WRYZ926

I don't have access to a Bird monitor. I tested with a couple of different SWR/power meters into a good dummy load and also with the antenna inline. I am using a tuned Comet CA-712EFC with a 32 foot run of LMR400 Ultraflex coax with Amphenol connectors. There was a slight difference between my Surecom meter and my more expensive meter. But the Midland was still only putting out 38 watts on high into the dummy load and connected to the antenna. The two Wouxon KG-1000G radios were a steady 46 to 50 watts and the KG-XS20G was 25 watts. The only differences in my tests were the radios, everything else was the same in each test. While I did not use high end testing equipment, I did make sure to keep everything as consistent as possible.

I know a few people in different industries that deal with Chinese manufacturers. Most Chinese manufacturers will make what ever you want and to the specifications you require. You can't always go by the country of origin to determine the quality. It is what specifications the customer wants and how much they want to pay per item. And Midland radios are made in China also. Even some Japanese companies are having radios made in China now days, this includes some Yaesu models and some Alinco models. Like most people, I did my research before buying any radio. First hand reviews by actual end users are important. I take most reviews on Amazon with a grain of salt and look for more independent reviews. I had a Midlands MXT500 for a while. But I was not happy that my particular radio was not putting out anything close to the 50 watts maximum (35 watts on high). Otherwise it was a nice radio and easy to program through the radio itself. The Wouxun KG-1000G radios I have do put out between 46 and 50 watts as advertised. And the KG-XS20G actually puts out 25 watts versus the advertised 20 watts.

I have to agree that the Wouxun KG-XS20G and KG-1000G radios are great choices. I own both and they work well. I am using one KG-1000G as my base station with a Comet CA-712EFC antenna and another in my car with a short Tram 1174 antenna. The KG-XS20G is in my Honda Pioneer 500 with a Comet 2x4SR antenna. While I am not a fan of Midland mobile radios, they are hard to beat for their simplicity and ease of use. I haven't heard a lot of positive reviews on the Baofeng/B-Tech mobile radios. This goes for their GMRS and amateur band mobile radios.

As stated, there are a few reasons why one would want to put a loop in the coax right below an antenna. Though it is not necessary if the coax is attached to the mast/tower so that there is no strain on the connectors. I personally put a loop in the coax on all my vertical antennas just so I don't have to undo any of the cable clamps/supports if I don't have to. Yes a few manufacturers to include Comet, Diamond, and Tram recommend a loop.

The purpose for the loop right below the antenna is incase you ever need to remove the antenna from the mounting bracket. The loop gives enough slack to pull the antenna out of the mount and disconnect the coax. And you definitely want a drip loop in the coax where it enters your home to keep water from running down the cable and then inside.

A lot of people on limited budgets or just dipping their toes into amateur radio and/or GMRS will use a hand held radio connected to a magnet mounted antenna in their vehicles. While a 5 or 8 watt hand held won't reach out as far as a 20 - 50 watt mobile, radio, it still works well with an external antenna. I ran a magnet mount antenna with my Baofeng GT-5R hooked to an external antenna in my car for a while and had no issues getting into the local repeaters. That allowed me to save up for and research what mobile radio I wanted.

A NanoVNA will work for showing if you are high or low on your SWR and if you need to shorten or lengthen the antenna. And NanoVNA's can be bought for under $100. There is a bit of a learning curve with them but it isn't that bad.

Go with what works for you. The main thing is to be 1.8 or less on 462 and 467. An SWR of 2.0 will still work but 1.8 or less is better.

It is way easier to shorten an antenna versus lengthening one. This is where a cheap NanaVNA or an antenna analyzer comes in handy. You really need to know if the antenna is resonant above or below where you want it. I had to trim my Tram 1174 antenna. Before I made a single cut, I measured the SWR with an analyzer to see if it was high (short) or low (long). I made small 1/8" or less cuts testing the SWR after each cut. I did this until I was happy with the SWR. Remember to test at 467 MHz and at 462 MHz. You might get it spot on at 1.0 - 1.2 at one but be around 1.8 on the other. Or you might get both really close. I got my Tram to 1.3 at 462 MHz and 1.5 at 467 MHz. You will be fine as long as you are 1.8 or less on both 467 MHz and 462 MHz. Remember to cut just a tiny bit and test after each cut. If your lowest SWR is above your target frequency, then the antenna is too short. If the lowest SWR is below the target frequency, then the antenna is long and needs trimmed.

