WRTC928

To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to do that.

In theory, it will tilt the lobes of the signal to be higher on one side and lower on the other. In practice, it might not matter. The only way to know is to try it and find out. I suspect that unless you're trying for some absurd distance, it won't make a discernible difference.

That's pretty much how I feel.

@OffRoaderX went far beyond sharing an opinion. I genuinely cannot imagine why anyone would be annoyed by use of the phonetic alphabet unless it's because "some people" think it's a symptom of trying to be a ham in a GMRS community. I think part of the reason hams use the phonetic alphabet so much is that amateur radio is international. It can be pretty hard to understand someone whose first language is not the same as your own, especially the pronunciation of some letters. Just think of how much "B" and "V" sound alike in Spanish. GMRS users almost never talk to someone in another country, so being understood is not as much of a challenge (unless you're in California). Furthermore, shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies, which typically improves clarity in voice signals. Even the difference between 70cm and 2m can sometimes be discernible. If you're playing around on 80 meters, you're going to repeat yourself quite a bit. GMRS, being at the higher end of the spectrum, rarely suffers from poor quality of voice signals. For the most part, if you can punch the signal through, you'll be understood. Simply put, GMRS users don't use the phonetic alphabet because we don't need to. It's easier for me to say "WRTC" than "Whiskey Romeo Tango Charlie", but sometimes I'm going to use the phonetic anyway. I have 33 years of using the phonetic alphabet in uniformed service and I also participate in amateur radio. It happens. I just don't understand why anyone gets their undies in a wad over it.

Sure...keep telling yourself that...while you're literally complaining about something that matters less than the color of your socks.

Actually, my favorite is a magnetic base with an NMO mount. Then I put a Comet 2x4 or some other quality antenna on it.

I don't know about "those guys", but I know that after 33 years in uniform, it feels a lot more natural to use it than not. On GMRS, I try not to use it for the sake of the butthurt crybabies who'll take offense, but sometimes it slips out anyway.

All valid reasons.

I spent 18 years in Alaska. You might be surprised how many people need to hear this.

Not knocking your plan, just curious. Why do you want an integrated unit instead of the less expensive (although admittedly less elegant) option of a separate radio and power supply?

I have noticed, though, that there's almost always someone monitoring a GMRS repeater, perhaps because they're personally owned and the owner monitors it.

When I was young, I wouldn't have followed this advice, but I'm older and if not wiser, at least I know a bit more. Don't go into remote areas alone. If you're traversing difficult terrain, do it one at a time so there'll be at least one party uninjured if an accident happens. Make sure someone who isn't going knows where you're going and when you expect to be back. If communication isn't impossible, arrange a check-in schedule with someone who isn't with you. Don't try to pet bears.

In my car, I have an AnyTone AT-5888UVIII (nominally 50 watts) feeding a Metropolitan tri-band (144/220/440) antenna. I've measured the output on the radio at 5, 12, 28, and 40 watts on UHF. To the GMRS repeater at my house, 5 watts and 12 doesn't seem to matter, but 28 gets me 2-3 more miles in some locations. I don't recall finding a difference between 28 and 40 in most locations; however, when I dip down into the river valley, only 40 watts will get me there. That's my very unscientific study. I have a different radio (TYT TH-9800D) in the truck and an SG7900 "Super Gainer" antenna. I haven't measured the output of the radio, but it's likely about the same. With that antenna, it seems to be pretty much "all or nothing". I do get more farz than with the little Metropolitan antenna, though (unsurprisingly). As noted above, I did find one situation where the difference between 5 and 10 watts was able to overcome the attenuation of my walls using a really suboptimal antenna. Always remember to never say always or never.

The physics of UHF RF waves suggests there may sometimes be things attenuating your signal which could be overcome by a few more watts. The only time I've personally seen it matter was trying to hit a repeater from inside my house with a stubby antenna. (It was just an experiment to satisfy my curiosity.) On 5 watts, I could open the repeater but couldn't be understood. On 10 watts, I could be understood but with a weak signal and a lot of noise. Outside the house or with a better antenna, there didn't seem to be any discernable difference. So, yeah, it might matter...sometimes...maybe.

I'm just jerkin' your chain, man.