WRYZ926

Here is a link to the post I started concerning updating the firmware and programming the MXT500. I hope that you find it helpful. https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/6363-midland-mxt500-firmware-updates/#comment-64849

I have to agree with everyone that GMRS should be left alone as is. My local club runs digital repeaters on the 70cm repeaters and those repeaters are constantly having issues. If things are not setup correctly then anyone using analog will hear a bunch of noice when someone transmits using digital. And as mentioned , there are man different digital modes and none of them are 100% compatible. I'm at the point right now that I won't even buy hand held or mobile radios with digital modes. If you want to use digital modes then get your amateur radio license. You will find that there are quite a few of us that have both amateur and GMRS licenses and we like the simplicity of GMRS and analog amateur bands.

I agree to have both GMRS and amateur licenses. I suggest getting a general class license since it opens up all of the HF bands that technicians can't access.

I agree with you on that. I should have studied more for the general before I took my technician test.

Not as much as going from 5 watts to 20 watts or even 50 watts. And in most case one won't notice much difference between 4 to 10 watts.

You will want to get your general class amateur license if you really want to use the HF bands.Technician class is limited to a very small range on 10 meters (28.3 MHZ to 28.5 MHz) for phone (voice). Here is a list of all bands open to technician class. https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Tech Band Chart/US Amateur Radio Technician Privileges.pdf As you can see, technician license holders are very limited when it comes to HF bands. I edited this reply after seeing that I posted the same link as Sshannon.

If you are wanting to save money then I will suggest the Baofeng UV-5R GMRS hand held radios. Here is a link to the radios I bought from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGHXV6Y4?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 These are certified for GMRS use and work fine. I haven't had any issues with the and $50 is a good price for two radios and extra antennas.

@WRZM228 the link you posted is for a dual band 2m/70cm radio. It will not transmit on GMRS frequencies out of the box. It might be possible to perform the unlock hack to get them to work on GMRS frequencies. Performing the unlock hack is another discussion all by itself.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

And one won't notice a difference between 4-10 watts.

Best practice is to bond your ground rod/ground wire to your home service ground and 6 gauge wire is preferred. I would ground your antenna mast and lightning arrestors to the ground rod and then run another ground wire to your service ground to bond everything together.

@Tiercel Yes the Comet CA-712EFC is 10.5 feet long and weighs less than 3 pounds. Here are the specs that I pulled from Giga Parts website: Comet CA-712EFC 460-470MHz Base/Repeater Antenna UHF Fixed station antenna 1.5:1 or less SWR: 460-470MHz Gain: 9dBi Max power: 200 watts Length: 10 ft 5 inches Weight: 2 lb 13oz Connector: N-female Construction: Two-piece white fiberglass Max wind speed: 112MPH https://www.gigaparts.com/comet-ca-712efc-460-470mhz-base-repeater-antenna.html @WRZM228 yes an 8 foot ground rod will work well. Drive it in so that only enough is sticking out to clamp your ground wires to it.

@WRZM228 I received my tech and gmrs licenses in Oct 2023 so I haven't been on the air long. I was into CB for a long time but that band went downhill so I stopped using a CB around 2007. We had fun with our CB's while in high school doing crazy stuff. And it was always fun when conditions were good and we could talk to people far away. There were a few of us that wanted to run CB's while I was stationed in Germany until we found out that was highly illegal there. You are correct that one meets new friends when on the air with CB and amateur bands. I've even met a few people on GMRS while testing my radios on the few repeaters in my area. @WRZF693 the technical test is fairly easy to pass, especially if you have a working knowledge of Ohms Law. Plus all of the questions and answers are available online to study. You will want to get your general license if you want to use the HF bands. Technicians are limited to a small range on 10m only (28.3 MHz to 28.5 MHz) only. I am currently studying for my general. Having your amateur and gmrs licenses is nice and gives you more communication tools in your toolbox. A few of us have even convinced our local club to set up a gmrs repeater

I can't answer that question since I have not used that brand. The Mcbazel Surecom SW-102 Digital VHF/UHF 125-525Mhz Antenna Power & SWR Meter is a popular choice and is $24 more than the one you linked to. GMRS and amateur radio can be addicting. I started getting everything together for my base setup before I received my technician call sign. I now have a mobile dual band radio and GMRS radio setup in the house and both setup in my vehicle now.

@WRZM228 I would think that 12 foot of cable should be long enough for your Prius if you are using a radio under the seat with a remote head unit. I am using a magnet mount with 12 foot cable in the middle of the roof on my 2023 Ford Escape with the coax running back and in through the bottom of the hatch back opening. I ran the cable along the door sill trim and still have plenty of cable to reach under the driver's seat.

Congrats @Tiercel on passing your test. Now the wait to get your call sign begins. It took me 12 days to get my call sign after I tested.

The link for that Laird antenna shows it being 11" long which would be good if you are worried about clearance issues. Here is a Laird GMRS antenna that is 33" long. https://www.arcantenna.com/products/gmrs-mobile-vehicular-antenna-base-loaded-chrome-coil-rugged-no-ground-plane-required-with-spring-rbc-450-5-ns I am currently using a Tram 1174 on a magnet mount on my Ford Escape which is 13 1/2" long and it seems to be working well. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/tram-1174.html

I agree with @Sshannon that the Comet 2x4 is not the ideal antenna for GMRS. Dual, tri, and quad band antennas are a compromise in that they work on different bands but they don't do well on all of them. My brother has a Comet 2x4 that he uses for 2m/70cm and it is a good antenna for those bands. The SWR checks out fine at 462MHZ but is high for 467MHz. You could use it for GMRS but there are better options.

I used one of the clamps that came with my Comet CA-712 to hold the ground wire in place on the j mount and then ran it down to my ground rod.

I know off topic a bit. But I am lucky that I live 20 minutes from Graf's Reloading Supply and I am 60 minutes or less from MidwayUSA, one Cabela's, two Bass Pro Shops, and several Academy Sports stores. This biggest problem with USPS here in Missouri is the distribution centers in St Louis and Kansas City. They just can't seem to do their jobs correctly. It is rare that I have an issue with FEDEX or UPS.

I prefer UPS too. I understand the economics behind FEDEX and UPS transferring packages to USPS for final delivery. But with anything in life, too many cooks can ruin the meal. An example for what I do when ordering stuff from MidwayUSA is to include a box of ammo or other items that must go ground shipment so that UPS is the one that handles everything from pickup to delivery. Of course I will just drive to MidwayUSA and pick things up if I need something in a hurry.

I looked up reviews for the radio and all of them seem to be older from 2016 and earlier. The AT-5888UV does seem to have good reviews even if the reviews are older.

USPS had a major mercury spill at one of the St Louis distribution centers, or so they say, at the beginning of the month. I watched some of my packages bounce between the two distribution centers for almost two weeks. I don't care for FEDEX that much either. While I have not had any packages damaged, they have drove right by my house several times without delivering my packages. The last time that happened, I insisted the driver search the truck again before driving off. Low and behold, she found my package. And sometimes it will depend on the driver too. I have had good drivers from FEDEX, UPS, and USPS along with horrible drivers from all three. One of the worse methods of shipping is when FEDEX or UPS transfers packages to USPS for final delivery.

One "Uh OH" tends to wipe out ten "Atta Boys". FEDEX and UPS generally do a good job in my area. USPS is a totally different story with the two distribution centers in St Louis.

I have to agree with @kidphc on this one. You might not notice a difference in a 30 foot or shorter run but why hamper yourself. With any antenna, height is king. Always use the best coax you can for the best performance. But height won't make up for the wrong type of coax.