Ian

The killer feature that I don't expect but would love would be a second jack for a speaker-mic. https://www.bearcatwarehouse.com/accessories/wireless-cb-microphone The whole house is now your radio shack…

Really, if they added a dedicated jack for the off-the-shelf ID-o-Matic board, that'd solve like every single problem in one fell swoop.

http://www.radio-active.net.au/web3/APRS/Resources/RINO from here: Enjoy!

I routinely reach for Motorola Spirits of the two-channel two-watt variety, on Blue Dot and Green Dot. I also have a bunch of Dakota Alert kit, with the intention of eventually installing some of their MURS Alert sensors, or at least transmitters. (Modified, for example, to alert when the mailbox is opened -- all the better to keep an eye out for expensive deliveries!) I've also got a Radio Shack blue-green mobile unit, though I've yet to figure out a really elegant way to mount that in a modern truck's cab. I kind of wish Midland or Cobra would build a handheld-control-head MURS unit, those things are so much easier to cleanly install.

Sometimes you don't __need__ to know the difference. I occasionally find it useful to hand someone a really stupid radio, and say something like "If you can't hear me on 20, try channel 28" Perhaps hand them a radio with only three channels programmed -- half a watt, five watts, repeater input. As far as a non-radio-person knows, they're just turning up the power… I've been half-seriously accused of "walmart ops" a few times, and such strategies (as well as handing people single-channel radios) definitely make it easier on nontechnical people. Sometimes, a little communication is good enough.

This is the best use for a garage repeater I can come up with. Edited to add: If you're trying to get __into__ a repeater, another option is a cross-band repeater that transmits on the repeater input channel. Were it me, I'd use Motorola's DTR and DLR 900 MHz radios for the handheld terminals, since they can be set up with enough encryption to keep noobs and jammers out of your transmitter. 900 MHz digital is described to have excellent building penetration characteristics, so it should be able to find a path to your outdoor transmitter package without much trouble. If you're not trying to get into someone else's repeater but just want to get outside your house with enough power to get reception, you might consider the Retevis RT97. It's a five-watt "lunchbox" repeater that can be set up outside; all you need is enough power to make it through / around the cinderblock to transmit successfully, however you're going to be relying on your handheld and its indoor antenna for all the reception involved, which is unfortunate. The DTR and DLR radios are (mostly) cross-compatible, albeit with some new features only existing in the DLR1020 and DLR1060. However, the older DTR410 and DTR550 have removable antennas, which might be better suited to building a cross-band repeater. Were it me, I'd use a DTR550 in the repeater box, and a DLR1020 as a wireless speaker-mic to access the rooftop radio in your situation. Alternately, you could consider the (discontinued) DTR410 on eBay, as it may (frequently) be cheaper than a new DLR1020 in spite of greater capabilities in a lot of ways. Yes, I have similar problems with running coax where I live.

Grab a couple to play with; let me know if you figure out how to make them work, I could have always have gotten a lemon.

First: WELCOME! Welcome to the forum, welcome to the hobby. Second: The Midland magmount is disposable. The environmental sealing around the magnet lasts about a year, then the magnet rusts and the thing falls apart. Third: What kind of car do you have? Fourth: What do you mean by "clean install"? Do you want it in-dash, or just screwed to it with a bracket? Me, for example, I went for the MXT275 and a passthrough mount. When done, it'll look utterly factory and stealth. Other options I've considered was ripping out the stock head unit for a single-DIN unit with CarPlay, and a single-DIN two-way radio below it. (None of the links constitute an endorsement, just an example.) Fifth: Nagoya now makes an antenna specifically tuned for GMRS. This may be your best bet. (This is an endorsement)

Update 2: Wrote a review of the 76 and 76P. TL;DR: 76 is recommended, 76P is not.

If I may interject? In 2017 the FCC published a rules clarification that said that they never intended to ban part 90 equipment on GMRS.

Ah, that makes more sense. I've gotten lucky with eBay, but I have a jonesing for early 90s Motorolas. Tried branching out, but had trouble finding the correct variations of the Motorola Saber I wanted to convert to MURS and GMRS. If you're not picky, you can get a commercial radio that'll do what you want. But if you are picky, it can be hit-or-miss. Gman, got any old Kenwoods? I'm interested in branching out.

