WRZT411

This one should be easy for you guys. What's the best way to connect a radio to power? Direct to the battery is simplest it that leaves an opening to discharge the battery if the unit is left powered on. Details, please, as far as the connection method, etc. Thx.

Also, can't wait to see what a 50 watt mobile will do!

By way of post mortem on the original post, I bought a Midland mxta26 and fender mounted it. Amazing improvement on both distance and clarity (many more FARS). It do like to dance in the slipstream though! Thx to all who assisted with the great advice.

The fender mount is the most practical one due to ease of installation and the fact that there is easy access through the firewall to run the antenna cable. Btw, truck is a vintage 2009 F150 Super Crew.

Thx all for the responses. Looks like the Midland MXTA26 may be the one for me. With a fender mount, it'll be about 6 inches above the roof line and a super easy install and cable run. I only need about 5 feet of cable. Are shorter cable available or would I have to chop whatever I buy? Also, is there a real difference between a 5/8 and a 1/2 wave antenna?

I am looking at purchasing a mobile antenna to use for my GMRS HT in my truck. Mobile radio will come later. I don't want to drill thru my roof so that's not an option. That leaves me with a fender or hood lip mount. Could possibly do something on the fiberglass topper. I have read that anything other than center of mass on the roof will distort the signal. Thinking that as long as the tip is above the vehicle roofline then all should be good but I'm speaking out of an abundance of ignorance. Any suggestions on mounts and high gain antennas much appreciated.

Yeah, I have a half dozen of the uv-5r variants and a pair of the uv-5g plus gmrs radios. No complaints with any of them. Boofwangs are going up in price; maybe that will cause the haters to respect them more.

Does anyone have any experience with either of the radios listed above? Comments appreciated. Looking at them for a possible next purchase.

I'm using a 5W Baofeng UV-5G with a stock 15 inch antenna. I have a 15 inch Nagoya 771g antenna coming in tomorrow. Maybe it will make a difference. One repeater is about 35 miles distant. Makes sense about atmospheric conditions causing the issue. However, only the temperature is lower and there is no sunlight at night.

Thanks for the reply and the link.

I can kerchunk a couple of repeaters at sunrise and after sunset but not during regular daylight hours. Any thoughts on why? Thx in advance.

Thanks Steve. That would explain it then. I've used an older version of Chirp on uv-5r series radios with no issues. Guess I'll wait for Chirp to catch up. No idea what the difference is between the 5g and the plus. Until then, the Radioddity software works fine.

WRVQ464- Chirp doesn't work with either the Baofeng or Radioddity UV-5G. I keep getting an error. Maybe I need to downgrade to an older version.

User error? Say it ain't so! . Yep, changing to freq display shows the correct rec/trans frequencies. I was confused as to why changing the channel didn't reflect the correct r/t frequencies. Thx for the speedy response. And, I really appreciate your videos. They have really helped me get up to speed.

Hello All I'm new to radio but recently purchased a pair of Baofeng uv-5g plus radios. Used the Radioddity/Baofeng software - Chirp doesn't recognize the radio - to program the repeaters. In channel mode, correct freqs show up when I switch to VFO mode. However, when I change channels and check the freqs, they don't match the freqs of the new channel. Any thoughts or is this a non issue? Thx, Jim.