WRYZ926

I checked mine and it was under 2.0 on GMRS channels. I don't remember the exact numbers though. The first time I checked I did it inside the garage which gave horrible SWR reading on GMRS. Once I pulled my vehicle outside the SWR readings were fine.

CHIRP will normally input the correct frequencies when you choose the offset. For GMRS that is a positive offset of 5.000 MHz Did the radio loose its programming? And did you save the CHIRP file after making changes and before uploading to the radio? If so, then you should be able to re-download the file to your radio.

@SteveShannon thank you for that information. I use CHIRP or RT Systems software on my 2018 Mac mini. I have found that the RT Systems software is better than the Icom provided software. I have a Windows 11 computer for software that is only available for Windows 10/11. This includes the Wouxun programming software and quite a few of the programs I use for my N scale model trains. I still wonder if it is an issue for @WSEM624 if he is using Parallels.

@SteveShannon are you running an older Intel based Mac and Boot Camp or a newer ARM based Mac and Parallels? Again I don't have any experience with ARM based Macs and Parallels. But I wonder if that could possibly cause some issues since most Windows drivers are written for Intel/AMD CPU's. @WSEM624 which Mac are you running, Intel or ARM? And yes I am still running my 2018 Mac mini with the Intel CPU. I have not upgraded to Sequoia yet. I'm waiting to see how it does on the Intel Macs.

Ah now that is starting to make sense. That could be what's causing you issues. I won't be much help then. I haven't ran Windows on a Mac in years. Last time was on my Mac mini 2010 and Windows 7.

I think most will agree with you on that. I am running the Midland mag-mount for my Comet SBB1 dual band and Tram 1174 antennas on my vehicle and another one with a Comet 2x4SR on my SxS.

Did you make sure to have the USB menu set to ON? There should not be any reason why it is not connecting to Windows 11. Double check device manager to make sure the port is showing up and what port number it is. Also you do need to make sure that you have the correct version of the programming software for the firmware version your radio is running. If you try using the wrong software version then the computer will not recognize the radio. I made that mistake when trying to use version 2.01. Version 2.01 would not recognize the radio until after I updated the firmware.

@WSEM624 did you go into the menu in the radio and then go to menu #13 USB and turn it ON in order for it to talk to the computer. If 13 is not turned ON then the USB port will only act as a charging port. And the Midland software is only compatible with Windows. And it works fine with Windows 10 or 11. Herre is the link for the official programming software and firmware updates. https://midlandusa.com/pages/mxt-500-programming-firmware?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAFdQj9kgFROWjIMyrnhmvq_SZ35&gclid=Cj0KCQiA57G5BhDUARIsACgCYnw2rfAYItoZ3yBGLZxVjONPKoGIcyJiHNS6mRP9quodjJfH5Q-6EZkaAmpuEALw_wcB Make sure you get the correct version for your radio. And remember. The USB port defaults to OFF every time you restart your radio. You must turn in ON each time before connecting it to your computer.

Just how many linked repeaters are there in your area? Are all 8 repeater channels in use? If all 8 repeater channels are already in use then you will just cause interference issues.

I have that spring kit installed. But that won't save the antenna if I forget to fold it with 7ft garage doors.

Yes the Comet 2x4SR works well for 2m, MURS, 70cm, and GMRS when it has a good ground plane. I run one on the back of my SxS and the mag mount is attached to a metal plate that is secured to the expanded metal rack. I get a SWR of 1.8 or less across all those bands. The only reason I don't use the 2x4SR on my Ford Escape is height restrictions since I park in the garage. I'm worried that I would forget to fold it once and tear things up.

Coverage maps like you see on MyGMRS maps and repeater book are just good estimates. The only real way to determine coverage area is to get out and test. Our MGRS repeater antenna is on a local radio station tower at 400 feet above ground. We have a 35 mile radios coverage area. But local terrain and forested areas can and will make a difference on if you can actually get into a repeater. Several of us drove around and tested our repeater's coverage area before opening it up to public use. Our 70cm repeater has about the same overage area even though its antennas are at 900 feet above ground. Our 2m repeater antennas are also at 900 feet above ground and we get close to a 80 mile radios of coverage. Just to show the difference between VHF and UHF. The 70cm and GMRS repeaters are putting out 30-35 watts after the duplexers while the 2m is putting out around 45 watts after the duplexer.

The only time I have had issues with programming cables are the cheap cables from Amazon that have the Prolific chip. That has caused issues with Mac and Windows 11. Cables with the FDTI chip work with any operating system.

I haven't heard anything . I live in a very rural area and the nearest big cities are at least an hour away. St Louis is 1 1/2 hours away.

That has been my experience as well. My Baofeng cable works just fine for many different brands of radios I have tried it with.

I live in a rural area that is an hour away from the closest big cities. I don't look for anything crazy to happen here. But I am always prepared for the worse.

Home insulation, metal siding, metal roofs, plaster/wood lathe walls, and heat barriers are basically faraday cages. A guy that lives close to me has an old house built in the 1920's that is all plaster and wood lathe. So every interior wall also has chicken wire in it to hold the plaster in place. He also has a metal roof too. We are about 350 yards apart and he can't talk to me on a hand held from inside his house. My brother built his house out of a metal building. He can't hardly use his cell phone let alone a HT while inside unless he stands at a window. I mentioned this so people take all of it into consideration when trying to use an indoor antenna.

One thing to remember abut Midland radios, their models with everything in the hand mic cannot be programmed using a computer. Out of all the GMRS and amateur band radios I have, the Wouxun KG-XS20G and KG-935G Plus are the easiest to program. Guys give me good signal reports when using the KG-XS20G with a Comet 2x4SR antenna.

Those numbers are perfectly fine. It is quite normal to see a slightly higher SWR on the repeater channels since they are 467 MHz versus 462 MHz. The SWR on channels 8-14 will probably be around 1.7 also since they are 467 MHz. And good for you on using LMR400 instead of some cheap RG8 from Amazon.

Chassis ground is the best for all the newer vehicles with a battery monitoring system.

You would have to have an inspection done on the chimney to see if it would support a 40 foot mast plus antenna. I personally would not do that unless I anchored the mast in several locations and guyed the mast at several points along the mast to at least 3 points around it. I'm using a 22 foot mast made from 1 5/8" fence post and have it anchored to the house in three spots along with the top guyed at three points. Maybe I over did things, but its better to be safe than sorry.

A bad adaptor along with tree branches touching your antenna will definitely cause high SWR. I learned the hard way. I avoid adaptors as much as possible and make sure to keep trees well trimmed back away from my antennas.

And some 20 watt mobile radios can transmit on channels 8-14 when set to narrow band and low power without any mods being done. They still transmit above the legal 0.5 watts though. A suggestion for those thinking about modding an amateur radio for GMRS, I highly suggest that you make sure that it will not transmit on GMRS channels 8-14 so you don't possibly interfere with the GMRS repeater channels.

No one will ever know the difference unless you tell them. As stated, amateur radios are not type 95 certified so are not legal to use on GMRS. Some people want to stay compliant while others don't worry about it. That is a decision you have to make for yourself. I can't confirm or deny that any of my radios have been modded

Air bands are AM and the KG-Q10H is FM only for transmit. I can't tell you if it will transmit in the maritime mobile band or not since I am not licensed nor have any reason to use that band.