The Retevis RT76 is everything I hoped it would be, and no more. This pleases me greatly. What I wanted was a dumb-as-bricks radio I could hand to "limited users" (hereafter, "lusers") with little they could screw up but changing the channel unintentionally and turning the volume too low. As a result, I am very fond of this radio. It is … nearly perfect. Side-button 1 is limited to "alarm" and there's no scan mode I can bind instead; disabling the ability to start transmitting an alarm tone (AKA "jamming signal") with an unintended button press is possible, but it doesn't let you bind a function you want in its place -- and indeed, there is no scan function. This is the only thing separating this thing from perfection. The Retevis RT76P is… Not so pleasing. The menu doesn't function as the manual describes, the menu won't let you change wide-narrow in spite of letting you select it; hitting the "confirm" button causes the radio to say "Canceled". It has a scan function! But you still can't reprogram SK1 to scan. Until this thing gets a firmware update, it's hot garbage. Feels like a Baofeng missing a few buttons, and with worse translation in the menus. It looks like it had potential, but the potential was squandered. Still don't regret purchasing it, though; I have a spare charger and battery for my RT76 which I love. This one… I don't. Avoid. Edit: Just tried the programming software. Instead of flashing the codeplug I just created (not compatible with RT76 codeplugs, natch; this thing has nothing internally in common with the RT76, I'm sure) it unlocked the 2M amateur band and changed the CTCSS on channel 1 to 2100 Hz. This thing is in dire need of some day-1 DLC. Edit: As of February 2024, the most recent firmware for the RT76P (released quite a while ago, actually) is genuinely functional. It works with the CPS, it works with CHIRP, and the menu on the front panel works as intended. This has gone from a hard pass to a recommend for me. The one remaining pain point is that the top side-key is not programmable, and is hard locked to setting the S-code and sending an alarm tone. If anyone needs a cheap GMRS jammer, this thing here will do the deed… S-code is like some kind of poor man's trunking system. It'd be suitable for large worksites with a limited number of frequencies, but GMRS licensing is incompatible with those use-cases, so … this "feature" is still essentially useless. What I'd like to see in the next firmware revision is the option to drop both functions from SK1. This will open up SK2 for a monitor function, while still allowing you to activate both broadcast FM and weather radio modes, which are far more useful than the proprietary PTTID function. In addition, if you want a PTTID function, Retevis, may I suggest something that uses either audible or modulated-CTCSS tones to broadcast the user's callsign in fast Morse?

I'm betting the Retevis with a J-pole will do the job, but you'll want something like a solar charger to avoid killing your car battery. re: SamCom, they sell them as GMRS certified, but I have my doubts...

|If you have to ask around to find one, it's not adequately expendable.

It's always worth it to find a good (acceptable) expendable radio. But even a good radio is cheaper than an iPhone 11.

I have. They're ... adequate. When I have coverage, it'll take the radio from one end of the island to the other, where simplex is completely out of the question.

I'd like to be able to see the map with __all__ coverage circles __at the same time.__ Should make it much easier to tell where repeater coverage is required!

Retevis RT76 is as close to that as you're going to get. You'll have to do all the programming up front (BaoFeng cable) but after that, it's just a knob with thirty channels, the last eight of which are repeater inputs.

That's deeply rude to the people who weren't involved. … Especially to other fans of the MicroMobile series. Love that handheld control head.

Technically, Ventennas are another option that would fit your HOA needs. https://www.ventenna.com/ Still, unless you need more bands, you're in fine shape, and I've never heard ill spoken of the Ed Fong antennas, so...

Welcome to the forum, and the community! We're here for you when you want to nerd out, but for now, congratulations on solving practical problems via use of RF.

Ham tech study guides go into this. VHF is worse than UHF; the 30-300 MHz region is more strongly absorbed by meat than UHF. Put it dead center on your car roof, or up on your house roof, or god help us a tower, and your exposure plummets. Don't do the silly and use a 25 watt handheld, and you're probably capable of ignoring RF hazards unless you try to lick a transmit antenna, the power levels we operate at. You don't have to get your ham ticket, but they've got some really good study guides that answer this question. Edit: Barney Fife is smarter than he sounds, he's just shrill and annoying. Listen for his literary references, he's quite well read. High INT, medium-low WIS, lower CHA.

"Breaker one-niner!" But yeah, when I'm between cities, I do 20-22 as well. ORI where I can find it, and I welcome the chatter.

I'm honestly a little annoyed you deleted the first post, because we're still having a discussion, and I missed the beginning. CB is useless and nobody operates (here) any more, ham has told me to get new friends with ham licenses, and all I wanted was a way to keep in touch with my nerd friends at ren faires with no cell coverage. My weirdest requests here have been in service to this singular goal, too. I just want to solve a boring practical problem. What the heck is this about dodging bullets and out of lives? Be courteous and don't redact our history, please.

Because idiots and interoperability. People who know what's going on will just avoid the interstitials if they're dealing with inter-service stuff, but if you have to talk to someone with no idea about the technical details, it'd be nice in a pinch. I'd almost settle for Midlands being RX only on the interstitials, but ... almost.