Lscott

I’ve gotten some cheap magnet mounts at swaps. Also got a new tri-magnet mount new. The later I had to go through and swap out all the steel hardware, screws-washers-nuts, for stainless steel. Check what you have. If it uses steel consider swapping the hardware out for stainless. It will hold up much longer exposed to the weather.

I'm curious to see how the prices look on used equipment like Mirage amplifiers in the flea market.

So when at a swap and the nice person asks you if you want to buy any of the General or Extra Class study guides you can say you don't need them any more.

It does. One of the issues not really mentioned is the narrow band results in a low audio level. The level might be below the point where the repeater can recognize the access tone. This issue is repeater dependent. When than happens everything looks OK but you can't bring the repeater up to use.

Just checked the indoor vendor list for the Hamvention. All the booths are sold. MFJ is NOT listed as an indoor vendor. I guess they will just sell out any remaining stock on the internet. Anybody hoping to buy something from them at the show can forget it.

Point. Unless the manufacture hugely supports the group doing CHIRP development then the software has to be based on reverse engineering the code plug structure and communication protocol with the radio. Needless to say but the more feature rich radios are not fully supported by CHIRP. Yes, you can program them, but you don't have access to all the optional settings. I would recommend the manufacture's software be used where possible FIRST. If the manufacture's software is a POS then try CHIRP.

You can't have just 10 either. Trust me on this.

They already have. Done so for years in the commercial radio world. I own a bunch of them. Some even have Part 95 certification so are usable with FM only until the FCC approves digital voice modes on some or all of the channels. The situation with mixing analog and digital on GMRS isn’t so dire. It all depends on how it’s done. Read the attached file for my ideas on the topic. GMRS Digital Voice - 20231127.pdf

That's what I normally had always thought. However this antenna was mentioned as no ground plane required. The poster who pointed it out said they had one and it worked fine. I have no experience with this particular one so I can't comment about it one way or the other. https://www.talleycom.com/product/ANXTRA4500N

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E/section-95.1705 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-A/section-95.305

MFJ had too many "moving parts" they pulled under one umbrella. There is likely investor interest out there, but only for some of the subsidiaries, like Mirage, Ameritron etc. Now that the announcement is made that manufacturing will cease on 5/17, I believe, I wonder how the prices will look on new and used gear that will soon be out of production. With the Hamvention coming up in a few weeks that's going to be interesting to see.

Also if the antenna is not "resonate" at those frequencies it will contribute to reflected power back to the radio and an elevated SWR reading.

That says a lot about their quality control, or lack of it. Another reason why CCR’s have a poor reputation with people.

Those that push using channel 19 haven't looked at their license I guess. The frequencies for channel 19, simplex and repeater, are prohibited north of "Line A" and East of "Line C". That cuts out a LOT of population centers. That's why it's a dumb idea.

If you want to stick with Part 95 certified radios, recommended for now, your choices are a bit limited. You have two routes to try, new or used. The prior posts cover the new more popular, and cheaper, Chinese radios. The second are the older used LMR, Land Mobile Radio, the type you see used by factory workers, security guards and some police and fire departments. My personal experience is mainly with Kenwood radios. The software is normally fairly easy to find and the accessories, battery packs - charger bases - speaker microphones - spare antennas - programming cables etc. are easy to find on line new and used. My top pick for everyday carry is either the TK-3170, or the version with trunking (which you don't use on GMRS) is the identical looking TK-3173. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/?context=new A radio with more channels and a few more features is the TK-3180. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/417-tk-2180jpg/?context=new The above radios are analog FM only. If at some point in the future you think you might want to try Armature Radio the above can be "pushed" to operate down in to the 70cm band to cover the repeater section there. Also there are some radios that include various digital voice modes, currently illegal on GMRS, in addition to the typical analog FM mode. A few of these are also Part 95 certified, for FM use. They also cost significantly more money even used. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/254-tk-5320-1jpg/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/251-nx-300jpg/ If you don't care about Part 95 certification there are a bunch of Part 90 radios that can be used. Just be warned the FCC might not be enforcing the rules when Part 90 radios are being used, but that could change at anytime. Keep that in mind. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/418-nx-320jpeg/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/261-motorola-xpr6550jpeg/?context=new And then there are the non US radios that don't even have a any FCC ID or certification. They were never intended to be sold here but can occasionally be found for sale. They are however perfectly legal to use on the Ham 70 cm band. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/255-tk-d200ed300e-fmdmr/?context=new

Then they go out and buy a horse because it runs on green energy, grass, and the waste product is good for the environment, fertilizer.

You can plug the numbers into this on-line range calculator. It's just a "ruff" estimate and the real range maybe a bit more or less depending on the local terrain. At least you'll get an idea what to expect. http://www.hamuniverse.com/lineofsightcalculator.html

I'm basically a Kenwood guy. I collect mostly HT's. I get most of my radios off of eBay. One has to be a real bargain hunter to avoid over paying. I'm on the look out for a super good deal on some NX-1200DVK2 radios. I want to pay significantly under $200 per unit. Last radio I got was an almost new NX-1300DUK5 with battery pack and antenna for $175. The seller was asking originally $280. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/290-nx-1300duk5/?context=new All thought not Part 95 certified the 400 to 470 band split make nice radios for the Ham 70cm band and will work on GMRS using FM wide band only. My main GMRS HT is the TK-3170 which is Part 95 certified. This is my usual carry radio when I'm out and about. You can find these on eBay for reasonable prices if you shop for a while. Using a cheap 1/4 wave magnet mount it does a good job hitting local wide area coverage repeaters. It has enough range on the PLL to work down into the Ham 70cm band to access the local repeaters there as well. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/263-tk-3170jpg/ https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/338-cheap-14-wave-gmrs-antenna/

There is a spring bottom section which will prevent damage to the roof top and antenna from tree branch strikes. https://cometantenna.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/CA-SPR-instructions-x-1.pdf

Pirate mode? Unless you mean more $$$$.

That's about as good as it's going to get. The match should be fairly decent over the operating range. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/268-ca-2x4sr/?context=new