marcspaz

I have on an antenna, but not a dummy load. I definitely do not get full power at night. The short of it, if the battery drops to 12vdc even, when I key up my GMRS radio, the voltage drops to as little as 11.4vdc while transmitting and I see about 18w-20w output. My 100w HF radio will send the battery down to 11.1vdc and I'll see about 50w out. At night, I usually reduce power to get more run-time out of the battery and so I don't stress the radio as much with increased current. Depending on how busy I get this week, I can see if I can get real measurements on the dummy load, if you're interested.

I bought a Thunderbolt 100w solar kit from Harbor Freight. It comes with a controller, which hooks to the battery. I then hooked up a 100 amp hr battery. When the sun is out, the radio runs off the solar kit, but as the sunlight weakens and at night, it runs off the battery I got from Batteries Plus. Total out of pocket was about $500.

I like the post... just a minor point of interest here. It's not a Ham theory... the FCC rules say that amateur stations are limited to the least amount a power required for reliable communications, with maximum power limits. 47 CFR § 97.313 - Transmitter power standards. (a) An amateur station must use the minimum transmitter power necessary to carry out the desired communications.

Thanks for the kudos!

I bought a WayALife CB Bar. I have a 2020 Gladiator, but they make them for previous models also. Here is the part I used... just search their site if you have something other than a JL/JT. https://www.wayalife.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=PARTS-CB-BAR A few pictures of my Ham gear... The GMRS radio goes in the same location when I go wheeling.

I'm glad you have a good sense of humor.. I actually do just that on our trips. If there is someone who didn't bring a radio or doesn't have FRS/GMRS when everyone else does, I just hand out a cheap loaner while we're out on the trails. If you let someone use the GMRS radio,, unless the person using your handheld radio is an immediate family member, they can't use your license to go on the repeater. Also,, FRS radios are not repeater capable, so that prevents someone with an FRS radio from getting on a repeater as well.

Sorry... I have to.

I think, worse case, you don't get the performance you are looking for and the radio runs a little hotter than normal. I had a customer who installed their own mobile UHF radios and hired me to troubleshoot why some of them weren't working. Go to find out their installer pinched the antenna cable in the exact same spot on several vehicles, putting a dead short in the antenna cable. Not only between the leads of the cable, but crushed the cable causing it to short against the body of the vehicle. I ran new cables through a different part of the vehicle and the radios worked fine. It's been 2 years and they are still going strong. The video @OffRoaderX shared is a great real-world example of the types of margins you have with protective circuits. Even some of the most inexpensive transmitters have automatic power limiters which help prevent you from breaking your transmitter if there is a bad, broken or no antenna. These are called Automatic Limiter Control or ALC. Manufacturers do this to reduce warranty claims and unhappy customers, even if its the customers mistake. Coincidentally, it also helps prevent fires. They also install them on radios used in a service where things like power limits and spurious emissions need to be controlled.

@WRPQ991 welcome! Glad you joined the site! Don't worry about understanding the geek speak. It comes with a little time behind the mic and keyboard. I recommend using the search function, as many questions from new users have been answered in great detail. However, if you don't find specifics, don't be afraid to ask questions. Many of us are here to help new people as well as learn from each other.

I actually go offroad with a small group of Hams... there is usually much less conflict over what frequency we use. The conflict with GMRS is some radios don't cover all FRS channels or there is a lot of congestion. Especially at big events like the Boy Scout Jamboree, Mustang Week, Beach Week, etc. In Ham radio, if we adhere to commonly accepted spacing, there is an equivalent of 267 channels, plus digital voice, analog voice in AM, FM and SSB. On top of that, we still have hundreds of squelching combinations. Plus all amateur VHF radios cover all the same frequencies. It's pretty easy to just agree to use a quiet frequency. Me and my group usually use 147.525 MHz, C4FM modulation, group code 16. The chances of us hearing anyone else while noodling around the mountains or downtown Daytona are almost zero. That said, FRS and GMRS makes life a while lot easier for a family. Again, why I use it... mainly to talk to my family and a few very close friends and their families. The ease of use is what's so attractive for many families.

I have seen 5w and 8w handhelds and 30w to 100w mobile radios for Hams. The legal limit for an unlicensed operator is 800mw, but a licensed operator can go to 1,500w pep with no limit on effective radiated power. I'm unaware of anything else in the license free spectrum (outside of the Ham bands). This weekend, during the VA QSO party, a fellow club member made a contact at 75 miles. Outside of knowing he was using a mobile, I'm unaware of the rest of the working conditions for either operator.

I'm guessing he is more well suited for a guest appearance in the role of "some people".

@WRPG591 What's your problem? You are new to this public forum, but I am guessing you're not new to the internet. @Sshannon provided an answer, @PACNWComms expanded on the why, and then a couple of us confirmed those points made by the first two. If you don't like it when people try to help or contribute content, this group might not be a good fit for you.

