WRYZ926

The problem is that there is no standard format for the exchange of GPS information between the different manufacturers. Wouxun has their own version in their KG-Q10G too. It's kind of like the digital modes for amateur radio. You have DMR, Fusion, and D-Star. None of them work with the others.

I'm not sure if our club's emergency trailer has any commercial radios or not. But we do have all amateur bands and GMRS covered now.

It never hurts to have more useful tools in one's toolbox. And that is how a few of us sold the idea of a GMRS repeater to our club too.

Same for me.

Most of the time each repeater that is on the same channel will use different tones. It would be a real mess if all repeaters on the same channel used the same tones or no tones at all.

Yes it is. Now most people can get by just fine running two 50 mobile radios on one 30 amp (peak) power supply simply because most will never be transmitting on both radios at the exact same time. Now if people were to transmit on two 50 watt mobiles at the same time say like during a field day/demonstration, then some 30 amp power supplies might not be enough. It will depend on the continuous amp rating.

Remember that most manufacturers advertise their power supplies at the peak amp rating. You want to double check to see what the continues amp rating is. Most power supplies advertised as 30 amps are normally between 24 and 26 amps continuous.

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Here is what I could find on the dealer mode. https://www.manualslib.com/manual/632574/Wouxun-Kg-Uvd1p.html?page=9

Wouxun does make some good hand held radios. The KG-935G has been a solid radio for me and others. I know a few guys that really like the KG-UV9D Mate and KG-UV8H. I've been considering the new KG-Q10H quad band radio myself.

A few members in my local club have bought Yaesu radios in the last 1-2 years and they say made in China on them. I'll have to ask which models.

This is a commonly talked about topic here and on other radio related forums. Do a search on this forum. The majority are against any type of digital mode on GMRS.

I can't say 100% sure about Allinco but I do know that Yaesu is having their radios made in China. And I have heard that Allinco does too. That being said. Allinco should have better quality control versus Baofeng, etc.

Yes I realize that and will refrain from doing that in the future. That being said, I do hold both licenses. And as mentioned, this is a very common mod to do for GMRS and Amateur license holders. We see it all the time here and on other forums. EDIT: this thread is about using a VHF/UHF radio. Now I don't know if the OP is using the radio out of band or not, but it is being talked about in an open forum.

It doesn't bother me one bit that people modify their own radios as long as they aren't idiots and causing issues. I have modified a couple of my VHF/UHF radios myself. It allow me to run fewer radios at one time.

Yes some of those 30 amp server power supplies are adjustable for voltage output. The 100 amp power supplies normally need to be modified to put out 13.8V without damaging the unit.

Radioddity is usually pretty good about taking care of their customers no matter if you bought directly from their website or their Amazon store.

Terrain, foliage, buildings, etc will all play a part in how far you can talk. The guys located in the wide open desert will have more range than most of us in the eastern half of the country. As mentioned, repeaters have better equipment, coax and antennas and are usually high up in the air. The local repeater tower is 21.5 miles away from me. I can make it into the local 2m repeater from my house with any of my hand held radios. The Icom and Explorer QRZ-1 do better than my Baofeng radios. I can get into the GMRS repeater n the same tower but only with my Wouxun KG-935G hand held. The 70cm repeater antenna is also on the same tower and at the same height as the 2m repeater antenna. I can not get into the 70cm repeater at all with any of my hand held radios.

If it works then go with it. And I don't blame you for not wanting to drill into a new roof. That is why I put my j mounts along the edge at the eaves. So if there is any leaks it will just be non the outside of the house. I have 12" wide eaves on my roof. There are many options when it comes to getting a mast and antenna up in the air.

Last Friday was a perfect example of that. It was very foggy early in the morning here in mid Missouri. After the fog lifted, the sky was really hazy for the rest of the day. It had an effect on HF, VHF, and UHF. UHF was effected the worst that day.

Nothing wrong with going as cheap as possible on building an antenna mast mount. The main thing is that it is secure and stable. Use wall clamps and guy ropes when putting two or more sections of pipe together. I will give a suggestion for a cheaper source of mast pipe. 1 5/8" fence posts are usually cheaper than antenna masts pipes. I picked up the fence posts at Menards and had to order some 1 5/8 fence post couplers from Amazon. Here is a link for the 1 5/8" fence post couplers for those interested. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCFTBL4H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 One thing to remember when using a mast is to secure it to the house and/or use guy ropes to keep it from swaying in the wind. This is important so that the mast doesn't wave around and bend/break. Reusing old satellite dish mounts is another great alternative too. I am using a couple of 4 foot tall j mounts on my roof. One has my Comet CA-712EFC mounted to it and the other has an additional 6 foot section of 1 5/8" fence post on it to get a multi band HF antenna up. In the end, use what you have or can afford. Just be safe and follow all safety and grounding practices.

This is very true.

What @Sshannon and @Ian said is correct. VHF will have an advantage over UHF when all things are equal. The same goes when comparing 2m and 70cm bands. 2m being VHF will have better range than 70cm UHF from the same radio with the same antenna and coax when transmitting at the same exact power level on each band. And HF frequencies will do better than both VHF and UHF. The longer the frequency wavelength, the farther you can communicate.

How far you can talk will also depend on the terrain, vegetation (trees) and buildings around you. Guys high up on a hill in the wide open desert will get way more range than someone in a hilly and/or forested area or urban areas. I live in central Missouri so I have a mix of terrain from fairly flat open farm ground to hills and river valleys with a lot of mixture of tree coverage. I can only reach out about 25 miles on UHF simplex and a little farther on VHF simplex. And I am using a 50 watt GMRS radio connected to a Comet CA-712EFC antenna with LMR400 coax, the antenna base is about 20 feet above the ground and 5 feet above my roof. 5 miles should not be any problem even with a 5 watt hand held radio with a decent antenna up high with good coax.

Yes it is. I do believe some people had trouble with that model too. I could be wrong though. I have too much blood in the caffeine system this morning.