ljones135

I've replaced the mic and that seems to have cured the problem. Thank all of you who responded!

I've replaced the mic and that seems to have cured the problem. Thank all of you who responded!

Steve,
The noise is still there and takes away from my voice clarity. I'm hoping that it is the microphone as I just ordered one today.

They didn't even ask me to pay, they just wanted me gone. Either they were upset they agreed to no rent and wanted to kick me out, or they saw the non-compete clause in the contract with the wireless companies and wanted to clean house. Either way, I ended up scoring a much better site with patience and hunting around. I'm on a 500' tower a few miles away now. There was a company who needed a new site to cover their customers so I found the site and piggy-backed on their combiner. It helps to know people in the industry, so I lucked out there.
 
There were other issues where the person who granted me access to the site was on the board, and got approval from the president of the association, but the whole association didn't vote on it. So I think there was some bad blood between the members and I was the casualty. As far as the install, I had a local radio tech do the install since I live in NJ, and that way everything was done professionally and someone could be on-site with a day's notice to fix anything. We did a minimal install, small antenna, small wall-mount rack out of the way so it didn't bother anyone. He worked with the building maintenance guy to make sure everything was good.
 
I also think the antenna drew the attention of the wireless companies because they figured that condo had contracts to lease the roof space already, so it'd be easier to talk to them than to start from scratch with another building.

A ham and a GMRS repeater can live comfortably on the same rooftop or even the same tower.  If the ham repeater is an older one, there is a good chance it is a 2-meter machine, which is far enough away from GMRS that it won't be an issue.  Even if it is a UHF 70cm ham machine, both can live on the same space - just as long as both of you have good quality BpBr cavity filters, not just cheap duplexers.
 
Stop by and talk to the building owner or manager. Tell him that there is already a ham repeater up there on his roof, which is a federally licensed service, and that you would like to add an additional licensed service similar to, but not exactly the same as ham radio. Be sure to note that it is being done as a public service, and not for profit in any way.

I was able to get free access to the top of a condo in Florida on the beach by mentioning that it would be perfect for emergency use and residents of the building could get a license and use it for free. I eventually lost the site because wireless companies were snooping around and wanting to kick any "competition" out, and the condo association was wondering why I was there rent-free when they had a paying tenant looking to come in.
 
My mistake was not getting a contract or lease agreement with them. If I had that, they would have been able to tell the wireless companies tough, we already have an agreement and you'll have to deal with it. It can be an informal contract, just says why you're there, what you'll pay, and for the longest period of time you can negotiate at a time (so you're not having to renegotiate each year, for example).

Not per-se an endorsement, but I have used Wiscomm for parts orders in the past and found them to be helpful, reliable and fast. however, you probably want the 400-470mHz version. https://www.shopwiscomm.com/-Vertex-Standard-VX-2200-UHF-400-470-Mhz-128c-45-Watt-Mobile-Radio-P3164974.aspx

Wiscomm.com of Wisconsin has them in stock and will program. The Radio is $291 call for pricing on programing. Link to VX 2200 45 watt. https://www.shopwiscomm.com/-Vertex-Standard-VX-2200-UHF-450-512-Mhz-128c-45-Watt-Mobile-Radio-P3164976.aspx

Avoid ANY Chinese mobile that you find advertised for GMRS. You can't even call them Cheap Chinese Radios - as most of them approach or exceed the cost of real Commercial/Industrial radios.
 
Action Communications in Arizona has the VX-2200 UHF for under $300 on eBay and their website, and if you call them, they might be able to tell you what they would do for programming.
 
Buying new in this case is good, as you'll get all the power cables, brackets, and accessories that you'll need, but I would not be the least concerned about buying used Commercial equipment from a reputable seller. Mobile units often last 20+ years in daily use conditions, and the few parts that wear out (microphones and cords mainly) are easily replaced.

Used commercial gear is a boon for a lot of us.  You get the reliability and quality of the big brands for dirt cheap.  I've got into a HT1000 and 2 MTS2000s for less than 150 dollars with chargers, batteries, and antennas and got a Motorola PM400 mobile for 120 dollars.  That's not much more than some of the Chinese radios out there.  

Downside is you loose a lot of the flexibility of something like a dual band ham radio but programing them via laptop is easy enough.

I would go with a Vertex VX-2200 and avoid the Baofeng CCR.
 
G.

Yes that radio will give you everything you want and more. Cables and software are generally available. I don’t have a link right now, but you can get it by googling for Vertex software and cables. You might try eBay and look for bluemax49ers.
 
If you think you might ever get ham license, you might consider the 400-470 mHz version of that radio (I think it is the G6) as it covers both ham and gmrs.

I've asked this before.
Why can't somebody make a GMRS mobile radio that is 25 to 40 watts, works like we want for $150? And is part 95 certified?
 
1. Clean, on frequency emissions.
 
2. Wide or narrow band. (Narrow band to work best with bubblepack radios.)
 
3. Split pl tones for tx and rx. Or just squelch.
 
4. Multiple channels for the same repeater channel to allow preprogramming of pl tones for a trip.
 
This doesn't sound like rocket science.
 