As an avid off roader and someone who travels a lot to do it, I am not even 100% convinced of this. LOL I mentioned before that I know that there are groups, clubs, circuit series, etc., that have adopted a specific frequency/channel for their respective activities, but many of the groups I wheel with around the country just pick some random frequency/channel that everyone seems to agree on. Even professionally guided trail rides I have been on, the trail guides tend to use random channels between 8 and 14. The one time someone I was wheeling with didn't have a radio capable of being on channel 8, the trail guide told everyone to got to channel 7. So, it seems all over the place.

(insert anecdotal experience disclaimer here) The little traffic I do hear while traveling is little kids playing on channels 1 though 4 or the occasional retail store near the highway on 1 through 7. Hardly someone to "chat" with while I put miles behind me. In a real emergency I'll use a cell phone, 2m/70cm or HF radio. However, if every single one of them are broken or somehow not functioning for me, I'll call on channels 1 through 7 for help, because a little kid can get a parent to help me or a store clerk can call 911 in an emergency. Everything else seem like a ghost town.

@PACNWComms I have a portable repeater to use in the field and a repeater at my house. Neither of them get turn on unless I need to use them and no one outside of my ARES/RACES team and my household members know how to access it.

Did you use the directions on pages 21 and 22 of the manual to program the offset so when you transmit, the transmitter shifts up to 467.7MHz and back to 462.7MHz on receive? If not, that is going to be the issue.

The weather report isn't reliable on any radio. Lol I would see if you can reach the repeater owner to confirm the tone. Also, I am not sure how new you are to using this radio, but are you sure you are on a repeater channel?

Eh... people will get used to it. It's It's good tool to weed out the weak. Have you ever spent any time in court? This is exactly what happens in court. Someone is accused of doing something wrong. The defense team points to the code, rule or Tort Law that exonerates their client. The prosecution points to the code, rule or Tort Law to get a conviction. Many time they are both looking at exact same source and just looking at it from a different perspective or trying to use circumstance change the prism. Then its up to the judge or jury to decide who is right or wrong. Our laws and rule are so convoluted that much of it is contradictory or no longer rational. There is a book you may want to check out. Three Felonies A Day by Alan M. Dershowitz and Harvey Silverglate. The whole concept of the book is that our laws are such as mess that the average person commits an average of 3 felonies a day, while just living a normal life. Here is the Amazon description:

QFT! I have been chatting with folks like Axorlov for some time... I think many of us have figured out when we're messing with each other and when we're serious. Though it may not seem that way to others.

Now that IS a different conversation. It's okay... you guys can call it whatever you want. I know that regardless of any protest here, you at least agree enough that you know what I'm talking about. If you want to call it something other than what the FCC and industry manufacturers do.. have at it. Who am I to judge. LoL

But how can you disagree? They are literal channels on the radio too? Even advertisers call them channels... here is a quote from an advertiser... "This radio utilizes 15 GMRS channels and eight high-powered repeater channels". Regardless of if you find use in 0.5 watts in a mobile or not... it's still a legal option and a channel and totally in scope for a conversation about what channel to use while on the road. May not be a great option, but its still an option.

FCC calls them channels, so I do, too. § 95.1763 GMRS channels., (c): "467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels."... "The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz. "

@HCCFCA The Tram 1174 (taller of the two) is a half wave antenna and should work fine with the suction cup mount. The 1126B (shorter of the two) will require a ground plane. That means you are going to need to buy a ground plane kit or you are back to a mag mount or lip mount for the shorter antenna. As I mentioned earlier, you may have some luck flipping the upper bracket 180 degrees and getting the antenna over and as close to the roof as possible.

@Citizen Thank you for the question. I can see where is can be hard to track, but hopefully this clears it up a bit. Lets look at a test case, say when we are inside the Earth's atmosphere and there is absolutely nothing in between you and the other station. We could be on top of two mountain peaks, for example. If literally nothing is in the way, including the curve of the earth and all other conditions being equal, watt for watt VHF signals will travel farther than UHF signals. Where the clarification comes in and explaining the real world results above, all has to do with obstructions. Radio waves do not perform the same at every frequency. At some frequencies, signals bounce off of literally everything. At other frequencies, literally every object absorbs the signal. At still over frequencies, the radio waves pass through everything. Then, there is everything in between. At some frequencies, singals will be absorbed by some things, reflected or refracted by others, and still pass through some. So, it just so happens that when it comes to wood and steel (trees and metal buildings), those materials just happen to absorb signals between 130MHz to 300MHz at a much higher rate than a signal between 430MHz to 500MHz. Because their land and surrounding area was a combination of cleared land and heavily wooded, the trees simply cause more signal interference on VHF than UHF, by absorbing more of the signal. So, in that one specific case, UHF was the better choice because of the terrestrial interference. Hopefully that helps a bit. Let me know if you have other questions.