WSFL333

The 150 - 154 mhz frequency is in the MURS band, while the 2 meter band is 144-148 mhz, so I had no reason to check the SWR in the 2 meter band. I bought the antenna specifically to use in the gmrs band and tuned it for the best response. There is a Larsen glass mount antenna specific for the gmrs band, Larsen KG450UDPL 450-470 MHz, for $109 art Gigaparts which was more than I wanted to spend. I know that there are several glass mount 2m / 70 cm ham antennas available that might work for you.

No. I don't have the equipment to determine power loss, nor do I have the interest to do so. I related my experience and results to let others know that a glass mount antenna is a viable option to mag mounted and NMO mount systems. While not the best solution, it is a workable one that might be of interest to others that are unwilling to drill a hole in their cars roof or don't want to have a magnet mounted antenna.

PS - forgot to mention that this is city driving with trees and buildings in the way. No direct line of sight

I know many people are reluctant to drill a hole in the roof of the vehicle. I agree with the fact that a roof mounted NMO antenna is the best in performance, followed by magnet mounted antennas. Glass mounted ones however are still viable assuming you don't have passivated windows. I'm not going to install a NMO antenna mount ( I've had them in previous cars and trucks) and don't like having a cable visible leading into the car interior, including the possibility that its can be difficult to find a suitable route for it into the interior Thats why I decided to install the Tram 1192 glass mount 150-154 vhf / 450-470 uhf dual band antenna. Mounting is easy on the trucks back window, and the interior module has a tuning set screw that allowed me to get the SWR down to 1:1.3 in the 462M frequency and near 1:1.9 at 468 M Once mounted I attached a 5-watt HT to it and was able to connect with the same unit that was inside the house from 2.5 miles. For comparison, I was able to get 3.5 miles when the house unit was connected to the outside antenna on the garage up around 15 feet. Eventually I will install a mobile unit into the truck, but for now I'm satisfied. Edited - thanks for the tip on how to edit. I changed the antenna spec to 150-154 vhf instead of the typo 150-150 vhf

I've looked online and checked HRO, Giga parts, DX Engineering, looking for an affordable mobile 900 mhz ham radio without results ( I know there is the Icom IC - 905; not in my budget) . Perhaps that band has dropped in popularity so that no one manufactures them anymore. Is the used market my only option? thanks

Hi new gmrs user. Located in Niles,MI Using Hand held radio but plan to get a 50 watt mobile radio to use as a base station connected to my outside 144/440 antenna. Will install a gmrs antenna if needed.

Yes. I plan to buy a 50 watt mobile and as at home connected to my 144/440 base antenna mounted high on my garage. I only received the cables and connectors and haven’t yet tried to use the outside antenna yet. Although it’s tune for the 440 ham band I want to try it out using my low power ht. I don’t yet have an antenna analyzer to test it at the higher 462 / 467 frequencies

I’m about 100 miles from Grand Rapids and didn’t expect it. I don’t have the codes to that repeater so I don’t know if I can hit it from here. My ultimate goal is to be in contact with my son in Kalamazoo. He’s unwilling to get his ham license but might be willing to to buy a gmrs radio if we can both use that repeater to stay in touch.

PS. If the above is not clear let me add that I joined the west Michigan club which I didn’t realize was a subsection of the main forum. Thx.

PS. If the above is not clear let me add that I joined the west Michigan club which I didn’t realize was a subsection of the main forum. Thx.

Hi i was scanning the channels on my ht and overheard conversation on my channel 20. I didn’t get the entire conversation but I heard moline and later a location from Rolling prairie. im located in Nile’s, MI and am surprised that I was able to get signals from your area. Is this a normal range or was I lucky?

I ordered a Retevis programming cable from Amazon that hasn’t arrived and am close to canceling the order. From what I’ve read the cables are a two pin end that plug into the radio with usb plug at the other end that are based on an old Kenwood style cable. Are these various knockoff brands interchangeable so if I were to cancel my order and get a different brand from a different vendor ( that might actually arrive) it will still work? Or does each vendor brand have a chip installed to lock it down to its own radio brand?

At this stage I'm just trying to learn everything I can about the SDR capabilities. I have also developed a renewed interest in the UHF radio spectrum, so I want the ability to see activity in the various UHF bands.

Thanks for the information regarding the discone antenna. I forgot that I have one in the garage. My other problem is I'm running out of places to install another antenna. I already have the vertical antenna for HF ground mounted in my yard and a dual band vhf/uhf on a pole mounted to my garage. I need to find a spot for the discone. While I've been licensed for about 15 years my main interest has been in the HF bands but lately I've become interested again in the uhf bands and see that there has been so much advancement in affordable hardware that I don't what to play with first.

I've recently become interested in SDR and have viewed various dongles on Amazon. I have several general questions: 1. What are the better (or best) SDR dongles available for under $100? 2. Are the cables and antenna included or require a separate purchase? 3. Is software included? If not, what software is needed? Free download or purchase required? 4. What computer OS is needed? I have a newer laptop running windows 11 home version. Feel free to add and recommend additional things I have missed. I understand that this is a receive only setup and I'm not looking for a SDR transceiver Thanks