WRTC928

Probably nothing, but I agree that it's best to know the rules. IMO, you're less likely to find yourself in trouble if you violate the rules knowingly than if you do it by accident. If you know it's against the rules, you're more likely to be circumspect about it.

That is true, and the OP did ask about the "best" radio.

Yes, that's what I'm asking about, although I'm open to other ideas. It's not unlikely that I'll eventually end up with two antennas, so other mounting methods are good to know.

I'll say this for the UV-5R...it works and almost anyone can afford it. Sometimes that's all you need.

If you don't have any radio at all, I recommend you start with a good HT. I don't have any strong favorites -- anything reliable is fine. Then put a mag-mount antenna on your car and use the HT as a mobile until you decide what you want for the car. I got really good results with a Baofeng radio and Nagoya antenna, and they're kind of "entry level" items. If you already have an HT, I recommend you look for a mobile that will program in a similar way. For example, if your HT programs with CHIRP, it will significantly flatten the learning curve if your mobile programs with CHIRP as well.

The TH-9800 has the capability to receive AM CB channels, so ever since I got one, I wondered if it could transmit on those frequencies as well. With a minor software tweak, you can "unlock" them, but the radio doesn't have the hardware to transmit AM. I finally got around to checking it out, and the answer is yes, the 9800 can transmit on CB frequencies, but only in FM mode. It works great in FM mode, both transmitting and receiving. Not that it really matters, because literally nobody in the US uses FM CB, but it's kind of cool anyway. I only keyed up for a few seconds 3-4 times because on my 2m/70cm antenna, I was getting an SWR around 19. Obviously, to use it I'd need a different antenna. However, the radio has 10 meter capability, and when I start using it, I may be able to find an antenna that will do 11 meters as well. As I said, not likely to be useful, but if the capability is there, you might as well be able to use it should you want to.

Usually, when you ask about the "best" anything, you'll get a lot of differences of opinion. I asked the same question in another forum, and Larsen and Laird came in hands-down favorites in both groups. That speaks well to their quality. I'm probably going to go with a Larsen.

I've decided to install a permanent NMO mount on my car. On the principle of "buy once, cry once" I want to get something that will provide good service until the car gives out. I'm requesting recommendations for brand and type. Aaaaand GO!

The only one I've sent a request to doesn't provide the access tone until you're approved. It's been a couple of months and I haven't gotten a response, so I interpreted that as a no.

Start by double-checking the simple stuff. Make sure you don't have any tones set which would preclude you from being heard by anyone without the same tone. Be sure "duplex" is not set to "off" because that would keep you from transmitting on that frequency. Are you trying to use a repeater? If so, do you have the offset and tone (if any) programmed in? Did you program it with software? If so, a screenshot of the file might be helpful.

According to the video @IronWire linked above, the Baofeng cable doesn't work. You have to get the Radioddity cable. I don't know personally; I don't own that radio.

I had an Anysecu WP9900 until it mysteriously stopped transmitting. After I cursed and complained about it and posted a bad review, I found out I had a loose antenna connection which was intermittently shorting. I probably burned out the finals. Moral of the story: Check your SWR frequently. I may get another one someday because I really like the form factor. Currently, I'm using a TYT TH-9800 quad-band (10m, 6m, 2m, and 70cm) radio. It's pretty cool because it's essentially two radios in one. The left one can operate and scan on everything in those bands and monitor AM traffic on the CB band. I think it can transmit FM CB, but I haven't tried it because I would need an entirely different antenna. My current antenna is 6m, 2m, and 70cm. The right portion of the radio can only operate and scan on 2m and 70cm. I have programmed in the GMRS channels, GMRS repeater, and the Ham repeaters in my area, the VHF and UHF "calling" frequencies, as well as the CB frequencies. Typically, I'll set the left side to my "home" repeater and the right side to scan 2m and 70cm, which is where any action typically is. We've had significant snow here the past 2 days, so when I had to go out, I set the left side to scan so it ran through the CB frequencies as well. Kind of a neat feature. I rarely listen to CB because it's a s***show, but it's still the best way to get information about road conditions.

