WRYZ926

It's always nice to have choices. Midland radios are not for me but I also won't knock someone that likes them either. Nor will I degrade others for buying what they like or what they can afford. We all have different budgets and income levels. Go with what you like and don't worry about what others think of your choices. I see the same snobbish attitudes on the different firearms forums too. I'll stick with my Hi-Point carbine that is cheap, FUGLY, yet accurate and very reliable.

I've went round and round with Siri and whenever I have called her a dirty name, she just laughs at me and really messes up what I have types. Siri is pure evil. The issue I had with the MXT500 I owned was that it had low power even set to high. And I don't care for how the Midland radios with everything in the hand mic cannot be programmed using a computer. That is more of a personal preference for me since they are pretty easy to program through the radio itself. Midland radios are fine for those that want a simple radio that works right out of the box and they don't want/need all of the bells and whistles. I'll stick with Wouxun radios for Part 95 certified radios as they have all worked well for me. PS: I double checked everything to make sure Siri did not change anything before hitting the reply button.

I just did a presentation on repeater etiquette at our club's monthly meeting last night. And that was one of the key points. I pointed out that you should always give your call sign on a couple of the Power Point slides. We have a guy that is notorious for doing that. He made the comment that he does it between 10-11 at night thinking that no one else is around. I politely informed him that some of us are night owls and do hear it. I would rather have someone using Roger Beeps or have a setting wrong that makes their radio squawk or make other noises at the end of every transmission than put up with a kerchunker. I bring up the squawk because we have a couple of guys using Baofeng and other CCR hand held that quack and man does that hurt my ears.

I occasionally turn the Roger Beep on just to aggravate my friends and fellow club members that get bothered by hearing it. Otherwise I couldn't care less. Some will give you trouble for using a Roger Beep on any of our repeaters but we also do not ban the use of a Roger Beep.

You can get the Icom IC-2730A for $310 at DX Engineering and Giga Parts. And if you are interested in having the MARS Mod done, Giga Parts only charges $35 for the mod if you have them do it at the time of purchase of the radio. I replaced the TH-7800 in my shack with the IC-2730A. I'll eventually replace the TH-7800 in my vehicle with another IC-2730. I currently am using one of the TH-7800 radios strictly for Winlink and it will go into a go box along side my Xiegu G90.

Sorry to hear that. I bought both of my TH-7800 radios at the end of 2023-beginning of 2024 and I haven't had any problems with them.

I have to agree with @SteveShannon on this. I just tested my Q10H with a Wouxun hand mic and it works just fine. I have also used headsets. with my Q10H and 935G and they work fine with both radios. One thing to remember is that the hand mic will only transmit on the channel set in the top area (A) when you have dual channel display. It will not transmit on the area B channel if it is selected. Another issue when using a hand mic or headset is that no matter if you change the two PTT buttons on the radio, the hand mic or headset will still only transmit as if you are using PTT 1 button (bottom PPT button) So lets say that you have PTT 1 set for area B and PTT 2 set for area A, the hand mic/headset will only transmit on what area PTT 1 is set for in the radio's settings.

It really depends on what type of antenna you want to build as far as length goes. You typically want 1 foot for a 1/2 wave antenna for GMRS. A 1/2 wave is better than using a 1/4 wave. 1/4 wave antennas definitely need a good ground plane while 1/2 wave antennas do not need a ground plane. You will definitely need a NanaVNA or antenna analyzer if you plan on building your own antennas. Always start a little long so that you can cut/trim to get the SWR correct. Like wood working, it is always easier to cut material off than it is to add material. One of the guys in my local club has built j pole antennas for GMRS, 70cm, 6m, and even 11m/CB. He used aluminum tubing for the 6m and 11m/CB antennas. He had some old 75 ohm solid core coax that he used to make the 70cm and GMRS j pole antennas. Some solid wire around 6 gauge will also work well for a 1/2 wave vertical GMRS antenna. You can always put the wire in some PVC pipe to protect it.

Either that or he needs to go see his doctor again to get his medication doses adjusted. He's like a little kid - you never know what he is going to say.

I'll have to see if I can find the videos again from a guy in Europe that uses an electric trike when doing POTA. Though he only uses the trike to haul everything.

Where there is a will there is a way. This would be a good use for the small IP rated 20 watt radios or a good water proof case. Though I have not looked into an HF radios that are IP rated if they even exist. I agree that ham-sticks would be a good solution for the HF bands. @Lscott I don't blame you for considering a trike. I have looked at them myself since I am disabled yet still need some type of exercise.

Again, NOT everyone lives in the ideal location for getting extreme ranges on UHF. And no one really cares that you get 200 miles when using repeaters. And most of us are also getting very tired of your negative comments. You either live a very sad life or you need to seek professional help and get on meds. Our GMRS repeater antennas are at 400 feet above ground and we are getting a coverage radios of 30-35 miles. This is due to the local terrain and forested areas. There is another repeater close by that haas a 50 mile radius but their tower site is at a higher level above sea level. Reception is going to be hit or miss for both repeaters depending on people's actual location. Most GMRS repeaters in Missouri have a coverage radius of 20-25 miles, again location and local terrain plays a big part. There are only 4-5 repeaters in the entire state that get a 50 mile radius because they are on the highest point in their area. And 70cm repeaters do not do any better. It is the nature of UHF. Our main 70cm repeater antennas are at 900 feet above ground on the same tower as our GMRS repeater and the 70cm repeater has the exact same coverage area as the GMRS repeater with the same dead zones. @WRJB532 Thank you for posting this for those that live in your area or for those that might be traveling through.

