WRYZ926

One of the differences between coax quality is the amount of braided shielding. Higher quality coax will have more/thicker braids. Here is what the braided shield looks like on quality LMR400 Ultraflex.

That sheath looks like dog doo. It looks to be paper thin so I can see why it peeled back and/or tore on you.

We got the same attitudes when we first brought up a GMRS repeater. But we have proven the naysayers wrong. And more club members are now getting their GMRS licenses.

I took those walkie talkies to one of our club meetings just to mess with everyone. They all got a kick out of seeing them and knowing that they still work.

I still have my Sears Walkie Talkies from when I was a kid. And they still work. They were horrible back then and are still horrible. range is only about 50 feet

How active VHF and UHF repeaters are definitely depends on your location. Here in central Missouri the 2m and 70cm bands are very active. Yet there is no activity on 1.25m (220MHz) and 6m. DMR is a bit more active than 1.25m and 6m.

@Sshannon hit the nail square on the head. It is a combination of everything that matters. You can have a good radio and a good antenna as high as you can get it but junk coax will subtract any gains. Same as if you have a good radio and good coax but a junk antenna.

That is how our club does it. We are using a Bridgecom repeater and running it at a lower power. We do the same with our 2m and 70cm repeaters. Running a busy repeater constantly at full power will shorten the life of the repeater. Another thing to look at is the duty cycle of the radios or repeaters. The higher the duty cycle is the better.

Here is good but long video explaining how to modify a server power supply for use with amateur/GMRS radios. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4LTDvdekEY&t=0s

I know those server power supplies are popular with some. They only put out 12V and most will need to be modified to put out 13.8V. Yes a radio will run just fine at 12V but you won't get the full power output.

Yeah auto correct got me again. I meant to type several.

Here is another option for a 30 amp peak - 25 amp continuous power supply. https://www2.randl.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_9110&products_id=74100 That is what I use for my Wouxun KG-1000G and TYT TH-7800.

I'm familiar with the EMD GP9 locomotives. One unit I was assigned to while in the Army was a railroad unit. The Comet GP9 antenna is a 2m/70cm antenna that is about 18 foot long with a 9Db gain. It also happens to work well for GMRS channels too.

Good choice. A good antenna analyzer really isn't needed for VHF/UHF unless you are building your own antennas from scratch. Analyzers definitely come in handy when making or assembling HF antennas.

The Surecom SW-102 will do what most people need as far as checking SWR and power output. I have a Surecom SW102, a NanoVNA, and a Comet antenna analyzer. I normally grab the Surecom for a quick SWR check or power output check. The Comet CA500 gets used when I need to fine tune an antenna. I'm still figuring out the NanaVNA.

Definitely do not give up! I have been fighting an RFI issue between my HF radio and my TYT dual band for days now. I did all kinds of things to chase down the RFI issues and even had several old timers stumped on how to correct things. I won't lie, I definitely was very frustrated the entire time of trouble shooting. I finally figured out the issue this morning after several days. The issue is with my TYT dual band radio. It picks up interference from my HF radio when both of them are transmitting. I chased down all the possible problems with cables and antennas. I first thought I had my GP9 antenna and my dipole antenna too close. But I switched my TYT radio to a different antenna that is 50 + feet away from the dipole and still had RFI. I then hooked my Wouxun KG100G to the GP9 and there was absolutely no RFI issues at all. Sorry for being long winded. My point is that we all make mistakes. The main thing is that you learn from your mistakes. Just learn to ignore people and go about your business. Don't get aggravated and die up something that you enjoy.

I would definitely check your spam folder and spam settings. Make sure that the following email address is not sent to your junk/spam folder: authorizations@fcc.gov

I applied for my GMRS license last October and received an email also.

We ended up getting a Bridgecom repeater setup for GMRS and we are lucky that the local radio station does not charge us rent for using their 900 foot tower since we are a non profit organization. That is a big bonus that cuts way down on expenses.

Normally it only takes 24 to 48 hours. It took 4 days for a few of up back in October 2023.

I think a lot of people were under the impression that Part 95E hand held radios were suppose to have permanently attached antennas. Some radios have the antennas glued in place while others do not. It's one of those things that slipped by.

I know a lot of people use the cheap blister pack GMRS radios from Walmart during deer season here in Missouri. Or they buy them for their kids to use. In either case, a majority don't bother to read the paperwork that comes with the radios or bother getting a license.

The GMRS repeater we just put up is owned by the club which is a 501c3 non profit. Our 2m and 70cm repeaters run under the club call sign but the GMRS repeater is running under a member's call sign since he has his GMRS license and the club does not. The member is listed as the GMRS repeater trusty within the club.

Yes that gets discussed a bit and you are correct that a GMRS radio that has been opened up for amateur bands is no longer Part 95 certified. Unlocking/MARS Mods are done on a regular basis and no one will say anything as long as one doesn't get stupid on the air. And thanks for the info on the AT-779UV/Radioddity DB20-G

From what I have found, a lot of GMRS certified radios are very hard to impossible to unlock for use on HAM bands. You will have better luck buying a radio that operates on 2/70cm and unlocking it for use on GMRS frequencies/channels. The link that @WRXB215 provided is for a dual band 2m/70cm radio. I haven't messed with bygone dual band radios so I don't know how hard they are to unlock.