WRYZ926

I have noticed the same thing with the recent requests I have received. And people will be disappointed during an actual emergency. Our organization's main focus is to support local agencies so that is where our priorities will be. Plus we still need to move our GMRS repeater from its temporary spot to its permanent home in a rack along side our 2m and 70cm repeaters so that it too will be on battery backup. Our GMRS repeater is not currently on any type of backup power. I guess that more people are buying radios from Amazon lately due to what happened in the Southeast and not bothering with getting licensed. We have had a lot more kerchunking on all three of our repeaters in the last few weeks. It's a bit aggravating t say the least. And it isn't as easy to change PL tones on the 2m and 70cm repeaters since that has to go through the local repeater counsel. What was worse was today. We had to do some final tweaks on our new (to us) 2m Quantar repeater along with trying to get Allstar backup and running. And we has a ID10T or two that kept wanting to kerchunk the repeater all day. Even had a kid get on and say "breaker breaker 19" on the repeater. I guess it's time to build some hand held yagi antennas and go hunting.

Yes the KG-Q10H can be unlocked. I won't get into the subject of unlocked radios on GMRS. The KG-1000G is strictly GMRS only and cannot be unlocked. Wouxun does make the KG-UV980P quad band amateur mobile which the KG-1000G is based on. I haven't messed with the KG-UV980P so can't comment on it.

I have a KG-1000G Plus, KG-935G Plus and a KG-Q10H (amateur version) and all are good radios. I had a Midland MXT500. To me, the Kg-1000G is a better radio.

Flashing your headlights to warn others of a speed trap falls under the 1st Amendment and freedom of speech. At least one person fought a ticket for flashing their headlights all the way up to the Missouri Supreme Court and won the case. The same goes for using CB, MRS, FRS/GMRS, etc. to warn others of a speed trap. Missouri Highway Patrol use to monitor CB channel 9 for emergencies before cell phones were prevalent. Now you can either dial 911 or *55 to report accidents. I'm sure they still monitor CB channel 9 and probably GMRS too.

I wouldn't worry about it and use what you like and fits your budget. All GMRS radios are made in China, yes this includes Midland too. When it comes to amateur band radios, even some Yaesu radios are made in China. And just because a radio says Icom on it doesn't mean they are any better, depending on the model. I have an Icom IC-T10 and it is no better than the Baofeng UV-5R. Both are susceptible to interference and front end over load. My Wouxun radios are better and do not have those issues. An example is that the IC-T10 and UV-5R will pick up interference from my computer monitors when tuned to 70cm or GMRS frequencies where my Wouxun, TYT and Quansheng radios do not pick up interference when tuned to 70cm or GMRS frequencies. Here is a photo I like to send to guys when they give anyone trouble for using CCR radios.

I have a Nagoya UT-72G and a Tram 1174. While I did have to trim/tune the Tram 1174, it definitely outperforms the Nagoya UT-72G. I use the Tram 1174 since I have height restrictions with my garage and also all of the parking garages I use. I also have a Comet 2x4SRNMO that lives on my SxS. It does great with my 20 watt Wouxun KG-XS0G. And I occasionally will use it on my Ford Escape when I am out and about with no worries about height issues. The Midland MXTA26 is another good choice if you don't have to worry about height.

If having an IP65 rating for dust and water are important then I will suggest the Wouxun KG-XS20G Plus for $199. It is an excellent radio and very easy to program using the radio buttons or mic buttons. It has dual watch, NOAA channels, weather alerts and can receive 2m and 70cm bands. Here is the link to Buy Two Way Radios so you can read the specifications. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-xs20g.html?___SID=U There is nothing wrong with the DB2-G and it's very popular. But is is not IP rated if that matters to you. As far as antennas go, the Midland MXTA26 is a very popular antenna as long as you are not restricted on antenna height. If you need a shorter antenna, then go with a good bottom loaded 5/8 wave antenna.

I will suggest getting a mobile radio with a good IP rating since you said you want to use it while off roading especially if you are in an open type vehicle such as a Jeep or UTV. Knowing what features you want will help us give suggestions. And don't forget that you will need a good antenna.

I have been happy with my KG-1000G, KG-XS20G, KG-935G and KG-Q10H.

I occasionally will tune my HF rig to the CB channels to just listen. I hear guys from Puerto Rico blazing on channel 9 and I heard one guy broadcasting political stuff on channel 19 non stop lately. I hear plenty of people using AM, USB and LSB but not much heard on FM here in mid Missouri. I could buy a CB or just open up on of my HF rigs if I really wanted to talk on CB.

