BoxCar

Good question but for commercial/public safety grade repeaters the output level is at the antenna connection. These heavy duty units are also built to put out their rated power for hours at a time unlike the hobbyist grade units like the Retevis.

If you are playing with parasitic radiators (metal reflectors) then the distance between the antenna and the reflector is key. The distance between the two determines if the reflected wave adds or subtracts from the primary.

I'm still waiting for them to ship my maggy mount for my aluminum car....

But you don't know if it was BS or not even though the OP clarified there was a newspaper report. There is a 50/50 chance reports of an FCC investigation being in progress are true as, like your local PD, they don't make public reports of every investigation they undertake.

No, it won't be in the database as no action was taken. An investigation is just that, someone looking into something. You may find emails talking about investigations, but those require a FOIA petition to access.

The cost and frustration in attempting to use two handheld radios as a repeater is about 10 times the cost of the Retevis system.

LATNEX RC-S120 Simplex Repeater Controller cheaper at Newegg.

Antenna tuning is critical for transmitting as any piece of wire can receive a signal.

That's probably a Chinglish problem. Those plugs are usually rated for 8 to 10 amps not watts.

Need a bigger pie pan as that is your ground plane. A small cookie sheet or pizza pan would be better. Ace Hardware sells small sheets of steel and you need one about 12" or more per side.

The 4503 offers the most gain. Liard antennas normally don't need tuning.

Not if it is capable of operation outside its certification. Monitoring MURS is not a violation but enabling transmission is outside the certification for the radio. You have modified the radio so it is no longer compliant with its certified use. You are operating under Part 15 rules using a modified Part 95 radio.

Adding MURS frequencies moved your radio from being a GMRS unit to an uncertified intentional radiator operating outside its designated purpose. You can't have your Part 95(e) and eat it too!

Wireline refers to two locations connected by a physical, terrestrial connection. Telephone networks communicate between points using a physical hard-wired connection hence the term wireline. The term can also trace its beginnings back to the early days of telegraphy where physical wires connected each station to the other. The term predates radio and its modern equivalent wireless.

The operative word is temporary as these types of poles will collapse or fold with any decent load caused by wind blowing against your antenna. If the antenna is going to be on your house, look at either roof mounted tripods or gable mounts as used on satellite dishes. These are more permanent mounts for antennas that are better than the J-Poles.

Try Ace Hardware or a Marine supply store.

About 1/3 the way down the page are adapters for SMA to PL/SO-259 connectors. Tower Electronics Online Wholesale Catalog - Page One (pl-259.com)

Look into radial ground planes as a possible solution. You can also bury the ground wires using a slit trench.

The cost of the antenna also includes the mast/mount and feedline. Start with your budget and then the feedline needed before deciding on the mast and mount. That will tell you what's left for the antenna.

The light bar may generate a tremendous amount of RF from the LEDs rendering your installation worthless. This will be particularly true with the ones from offshore that are not FCC certified'

I can agree with your statement with emphasis on the word should. There are too many variables regarding antennas to make the statement true in all instances.

The PSTN, or telephone network, has evolved over the past 30 years to where it is also a packet switched network as it changes its transport medium from copper to fiber. The changes began before the breakup of the Bell network with the Long Lines or long distance service replacing microwave links with fiber. This has been going on since the late 70's. I doubt if there are any microwave links carrying interstate traffic anymore. There may be a few links remaining for local and intrastate but even local service is being converted to fiber with the copper retirement programs going on in many of the companies.

The frequencies also need to be reversed on the repeater. A repeater listens on the high frequency and transmits on the lower frequency. Your radio is programmed High out, Low in; just the opposite of the repeater.

Yes, and I answered the exact question asked. The code goes in the memory for channel 17rp. The radio make and model have no bearing on which memory gets the code.

You are correct in thinking the 5/8 would have a better radiation angle but look into using a cookie sheet or piece of sheet steel from Ace Hardware for the magnet mount. Put it on top of a bookcase or shelving unit in a closet for added height. Height is even more important than the radiation angle.