WRYZ926

That is easy to do.

I have been known to mess with the guys that like to rag chew by using military protocol. They don't like it when I say break before continuing my transmission. It is fun to mess with people at times. I've even turned the Roger beep on to mess with friends.

Another thing I am guilty of at times is grabbing the wrong mic. I try my best to keep my dual band mic and my GMRS mic separated but it doesn't always work out.

A high school friend would scramble everyone's TV's on the block whenever he keyed up his CB and amp. Of course that was in the 1980's when most people had analog TV antennas or cable TV and no one had satellites. He thought it was fun to hold a 4 foot fluorescent light bulb close to his CB antenna and light it up. I haven't noticed anything major in my house when on HF but I am also not running any amps either. I do make sure that the old scanner is shut off, otherwise it goes crazy when I key up my FTDX10. The scanner really makes noise when I am running digital modes. Some bands are worse than others. It took me a minute to find the interference issues between my FTDX10 and Wouxun KG-1000G. I only had issues when on the 40m band. I had to shield the power supply for my GMR and dual band radios. The KG-1000G was the only one affected. I didn't have issues with the TYT TH-7800 or Icom IC-2730.

I sometimes slip and use military protocol on the radio but I try not to do that very often. Biggest issue for me is getting my call signs mixed up

And nexnav wants the spectrum for GPS use.

Definitely comment against this change. We don't need to lose any more frequencies. We lost part of the 1.25M/220 Mhz band a few years ago when UPS petitioned the FCC for a portion of that band. And to make things worse, UPS never uses it.

That Surecom setup might be great for instant emergency use. But the Retevis or Midland low power repeaters will be a lot better solution for normal use. Others have already mentioned everything I would say. When it comes to power output, you really have to quadruple the power output to even notice any changes. And with UHF being ling of sight, it won't make much difference at since we are limited to 50 watts on GMRS. The Retevis and Midland repeaters are a good solution for those on a tight budget or want a small portable repeater setup. Remember that good low loss coax and a good antenna is very important. My antenna setup at home is a Comet CA-712EFC antenna about 18 feet above ground with LMR400 coax connecting it to the radio. I don't notice hardly any difference when using my 20 watt Wouxun KG-XS20G versus using my 50 watt Wouxun KG-1000G. This is when using the repeater 22 miles away or talking to my brother on simplex that is 18 miles away. The most important thing is good coax and antenna along with a clear line of sight.

I agree 100% We probably would not have any GMRS repeaters here in Missouri if it wasn't for amateur radio operators and pro radio techs putting GMRS repeaters up on existing repeater sites. In fact every repeater that is in range of me is ran by individuals with amateur licenses or amateur radio clubs. I also agree that if a person doesn't like hearing something on the radio, no matter what service/band, then just turn the dial or shut the radio off if one is offended. Most people that use our GMRS repeater are also amateur radio operators so you are going to hear Q codes and 73 quite often. And it is really no different than someone using 10 codes.

Yeah good luck filing online complaints with the FCC, they might look into it several months or years later. I filed complaints about the neighbor's ultrasonic pest deterrent devices that are not FCC approved several times and never heard anything back about my complaints. The devices cause interference with my radios and even worse is that they cause physical pain in my ears along with headaches.

The FCC does impose fines on rare occasions. There was at least on person with CB that got fined $25,000 last year. The person was causing interference by constantly transmitting signals. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-23-448A1.pdf

The FCC is like any other government agency, You can ask 10 agents the same exact question and get 20 different answers. Sometimes it will depend on time of day or day of the week on what answer you get. I dealt with that back when I had my FFL when talking to the ATF. Most will never get into trouble if they are NOT drawing any attention to themselves. CB is a perfect example. That band is limited to 4 watts output power but plenty of people use amplifiers and it is actually pretty rare that someone gets fined by the FCC for that. Those that we do see get into trouble were doing something to draw the FCC's attention or did something do get law enforcement to investigate . I am not condoning or condemning those that disregard FCC rules and regulations. It is well known that as long as you aren't causing any issues and/or drawing attention to yourself then the FCC will never bother you. One can look at the public records concerning FCC enforcement to see this is true. Amateur radio, GMRS, and CB operators are actually pretty low on the FCC's priority list.

Good low loss coax cable, and getting a good antenna up as high as you can get is very important. The saying "height is might" holds true with UHF frequencies (GMRS) since they are line of sight. Nothing stopping you from putting up your own repeater. I will suggest going with a dedicated repeater versus trying to use two mobile radios. As @OffRoaderX said, there is additional costs for a good setup. Again going with good coax and a good antenna is important along with using a quality duplexer that is properly tuned. Most of us do not have the knowledge and/or equipment to properly tune duplexers. Depending on the terrain, you will want an antenna with either 6DB or 9DB of gain. For hillier terrain 6DB is better while flatter/wide open terrain is where 9db shines. Options are used commercial repeaters like OffroaderX is using or buying a brand new repeater that is setup for GMRS. A Bridgecom repeater without duplexer will set you back around $1500.

Did you make sure to turn on "duplex" for the channel you programmed? This is actually a common mistake when a person is new to radios and programing them. GMRS repeaters use duplex in that the repeater receives on 467.XXX MHZ and transmits on 462.XX MHZ. Your radios will transmit on 467.XXX MHz and receive on 462.XXX MHz. So you will need to make sure that duplex is turned on, that the proper 5 MHz offset is on and that you are using the proper tones.