Sorry, I double-posted. Apparently I can't just delete my post.

I heard one conversation a couple of months ago. I know it was on GMRS because one of the guys mentioned his antenna being in the window of the apartment. Except for occasional traffic on the repeater in Oklahoma City, I don't think I've ever heard anyone else using GMRS in my area. Someone uses the OKC repeater for something commercial during the day, but that's it. I do occasionally hear kids on FRS and a couple of times adults on FRS but that's about it. At least in central Oklahoma, we're not in danger of our frequencies being overwhelmed. I get a lot more activity on the numerous Ham repeaters in the area.

That's why I have those channels set to not transmit on my mobile units. They're there, and if I have a good enough reason, I can fairly quickly turn the transmit feature back on. Having them in the radio means I can listen and even scan them if I want. So far, I haven't felt the need to do that, but it's an option.

See? Even if you ask a stupid question, you can learn something.

Hmmm... Those are good points. I hadn't thought about the length of the antenna. It's less of an issue on a vehicle, but then it's a lot less convenient because you can't get out of the vehicle and take it with you. The best compromise between portability and power is still GMRS, and even without the antenna issue, FM CB wouldn't be a better option than GMRS due to its power limitations. Eh. It was just a thought exercise.

A few months ago, I bought a CB radio for my truck after decades of being off the air. Since September 2021 (IIRC) CBs can use FM mode, and this one has that capability. To my surprise, it also has the capability to use "privacy" (a misnomer, but whatever) tones. So, it's now a radio that transmits in FM mode on a free, channelized service, in essence just like FRS. Unlike FRS, however, it can operate at 4 watts, is allowed to have external antennas, and has 40 channels instead of 22. There's no technical reason why FRS would be a better choice for family/friends traveling together or camping/whatever. The main impediment to widespread adoption of FM CB for "family" communication, as I see it, is the cost of entry. CB radios can be had fairly cheaply, but not as cheaply as the "bubble pack" FRS radios. Is there any chance that FM CB could eventually take a significant portion of the FRS market? (Full disclosure -- I don't really care, I'm just curious.)

I've had very good results with Nagoya 701s and 771s, both in terms of range and clarity. There are doubtless other good antennas on the market, but these worked for me, so I stuck with them.

That's kinda clever, actually.

That's what I ended up getting. It does work, but the coax connector makes it a very inelegant solution. It definitely looks fragile. I guess I'll bite the bullet and buy some anennas with BNC connectors.

I can't imagine that 1 watt vs. 0.5 watt is going to get anyone's attention. I have my more powerful radios set up to listen only on those frequencies, but I can always change that if I want. I do have a couple of HTs that I measured at 0.7-0.8 watt on low and I leave them set to transmit, although I don't ever recall using them on those frequencies. For me, it's a matter of courtesy. People using FRS radios at 0.5 watt don't want me stepping all over them with 5 watts. I very much doubt you'd get in any trouble with any agency for using 1 watt, and it probably wouldn't be excessively disruptive to people using 0.5 watt. Short answer: do whatever you think is courteous; you are extremely unlikely to get in any actual trouble for it.

It's an intriguing thought. From a technical standpoint, it should work. The issue would be in practical application How big a balloon would it take to lift a practical repeater? Batteries are heavy. How much use can you get out of a repeater before the battery went out? Probably the only way to know is to try it and see.

Actually, I have some Nagoya antennas that work really well. They're the ones I want to use, but they don't come with a BNC connector. There are probably some brands which do come with a BNC connector which will work fine too. I'll probably just buy a few and experiment. It's just that I've had such good results with these antennas that I'd like to keep using them.

They work reasonably well for that -- like any other 2 watt FRS radio. They're good for a mile or so, even inside a car.