OffRoaderX

It is nearly impossible to get an accurate SWR reading on a HT antenna without specialized equipment... But even if your reading of 2 was accurate, an SWR of 2 is perfectly fine. Stop overthinking everything and just use your radio.

Jeezus... WHY in TF would you want to do that?

Its just people talking.. Many in Spanish.. its not "a complete zoo", its just busy.

Yes, you are over thinking it... Unless your goal is to bounce your signal off the moon or "make contacts" with anonymous men around the world - in either case, you should not be using GMRS for that and would be happier with H.A.M. or the Grindr app. It is true that if you CORRECTLY attach a wire from the antenna to the chassis it will be grounded better, you will never notice any difference. OTOH, if you do it wrong and short it out, you WILL notice when it doesnt work at all. Stop paying attention to the radiotards that have no life, install the radio, and enjoy it.

Well.. No.. Because "tone" and "Privacy Tone" would include CTC, CTCSS, and PL, which are not the same. and we don't want to go down that rabbit hole.

and dont forget about DTC.. DTC, DPL, DCS = all the same

Thankfully for normal people using a GMRS radio, "close" is plenty good enough.

I have tested several against my RigExpert AA-650 and they always come in within ~1%-5% .. Weird.

No, thats not why. Missing the entire point and not "getting it", as you just demonstrated is why.

Being a sad-H.A.M. is a mental/emotional-defect, not a test score/status. And while there is a very high correlation of sad-H.A.M.s having H.A.M. licenses, this does not prove causation.

Be careful watching those videos! Many people here have decreed that guy is just a shill and will say or do anything that the cheap-chinese-radio manufactures tell him to say or do. This must be true because everyone that proclaims this has a forum signature that say they have had a H.A.M. license for 20 years or more.

Sorry to have to be the one to break this news to you but bragging about not being a ham BUT how easy it would be to pass the examS "if you wanted to" is a strong indicator of being a latent sad-H.A.M. .. Your other posts already proved you also fall into the "some people" category.. And as the inventor of the term Sad-H.A.M., my declaration is final and cannot be disputed or overturned.

No because none of the Midlands are CHIRP compatible.. See my previous post -The Midland is not the radio you are looking for.

Just based on this post alone, I can confidently proclaim that the Midland is not the right radio-choice for you.

That depends on how you define "good"... Midland Micromobile radios are GREAT for someone that wants a decent quality, EASY TO USE, NO BELLS AND WHISTLES GMRS radio.. They are priced high but that price is worth it to many people willing to pay for that simplicity and the fact that the company is at least based in 'Murica. I have had several Midland radios (6 or 7?), with the power output ranging on them from 105% of its rated output to around only 75% .. But dont be fooled - although it's good to get what the box says, you will NEVER notice any difference between 35 watts and 50 watts in regular usage. Most of the mobile units do not have cooling fans but never once, ever, in all my usage of my Midlands, not once, has one ever over-heated, shut-down, or stuttered due to high-heat or over usage. According to the Midland Marketing Manager, the Midland Micromobile GMRS radios are a hybrid of Superheterodyne and HOMOdyne.. But I dont remember which half (RX or TX) is SUPERhet and which part was HOMOdyne... and most people buying this type of simple radio wouldn't care anyway. Anyone complaining about the lack of features on a Midland is obviously not who Midland is selling their radios to, and should therefore be ignored. Anyone slamming you over the air simply because your radio is chinese is a moron and should be ignored with extreme-prejudice.. Just tell them you're transmitting on a iCom radio and as long as your roger-beep is off i GUARANfuckingTEE you that they will never be able to tell the difference. For MY money, I would buy a KG-1000G, but only because I am a radio dork. However I have many friends that are regular-people that prefer the simplicity of the Midland radios and were more than happy to pay the $$ for that simplicity.

probably, but here is the direct link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K5GW67O/

In addition to good connectors and coax, I also use "Strong 30mil Weatherproof Self-Fusing Silicone Rubber Sealing Tape" - that stuff works like magic.

Yes, and it works just fine.

The FCC ID on my GMRS version is: 2A4F8TD831G

"illegal"? No.. Not complaint with FCCs regulations? Maybe.. But, the FCCs certified the radio sooooo.. Does the FCCs care? According to the FCCs' lack of enforcement, No Do any normal people care? No

It must just be you because "some people" continue to proclaim that I am the RF-antikhrist and have single-handedly destroyed both H.A.M. and GMRS.

Just don't watch the newest one just uploaded today.. Dont watch that one.

I have heard a few people mention that Youtube has some good videos going over every aspect of using GMRS and pretty much all GMRS radios.

Turn off your VPN.

as @Sshannon, 2.5 is just fine.. Stop overthinking it and enjoy your repeater.