WRYZ926

This is very true. I didn't notice any difference between my Wouxun KG-XS20G (20 W) versus my Wouxun KG-1000G or Midland MXT500 when hooked up to my base antenna and talking to people on the repeater. They couldn't tell a difference on their end either. The base of my Comet CA-712EFC is 20 feet above the ground and I am using 30 feet of LMR400 coax to the outside wall and another 15 feet of LMR400 inside the shack.

M & P lists the loss of 2.6 dB at 100 foot with Hyperflex 10 at 430 MHz. Then it is 3.6 dB of loss at 100 foot at 800 MHz https://messi.it/dati/layout/files/CartellaElementi/hyperflex10-full-datasheet-eng-min.pdf So you should be fine with a run of 84 feet as long as you are using a good antenna with some gain.

I've been very pleased with my Wouxun KG-Q10H and KG-935G. Both work well and the weather alerts are nice.

Another option is 7/16" coax cable staples. They work well for LMR400 and RG8 size coax. https://www.menards.com/main/electrical/electrical-tools-accessories/wiring-fasteners/gardner-bender-reg-coaxial-cable-staple/pr-50/p-1444431022313-c-6448.htm

I guess I am a bit ornery, I will turn the Roger beep on just to trigger some people. I normally don't use the Roger beep but it doesn't bother me one way or the other.

Which is why one WILL notice a difference going from 5 watts to 50 watts. But there is not much of a noticeable difference between 25 watts and 50 watts.

I've done enough tests with mobile setups and base station setups running at 5 wats, 10 watts, 25 watt and 50 watts. Going from 5 watts to 50 watts will definitely make a difference. But going from 25 watts to 50 watts will not make much of a difference at all. If fact most people will never be able to tell the difference between 35 watts and 50 watts as FARZ go or what they actually hear. Where 50 watts generally helps is if you have to push through an obstacle such as a bunch of trees our bounce signals off of buildings, etc. Good coax and a good antenna with a clear line of sight makes as much if not more of a difference than power output alone.

The metal in window tint can block the RF between the outer and inner pats of the glass mount. Plus some back windows now have the AM/FM antenna along with the defroster inside the glass.

The Comet GP9 works for 2m, 70cm, and GMRS. The SWR is below 2 on mine. I know others that use the GP9 for all three bands also. I have not had a chance to test the Comet GP6 or other Comet base antennas.

Time will tell how the Bridgecom repeater holds up. So far we have not had any issues and we tested it by pushing it before opening it up to the public. It has handled everything we threw at it to include a high duty cycle. The repeater has been up and running for a year now.

Now that I had time to think about it. we got our 2m Motorola Quantar from Used-Radios.com. https://used-radios.com/search.php?page=1&section=product&search_query=motorola+quantar

We bought ours from a company that resells used ones after going through them and making any repairs if needed. I can try to find out the name of the company for you.

We are using the Bridgecom UHF repeater for GMRS and haven't had any issues. Though we did buy it without the built in duplexer since we had a better duplexer on hand. Bridgecom will program it for you with what ever GMRS repeater channel and tones you want. Programming is pretty simple with their software.

I forgot to add that we are also going to eventually replace our 70cm Yaesu repeaters with Motorola Quantar repeaters in the near future. The Yaesus's have worked well for us over the years but it is time for an upgrade and the Motorola Quantar fits all of our needs.

I'm glad to hear that you found a good way to run the coax in.

We just finished setting up a Motorola Quantar 2m repeater and Arcom RC210 controller with a 6 can duplexer. We still need to get a Raspberry Pi programmed for Allstar. We are going to replace the Yaesu repeater with the Motorola. We did a lot of research before making a purchase of the Motorola Quantar and it was the best option for us.

One of the most popular (and most expensive) is the Wouxun KG-1000G Plus. The Midland MX500 and MX575 will cost about the same but do not have all the bells and whistles and are sometimes known to be under powered. I have two KG-1000G radios and like them a lot. One is my base station and the other is in my vehicle.

You will be good to go with 40 or 50 watts with LMR400 and the Comet CA-712EFC as long as you have a clear line of sight to the repeaters you are trying to reach. The following information is from: https://kv5r.com/ham-radio/coax-loss-calculator/ LMR400 has a loss 2.869 dB per 100 foot of length. The CA-712EFC is rated at 9 dBi or 6.85 dBd - calculate uses dBd For a 50 watt radio and 40 ft of LMR400 you will have an EPR (effective radiating power) of 172 watts For a 40 watt radio and 40 ft of LMR400 will will have an ERP of 137.6 watts That is not enough difference between the two to tell the difference in farz or to hear the difference in signal strength.

You won't notice much difference at all between 40 or 50 watts. AS far as reaching a repeater 40-50 miles away, that will definitely depend on your location, local terrain, structures, and foliage. If your antenna and the repeater are both on tall hills with nothing in-between them or you are in the wide open desert then 40-50 miles will be no problem. If you live in a hilly/mountinous area or heavily forested area then you would be lucky to get 35 miles.

Some people swear by glass mount antennas and some cuss at glass mounted antennas. I' have not tried them on any newer vehicles since most factory tinted widows contain metal.

The Midland MXTA38 adhesive-backed metallic mount works well. I use one on the aluminum diamond plated tool box on my SxS. It holds a Comet 2x4SR antenna just fine. https://midlandusa.com/collections/micromobile-accessories/products/micromobilemxta38-adhesive-backed-metallic-mount Unfortunately Midland is out of stock and I did not see it on Amazon. But something similar should work. Or go with a vehicle specific mount like suggested.

Your best bet is to return that RG58 coax and get some LMR400 or equivalent coax. RG58 is the wrong coax for UHF. And from the looks of it, you are going to need a coax with a PL259 on one end and a N Type on the other, or get a PL259 to N tip adaptor.

Terrain, foliage, and structures are going to have an affect. There is no getting around that. A mobile antenna on a cookie sheet will definitely improve things. Try to get the antenna as high as you can will also help. My club's repeater sight is 21.5 miles from my house. The 2m and 70cm antennas are at 900 feet while the GMRS antennas are at 400 feet. I can easily get into the 2m repeater with a hand held but can't get into the 70cm repeater at all. I can sometimes get into the GMRS repeater when out in my yard, but that is spotty at best. It's not the power that affects me but the short antenna on hand held radios. I can get into all three repeaters on low power using my mobile radios in the house using base antennas mounted up on the roof.

Generally the higher loss coax is not a big deal in a mobile install since most setups are 16 feet or less with most magnet mounts having a 12 foot coax. And yes the smaller size makes running the coax inside easier. Here is a good coax loss calculator: https://kv5r.com/ham-radio/coax-loss-calculator/

A GMRS license is not a waste of money if you want the ability to use a hand held radio with external antenna to get out farther while in a vehicle. A GMRS license also allows you to have mobile radios that put out more than 2 watts. FRS is limited to a maximum of 2 watts which will affect how far you can talk to people. Go with what service suits your needs the best. For most people, the $35 dollars for a GMRS license that covers their family for 10 years is worth it.