BoxCar

I will state there used to be a moderator on the forums but he went away in 2022. (

Yup. We assigned what was available. Requests often came into our shop with frequencies specified but couldn't be used because someone else was already using it as a repeater input. For LMR, repeater outputs are listed on licenses but not inputs.

Welcome to the zoo, Bart. You've asked the right questions to get started on your journey. As some answers, here's my take: 1. There are no "base station" radios available for GMRS. There are 3 types of units available, Hand Held, mobile, and repeater units. Hand helds are the Walkie Talkie units which have around 5 watts of power. Mobile units can have up to 50W of output power and these are intended for vehicle installation. Repeaters are a combination of a receive and transmit unit operating o two frequencies referred to as a pair. Repeaters are available with power outputs of 10 to 50W. Units used for base stations are mobile units with an AC power supply. 2. I will assume you do have electrical power at your site, either commercial power or from a generator/solar source. You'll need this to power/charge your radios. 3. A 10W repeater such as a Retevis unit will be all you need and they are less than $400. The antenna doesn't need to be an expensive base station type. A decent mobile antenna mounted either to the roof of your camper or on a pole should be adequate. Use good coax between your repeater and antenna. The coax should be Times Microwave LMR400 or equivalent. RG-8 coax used for CB's is a definite NO-NO. You can use a pole or stand to increase your antenna height and the pole should be easy to take down and stow inside if you are worried about storm damage. Your antenna should be at least 20 feet above the ground for maximum coverage of your area. The repeater won't reach all the valleys and could be shadowed by the hill, so you'll need to test to find the dead areas. 4. Hand held units should be all you need for your area, and they don't need to be more than $35 - 40 each. You can even use less expensive units as long as they are GMRS units capable of repeater operation. All total, you are looking about $700 for the repeater, cables, antenna and pole along with the power supply. Your power supply for the repeater can be something like a https://www.amazon.com/LRS-50-12-Switching-Supply-Single-Output/dp/B019GYODX0/ref=sr_1_16?crid=3NTVXK6LBBVIR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.upFR096NaA19tx34bdpzI_C1r7w37pkURRyOxBW8B5CNiLXEUdfa9UCqu3m5bvDCk3obEmiIizxqoOdAdyRs6dus9j4LHpl6FZUxJPZglTwN6cwZjljZyeO2n5CGP8Fp3SvEerebxcX4_idXg87gANyP0uRkV4Z4O91kPdxU2R6uDZZOsMUTKyvLhbdV3-vWjJkiof6KIRFThSvBqyWgS7peNm0noT3FweDxoxdFy9F9LhjAq9phBdLeGuiju6Guwp8YFxGsBwESG1gL6sxsca9IR38eRfggVb3YXzAco-I.r1wiDCBPB46HUAdemAyyW8lQNMNYNK3OwiTpnea6LDQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=mean+well+12+volt+power+supply&qid=1718796722&s=electronics&sprefix=mean+well12+volt+power+supply%2Celectronics%2C117&sr=1-16 should be adequate for powering the repeater.

I ran a Starduster back in the mid 70's and went by Bit Bucket locally. I also had Whiskey numbers for three states and a slew of others.

Yup, welcome to the zoo!

The one key factor in distance for radio is the height of the antenna. Higher antennas clear more obstacles and have a greater distance to the horizon. The next factor is the output power from the antenna as some antennas have a gain factor that negates losses in the coax between the radio and antenna.

I would tune it 2 1/2 MHz over the repeater's transmit.

Not so. I got a vanity while still a Technician..

Do you have the +5 MHz offset set?

Antenna spacing is critical when the frequencies are within the same band or one (or both) are using high power. CB is essentially HF (below 30 MHz) while GMRS is UHF (462 - 467 MHz) or 20 times higher in frequency. Your spacing should be at least a quarter-wave length of the UHF channels or 15 CM.

Amen @WRCQ527! Well said and directly on topic.

Won't help. They have wireless access.

Most ask for your call sign on their order forms..

Welcome to the world of empty pockets (A.K.A. radios).

With the GMRS radio vendors not requiring a call sign to buy a radio ...

Motorola and Kenwood are good brands but you are also paying a premium price for their brand name. As a great many consumer grade radios are made in China, Malaysia, and other countries with low cost labor, it doesn't always pay to always shop brands. Some of the Chinese radios are every bit as good as your favorites but your rant reminds me of the early PC days when the mantra among IT people was "Nobody gets fired for buying IBM." There were (and still are) PCs that not only rivalled the IBM brand but surpassed their products with greater reliability and features,

No, but he has only 8 toes left.

Dummy - each tone cancels half the interference from the S.A.D. HA.M.S.

Another way - Your antenna radiates your signal in a pattern that looks like a beach ball. If you push the ball on the top and bottom, the sides squirt out. The amount you squeeze is the antenna gain.

What @gortex2 says about contacting the local amateur club is the best way to go about installing your proposed repeater. A new install location will require an environmental impact study be completed for the new site. Adding your repeater to an existing site won't require the study. You will need to know what's already installed frequency wise. If the club already has a UHF repeater installed, there is a good possibility they won't want to install a GMRS repeater because of possible interference from the frequencies being too close together. In any event, be prepared to shoulder the entire cost of the repeater and antenna.

As your radios work on Simplex, it isn't squelch. Squelch stops the radio from processing a signal until the receiver has one greater than the squelch level. It will help diagnose any issues if we know the radio make and model.

Phew!!! I was afraid you were going to say it wasn't fairy science.

Who cares? People prefer posts that address the issue rather than what you do or don't do or think. People are asking for answers or guidance, rather than some irreverent comment from lurkers. Reviewing all your posts I can think of, you have not offered any help or guidance but only a snap remark about YOU.

I carry laminated copies as there are far too many that need/want to see a physical copy they can copy/manipulate. Many will not accept an electronic copy because it can be faked.

Why are you so combative? Are you trying to be a S.A.D. GMRSer?