WRYZ926

My Icom IC-2730A will run circles around my Wouxun KG-1000G. And the ICom is $80 cheaper than the Wouxun. The problem is that the Icom is NOT certified for use outside of the amateur radio bands. So kind of a moot point since we are talking about radios that are FCC certified for MURS. And non certified radios will only go down to 5 watts which is more than allowed on MURS.

Yes the KG-1000G and KG-1000M are the same radios as the KG-UV980P. Wouxun did take some of the menu items out of the KG-1000G when they went to the Plus model. And the KG-1000G can't be unlocked either. or at least I have not found anyone that has done it. So I am sure that the KG-1000M is also locked down tight. And to answer the original question. GMRS license are for individuals only. The local amateur radio club I belong to is actually a non profit organization. And we have to keep an individual's call sign assigned to the GMRS repeater where as we use a club call sign for the 2m and 70cm repeaters.

Yes getting a good antenna AND getting it outside will make more of a difference. As @WRTC928 said, there are many ways to camouflage an antenna if needed. Even a good mag mount antenna on a cookie sheet will do so much better outside versus inside. And I too have found that going from a 20 watt radio to a 50 watt radiate home does not increase the distance. I am using a Comet CA-712EFC with 30 ft of LMR400 coax at home and have tried both my Wouxun KG-XS20G and KG-1000G hooked to that antenna. What the extra power does is it allows me to be heard better on the farther repeaters. My antenna is only 20 feet above the ground at the base and kind of under a maple tree. Now I would get out farther if the antenna was up higher and away from the tree.

https://associatedradio.com is another good source for used radios.

Here is a good explanation on why to use a chassis ground. https://www.autometer.com/blog/the-best-place-to-ground-accessories/?srsltid=AfmBOopjS7br8Iaan-eUs32NxG9VbdQ7RRJYDiK2gBP3M-DaHN-Z59tD And some more reading for those interested. https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/329559/when-do-i-connect-to-negative-terminal-or-ground

Well read my signature. I am done trying to explain things. You have had three different people with plenty of experience tell you the same exact thing. Have a good day.

No not really. You don't want to mess with the BMS or how the computers control the voltage from the alternator to the battery. And every radio manual from the Baofeng to Motorola all state to never connect the radio's ground wire directly to the battery negative post. I suggest you do your own research about battery management systems and why it is important to run your ground wires directly to a chassis ground. PS. The reason you never connect a charger to the battery negative post is it can and will mess up the computer.

The main reason for using a chassis ground is because of the battery management system AKA BMS. And if you use a chassis ground in the engine compartment then you don't have to worry about insulators or protective coatings, especially if you use a chassis ground that already has a ground wire attached to it. And this even goes for using battery chargers and battery maintainers. They too tell you not to connect directly to the battery negative terminal. And the reasons are the same - it can cause problems/interfere with the BMS.

That is not advisable nor correct with newer vehicles equipped with the battery management system. You can actually cause problems by attaching accessory ground wires and chargers directly to the negative battery terminal. Always use a good chassis ground no matter if you are wiring up a radio or other stuff and also when connecting a battery charger. Pretty much all newer vehicles made in the last 5-8 years all have the BMS module on the battery negative terminal. This is what controls how much voltage goes from the alternator to the battery. And you can really mess things up if your vehicle is equipped with the auto start/stop system. And the 2020 GMC Sierra does have the BMS.

Ah that makes sense. I was getting the same "access forbidden" messages too. I even tried using my iPad on cellular and got the same error message. I did that to see if my IP address or the IP address range was being blocked. Anyway, glad to see it fixed.

I forgot all about inline noise filters. We use to use them with CB's back in the day.

Find the main cable going from your alternator to your battery. Once you find it, put a clamp on ferrite bead on both ends. And it helps to use a sloughy bigger clamp on ferrite so that you can do at least 3 wraps of the wire through it. I only do that on the power leads going to the radio. I don't know if putting clamp on ferrite beads on the alternator to battery cable will fix your problems, but it sure won't hurt a thing. Another thing to check is to make sure the alternator is grounded to the chassis correctly. I know the motor block is grounded, but sometimes putting a ground strap directly from the alternator ground/case to the chassis does help.

If they are close enough and you have a good base antenna then yes they will have strong signals.

Interesting question for sure. We have done fox hunts on 2m but never even thought about using any other band.

As to who is still in the MFJ building, I can't answer that one. But it was big news on all of the amateur radio forums about MFJ closing down. https://www.arrl.org/news/mfj-ceasing-on-site-production Do a Google search and that will bring up all kinds of links about MFJ shutting down. They have ceased production and are in the process of selling all remaining stock.

Well Mighty Fine Junk did go out of business a few months ago. Gigi Parts hired some of the MFJ engineers, so I am told. They are now making the Intellitron brand being sold at Gig Parts.

Make sure to use good quality electrical tape and tape up the clamp on ferrite beads so they don't fall off.

Leave your radio connected as it is with the ground going to chassis. Otherwise you could interfere with the auto start/stop system and the battery management system if you connect it to the negative battery terminal. It sounds like you might be getting noise from the alternator. I know I was getting noise from the alternator on my 2023 Ford Escape. I put clamp on ferrite beads on the leads to the radios and I put two more, one on each end, on the cable going between the alternator and battery. That helped clear things up for me.

I'm pretty sure a lot of radios will allow that. I know the Xiegu G90 will. I haven't looked into if the IC-7300 will, but I bet it does.

And there is nothing wrong with that. I am thinking about building mown CW trainer after Christmas. Sparkgap Labs has a nice kit you build yourself. Everyone learns differently. What worked well for me to pass my technician and general tests were reading the "Easy Way Ham Books" and taking online practice tests. The Easy Way books are pretty good and they break things down so that you can learn and understand how things work.

The easiest solution for a low power GMRS repeater is the Retevis RT97. Yes it will cost more that two HT's and some cables, but it will work as intended and will be a lot easier to setup with just one antenna.

I don't have any experiences with either of the radios you mentioned so won't be much help there. I do have a couple of Baofeng UV-5R GMRS radios and a couple of Wouxun radios. Yes the Wouxun are more expensive, but they are way better. My Wouxun KG-935G is an excellent GMRS only radio and I love the Wouxun KG-QQ10H quad band radio. They even outperform my Icom IC-T10.

I occasionally get a guy from Puerto Rico that comes blazing in on channel 9.

Are you wanting another HT or a mobile radio?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.