WRCZ387

Just curious, like the OP, why did you pick 151.625 originally to program into your radios? There are various frequency lists posted on the Net for preppers, SHTF, etc, Red Dot & Purple Dot were on the lists Most of my h-t's have the capacity of storing 128 channels, [1] has 199 channels, [1] has 4000 channels, so when I first got into GMRS a few years ago, I went all out [yes, crazy] on programming for every which way I thought that I would need, or might need Now, I've read a lot more [thanks to everyone on mygmrs & radioreference], I'm a little more knowledgeable, & I'm more responsible on what I have in my rigs I do have the NOAA frequencies, & [3] local rail frequencies programmed in, but I make sure that they are on 'NO TRANSMIT' before I unplug the h-t from the pc, let alone before I leave the house

I had 151.625 MHz programmed in my h-t's for "just-in-case" or "just because" But then I gave it some thought, considered the fact that it's a business band frequency & I decided to delete it If I can't communicate on FRS, GMRS or MURS, forget it

It's based on the IC-F21 commercial model, so I'd say it is a robust radio, but not to the tune of $150.00 I lucked into a used one a few months ago for $49.00, I replaced the OEM antenna with another one [the original was starting to deteriorate], I need to get a NiMH battery for it, it came with a 600 mAh Ni-Cad I have a programming cable that fits anther Icom & found the software online, so I reprogrammed it to my preferences, since out-of-the-box, channels 1-8 are repeaters, channels 9-15 are the 462 MHz interstitial, & all channels are set to narrow band, so I tweaked it a bit Programming it with multiple key/PTT presses? No thank you If you're an Icom aficionado, & want a Part 95 h-t, I'd say get one, but I wouldn't pay more than $50.00 max depending on it's condition & what accessories it has, just my .02 cents 73

You're welcome I would start by searching those models right here on myGMRS, check out the opinions+experiences of other users, plus read the user reviews on the radioddity & buytwowayradios web sites GMRS is getting more popular, word is getting around about it Some people use it for off-roading, some use it for family comms, some users are going on to chat & make friends, for some users: all of the above I watched two YouTube videos a couple of years ago about a town in California where the residents are using GMRS for communicating with each other before/during/after wildfires I think that the usage is going to depend on the area, whether it's ham or GMRS Just tonight I was discussing ham radio usage with someone who uses both ham & GMRS, in this area [Tampa Bay, FL], the hams seem to be using 2 meter simplex more than the repeaters unless it's a net, the same may be happening in your area, there's more simplex usage vs the repeaters It's an obvious point, but I'll say it anyway, no matter which radio you choose: antenna-antenna-antenna, it will make you or break you, whether base, mobile, or portable/hand-held With GMRS being UHF: height is might, get your base antenna as high as possible, & use quality coax so you don't lose too much of your signal between the radio & the antenna, especially if you're going to use h-t's for now, you want as many of your 4-5 watts to get to the antenna While I'm thinking about it, you may or may not want to replace the stock antennas on your h-t's, you'll have to test your situation out & see what results you get 73

Hey, I'm all for cheat sheets; I have no ego, pride or vanity to bruise I always say: "I know just enough to get me in trouble"

The only parts that I remembered clearly are h-t's only & 0.5 watts only on the 467 MHz interstitials I still have my h-t's set at 2-2.5 watts on the 462 MHz interstitials I guess that I need to do my homework

I stand corrected, I just went & reread the rules, my goof I either misread something somewhere, or I was thinking of pre-2017

Yes. GMRS operates on UHF & uses a +5 MHz offset. Most of the time, but not always, GMRS repeaters use tones for both the input & the output frequencies, I believe that amateur repeaters usually use a tone just on the input, but I'm not a ham, so take that with a grain of salt just in case GMRS h-t's are legally limited to 5 watts maximum output, mobiles, repeaters & base stations are limited to 50 watts maximum output I don't know how much you want to budget for your h-t. At the inexpensive end is the Radioddity GM-30 for $39.99 https://www.radioddity.com/products/radioddity-gm-30 If you want to go a bit higher in price, there are several Wouxun GMRS h-t's that are popular & have good reputations that start at $99.99 & go up from there https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-two-way-radios.html?tw_service=783 Both the Radiodditty & the Wouxun h-t's are repeater capable as well as simplex 73

I do the same I have the NOAA freqs programmed in my dual band h-t's, & in my VHF mono band h-t's, they came pre-programmed in my Alinco DJ-VX50 I work outside, I'm in Florida close to the Gulf, from May to November I'd rather have them & not need them rather than be kicking myself for not having them, better safe than sorry I also have lightning/radar/weather apps in my phone for additional info/backup 73 & a safe summer to everyone

They probably spent so much on weapons & etc that Baofengs are all that they can afford with what they have left

You just might have something there I just checked over at Signal Stuff, & they're out-of-stock on the 19" pink dual-band in BNC They must have had a run on those for some reason...... Do the Abree 42" tactical antennas come in pink? If not, can you spray paint them?

