BoxCar

A better power supply (IMO) is a Mean Well LRS series unit. A Mean Well LRS-12-360 supply can be bought from Amazon for less than $40 and can supply the 13.8V needed by the radio with medical grade power. It doesn't have the fancy meters and you'll need a cheap volt meter to adjust the output voltage but once set you can forget it for the next 20 years or more. I know of several public safety sites that use these supplies in their repeater sites.

There are several brands that have a good reputation for quality units. Spending a little time perusing the various threads will give you the information you want.

I'll weigh in on this on WRYU400's side. The critical antenna is always the higher frequency one. A quarter wavelength distance results in the longer antenna acting as a reflector increasing the signal lobe opposite the reflector. As the higher frequency antenna is not at a distance that would resonate with the lower frequency antenna it has minimal effect on the higher frequency antenna. The articles Mr. Shannon is referencing are focused on antennas in the same band.

JamesBrox - If you are considering putting up a repeater the first thing to consider is what do you want to do with the repeater. Is it primarily for local ( 5-10 mile) service or do you want a longer range? Range will be the primary cost consideration. More range, more expensive - period. Local service can be handled with one of the little 5 watt units on a 35 foot high antenna. Longer ranges mean high cost towers going up 50 or more feet and higher output transmitters. A 50W GMRS transmitter unit will cost new around $1500 - $2000. The tower another $5 to 25,000 depending on height and construction. As you are in Florida, think highest cost due to hurricanes. Then there is the antenna and feed line costs. You'll want an antenna with gain, 3 to 9 dBd or better. The transmission line should be hard line, not normal coaxial cable like RG8 or LMR. Hardline cable starts around $4 a foot so 50 feet is over $200 plus connectors. The antenna ranges from around $100 to over $2500. A 35 foot mast can be aluminum or fiberglass, you can even make one from PVC pipe. It will need guy wires to keep it straight and vertical in normal winds but will have to be taken down during a hurricane. You are still looking at spending a couple hundred dollars for even PVC. The Ed Fong J-Pole antennas work, but have no gain which means any power losses from your feed line and antenna mismatch won't be compensated for.

The specifications for the unit show it measures up to 454 MHz in the UHF spectrum which is below the frequencies used in GMRS. It will however, give you an idea if there are interferers present.

The radio's power leads are fused so use those leads. Just put connectors on the end of the leads.

It won't work though. The transmitter will interfere with the receiver as they are both on the same frequency. The site would need to be a store-and-forward configuration to use a single frequency. Simplex, by definition means a single frequency is used for both transmit and receive between two stations alternating transmissions.

The 10 AH LiFePo4 battery will run the radio for several hours with 80% of the time listening. It could stretch up to 24 hours depending on how much time is spent transmitting. A better choice for a battery is this one from Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/XZNY-LiFePO4-Rechargeable-Suitable-Emergency/dp/B09QPX38GG/ref=sr_1_12?crid=PZ83AN1KXVYM&keywords=16ah%2Bbattery&qid=1697761072&s=electronics&sprefix=16ah%2Celectronics%2C145&sr=1-12&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840&th=1. It has twice the capacity at about 2/3rds the cost of the Dakota battery you chose. The Woxun radio you like is out of stock and a better choice (IMO) is the Radioddity DB-25G with slightly more power but many more empty channels to store repeater configurations in. The complete radio package from Amazon is $210 including antenna and mag mount. Add a lithium charger https://www.expertpower.us/products/epc125-5a and you are set. The only thing missing are the connectors for the battery to the radio. You'll need 2 1/4 inch quick disconnect spade connectors crimped to the radio's power cable.

A lot of fun and wierdness.

A better radio choice is the DB-25G (Radioddity DB25-G GMRS Mobile Radio | 25W | Quad Watch | UHF VHF Scann) and for portable power, a battery box with a LifeO4 battery is much better. The radio draws about 8 amps while transmitting so a 1- 16 AH battery for less than $60 is a better choice. You can put in a box, like the Apache 3800 (3800 Weatherproof Protective Case, Large, Black (harborfreight.com)) and a cigarette socket (Amazon.com: CERRXIAN 12V/24V Fixed Thread Cigarette Lighter Socket Extension Cable,20A 13AWG Waterproof Cigarette Lighter Female Socket Replacement Cable-0.3m/1ft : Automotive) sets you back about $120.00. You'll need to put connectors on the cable to connect to the battery, but the socket can be used to both power the radio as well as charge the battery. All total, including radio is around $250 without the antenna.

Try calling any of the commercial radio shops. There are several in the DFW Metroplex.

Too mean for them?

you can do that search on the fcc website ULS.

I have no problems with fan noise as the unit never warms to where the fan is needed. Mine sit on a metal rack with free space on all sides.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Regulated-Switching-Converter-Transformer/dp/B08LDC41B6/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_4_30/135-1923186-9436811?pd_rd_w=Wslc0&content-id=amzn1.sym.7a9b9953-4675-430a-a4f6-ea3f74308c2f&pf_rd_p=7a9b9953-4675-430a-a4f6-ea3f74308c2f&pf_rd_r=60MTN08G2YW0XDCP4PKR&pd_rd_wg=EISxf&pd_rd_r=93bfd9e3-29a5-4b73-af18-62ffd1028969&pd_rd_i=B08LDC41B6&th=1 I have two for my ham radios.

https://thewireman.com/product/1175-uhf-female-n-male/ https://thewireman.com/product/50ft-rg8x-mini-low-loss-pl259-installed/ You can't do much better.

A Yeasu FT-4XR will set you back about $100 and the unlock is done by entering a code through the front panel.

You may be better off with a simple dipole. A 1/4 wave will have the vertical radiator about 19" long. A panel mount SO239 connector can be had for less than $5 and the needed wire can be found in the big box hardware stores. https://www.americanradiosupply.com/so-239-uhf-female-4-hole-panel-mount-coaxial-connector/

The way field days are run, as a contest, I refuse to participate other than seeing if I can make a contact. I don't submit my logs either.

Their end.

Log into the FCC web site and query your FRN on the Universal License System (ULS) to see if your call sign has been issued. The only reason it should take more than 72 hours is the VEC mailed your results to the FCC rather than filing electronically.

The 462 number goes in receive, the 467 in transmit. The DPL number is the digital equivalent of a CTCSS frequency and would go in the slot for digital code transmit. Don't worry about the split, you have that between the transmit and receive.

As you state you have the most problem with the electronics questions in the ham tests have you considered taking an electronics course at your local community college? An electronics course would teach you about AC and DC current, resistance, inductance and capacitance and how they affect both voltage and current. The course would also teach Ohm's Law and how to calculate resistance, voltage or current flow through a circuit or component. You would learn about reactance and its effect on AC circuits, how transformers work along with basic digital circuits and digital logic. Three basic formulas are needed for the Technician test, Ohm's Law (E=IR), power (P=IE or P=I squared R) and wavelength (L=V/F) or velocity divided by frequency. Other than memorizing the electronic symbols for a transistor, diode, transformer, resistor, and capacitor, that's pretty much it on the electronics side.

No, NO, NO. They are ham bands not Hamas bands.

The ID only needs to be sent when the transmitter has been keyed. If the transmitter is sitting on standby and hasn't been keyed in over 15 minutes its not necessary for an ID to be broadcast.