tweiss3

Correct, its an end-fed half wave. The 40 does 10, 15, 20 & 40, but the 80 does 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 good enough for portable operations. I do have a tuner I can toss in the mix if I need a better match.

Correct, it does. I should say, the system he is working on is amateur radio, not GMRS, but the concept is not exclusive to any portion of FM radio.

It's not impossible to have low baud data in the CTCSS portion of a wide band signal, but it's very slow data, and you really then need to do modifications to the radios so that you can hear and decode the data in that portion of the transmission. You do loose your signal selectivity of Tone/DCS though. I was talking with a friend who has a 3 repeater system, and he is working on building a data dashboard using the low baud data from the RF links as described above. It is quite the project, and as mentioned, very slow data.

For portable, I bought an unun on ebay (was $15, couldn't build one for that cost) and put it in a PVC box: I then made a 40M long wire, and a 80M long wire, the 40M is in a chalk reel and the 80M is in a rope reel. The second chalk reel has paracord, the intent is to attach the chain link ring to the chosen wire, then toss the chalk reel in a tree, no need to deal with weights, and it keeps things from getting tangled. I think I was out a total of $100 all said and done to have a decent field antenna set that packs away easily, and can be deployed in about 10 minutes.

Is this in your car or house or office? In the car, many dashes are now digital screens, and a screen can cause interference in the UHF band. I've seen it be bad enough that my HT gets better reception on my hip at the 7:30 position where my body is between the radio and dash, even if it's way less than ideal pinned between a body and seat frame. In your house or office, you should try tracking the interference down. Keep it away from the screens and/or computer tower. It's amazing what 3 feet of separation can do. As mentioned above, double check your dual watch setting.

DOH! My mind skipped that 1 word. Anyways, UHF is great, you can use a 6" whip antenna and get great performance, plus be less likely to be noticed. I'll just say it, drill the hole and do an NMO mount. There, now I'll drop it.

Do you have the Bronco: or Bronco Sport: As far as I'm aware (I'm not in the market, so I may be wrong), but the Bronco, even with the hard top, is not a metal roof.

Not impossible, but improbable. Stico has one similar, but it's a bit more narrow banded, and made much better. https://sti-co.com/magnetic-flexi-whip-tri-band-antenna/ I still have concerns with a magmount on your Bronco. From what I just looked up, doors hood and fenders are aluminum.

No, wasn't meant in that way. With the cost of copper, or the PVC required for an EdFong, the cost difference is indistinguishable between a jpole and a commercially sold antenna. I've put up too many "good enough" antennas only to have more problems replacing them than it was worth just a year or so later. I can't find where it was documented, but there was a a study/model that showed a horizontal null with the jpole. I was able to find this null while rotating an edfong antenna. It's now used in the attic for a single frequency monitor where the null doesn't matter. I encourage everyone to build antennas of all kinds, and everyone should have one (or more) sitting around to toss up in a temporary setup. The jpole is almost perfect for that.

You are going to have to look for another option for an antenna. A bronco (not sport) will have trouble getting anything magnetic/ground plane on top. I'm not sure if the hood is aluminum, but if it is, a magnet mount is not going to work. You should be looking for a 1/2 wave (12-13") and something with a NMO or 3/8 stud mount. Location that has worked for others on a bronco are middle of the hood, side of hood, rear corner. You will need more than just the antenna, you need an appropriate mount for your location and the coaxial, some come packaged together.

You might be onto something there, just skipped the final programming before hitting the box.

Some of those are itinerants, some are not. That's an odd group of frequencies.

Like others have said, they are inexpensive, and can be built at home. If you want to experiment, go for it. The unfortunate thing is they are not that inexpensive when only a few bucks more you can get a real antenna that doesn't have a big null (see link above).

CS800D claims AES256, but does not support "Enhanced Encryption" (ARC4) as used by Kenwood and Motorola. I tried to get Jerry to add it, but he said "its a ham radio, why?"

Short answer is yes. Longer answer is depends on each antenna's sweep and what you are comfortable with. I specifically choose antennas that meet my intended needs.

I wonder if a 2 channel mixer would work in your scenario: https://www.amazon.com/TENEALAY-powered-control-passive-X21/dp/B09WDMYYBP/ref=sr_1_11?crid=1XLFC7M6VRV4Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4bQEOxlyEj8bOlCw2zKw3_3rnoi7s-PpUCUvllW2j67vtfzleIbvwsankw6gUQMNNN3qnxnVdjkERVcbCqcyWZINNy9LoeKZ3LxPQuyIadVUEXl9Nd-R6YEY--CCDWVOdTriTI0YhXmo-6fn8GRqjP1Eg4pLl1dFX9Xa0qzrSHynmNRxJyKPQdmftxyhhBQCKVefjz2djhWeIDNh3vK-s21eUrQWgaPRvlxNgRnokyCQAHGcVqkWJsilKHXv3bgk5DTAm0ivjiNyf5xLN15eZKidLoMhg3LMFEf8Xa4bbn_Zf4Poy_0_eaH5qj5UQJcXNo09_qOTXNjvzOKMUzW1EJjNsSdrYpAxmM2WRYsdFOaXZgu6ZtwouTOnuMONpRHZpEhTFnwjO7N9neTB2xBjUEtNr_YhYuruNmTNyu9RjHZ3ABp0wGpa_kyAoYuw7I_o.QA1I3W92xO6VV6l2FgL9sXWmcNRqC03_aEDDL2itOOY&dib_tag=se&keywords=stereo+mixer+2+channel&qid=1740410863&sprefix=stereo+mixer%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-11

I'll argue the -120 dbm number. Yes, that is the squelch spec for almost every radio now, but you can't understand anything at that signal strength, -110 dbm is the bottom end of what a trained ear can claim to understand. Either way, theoretical flat earth is nearly nothing compared to real life experiences.

I think we just had that conversation elsewhere......

Assuming unity antennas, 2 HTs at 5W, and a received signal of -110dbm, that appears to be free loss in the range of 455km (283 miles) theoretically. Counting curvature of the earth, and using simplified equations for RF line of site from the NOFIG manual, you are just shy of 7 miles, this ignores wattage as a factor. This is all without any obstructions, like the middle of the desert. Outside factors really chop into those theoretical numbers.

If I were to carry a radio on a bike today, it would be a HT either on my belt, or in the chest rig. Neither are ideal, but are better protected from falls/submersion. As for recumbent type bicycles/trikes, you should be able to get a decent mount on the frame and run a hamstick if you really wanted to.

I had a backpack setup of a FT817 mounted to pegboard. HF went through a tuner and would connect to whichever antenna system I brought with me. On the side it had a 2 piece PVC mast where the stock 6/2/0.7m antenna was above my head with a set of 6M stingers hanging down. I was able to hike with 3 bands, and I did take it on a bike ride once. Control was through a bluetooth CAT controller and a phone app. Let me see if I can stir up any photos.

I know, and they have 10 in stock in Talmadge. I need to make the 20 minute trip to DX and see if it's in the show room.

I need to get hands on with the new IC-7760 and a TS-890. I'm not sure I'd ever pull the trigger on either unless I'm convinced I like them and they would be significant improvements over my 7300. I won't say I would never spend that much money on a radio because I have, but those two interest me. I'd like to see the 890 and 990 refreshed though.

I think you need a speaker that is designed to have two sides input into the one speaker, like the Yaesu MLS200.