WRYZ926

Plus most magnet mount coax cables average 1-12 foot in length. So there won't be a lot of loss in that length versus 50 or 100 foot of coax used for most base unit installations.

Channels 8-14 are the low power channels at only 0.5 watts and you won't be able to transmit on those channels with a mobile radio.

I finally received everything needed to mount my 2m/70cm radio and GMRS radio in my Escape. My stuff took the scenic route thanks to the ever efficient USPS. I am using a Comet SSB1-NMO antenna for 2m/70cm and a Tram 1174 NMO antenna for GMRS, both are on magnet mounts. I found a spot along the main wiring harness under the dash to pass the power wires through. Positive wires are to the battery and ground wires go to chassis ground. The Comet is in the center of the roof while the Tram is towards the back end of the roof. Both radios are mounted under the driver's seat and the remote heads are mounted to a Lido seat bolt mount. I did have to go with an external speaker for the 2/m70cm radio which is mounted to the bottom of the dash close to the door. I will have to wait and see if an external speaker will be needed for the GMRS radio since it has two speakers on the main unit and a good speaker in the hand mic. I am using a TYT TH-7800 dual band radio for amateur frequencies and a Wouxun KG-1000G+ for GMRS. Here is a photo showing both head units on the seat bolt mount.

I stand corrected and I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I overlooked all of the FRS channels that can use 2W and was going by the ones that are locked out on all GMRS mobile radios (channels 8-14).

If you end up using a window pass through bulkhead, you can have a piece of 1/4" all thread sticking out both sides. This allows you to ground the bulkheads and coax to an outside ground rod. And on the inside you can also ground all of your radio chassis to the bulkhead if you want. Old homes should still have a service ground so you will want to bond everything to it too. Here is the 40" j mount that I am currently using for my GMRS antenna. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GBWLMQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 And the pipe is 1 5/8" in diameter so you can get some 1 5/8" fence posts to extend it if needed and use these 1 5/8" couplers to connect them together. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCFTBL4H?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 Just remember that if you go much higher than the j mount you will most likely want to guy the mast. With a light weight vertical antenna, you can use the proper guy rope. I didn't add any more pipe to my j mount so I did not need to guy it.

I know talking about grounding everything can and does cause arguments. The PDF that @Sshannon posted is a good read and simple to understand. NEC and local building codes will determine what is needed for grounding everything. Grounding rods and 6 gauge grounding wire is cheap enough and worth the protection. I grounded both my masts to ground rods. I also have a ground rod right below the bulkhead where my cables attach and go through the wall into the house. All of those groups are also bonded to my service ground. I still need to add lightning arresters to the cables. The lightning arresters also help discharge any static electricity too. I put a ground rod right at the base of the taller mast that my 2m/70cm antenna is since it is on the far side of the house from my shack. The GMRS antenna is right above the shack and bulkhead so I used one ground rod for that mast and the bulkhead. My service ground is half way between the two so I ran 6 gauge wire between the two ground rods to the service ground. Sorry for the derailment of the thread but safety is important.

FRS is limited to 0.5W so no mobile radio can transmit on FRS 0.5w channels. The lowest that mobile radios will go is 5W. Midland doesn't even program the FRS channels into their mobiles and Wouxun has them programs but for receive only. The FRS 0.5W channels are channels 8 through 14.

As stated, going with LMR400 will help. Also having a good antenna as high as you can get it helps tremendously. And to answer your question about a 5W HT versus a 20W or 50W mobile as your base, yes the more powerful mobiles will allow you to transmit farther (depending on your location).

The standard J Mount works well for radio antennas. You will get better reception if you can get the base of the antenna higher than the roof. I bought a 40" tall j mount from Amazon for mine. For one the KG-100G is superheterodyne while the Midland is a SOC. I can tell a difference between the two. Plus I like the ability to mount the head separate from the main body in my vehicles and on my desk top. Plus I am just not very impressed with Midland radios after using the MXT500.

Right now I am using my Midland MXT500.

If you decide to use your KG-100G as a base station, look at the Comet CA-712EFC antenna, that is if you don't have to deal with any restrictions on antennas. I have the Comet CA-712EFC and have been very pleased with it. I have it mounted to a j mount on the top of my roof so the base is 18 foot above ground level and I have no problem talking to people 20 miles away with rolling hills and lot of woods between us. I can talk to guys using an HT at that distance depending on the terrain between us. According to USPS, my KG-100G and seat bolt mount are out for delivery so I will be busy installing everything tomorrow. I am going to the VA for a couple of appointments today.

The menu reset (#40) will not unlock the radios to transmit on other frequencies outside of GMRS frequencies.

The Wouxun radios are easy to program from the front panel or mic. The XS20G Plus was easy enough and very similar to the 935G Plus I helped program for a friend. My next purchase will probably be the KG935G Plus or I might splurge and get the KG Q10G.

I should get my KG 1000G Plus tomorrow according to USPS informed delivery. I'm still waiting on my seat bolt mount for the car so I can install my 2m/70cm radio and my KG 1000G Plus.

Yes repeater channels must be enabled in the menu. That being said, one radio set to narrow band will be hard to hear by others when farther away as my friend and I found out when he had his MXT575 set to narrow band, which is how all Midland radios come from the factory.

I find that new members frequently do not bother reading FAQ's or pinned threads on most of the forums I on. This goes for forums on many different topics from vehicles, firearms, model trains, two way radios, etc. That being said, a FAQ can be useful to have and point out to new members.

Some Baofeng radios can't be unlocked. The standard trick of holding down buttons while turning the radio on works with standard Baofeng UV-5R and GT-5R radios but will not work with the Baofeng UV-5R GMRS. I do not know if the unlock will work on the UV-5G or UV-5X GMRS radios. The UV-5R GMRS will have an orange label along with a small sticker that says GMRS. I have not found any information stating that the UV-5R unlock actually works on the GM-15 Pro.

Check to see if you have your radio set to narrow band or wide band. Most Midland radios come from the factory set on narrow ban. You want to change all channels to wide band. I don't know if that is your exact problem but using wide band will help. I have the MXT500 and a friend has the MXT575. I changed the settings on my radio to wide band but my friend did not. I could hardly hear him on any channel until he changed his radio to wide band. We were about 17 miles apart at the time.

And if you get your GMRS License and technician (or higher) license then you can double the costs since you will be looking at radios for HAM and GMRS. Yes I fell down that rabbit hole.

The Nagoya NA-771G is definitely a popular choice. I have the 771G for my GMRS HTs and the 771 dual band version for my 2m/70cm HTs. I do notice better reception when using the longer 771/771G antennas versus the stock rubber duck antennas.

Baofeng radios use a SMA female antenna. As mentioned by others, most HT's will have a SMA connector. Some brands use SMA male on the radios, such as Baofeng, while others use a SMA female on the radios, such as TYT. The last time I saw or used a BNC type connector was years ago on a CB HT.

Tropospheric ducting definitely effects how far radio waves travel. I was picking up a GMRS repeater this morning that is 33 miles from me but that I normally can't reach due to terrain. I was getting a very weak but clear signal this morning.

@jas you still could have been bouncing signals off of things without realizing it.

That is known as picket fencing in the HAM (amateur) radio world. And yes just moving a little bit in a different direction can help get around obstacles.

Yes a good antenna with higher gain will make quite a bit of difference. I am limited to a maximum of 16" for antennas for daily use so that I can still get my Ford Escape into the garage without damaging the antennas or tearing up the garage door insulation. But I will get longer antennas too.