 
Just an observation, I do not have an amature license. At the present, I am not planning to get one. I don't know any one with an amature license in my area. Radios don't do much if you don't know any one to talk to.

Approximate** attenuation per 100 feet of cable at 462 mhz:


Belden 9258 RG8X - 7.15 db

Belden 9913 RG8 - 2.9 db
 
Belden 9201 RG58 - 9.1 db
 
Belden 8267 RG213 - 4.82 db

LMR400 - 2.72 db    (may have long term internal mechanical issues at UHF frequencies)

Heliax 1/2 inch - 1.47 db

[ ** ratings are from manufacturer datasheets for the specific type and series listed. Other manufacturers ratings may be slightly different.]
 
 
 
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Get a pole, a house bracket, good quality antenna and feedline. the pole and house bracket cost less than $30 and provides a good place to mount a quality antenna. messing with aluminum gutter work will create all kinds of problems, some already mentioned above. For best results use two poles and a pole to pole bracket and do your best to get the antenna at least 10' above your roofs ridge line. There are lot's of options for mounting a pole to your home, a tilting base is also helpful.

I have the 25X2 and you can store multiple configurations for repeaters. The problem comes with trying to keep them all straight in your mind. Naming the different configurations isn't difficult, names are easy using CHIRP and even the front panel method isn't too onerous. I just wonder how many you plan on storing. If the frequencies are for cities and areas you frequently visit there is a good possibility there may be multiple sites within the same general location. You would do best to only pick one site per area based on the amount of traffic carried by repeaters in that general area.

Sorry. That question is above my pay grade as I don't own that radio.  Although, based on the GMRSV1 I would guess that there are only a specific number of channels that can be programmed for Tx & Rx. I am sure @marcspaz or someone else with hands on experience will have the answer.

Well, looking at the specs on this radio from BTech, it will Tx and Rx from 136 to 174 on VHF. Since MURS runs from 151.82 to 154.60, it would be covered. Note however, MURS radios must be certified (Part95-J) and this radio is only certified under Part-15.  See the official FCC certification report for more information.  To answer your second question, If you look at page 22 in the manual (also available on the BTech web site) it looks like Receive and Transmit CTCSS are set independently.
 
Also note: while they proudly claim BTECH Radios are Designed in the USA. while it is not, per-se a problem, the radio is most certainly not manufactured in the USA. Also, it is very likely the term designed refers to the software/firmware and not the radio hardware.
 
And... If you are not already familiar with miklor.com, you should check them out. I am not convinced their reviews are impartial. But, they do provide good information and are an excellent resource.  They have a review of the UV-50X2 from 2017.

I have asked for permission on several repeaters in Michigan and never received a response. I understand why the repeater owner would want to screen users, but a response would be at least courteous.

For less than 50' RG8X is ok (I've used it for ham radio for years without an issue) anything over 50' and I seem to get signal issues.

As for your antenna, you may wish to look for something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Browning-450MHz-470MHz-Mobile-Fiberglass-Antenna/dp/B00IDTJ3AS/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=GMRS+base+antenna&qid=1561855637&s=gateway&sr=8-5

The antenna is about 2 feet tall and does not require a ground plane to operate. When I had mine I had no SWR issues, (Typically 1.0-1.1:1) I mounted it on the vent pipe for the sewer with a short 1.5" pole and some straps.

There is two reasons why I would stay out of the gutter. A) the magnetic bases arn't small, even a 3" gutter may have a hard time fitting the smaller of reliable antenna bases in it. This leads to clogging of the gutter which can back up into the fascia causing mold and rot issues. Add to it that most mag mounts are merely water resistant and not completely waterproof and you have the makings for a disaster for your radio and house. B ) The gutter isn't wide enough to give you an effective ground plane which is needed for mag mount antennas. Normally, you want your ground plane to be opposite the radiating element (Like a di-pole) or spread evenly around the element. Using the gutter, you would have two directions with good ground plane and the rest where ground plane is non existent. This affects the signal pattern of the radiating element during TX and can throw SWR off. It also can cause issues with RX as the ground plane tends to reflect signals into the element (much like a satellite dish.) Don't get me wrong, it could work and is a better solution to running a 5 watt portable from inside of the house, but if your looking for longer distances your best bet is to go with a true base antenna.

Hey Marc,
What kind of wheeling do you do? My wife and I have a pair of Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000 X's.

Yes was replying to the OP as I too have a RAM Power Wagon.

Power wagon is a Dodge, not a Jeep.

Love the Power Wagons . . .

Mostly Jeeping in the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
 
 
http://fiveguysracing.com/marc/HardRock/Rubi_W_Lift.jpg
 
http://fiveguysracing.com/marc/RauschCreek/June_2018/images/20180616_115106.jpg
 
http://fiveguysracing.com/marc/RauschCreek/June_2018/images/Image12.jpg