WRYZ926

Just as @Jaay mentioned, some CCR radios have a fake MDC1200 signal that sounds like a duck quack.

Here is a good read on common mode chokes. The article talks about 2m VHF but the principal works for HF bands and UHF bands too. https://w6nbc.com/articles/2020-TBDcoaxchokebalun.pdf

Normally putting loops in, especially loops at certain diameter for the frequency along with certain number of turns can actually reduce noise as the loops will act like a common mode choke.

Sometimes paying a few extra dollars is worth the peace of mind.

I'll second what @SteveShannon said. You can use an adapter or you can change one end of the coax. I will give one word of caution, get a good quality adapter and/or a good quality connector. While you don't have to buy a top of the line Amphenol connector/adapter, you do want to stay away from the super cheap stuff from Amazon and eBay.

This goes for amateur radios too. This is very true. You will definitely see a different output power when running on a 12V battery versus a 13.8V power supply or when running the radio in a vehicle.. The voltage on newer vehicles can go up to 15.1 volts when charging the battery and are around 14.1 to 14.3 volts under normal driving conditions.

You will also need a good duplexer for it to work correctly. The transmit radio will desense the receive radio if you don't. There is more to it than connecting two radios to each other.

While the FCC website can definitely be slow and occasionally time out, I haven't had troubles registering for my FRN, applying for my GMRS license or paying for my technician license once I received an email from the FCC. I think that we can all agree that the FCC website, and especially their data base, can use improvements.

It's been between 16 and 18 years since I worked as a network administrator. Most of our router internet connections were T1 connections and we provided wireless 900 MHz internet for customers. Regardless if you agree with the FCC when it comes to linking GMRS repeaters, they did clarify their stance on the matter a few months ago. Linking repeaters has its place for amateur radio but it is not needed nor wanted by most on GMRS.

The Midland MXTR10 and the Retevis RT97 will work just fine. Compare the specifications on both and also the prices and go with which one suits your needs at the best price. PS: Ignore Negative Nancy, he hardly ever has anything positive to say.

As others have said, getting 37-38 watts out with a 40 watt radio is perfectly fine. A 50 watt radio only putting out 35 watts would be enough to contact the manufacturer and ask questions. I also would not worry much about having an SWR of 1.8. You will be fine as long as the SWR is 2.0 or below.

We had openings from 8:00 to 10:30 every morning for a couple of weeks back in October of last year. I was able to talk to a guy from the Springfield, Ill area on a repeater that is 50 miles west of me. Springfield Ill is 158 miles east of that repeater. I'm surprised that I haven't heard any openings like that lately with how our temperatures have been fluctuating.

While you might be controlling access to your servers, you will still be using other networks, either internet or phone, to connect to GMRS repeaters. Last time I checked a server still connects to the internet and accepts connections from the internet. Again you will still using other networks to connect to GMRS repeaters, which is not allowed.

Giga parts has brought back the old MFJ telescoping antenna under the Intellitron brand name. Josh/Ham Radio Crash Course recently did a video on it. Best "Long Range" 2 Meter Antenna: Intellitron HA-1711S vs. Long Ranger https://www.gigaparts.com/intellitron-ha-1711s-2m-telescopic-ht-antenna-40in-sma-m.html?qty=1 I sure don't miss having to lug around the PRC-77. One unit tried making me the platoon radio operator right after I got rid of having to carry the M60. But you are correct, the old PRC-77 antennas were floppy and still worked.

@WRTC928 I am in the same situation with my 2023 Ford Escape. The maximum antenna length I can use and still fit into the garage is 20". Anything taller and I am either tearing up the garage door insulation or taking a risk of damaging the antennas. While I can use the Comet SBB-1 for 2m, 70cm, and GMRS, it is just as easy for me to use a separate radio and antenna for GMRS. I did have to put the main radio units under the seat and have the remote heads on a Lido seat bolt mount. I also have a couple Icom SP-35 speakers right below the steering wheel. Everyone's situation and setup will be different. Go with what works best for you.

