WRYZ926
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Posts posted by WRYZ926
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I will recommend the Baofeng GT-5R for a cheap dual band radio. I've seen enough videos and did some testing of my own and the GT-5R is better than the standard UV-5R. And the GT-5R is $26.99. At that price, they do work and you won't cry much if one gets lost or broken. Ham Radio Crash Course did a good comparison of the GT-5R versus others.
Keep a good HT for yourself and hand out the cheaper ones to others.
There is a very high 2 meter repeater 20 miles away from me and I can use the GT-5 when outside my house to make contact with others on the repeater. It isn't the best signal since the radio is only 5 watts but it will work.
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I was going to get a Wouxun KG-1000G but everywhere I looked is out of stock. I ended up getting a Midland MTX500 instead. The MTX500 arrives today and I still have to run cables to my outdoor antennas. I have a Comet CA-712EFC on one end of the house for GMRS. The base of the antenna is 17 feet above ground.
If you happen to be a military veteran or otherwise qualify for membership at govx.com, then go through them for a discount. GovX has a 10% discount code for use on the MyGMRS web store. So the Midland MTX500 was actually cheaper than the normal price for the Wouxun KG-1000G.
As far as hand held radios (HT's) go, I went cheap and bought a pair of Baofeng UV-5R GMRS radios. The pair is $51 on Amazon.
For HAM, I have a Comet GP9 that is going on the opposite end of the house from my GMRS antenna and the antenna base will be 24 feet above the ground. I bought a Baofeng GT-5R to play with and it works fine. I am borrowing an older Icom IC-208H mobile dual band radio for now. I am just using a mobile antenna on a cookie sheet outside my window with the IC-208H.
I decided to just start out with my technician license for now and the test is pretty easy as long as you study for it. I suggest taking one of the free practice exams online until you can pass with at least 85% before taking the real exam.
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Thank you for the information @wayoverthere. And yes most things will be a compromise, especially since I do not want to drill any holes. The mount you linked looks like the best option as far as mounting on the lift gate.
My Escape does have the factory roof rails but no cross bars.
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1 minute ago, wayoverthere said:
I'll also suggest protecting the point where the cable turns the corner into the hatch. Been running mag mounts (1, 2 or 3) on my truck for the past 3 years or so, and you can see the "rub" where it turns to tuck in behind the door seal
That is the other main concern I have.
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49 minutes ago, WRYZ927 said:
Some great suggestions thrown out here so far.
I really like the heli-tape and mag mount as far as the simple leave no trace theme goes that @SteveC7010 mentioned. If the roof is aluminum, and because I just love to over complicate simple things, one could place a magnet above the headliner to contain the mag mount on the roof.
I'll toss something out of left field, if only to keep the creative juices flowing. Aftermarket/factory roof racks, in whole or part would give a possible mounting solution, especially if it could serve its intended purpose of carrying crap on the roof, in addition to a place to hang an antenna.
The roof is steel so a magnetic mount will work. And I like the idea of some 3M tape to protect the paint. I have also considered a roof rack mount too. I just wonder how the ground plane is with an antenna mounted a cross bar.
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That is a bummer that you had a smoke leak in your radio. Did mice or them evil squirrels hell bent on world domination decide to chew on your cables?
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I just purchased one for use as a base station. And if I find I need or want a 50 watt radio for a base station, then the XS20G will go in my Honda Pioneer 500.
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@WRQC527 are you using that mount on the lift gate?
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1 hour ago, WRQC527 said:
I know you're going to say no because most every other suggestion anyone has made you don't like, but for the sake of throwing it out there, I'm going to throw something like this out there.
I'm not goin to say no to that. In fact I am looking at all of the options/suggestions given so far other than drilling holes. Though I don't know how that window mount would work with vent shades installed. It is still worth me considering.
@WRYU400 the photo you posted will definitely benefit new people with no experiences with radios. While I am new to both GMRS and amateur radio, I use to run CB's on all of my vehicles I the past. Installing an antenna on the truck or side of a vehicle is always a compromise but those locations still work.