All I can say is that is everyone's individual right to vote or not to vote. I have been stationed all over the world and there is still no where else I would want to live. I gave a good many years of my life defending the rights we hold dear. I only want to see everyone exercise those rights.

I know laying the antenna flat on top of the roof is different from laying it flat in a back seat. But I know the 2x4SR does not work well when laid flat inside a vehicle. I have to agree that your propagation pattern will most likely be straight up in the air when laid flat.

I know a few guys that are using the Commountian Kenwood/Baofeng compatible mic and they are happy with them. I know they sound way better than the Baofeng hand mics.

Yes I have a GPS and SiriusXM antenna AKA shark fin. The newer Escapes actually have the Am and FM antennas built into the rear hatch glass so the only antenna on top is the GPS/SiriusXM. But I am also running two mag mounted antennas. I have the luck of the Irish (usually bad) so won't push my luck. I don't want to mess anything up or introduce any RFI/RMI issues. New vehicles are finicky as is with all of the onboard computers. I'll just stick with the two magnet mounts for now since I have everything setup and working the way I want.

I have had my 2023 Ford Escape for a year now and still can't bring myself to drill the roof for NMO mounts. Part of that is due to all of the airbags under the headliner.

The Wouxun KG-1000G Plus is an excellent radio. Yes they are more expensive but close to the same price as the Midland MXT500 and MXT575. The Wouxun KG-1000G is a better radio. Another option for aluminum body panels is the Midland MXTA38 adhesive backed metal disk. I use on an aluminum tool box to hold a Comet 2x4SR antenna on my SxS. I cleaned the toolbox really well and applied the MXTA38 disk. I set a 25 pound weight on the disk for a couple of days to ensure the disk staid put. Of course the tool box is diamond plate. You probably won't have to use a weight with a perfectly lat and smooth surface.

I doubt that every single antenna is fully tested during production. So a few that needs tuned are going to slip out. Most companies are only going to test a small portion of products of any given production run. Otherwise the overhead cost of Quality control would be higher which leads to higher consumer cost.

I'm use to working on and with military generators. Those all ran at 3600 rpms to produce either 240/120 single phase or 208/120 three phase at 60 Hz. Granted I got out of the Army in 1996 and things change over time. I personally would not want to use a hand crank or bicycle generator to try and charge a larger capacity battery. But that is just me. I am with @marcspaz in that I would be looking at a solar charge setup. LIPO4 batteries are pretty light now days. I bought a 100 AH LIPO4 battery to replace the lead acid trolling motor battery and the weight difference was pretty significant. The deep cycle battery weighs around 60 pounds and the same size LIPO4 battery is around 23 pounds. Even the 10 AH LIPO4 batteries are quite a bit lighter than the standard lead acid batteries of the same size.

Like I said, I had to trim my Nagoya UT-72G also. It was long from the factory and had SWR 2.2 on 467 MHz and 1.8 on 462 MHz. Yes that is doable but why waste power output if you can tune the antenna better.

The Tram 1174 is sold as a GMRS antenna according to Buy Two Way Radios https://www.buytwowayradios.com/tram-1174.html?___SID=U The Antenna Farm has the Tram 1174 listed under GMRS mobile antennas too. https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-manufacturers/manufacturer/tram/191-antennas/192-mobile-antennas/gmrs-antennas-mobile-base I even had to adjust my Nagoya UT-72G mobile antenna. There are tolerances in manufacturing so sometimes an antenna will need to be tuned even if it is just a little bit.

Some antennas do need tuned while others come pre tuned. Even some pre tuned antennas still need adjusted a little. The Tram 1174 is an example of an antenna that does need tuned. Mine was actually tuned for the around 450 out of the box. I had to shorten it to get good SWR reading for GMRS.

While this is very true, I personally find it much easier to just use an antenna analyzer. All I can say is go with what method is easiest for you.

You're welcome.

You can use a SWR meter, but it won't tell you if the antenna is too long or too short. Best is to use a NanoVNA or an actual antenna analyzer. Maybe someone local will have an analyzer that you can borrow.

Glad to hear the clamp on ferrites helped you. And yes a 5/8 wave antenna will be better. Even a bottom loaded 5/8 antenna will work fine. The Tram 1174 is a bottom loaded antenna that is about 14-15 inches tall and works quite well for me. You want to get the SWR at 2 or better. I had to trim my Tram 1174 and ended up getting SWR of 1.2 at 462.600 and 1.4 at 467.600.