WRXR255

Do a search for "boofwang" on YouTube and check out the first link.

In general discussion, hope it is not too general for its forum space but I was wondering if folks would not mind sharing what drew you into two way radio. I got my first Baofeng in April of 2014 from Amazon. At that time it was around 35 - 40 dollars US. Way way before that, growing up in the rural Appalachians in coal mining country, everyone had a CB. You needed it. With the roads and switchbacks winding through the hills made of a two lane road, and a tight turn with a truck loaded with coal will need both lanes to make the switchback, having a warning while in your car when you are getting near and hear - Coming down Bold Gap road at Red rock curve, loaded - You know to stop and let him make the curve that all had a name, and you knew the ones you were close to. My dad owned a small coal trucking business so I was keenly aware of how it worked. In High School, even though we had no idea it had a name, my friends and I would spend weekend nights bored and basically do a "redneck foxhunt", if i were to try to pen a name to it today. Someone was the hiding one, and they would try to find a place in town to hide and park and wait. We would talk back and forth on the radio, and try to suss out where they were parked while driving around and looking for them. I did a trick i figured out by accident that if they were really close to my spot, I would go up or down one channel and call em back. They usually would receive me being so close, but it sounded like I was on the other side of town, and they would head off that way. Anyway, the boofwang i got because where i worked having one was helpful, but only the chosen ones had one of the company Motorolas as there were only so many to go around. i figured out the freq, programmed it in, but no go. Figured out they were using a digital squelch and found out even this cheap chineseium radio could scan and figure that one out. The occasional chaos I would do to my co workers on my lunch breaks sitting in my car because of that is a tale for another day.

I went with a Lido that looks similar at the same price point. It does not have two arms like that one, but the single will work for me better on the placement and angle I want it at. Mainly out of the way of the shifter, but also won't be in the way or constantly being hit or bumped from whomever is riding shotgun. Supposed to be here tomorrow.

I know from my reading through this thread, that the best cable to get for GMRS is LMR 400, but what about KMR 400? I know nothing about this but learning as I am thinking about repurposing a mag mount from a mobile as I have a new antenna for that, and using the old as a base antenna. Heres what I saw on amazon, but the description... Not sure its a good idea to use the antenna analy.. 8-P

Lost to time, that and this... but i wouldve been laughing inside if i had a WKRPxxx callsign.

You werent even offered that year of free credit monitoring? Thats crap monitoring, but they dont even throw that steaming pile at you anymore just proves that they dont care, IMHO.

Not just saving on packaging, but probably the same antenna as well, just tuned for what you ordered perhaps?

One note on the NOAA weather radio stuff... There is no official "channel" name/number/designation. NOAA just has these as a frequency for each. If its preprogrammed and not changeable by the radio Manufacturer by you, they can and do call them whatever they want. WX 1 on one brand, with the same freq. on another it might be hard coded in as NOAA 3, for example.

Kinda my thought as well, but I have to admit I think a properly affixed HT to your hip, within FCC requirements VIA belt clip... Im going to contrary to the look however. I think you will impress those as they will look at it thinking - they know what they are doing, and ask, are you on Grindr?

AKA Tiger Tail / Scorpion Tail... I hear and see mixed information on if something like this helps or not generally on HT use. I am mixed personally on it as I have sometimes had one hanging off my HT, and I THINK it helps a tiny bit, but I wonder if that's a kind of radio voodoo placebo effect. What are your thoughts?

Thanks everyone that suggested the Lido option. I had never heard of them before but they look quite promising and better yet, the prices are reasonable.

That might work. Ive had the car less than a week and not spent much time in it yet to think about that spot at all, so will assess that possibility tomorrow. I do know that spot is normally a micro black hole. Drop a pen, a Bic lighter, your wallet, change, your ex wife... You never get it back out again. You can almost touch it digging in, but it just moves a bit, you never get a grip on it, and just when you think you have it, it slips and you never see it again.