You can find adult trikes for as low as $220 on Walmart's website. https://www.walmart.com/browse/sports-outdoors/adult-tricycles/4125_1081404_1230089_7538787 And it looks like you can get them on Amazon starting at $146 and up. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=adult+tricycles+for+men&crid=3BWK1SSI08NJT&sprefix=adult+tri%2Caps%2C132&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_5_9

Yes when I say the storm took out the cell towers that includes everything from losing power to actual physical damage to the towers and/or equipment. The same thing with amateur radio repeaters. I always laugh at the preppers that think they can just pick up their Baofeng radios and use the repeaters during a natural disaster or other major catastrophe. The repeaters can and will go down without backup power or if they are physically damaged. And a good backup power system can get quite expensive depending on your setup and how long you want it to last.

I received a written warning for the same thing. My brother did get a DUI on his bicycle. What ever you decide on as far as equipment, make sure to stay safe.

As mentioned, it is against FCC regulations to use a non certified radio on GMRS. The chances of the FCC kicking in your door are non existent, unless you are really messing up to get the attention of our overlords. As for your question. Yes Icom and Yaesu radios can be MARS modded. Both brands require actual physical hardware modifications. You better be good at working with super tiny components if you want to do the mod yourself. Some retailers will perform the MARS mod for you. Giga Parts is usually the cheapest for the MARS mod if done at the time of purchase of a radio from them.

@BoxCar is correct. definitely check your state and local laws. Missouri is one state that bans both ears covered while operating a motorized vehicle. I would have to dig into the state statutes to see if that covers non motorized vehicles on public roads. I know that you definitely get a "DUI" on a bicycle and even on a horse in Missouri. They do word it slightly different when not operating a motorized vehicle but the charges are the same.

You're welcome. The Heil headsets are the first thing that came to mind. I would personally go with the single side being on a bicycle. That way you can still hear what's going on around.

Here are a few headsets at DX Engineering. I have not tried any of the Heil HT headsets but I am pleased with the Heil BM-17 dual headset that I use with my Icom and Xiegu radios. https://www.dxengineering.com/search/department/transceivers-and-receivers/part-type/handheld-accessories?N=handheld-accessory-type%3Aheadset%2Bbrand%3Aheil-sound They are either $35 or $39 depending on if you go with single or dual side headsets. Heil headsets will be better quality than anything you find on Amazon.

Yeah Hurricane Helena proved how reliable cell towers, and even some amateur and GMRS repeaters are.

I can see a cheap single side headset with boom mic working for hands free with VOX. And if the wind and road noise is too much for VOX, then maybe a remote PTT button on the handle bars. I can see the wind being an issue with VOX though. Out combat vehicle helmets had transmit, intercom, and off switches. And man would the wind at 25 -30 mph cause you grief when you were set on intercom. The other crew members would get on you for it.

Here are some links for you. DX Engineering Max400 stranded core coax. $71 for PL259, $72 for N Type JETSTREAM 400FLEX25A $40 at R&L Electronics I have used both brands without any issues.. The R&L Jet brand uses Amphenol connectors which are top of the line if that matters to you. I get trying to save money. But sometimes it is worth spending a little more for the proper coax. Standard RG-8 is better than RG-8X and LMR-240. Per the coax loss calculator linked above. At 25 feet. you are getting 2.2 dB loss with RG-8X, 1.4 dB loss with LMR-240, 1.2 dB loss with RG-8, and 0.7 dB loss with LMR-400. In reality, you won't notice much difference between LMR-400, LMR-240, or RG-8. But why limit yourself if you don't have to. Getting as much power to the antenna with the least amount of coax loss is more efficient. Plus the Jet brand is pretty cheap and still good coax cable.

Now it's 210 miles instead of 200 miles. The tale grows with each telling. Oh and don't forget to tell us the 796 reasons why every dedicated Part 95 certified radio that is made overseas is total junk. Or are we up above 800 reasons now. You happen to live in the ideal location in the wide open desert of the southwest.Most people will NEVER see that kind of coverage due to location, local terrain, forested areas, urban areas, etc, etc. @WSEZ those repeaters are linked even though linking is against the regulations set forth by the FCC overlords.

You are still looking at 45% loss using 30 feet of RG-8X at 467 MHz. You would have to use a pretty high gain antenna to overcome the loss with a 30 ft section of RG-8X. 2 dBd of gain still shows a loss in power output (ERP). You would need at least 4 dBd of gain to overcome the coax loss of 30 feet of RG-8X. Getting LRM400 or equivalent will greatly improve things. Look at the DX Engineering 400MAX or even the Jet LMR400 equivalent from R&L Electronics. Both brands work well and are definitely cheaper than Times Microwave LMR400. RG-8X is fine for jumpers that are 6 feet or less in length.

@gortex2 I feel the same way as you do on this. By the time you buy a mobile antenna then spend as much if not more to try and make it work better as a base antenna yo have spend enough to buy a good base antenna. The only saying to buy the proper tool for the job comes to mind. It is usually better to just spend a little more and buy the correct base antenna to begin with. That being said, yes I have used a mobile antenna with mag amount attached to a cookie sheet in the past. But that was only a temporary setup until I could get an actual base antenna installed. I fully understand why some will use a mobile antenna with some type of home made ground plane in certain situations such as dealing with HOA restrictions, needing a more temporary setup, or something that can be quickly taken down for severe storms.