WRCZ387

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]

If I'm understanding you correctly [if I'm not, please tell me], you want to change back & forth between two different NMO style antennas on a NMO magnetic mount Yes you can: I have a Jetstream brand NMO mag mount, & I've interchanged a Larsen tri-band, a Larsen quarter-wave, now I have an E/M Wave tri-band, & an E/M Wave quarter-wave, all four fit the mount NMO is NMO physically, at least on the antennas & mount that I have

How do you think I feel? Two of mine have 1000 channels & one has 4000