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13 minutes ago, Sshannon said:
Could you take the factory shark fin antenna base off and add an NMO or other small base to it, then remount it. That might allow you to run the cable inside also without worrying about pinch points.
I'll have to look into that. The shark fin has the Sirius XM antenna along with the GPS antenna inside it. The FM antenna is inside the rear window.
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Like I said, drilling a hole is out of the question so no need to discuss it.
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3 hours ago, WRWE456 said:
Any reason you are not considering a magnet mount? Is the roof aluminum? You are running out of options.
I have had bad luck with magnet mounts in the past with CB antennas. They either don't stay put or scratch the paint.
Regardless of the type of mount I go with, I have to be careful running the cable inside since there are too many pinch points at the rear lift gate. I'll figure something out. Plus I haven't decided if I am going to run a GMRS radio, 2m/70CM radio or both in the vehicle.
I also have to keep in mind of overall height since my garage door opening is only 7 feet.
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Glass mount antennas usually won't work on newer vehicles with factory tint due to the tint have metal in it. My Escape has factory tint. And a portable will still need an outside antenna. I'll probably end up going with an articulate mount like posted above. The next thing after that is running the cable inside. There really isn't a good place at the rear lift gate to get a coax cable through.
If it was an older vehicle, I would have already drilled a hole for a NMO mount.
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There is no third brake light mount for the Ford Escape.
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I have a 2023 Ford Escape and any looking for different options for antennas and also running cables into the passenger compartment. The one thing I will NOT do is drill any holes for a NMO mount.
Thanks
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Well I found out that the UV-5R GMRS will indeed transmit on 2m VHF frequencies IF and only IF you save them to the radio and are in channel mode.
The Baofeng GT-5R on the other hand will NOT transmit on any GMRS frequencies no matter if in VFO or channel mode.
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I talked to my VEC and he snail mailed the paperwork.
That is okay since that gives me time to install my bulkhead to get my cables inside the shack and get my antennas up. One of the old timers taught me how to build a 10m dipole today. So I will have 2m/70cm, 10m and GMRS going once everything is setup and I get my call sign.
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I will try to call my VEC tomorrow.
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53 minutes ago, BoxCar said:
Log into the FCC web site and query your FRN on the Universal License System (ULS) to see if your call sign has been issued. The only reason it should take more than 72 hours is the VEC mailed your results to the FCC rather than filing electronically.
I'e been checking several times a day. I'm beginning to think my VEC snail mailed my paperwork.
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Just now, WRUU653 said:
Nice! That's awesome, way to jump in with both feet so to speak! Welcome to the forum.
Thank you.
I joined a local amateur radio club and those guys have been great. They have loaned me an Icom IC-208H mobile, a 10 meter radio and a power supply to use until I can get my own equipment. I will be working on installing a Comet GP-9 dual band and 10m wire antenna on one end of my house along with a Comet CA-712EFC on the other end of the house. There will be about 55 feet between each antenna mast so I should be good to go there.
I did pick up a pair of Baofeng UV-5R GMRS radios and still have to decide what radio to use for a GMRS base station.
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Hello from Missouri.
I just received my GMRS license yesterday and passed my amateur technician license last Saturday. I'm still waiting on my amateur call sign.
I stepped off into the rabbit hole with both feet since I am getting into amateur radio and GMRS.
But it is like any other hobby that I am in. Model trains aren't much better.
I look forward to learning as much as my coffee soaked brain can take in.
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I just bought two UV-5R GMRS radios from the Baofeng Amazon store and they work on every channel. There isn’t any repeater close for me to try.
[Open Thread] What Radio "Facts", Myths, or Lies Would You Like To See Tested?
in General Discussion
Posted
That is definitely crossing the line.
On subject. I like seeing different tests being done. I for one would like to see just how much damage transmitting on high power with no antenna will actually do to a radio.