I agree with what has been said, it's a desense issue. Even the Wouxun KG-100G radios suffer from this without either seperating the two radios and antennas or using a good quality and properly tuned duplexer. You can make a repeater with any two radios but you will need a good duplexer for the setup to work properly. We are running a Bridgecom repeater setup for GMRS and we did not trust the duplexer that comes installed with it. We went with a good quality four can duplexer that we properly tuned for the repeater channel we are using. Duplexers are like coax cable and antennas. Buy the best quality that you can afford.

And not everyone lives in the wide open desert where it is flat. Our GMRS repeater antennas are at 400 feet above ground and our 70cm repeater antennas are at 900 feet above ground. We get around a 30-35 mile radius range on both. Again due to local terrain and lots of forested areas. In comparison, our 2m repeater antennas are on the same tower and also at 900 feet above ground. We get around 80-85 mile radius range on 2m. This clearly shows the difference between UHF and HVF. If it was a height issue then we would see better coverage with the 70cm repeater than the GMRS repeater. But both have the same coverage. We actually encourage that type of use on our repeater. Most families won't "rag chew" for hours on end so it's not an issue. Most of us get a big kick out of listening to one of our member's grandson when he gets on the repeater to talk to Grammy and Papa. The kid is only about 8 years old and does a great job with using proper etiquette on the repeater.

Because a 1/2 wave or 5/8 wave antenna will always perform better than a 1/4 wave antenna. And I do have a Comet 2x4SR that I use on the back of my SxS and it works great with my 20 watt GMRS and 20 watt dual band radios. The MXTA26 and any 1/2 or 5/8 wave antenna will do better than a shorter 1/4 wave antenna. I can tell a definite difference going from a Comet SBB-1 to the 2x4SR or the Tram 1174 to the 2x4SR

The main thing is that it works for you and your situation. We strive for the lowest SWR but as long as you are 2.0 and below it will work. I definitely could use my Comet SBB-1 for 2m, 70cm and GMRS since the highest SWR on all three bands is 1.8. Its at 1.8 at 467 and 1.5 or below for 462 and the 2m and 70cm bands. But I like having a separate dual band radio and GMRS radio in my vehicle. The Tram 1174 needed to be cut/tuned for GMRS but it too works well. The SWR on the Tram is 1.4 at 467 MHz and 1.2 at 462 MHz. I would love to run the Comet 2x4SR on my Ford Escape but it is too tall to fit into my garage or any of the parking garages when I go to the VA.

I'm just one person. I own a UT-72G, Tram 1174, and a Melowave Shadow. The UT-72G using a small SMA mount is a negative as you can't easily swap different antennas using the UT-72G magnet mount without using adaptors. I have also found that the performance of the UT-72G I have, is not as good as the Melowave Shadow. The Melowave Shadow is the same as the Midland Ghost. The Tram 1174 outperforms both the Shadow and UT-72G. Others have had similar experiences as I have. The UT-72G does work and it is inexpensive. But you can usually get something a little better for not much more money. Plus having a NMO magnet mount lets you easily change out antennas if you want. And not everyone lives in a wide open desert area or next to a big lake. Most won't get 60, 100, or 200 miles range out of a 20 or 50 watt mobile radio using a mobile antenna. 30-35 mile range is the normal range of GMRS and 70cm repeaters where I live. UHF just doesn't have the range like VHF does.

And as @CogentRadios described his system, other networks have to be used in order to connect to community repeaters while traveling. It's no different than people using the Allstar apps on their phones to connect to Allstar nodes connected to repeaters. Cell and internet connections are still used to make the connection.

You gotta watch them waskly wabbits, they are almost as bad as those evil squirrels hell bent on taking over the world. It's a conspiracy with them. They only act cute so you let your guard down.

That would be my concern too. @Reklaw you did a good job on painting your radios. You might have to attack an Apple AirTag to them incase you loose them.

That is currently done with Allstar nodes on the VHF and UHF amateur bands. And you are still using other networks, internet or phone, to make that connection back to your community repeater. Plenty of guys have the Allstar app on their phones to talk to the local repeater while they travel. Again they are still using either internet or cell phone connections to reach the repeater. That is still against the FCC regulations that they recently clarified.