OffRoaderX

This is almost certainly a Windows/comport/driver issue - do you have any other radios that work using CHIRP?

I was going to castigate you for not just looking on the Retevis sales page or online user-manual to get the answer to this question, but it turns out that all they say is "GMRS" and it would be very unusual for a radio like this to not also be able to receive 2M, 70CM and more... So now I want to know the answer too! PS: Welcome to the exciting and dynamic world of radio.. If people make fun of you here its because they love you.

I came here to read about Terry Sullivan, not some dumb question about a radio! Clickbait!!!!1

..and we are all VERY impressed!

Ok Sparky, we believe you...

IIRC, i never measured the power because I didnt want to break the antenna and/or i didnt have a good way to measure it off the connector. and I dont think the power was mentioned anywhere in the sales literature or documentation (that i can recall).. Since they dont brag that its a "Full 5 Watt radio" I assume it is closer to 2 or 3W, if that.

Only "Some people" could over-complicate sticking a piece of wire through a wall in their desperate attempt to validate themselves..But he did a VERY good job of showing everyone how smart he thinks he is.. I for one am VERY impressed! But he's clearly not smart enough to read the room and know his audience...

The 511 does not do digital texting, it has no GPS, and it is more like an FRS radio than a GMRS radio. Source: I have one.

Easy! It's because the FCC says so!

You are correct, you cant do it by just slapping it inline with the coax - I assumed he meant he would do it the "right" way.. But upon reflection and realizing that would cost more than the repeater, I have re-evaluated the situation. UPDATE: DO NOT TRY TO SLAP A POWER-AMPLIFIER INLINE WITH YOUR REPEATER.. IT WONT WORK. Good catch @Sshannon

If you can do both, then do both. If you can only do one, then raise the antenna higher.

IMO, it is important to point out that the RG-58 coax that comes with most magnet mount antennas, while not "the best" you can buy, is more than plenty 'good enough' for average, normal, GMRS users.

Yes, you can do that, and nobody would care... But dont forget that the HAM version does not have "channels", so you would have to program them all as you mentioned, and also manually set & configure your repeater channels.. Not a big deal if you know/understand how to do that, but based on your question I am guessing that you may not know how. Also, as I'm sure you know, there is virtually 0 difference in farz between 8 watts and 10 watts - the only difference you will see is the battery draining faster.

Generally speaking, in GMRS we dont use "tuners" .. What most of us do is use an SWR meter to cut/tune our antenna to the correct length OR, purchase a "GMRS" antenna which requires no tuning/cutting.

Something made to bolt-in to my custom tailgate hinge/spare tire holder. i think they make one for the stock tailgate as well - i got it from quadratec.com

On both my jeeps the antennas are mounted on the tailgate hinges, just to the left of what shows in your mounting bracket picture.. That NMO mount will work as long as you are able to feed/thread it to the places you need. That is the correct type of strap - i got my from the local auto-parts store - i think they call it a battery grounding strap and they come in different lengths. Should be able to find it on Amazon as well.

Just FYI - Prepare yourself for all the "experts" that are going to tell you that antenna location "won't work".. Just ignore them. It is true, that location wont work "the best it can be", but it will work just fine for trail comms. On both my jeeps i have the antenna mounted just about a foot to the left and I can get 30+ miles simplex and i have hit a repeater at 93 miles - that should be plenty "good enough". When mounting on the tailgate like that you should run a grounding strap (not a 'wire') from the antenna mount to the tub of the Jeep - make sure the connections are metal to metal. You can use any UHF coax - try to keep it as short as possible but if you have a foot or two extra, just loosely coil it up. Ignore the "experts" that tell you this will make your antenna/radio "not work". Be aware that the Diamond NR7900A is not a GMRS antenna - unless you are also planning to transmit on the ham bands, I would recommend getting an antenna made/tuned for GMRS antenna - I use the Midland MXTA26 You will probably also need an NMO mount to connect the antenna to the bracket, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Connector-Adapter-Connect-Vehicle/dp/B0BLMHJ338/ You may also need some kind of SMA to SO-239 connector to connect the BoofWhang to the antenna cable - something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bingfu-Antenna-Adapter-Coaxial-Kenwood/dp/B083D5TMKG/ But check the gender on both ends to make sure you get the right one for your radio - and get a couple of them because they tend to wear out. I'm sure i'm missing something, but this should get you started.

We are all very impressed! .... Now try to answer after actually reading what he posted/asked for.

I have and SDS200 scanner that downloads everything from RadioReference.com's database and I am able to pick up a LOT of VHF traffic.. Mostly things like forestry service and several other federal agencies, public service traffic, some ambulance service companies and the California Highway Patrol.. On UHF I am also able to get a couple of police departments, the Los Angeles County Sherrif's department and a couple of fire departments, but all the others are encrypted.

If only the biggest GMRS Radio YouTuber would make a video showing exactly how.. oh well, I guess we'll never know. EDIT: Since you never told us WHICH Baofeng radio you have nobody will be able to help you anyway.. Baofeng makes a LOT of radios.

^ that.. And, for clarification, UHF (GMRS) is line of site. If you cant see it, then you are bouncing your signal to it - and more power helps to do that.

Necroposting is a new and emerging trend!

I used to complain about off-topic comments but i've decided that instead of fighting the tide, i will just embrace it like everyone else apparently does.. and for an added bonus I decided to be nice to the n00b... I think i'm turning over a new leaf...

Both the $26 radios and the $226 radios have the exact same farz and there is not a huge difference between them. For most people the value boils down to build-quality, features and customer support. If you dont care about those things thing stick with the less expensive radios or whichever radio has the features you care about.