It was a Joke, I say a joke son. ---- Foghorn Leghorn I brought up oil since the subject usually starts arguments on any and all automotive, watercraft, and firearm forums. And yes I know the importance of when and where to use the proper types of lubricant oils since I am a retired machinist and millwright. But but but,, I heard it in a YouTube video and read it on forums so it must be true! I hear rumors that the Wouxun KG-Q10H quad band HT can actually be unlocked to also work well on MURS and GMRS. But I wouldn't know anything about that.

And what kind of oil should I be using to lube the antenna mast bolts???? The cat is out of the bag as far as people using unlocked/modified radios and the different services. As long as they aren't doing anything to draw attention to themselves or causing issues for other people, then no one will know any different.

Now if you are looking for an omnidirectional antenna setup, then look into square halo antennas. I mention square halls since they are easy to build at home and are omni directional. You can stack two halos vertically to increase gain. You have to keep a certain amount of spacing between the two antennas and also make sure they are phased correctly. I just thought I would throw out a different idea for antennas. M2 Inc sells what they call a 70cm loop antenna which is a square halo or folded dipole depending on how you look at it. They also talk a little about installing two together and phasing them. It would not be hard to tune one for GMRS use. https://www.m2inc.com/FG70CMHOLOOP

Makes sure that whoever you buy the duplexer from can tune them for the correct frequencies that you are going to use. Tuning duplexers is not something an average person can do at home since it requires specialized equipment to tune them.

Having the radio plugged into the accessory outlet is a sure way to get interference in most newer vehicles. Noise could be coming from the alternator or any of the computer control modules or various sensors, etc. You could try to chase own the source and put clamp on ferrite beads on everything to eliminate the RFI. The easiest fix is to run the positive wire from the radio directly to the battery positive post and run the negative radio wire directly to a good chassis ground. Hooking up directly to the battery and chassis ground is still not a 100% guarantee on eliminating RFI but it it is still the best option.

Yes server power supplies are popular. As mentioned, they do need some slight modifications first so that you get a good 13.8 volts out of them. Now a standard ATX power supply is a different story. They can be very noisy when it comes to RF. I had to deal with that when I used an old ATX power supply to run accessories on my model train layout. I was getting some noise/interference from the power supply with my DCC command station and my DCC equipped locomotives. I will say that all of the power supplies I own (mentioned above) have not given me any fits with my model train layout and DCC system. @WSDX985 stick with a known brand that we have mentioned and you will be fine. A 30 amp power supply will run a 50 watt radio without any issues. A 30 amp power supply will handle two 50 watt radios transmitting at the same time as long as you are running low or medium power on both radios. Trying to transmit on high power with two radios can very well be too much for a 30 watt power supply.

And don't forget about DX Engineering and R&L electronics when price comparing.

@WSDE521 we all had to start from scratch and learn. Don't let "some people" ruin things for you. And don't be afraid to ask questions. Just ignore the answers that are not helpful or when someone is rude/sarcastic. Some of us started out decades ago with different radios/bands such as CB, some have experience from the military and/or their daily jobs. But we all had to learn as we go. Some people learn faster than others. Some learn by reading while some learn best by hands on. I believe that you will do just fine and are on the right path. And don't let health issues slow you down either. I am totally disabled due to arthritis, fibromyalgia and injuries from the military. My health might have slowed me down but it sure hasn't stopped me from learning new things or doing as much as I can for myself.

Stay safe with the storms. And everything will come together for you before you know it.

Most of the least expensive power supplies all seem to be made by one or two manufacturers so don't get hung up on a brand name as long as they get good reviews. The E-Ham website is a great place to read real world reviews. I will use a different analogy here. There is no need to spend the extra money on premium high octane gas for your vehicle if it runs and performs perfectly fine on regular gas. I will say that some of the cheap power supplies from Amazon or Alibaba are not going to match the quality of the better known brands. Those super cheap power supplies might also be electrically noisy too. One thing to look at is the actual RMS or continuous power rating. Most power supplies are marked and advertised by the peak amperage. They are not meant to run at the peak all of the time. Most 30 amp power supplies are only rated between 22 and 25 amps continuous. IF you are only connecting one radio (up to 50 watts) to the power supply then any 30 amp supply will work. I have several power supplies; an old Astron 30 Amp, two R&L Electronics brand 30 Amp supplies, and a Tek-Power 50 amp supply from Amazon. All have worked just fine for my needs. I run my Icom IC-2730 and Wouxun KG-1000G from one of the R&L 30 amp power supplies with no issue. The Tek-Power 50 amp runs my Yaesu FTDX10 and LDG AT-1000 Pro II auto tuner. Now if you want one of the best power supplies then stick with the more expensive linear units. If you want to save money then a decent switching power supply will work just fine.

You're welcome. Here is a link to the DX Engineering MAX400 and MAX400 UF coax cables. Either one is available in many different lengths. https://www.dxengineering.com/search/department/cable-and-connectors/part-type/coaxial-cable-assemblies?N=brand%3Adx-engineering%2Bcoaxial-cable-type%3A400max_lmr-400-uf-ultraflex