRS with non removable antennas and a bunch of FT-60s that somehow ended up with a scratched resistor. I do a lot of dual sport motorcycle rides and Jeep runs in the deserts or mountains and try to make sure we are all connected meaning I usually am the one supplying radios. It would seem I have friends that will spend $5,000 on suspension, tires and wheels but won't throw down $150 for a radio 🙄.
The Yaesus do not do split tones so I am thinking it is time to pick something up that gives me that option and of course is part 95 compliant. Several repeaters in the Sacramento valley use split tones.  I am tempted to get a KG-935G Plus and KG-UV9PX and sell a couple of the FT-60s to cover the purchase.
Everything on the Rubicon trail area is HAM with typical tones along with a newer GMRS repeater.  Oddly I have yet to hear any chatter on the GMRS repeater.
Here is another burning question, which antenna is currently the favorite flavor for the Wouxun HTs?

I'd say that settles it 🤣 
Lucky for you they both come with the Randy Bee... um I mean Roger Beep 😂

The KG-UV9GX has a sexier wrist-strap.

What are you testing into, and what are you using for a meter?  If you're using anything but a 50Ω dummy load for testing I wouldn't trust the output numbers.  Also, need to make sure you have a good power source (like @gortex2 said).  A continuous 13.8VDC is needed, and for a 50w transceiver it should be a constant 12-15A for the draw (the more the better).

If you're using an inline meter while sitting in your vehicle and using an antenna, you're not going to get accurate power readings.

462 is always the output (your RX) and 467 is always the input (your TX).
If you have a 'real' GMRS radio you dont need to worry about that, you just pick the correct repeater 'channel', which will already have the tx and rx setup.

Our Zello channel is linked to our Southern California repeater -both the Zello and the repeater are open for any licensed GMRS user to use.. Zello channel is named 'Notarubicon GMRS 700 Repeater' .. https://zello.com/NAR700 
Almost 5,000 Zello users are approved/subscribed to use this channel but most are extremely shy and never talk/transmit.  We also just changed frequencies on the repeater so its a bit quite right now while everyone figures out that its changed.
 

I paid about $99 for my Tram 1486 which is on one section (9 feet) of a telescoping flagpole, attached to the chimney, no guy-wires.  I get about 50 miles of farz and have not worried about it since I put it up 2 years ago, making it, by definition, a "worry free" base antenna.
I use it as both a repeater antenna and as a base-station (simplex) antenna.

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..