That is the easiest and fasted way to correct the issue. It would not cost much at all in the cost of redesign or materials to do that.

I finally bought a KG-Q10H. I've been happy with it so far. It works well on 2m and 70cm. I have only been able to talk to people within a few miles on 6m but it works and sounds good. I have yet to try out 1.25m since no one around uses that band. It definitely performs better than the Icom IC-T10 I have.

@marcspaz you're welcome. We are getting about 30- 35 mile radius from the repeater which is pretty good considering the terrain and forested areas in Central Missouri. Again the GMRS antennas are at 400 feet. We have about the same coverage area with our 70cm repeater even with its antennas at 900 feet. valleys and red cedar trees mess with UHF. Most of the dead spots I find on GMRS are the same for 70cm when I am mobile.

Or you get the fast "keyer's" that don't give others a chance to talk. I have seen a few guys that barely let the repeater drop out before they start talking. And we have one person that uses our 2m repeater that jumps into others conversations and derails things all of the time. That's when some of us will switch over to our 70cm or GMRS repeaters. That one person can't get into those two repeaters.

If my memory is correct, those work on the CB channel 14. Most of the Walkie Talkies from the 70's and 80's were on channel 14.

A lot of people have used cookie sheets under a mag mount mobile antenna for their base stations with good results. I did just that until I could get an actual base antenna installed.

I didn't pay any attention to the FCC ID when we received our BCR-40U back in November. We did not get the internal duplexer since we had better ones already. The repeater has been running for 6 months now with zero issues. A few of us definitely tested the repeater's duty cycle before opening it up to the public. Time will tell how the Bridgecom holds up over the long term. We have the repeater setup at 40 watts without the duplexer. So it is putting out 20-25 watts after the duplexer. What helps is having the antennas at 400 foot above ground.

Yes that will work fine too. Just try to keep it attached to a rail as far from the house as possible. Most base stations have radials and do not require anything else for a ground plane.

If you can afford to spend a little more, then most of us will highly suggest the Comet CA-712EFC base antenna. The Comet CA-712EFC will work right out of the box when fed with LMR400 or equivalent coax. They are between $135 and $140 depending on where you purchase. https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/base-antennas/gmrs-base-antennas/gmrs-omni-directional-base-antennas/1085-comet-ca-712efc-detail https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-ca-712efc

In that case I will recommend using the Comet 2x4SR antenna if you have the clearance for a 38-40 inch tall antenna. I have not found any dual band antennas that are 20 inches or less that will work on 2m/70cm and GMRS.

Some dual band antennas will work fine for GMRS and some will not. The Comet GP3 and Comet GP9 antennas will work for GMRS.

I have the Wouxun KG-Q10H quad band hand held that does 2m, 1.25m, 70cm and 6m. I have talked to guys on 6m FM with it when they were only a few miles away from me. But I have not been able to talk to anyone farther away with it. Most hand held radios are going to be FM only on 6m. 6m is called the magic band since you have to wait for conditions to be just right to talk over longer distances. You would be better off with a mobile or base radio for working 6m. 10m is effected by the solar cycle too. Again a mobile or base radio would work better.

Another thing to consider is static electricity. Static will build up on your antennas and has to have somewhere to go. I would rather have static electricity go to an outside ground versus following the coax all the way to my equipment. The links provided are worth reading, even if they are long.

You answered your own question on how properly grounding would benefit a GMRS licensee. It doesn't matter what type of license you have, properly grounding your antenna system is for safety reasons per the National Electrical Code. I see this conversation going south quickly, especially if someone recommends putting the end of their coax in a glass jar during a storm. I will suggest that everyone reads the link that @Sshannon posted above.

Are you programming in the proper offset for the repeater channel? The offset should be set to a + 5 MHz.

Nothing wrong with Midland radios for their simplicity and ease of use. A lip mount or a magnet mount in the middle of the trunk lid should work fine on the Miata. I have used those devices that will allow the stock antenna to work for CB years ago. They never did work as well as a dedicated CB antenna. So you might want to look at two separate antennas for CB and GMRS.