WRYZ926

I primarily use GMRS to talk to family and friends. I find that I use 2m/70cm the same way just to talk to family and friends. We have been testing our GMRS repeater for the last month or two. So it has been used to talk to friends in the local amateur radio club. Along with using the repeater, we have also been testing on simplex channels too. Our GMRS repeater will be opened up for public use soon. It will be for general public use and also as another means of communication during an actual emergency.

I have been pleased with the performance of the Comet CA-712 and also with the other Comet antennas I have. In addition to the GP9 and CA-712 above my roof, I have a 16" dual band SBB1NMO on my Ford Escape and a 2x4SRNMO on my Honda Pioneer 500 SxS.

I will admit that it has been a while since I messed with Linux. But you shouldn't have any problems if you follow the instructions on the web page that Sshannon linked to above.

@wrci350 ny post was not directed towards you. I was making a general statement for all new GMRS users.

Think of the signal as a beam. I'll use two of my antennas as examples. I have a Comet GP9 (9db) and a Comet CA-712EFC (6db). Yes the GP9 has higher dB but it also concentrates the signal in a narrower "beam" when compared to the CA-712. The GP9 works better for longer distances over flatter terrain while the CA-712 works better getting around different terrain.

Most people will use CHIRP to program, especially for Baofeng radios. CHIRP is open source and very popular. It also works with a lot of different radios. I personally find the Wouxun software easier to use and you can download it for free from Buy Two Way Radios. It is legitimate software when downloaded from there. For Midland radios that can be programmed with a computer, then download the software directly from Midland. All of the above is easy to find, download, and use for new GMRS and amateur radio operators.

This is true. It also depends on time of year and local activities. FRS is worse around here during deer season.

There is a version of CHIRP Next for Linux. I would go ahead and upgrade from CHIRP Legacy to CHIRP Next if it was me. https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Download

And here is my reply to the exact same question asked on the Radio Reference forum: The FRS side is definitely just like CB full of foul language and bad behavior. The good thing is that FRS radios can not access GMRS repeaters. Around me the active GMRS users are pretty good since most also have their amateur licenses. It's bad enough that FRS and GMRS share the same simplex frequencies. The FCC messed up on that one. And as mentioned, where are the extra frequencies/channels going to come from. Public safety and Amateur radio operators are not going to want to give up their frequencies for GMRS use. GMRS frequencies - 462.5625 MHz - 467.7250MHz 70cm band - 420.0MHz - 450.0MHz Public Safety UHF frequencies are generally between 450MHz and 520MHz

And there are more of us that have both amateur and GMRS licenses that don't want GMRS to turn into HAM Lite.

There are plenty of threads on the forum about changing GMRS and adding digital, etc, etc. A lot of us do not want GMRS to be made more like amateur radio with all of the digital modes. GMRS already is Wideband and we are allowed to have up to 50 watts on mobiles as it is now. More changes would be nice but at what expense. The available frequencies/channels have to come from somewhere. Do we take away from other bands to increase GMRS? I'll add that I prefer how GMRS is now. If I want to play with digital modes, I will use one of my amateur band radios.

I have to agree that using good cable (LMR400) as short as possible.

I have nothing against that guy wanting to keep his repeater private. What I do have an issue with is how he handled things when others tried to use said repeater. There is a right way and a wrong way to handle things and getting irate is definitely the wrong way. Others flooding his private repeater with traffic is the wrong way to handle things too. It is easy to scan for the PL tones on any repeater no matter what band they are on. So it is hard to keep everyone off a private repeater.

WOW!!!!! Well if he doesn't want anyone using his repeater then he should take it down. He owns the equipment but definitely does not own the frequencies. And we all know how easy it is to scan for the correct PL tones.

I can't speak for the 935G Plus software working for the 935G. Everyone in my local radios club has either the KG935G Plus or KG-Q10G, including myself. I do know that the KG-1000G Plus softwares works just fine for the KG-1000G. The Wouxun software is free from Buy Two Way Radios and easier to use compared to CHIRP. You do have to have a Windows computer or run the software in an emulator if you are running Linux or MacOS.

You don't need Heliax for your uses. LMR 400 Ultra Flex and similar will work just fine. And you shouldn't hurt LMR 400 Ultraflex as long as you don't loop it too tight when you are finished with it.

I don't understand why Midland did not make the MXT575 have the ability to be programmed from a computer nor have more channels slots. The MXT500 at least can be programmed by computer and can be opened up to have more channel slots in the memory with a firmware upgrade. And yes I replaced my Midland MXT500 with a Wouxun KG-1000g. I like the KG-1000g better overall. I won't even mess with a BTech mobile.

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I have an amateur general license and GMRS license. If I want to use digital modes I get on one of my amateur radios. I like the simplicity of GMRS and do not want to see it change.

I run LMR400 or equivalent for all of my VHF and UHF base antennas. You will definitely be better off using a single run of LMR400 for GMRS.

Without getting too technical, yes high SWR and/or lossy cable can lead to power loss. Basically what happens is power is reflected back down the coax to the radio. And any multi band antenna is a compromise. While they work on multiple bands, the bandwidth will be narrower on each band. I suggest getting an antenna tuned specifically for GMRS or finding a dual band 2m/70/cm antenna that also has good SWR on the GMRS band.

I have to agree that most 2m/70cm dual band antennas will have higher SWR reading on GMRS frequencies. Lossy cable and a higher SWR reading on your mobile antenna could very well be what the issue is. Especially if it is a quad band antenna. Multi band antennas are a bit of a compromise in that the bandwidth for each band will be narrower than a mono band or dual band antenna. A higher SWR will show power loss. Add in poor quality cable will only make things worse. I run a Comet 2x4SR dual band antenna on my SxS. It is tuned for 2m and 70cm. The 2x4SR is one of the few dual band antennas that have good SWR for GMRS. I get 1.1 to 1.3 on channels 1-22 (462 MHz) and I get 1.8 on repeater channels (467 MHz). A good dual band base antenna that also works well for GMRS is the Comet GP9. I suggest trying a different antenna instead of the quad band antenna you have now.

There is no such thing as privacy in the digital age. Especially with cell phones and tablets, etc. Even newer cars are just computers on wheels that track you all of the time (just like your phone). And most of the cameras seen at intersections, etc also have license plate scanners built in. If you served in the US military since 1993, then the government also has your DNA on file. And don't think for a minute that your information is safe on all the different DNA ancestry websites either. If you have ever had any type of security clearance to work with the federal government then they have your life story on file. What I am getting at is it is quite easy to track people down and/or get their personal information now days. If you are that worried about it, then throw away all of your electronic devices, to include phones, tablets, computers, and newer vehicles. Then you need to go off grid an not use any banks along with paying for everything with cash only. PS: Yes Missouri released the entire list of conceal carry permits to the feds years ago without permission. And yes those that released said information did get into trouble.

If it works, it works. Nothing wrong with using what you have.

You always want your base antenna as high as you ca get it. As mentioned - height is might. When I was talking about being in my driveway, I was talking about using a hand held radio or the radio in my car and SxS to talk on the repeater. Repeater antennas will normally be installed on a tower or tall building to get the best coverage. I do have an advantage when it comes to our local repeater. The repeater antennas are on a local radio station tower at 400 feet above ground level. Our 2m repeater antennas are on the same tower at 900 feet. @WRZX542 in your case, you will want your repeater/base antenna above your roof. And when I say above your roof, you want the base of your antenna above the roof. Again the higher the better.