Smiley Antennas [centered at 155 MHz] https://www.smileyantenna.com/category-s/1514.htm The Antenna Farm For mobile https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/shop-all/mobile-antennas/108-230-mhz-vhf/457-commercial-vhf-antennas For h-t https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/shop-all/hand-held-antennas/commercial-radio-ht-antennas/671-vhf-hand-held-radio-antennas/672-kenwood-vhf-antennas/13041-laird-connectivity-exh155sfk-detail 73

I agree. I usually use a Smiley 5/8 5" 465 MHz or a Laird G4650BN 10" commercial 450-470 MHz depending on my mood I keep the 771G handy in case I want that extra bit of oomph to my signal I also agree on the BNC, with adapters I can have the h-t on the 1/4 wave in the mobile, but I can grab it and switch back to portable mode to carry it with me with just a couple of twists + pulls/pushes

Personally, I prefer to buy from the radio stores for my equipment, I don't support Amazon or the big box stores I prefer to support the radio stores, whether they're individual shops [R&L, Chatt Radio, The Antenna Farm] or small chains [HRO], plus I believe that the stores are going to make sure that they sell genuine brands, not knock-offs or counterfeits I've purchased from Signal Stuff also, he's not a store but an individual [with helpers] I apologize for hijacking the thread, we now return you to the original topic

I think that I'll wait for some user reviews IF someone finds that the F30G surpasses the 771G, I'll consider one, I'm about quality & performance, not "tacticool" For me, 30" would be unwieldy for EDC, my favorite radios are only 4-4½" in height I think that I would have that antenna/radio combo clipped to my belt, on my backside with a speaker mike 73

And, IMO, The White Knight 73

I have a limit of 5 characters on one of my h-ts, so I had to get a little creative, I have a half way decent memory for airport id's, so, Clearwater is CLW, Sarasota is SRQ, Tampa is TPA, etc I personally prefer to alphabetize the id's by location/city/town in ascending order, then if there's more than one repeater in an area, I use the frequency after the ID, so: CLW 550, CLW 600, SRQ 650, TPA 575, TPA 725, etc On the 5 character h-t, it cuts off the 3rd digit, but that's ok, CLW60, SRQ65, TPA57, or TPA72, I can work with that, the 3rd digit is always going to be 0 or 5 73

Most store ops are on MURS, they used to have Ritron h-t's, now they use Motorola configured exclusively for them I don't know what radios the drivers use, or if all of them have one, but usually it's so they can back up to the dock & say "management, Wal-Mart driver is at grocery receiving" since the stores are so busy & short-staffed, either no one answers the phone or there's no one in receiving to hear the truck arrive If it's on the drivers nickel, I doubt that they're going to spring for a MURS mobile, antenna & install 73 to everyone

Between your experience & what I've read about the new IC-T10 h-t [everyone likes it, but thinks that it's overpriced], I'm starting to reconsider my wish that Icom would get back into GMRS equipment Last month I was lucky enough to pick up a used F21GM for $49.00, I just have to source an aftermarket battery for it, new Icom batteries cost more than I paid for the h-t I apologize for derailing the MURS topic 73 to all

I found this online https://www.businessformtemplate.com/preview/Amateur_Radio_Station_Log It's available in .doc format Any word processor that reads & writes .doc files will let you edit the file to your needs &/or wants Or you can just design your own using tables in a word processor [that's what I did] The fields that I have are: name - call sign - QTH - repeater [that I spoke with them on] - notes Or a spreadsheet will probably work also Whatever works best &/or easiest is up to the user, you can always change it or update it later on 73

Flagship 675 is part of North Georgia GMRS I believe that they state that their repeaters are open to "transient" users, so as a traveler, as someone passing through that area, I don't think that they'd give you any grief A few years ago, I was vacationing north of Chattanooga, & I checked into their weekly net as a guest on the Lookout Mountain repeater Other repeater owners may not be as open to travelers, you'll have to find out with each one 73, Happy New Year & enjoy your hike

If you need or want more range, instead of higher power output, look at better antennas Your antenna is what gets your signal out, & brings the other stations signals in to you It doesn't matter how much power you're pushing, if you don't have a good antenna, whatever power you do have will either go nowhere or not as far as it could, & will be wasted, & you won't get the range that you want or need, & you may not receive the other stations as well as you could Stock antennas on h-t's are generally 'OK', good for close in work, or if you're not a zillion miles away from the repeater Many users [myself included] have upgraded their h-t antennas with the Nagoya NA-771G which is tuned specifically for the GMRS channels, it's on the long side at 15 inches, but the improvement you gain is worth it

My goof, when I searched, I didn't look at all the results well enough I quoted the N connector for a TRA4503P I did see the detail about the ground plane being necessary I was getting ready for work when I was reading the forums & responded, I rushed & I goofed I apologize for my mistake

From what I searched, the 4500 is NMO base which is what you want for mobile antenna mounts The 4503 is N female which is usually used for base/fixed locations 73

Icom used to have the F21GM h-t, I forgot when they discontinued it Now Icom is offering two new MURS h-t's I'm hoping that they get back into GMRS with a new h-t [I'd love to see a GMRS mobile from Icom also]