My replacement rig for the Subaru that got totaled in late January is a 2017 Ford Focus - yeah. In the Sube I just screwed it on the dash. Radio is a Btech 25X4, so its got a small footprint, but all the surfaces in this car make the dash impossible to see or access the radio because it would be at a weird angle, and keeping it out of the sun on a hot day is a good idea anyway. The radio is about 4 x 2 x 5 in size at roughly 1 lb. Would mounting this through the headliner work ok in your opinion? Right now, its just sharing the two center consoles cupholders facing up and flopping around some in that hole. It works, but its not the best. Curious on ideas and/or how you did a mount in a weird location.

Yeah, im just wanting to tune some of my crap closer enough. Im hitting a repeater with a UV-5R and the stock antenna at 7 miles from inside my house. When I get serious with my mobile rig is where i want to do a bit better, but im not looking to go pro for sure. Thanks for the feedback.

As the title implies, any recommendations or thoughts?

Sounds like a decent antenna rig, mind sharing the model of it?

This is something I have yet to actually attempt yet but was thinking about it last night, as I have just got a new mobile radio to replace one I had with dual band antenna. That rig was on my last car that got totaled in January taking the rig with it. So, I was just brainstorming if on the new car a dual antenna setup would be more efficient. I was also, as I asked the question, thinking the same thing if the two antennas would cause issues with proximity to each other.

I have a mobile radio that can do multiple bands, specifically for my needs will be 2 Meter and GMRS. I also have two mag mount mobile antennas tuned for those bands with PL-259 connector off the radio for the antenna. Curious if there is a source to buy a ready made switch that would work in a mobile setting that instead of having to pull over and switch the CoAx off the radio from one to the other, I could flip a switch/toggle/lever that could work in a quick and seamless way. I could build one myself I think, but if there is a source out there already, even better. Miss the days you could walk into a Radio Shack(tm) and tell the guy you needed a 10 Pico Farad capacitor, and he would find one. Last time i was ever in one I asked something similar, and he asked if i was needing batteries...

Quick and to the point. Thank You! Will Message them and go from there.

So, double checking my profile info, it shows my current license info for 50% percent since I don't have a HAM, as it is meant. However, I think I transposed my actual license during that step of the profile filling out, So, instead of WRXR255 it shows WXRX255. Cannot find a way to edit/fix this. Im guessing its going to be an admin level fix, or am I missing it?

HT: Lots of Baofengs. UV-5R's, BF-F8's. I bought lots of 10 of each kind when the rumor mill started up about the FCC's banning them. Those got a few of each sold off since then, not sure what my exact number in stockpile of each is currently. Need to pop over to the storage lot and inventory at some point. Bought a few singles of the 5R since then, some I had to 'jail break' with the three key hold/power on method. Not bought a single in a while so do not know if that trick still works. One Btech UV-5X3 - no idea on what I would need that extra band for, but I have it. I had bought a 5R years before all that to use at work. Figured out the frequency, the DCS codes and how to program it, and was fine for a while, but it was a drug... we all know where that rabbit hole leads... Soon after I dug deep into radio, and by proximity the HAM community. Started studying for my Technicians and General. Found the local clubs website and they had a test date coming up, and I e mailed the coordinator several times before then with some questions, but never got a reply. Guess they were just busy like everyone is, so was a bit put off, but let it slide. Showed up on the test day, walked into the room where they were having this shindig, Heard lots of chatter as I approached, but when I walked in, you could hear a pin drop. Before I could even ask if I was in the right place, someone said "Your in the wrong room probably..." I just said "Yeah, I definitely am." and left. Mobiles: Had one of Btechs very first mobiles and cant recall the model, with whatever mag mount they recommended. It got lost when my Subaru got totaled. Right now have a Btech UV-25X4, no antenna yet. Debating still on if its going mobile in my car, or I make it a base unit. I kinda live in a bowl so LOS is not good anywhere, but who knows. Will probably make it mobile.