OffRoaderX

No matter what I buy, someone will say it's wrong. LMR-400 will do the job just fine.

No matter what I buy, someone will say it's wrong. LMR-400 will do the job just fine.

First trail GMRS use and man, do I prefer that over CB. Still have the CB installed in the Jeep as it will be a secondary form of comms for others that haven't seen the light yet. Running trails in Moab. Ran Elephant hill yesterday and on the way out, the team leader was well over 5 miles out and some generous but not too heavy terrain between us and we were talking back an forth as if we were standing next to each other.
Oh yeah!

Of course, most replies will be much opinion, so here is mine:
 
1) IMHO, the Wouxun KG1000G is a great radio - it has a 50W output, but the best feature is being able to throw the chassis under the seat (or wherever) and remotely mount the very small faceplate anywhere.  I have also used the BTech GMRS 50X1 - actually 2 of them, but that radio does not output anywhere near the advertised power output and the screen is tiny/hard to read.. but, it is cheaper..sooo...
2) any GMRS antenna is probably "good enough" - on both my Jeeps I use the Browning BR-450 which is a UHF antenna and must be cut/tuned (not a big deal) - but a "GMRS" antenna should not need to be cut/tuned
3) it depends on the antenna & where it's mounted, but to be safe I would remove it.  Assuming you mount it where you can reach it, the GMRS/UHF "NMO" mounts are easy screw-off, so its very fast/easy to remove. Tram makes a very small (6 inch?) that works great, and would probably survive the carwash just fine..
4) There are no designated GMRS channels (technically there, are but, like you, nobody knows about them) and in most areas the airwaves are dead - its not yet like CB as far as activity.
5) I dont have any pics, but, dont overthink it.. Mount the radio where you can see it, and mount the antenna where it works - be warned that experts will tell you that if it's not mounted in the "right" location, "it wont work" - dont belive it.  Jeeps are notorious for not having any "good" mounting locations (due to the lack of a metal roof) and both mine are mounted where the experts say "is terrible/wont work" - and yet I can talk to my wife in her Jeep, also with a "terrible" antenna location, 25 miles away, and I can easily hit a repeater 70 miles away while sitting in my garage with the door closed.

Of course, most replies will be much opinion, so here is mine:
 
1) IMHO, the Wouxun KG1000G is a great radio - it has a 50W output, but the best feature is being able to throw the chassis under the seat (or wherever) and remotely mount the very small faceplate anywhere.  I have also used the BTech GMRS 50X1 - actually 2 of them, but that radio does not output anywhere near the advertised power output and the screen is tiny/hard to read.. but, it is cheaper..sooo...
2) any GMRS antenna is probably "good enough" - on both my Jeeps I use the Browning BR-450 which is a UHF antenna and must be cut/tuned (not a big deal) - but a "GMRS" antenna should not need to be cut/tuned
3) it depends on the antenna & where it's mounted, but to be safe I would remove it.  Assuming you mount it where you can reach it, the GMRS/UHF "NMO" mounts are easy screw-off, so its very fast/easy to remove. Tram makes a very small (6 inch?) that works great, and would probably survive the carwash just fine..
4) There are no designated GMRS channels (technically there, are but, like you, nobody knows about them) and in most areas the airwaves are dead - its not yet like CB as far as activity.
5) I dont have any pics, but, dont overthink it.. Mount the radio where you can see it, and mount the antenna where it works - be warned that experts will tell you that if it's not mounted in the "right" location, "it wont work" - dont belive it.  Jeeps are notorious for not having any "good" mounting locations (due to the lack of a metal roof) and both mine are mounted where the experts say "is terrible/wont work" - and yet I can talk to my wife in her Jeep, also with a "terrible" antenna location, 25 miles away, and I can easily hit a repeater 70 miles away while sitting in my garage with the door closed.

After reading all the good clear comments... I said, "Just purchase the best radio at your price level and enjoy the radio with all the features you wanted"...
Jack

Yes, it will. That is one of the major real-world functions that the lighting arrester serves. Contrary to its name, a lighting arrester does not protect you from damage from a direct lighting hit, but instead it shunts surges from nearby lighting and bleeds off static that occurs naturally during storms as well as other periods of high winds. 
BTW, welcome to myGMRS.
 
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM
 
Edit: Here is a link to a document that explains how they work.
 
https://www.polyphaser.com/News/DownloadFile?downloadGuid=52f23510-c294-40d8-889b-b63f1c6fdcb5

same here...and the wonderful uv........

Aha. You’re the guy I blame for spending $320 on an “Ocean” radio instead of just being satisfied with my Baofeng BF-F8HP HT and a mag mount antenna. . Seriously your GMRS vids are great.  
 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've got 2 Jeeps -
In my 2012 JKU "NotARubicon" I have a Wouxun KG-1000G ..
In the wife's 2006 LJ "IsARubicon" I put in a BTech GMRS 50X1 ..
Happy with both, but the Wouxun is a far better radio.

I've got 2 Jeeps -
In my 2012 JKU "NotARubicon" I have a Wouxun KG-1000G ..
In the wife's 2006 LJ "IsARubicon" I put in a BTech GMRS 50X1 ..
Happy with both, but the Wouxun is a far better radio.

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The rule applies to the user. Though, the manufacturer cannot claim certification they do not have.

Great write-up! I love seeing real world results. There is a tremendous value to info like this. That fact that you shared the locations helps, too. We can topology mapping to see what the terrain looks like, which will paint a very clear picture.
 
 
I'm with you on this. I have had terrible luck with Baofeng mobiles, but my BF-F8HP is a fantastic, inexpensive ham radio. I love wheeling and I don't want to trash any of my radios, but if i am going to make a mistake with my HT, I'd rather have it be my $28 radio instead of my $400+ Yaesu. Especially when having the more expensive radio brings zero benefits to the table while offroading.

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Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

My kind of guys!We wheel all over Southern California and lead groups of up to 150 Jeeps 1 or 2 times a year.. Here is a video from a trail we did in a place called Johnson Valley a couple of months ago .. I'm driving the orange Jeep:

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

Its not the tone/CTSS creating the potential issues you mention, it's stupid people that are too lazy to invest 3 minutes of their life to read the directions and learn/understand how their equipment works that are the problem..

Most of them use FRS Channel 1 Tone 1 and believe they are on a completely "private" channel. 

Keep in mind also that in a real SHTF situation, your local repeater(s) may also be off-line because of power failure. Even if they have battery backup it will only be good for a few hours. Likewise, an on-site generator might fail or run out of fuel...