tweiss3

Any time I do listen at Walmart, you can't hear them once you leave the parking lot.

Grab a scanner and spend some time listening. It's usually either not used at all, or overrun with wireless driveway alarms. It never seems to be in between.

That is a great PSA. Thinking through it, I can understand why the programming is that way, but I don't think I would prefer that vs. manually changing DCS/CTCSS.

Why would you buy the roll up version if you are going to stick it in PVC like the standard version? His instructions are very specific on the type of PVC pipe to buy that it is designed to work with, anything different changes it's effectiveness and match. I'd suggest buy the other one for next to nothing and put it in PVC.

I use the Larsen's.

You do have to keep in mind lighting requirements over 200' AGL I believe, that is FAA safety.

It depends entirely on what radio you are using. On the Midland radios, I think you can only program 1 repeater for each pair, meaning you have to switch the tones when you want to switch repeaters. Others are similar to the Midlands. The Part 95 certified LMR radios (Motorola, Kenwood, etc.) can just add another entry for another repeater.

Same

I'd listen to both.

FB2 Mobile Relay FX1 Control Look at RR wiki for more information: https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Missouri_Department_of_Transportation_(MODOT)_(MO)

Any CERT team should not be using the cheapest radios they can find. In that case, stick with cell phones or zello. For a club, why wine, just use FRS radios for $15/each and not worry about licensing. For GMRS, you are required to use a GMRS certified radio, not a MARS ham radio. I've bought plenty of Kenwoods for what a majority of those certified CCRs cost. There are too many places that people want to be cheap where they absolutely shouldn't. CERT is working with someone's life. Motorcycle clubs, you are riding a $45,000+ bike, and won't spend a few hundred bucks on a decent radio? I just don't get it. It's not like you won't spend money, you just won't spend it on the appropriate radio communications because there are $11.99 radios on amazon and "that's such a deal, it just has to work well enough". The options are there, you just won't hear it: 1) Stick with FRS, and have no licensing, 2) Have every member responsible for their own GMRS license or 3) get appropriate LMR licenses and radios, which in the long run doesn't actually cost more when you drag it out over a 20+ year lifecycle.

I'll add a +1 to a power issue.

Low cost? The $200 fee is cheaper than 6 users being licensed under GMRS. Your biggest issue is going to be using good equipment certified for Part 90 LMR, not MARS modified ham radios. If you read all of Part 90, it's not hard to identify how to get licensed for county wide/state wide operations without coordination, you can even license a mobile repeater without coordination, but you have to prove eligibility under 90.35 (a). As @gortex2 said above, a non-profit may be able to get out of the fees, but you will need a federal tax ID.

I will add that I have a DMR only radio (SL7550) that has a super stubby antenna, and it works good around the house with a hotspot and the 1 repeater that has great coverage. I never tried to test it's overall distance between two radios, but I've heard it's not great. The antenna

If the antenna isn't a helical antenna (many VHF antennas are), then it's easy to tell the performance from length. A 1/4 wave antenna is 6", and requires a ground plane/counterpoise which is the radio/you holding the radio. Any longer and it could be a 5/8 or 1/2 wave antenna, and you do get increased performance from those. A 1/4 wave antenna is unity gain, 0 db, or 2.1dbi all of which mean the same thing but many manufacturers don't properly publish which unit they mean, either in ignorance or purposefully to get better sales. The half wave (12") antennas work better because they don't need a ground plane/counter poise to work, so the undersized counterpoise of the radio doesn't reduce the antenna's effectiveness. I stopped going with the "stubby" antennas long ago, and just deal with however the antenna needs to be. My Harris uses the 9" long multiband whip, and it honestly isn't really an inconvenience.