mbrun

I can’t help you with a comparison. I can only comment on the MXTA26 because it is the one I own. I have no qualms with it. I use it top-dead-center of my SUV and connect it to my HT. I have successfully used it half-dozen times already talking along the I-75 corridor to the Cincinnati 700 repeater (with good signal) 34 miles to its North, and again 26 miles to its South East. No adjustment to the antenna was needed, SWR was excellent from the factory. So, I am satisfied with it, and currently would not hesitate to purchase it again. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

BaoFeng currently only makes two models of radio that a legal for use on GMRS. One hand held, one mobile. Here is one such unit. https://baofengtech.com/gmrs-v1 The FCC implemented a special certification that the radios must obtain for you to use them legally. Absent that certification you cannot legally use the radio on GMRS or FRS. GMRS frequencies are within the 462 and 467 MHz range. Do a web search and you will find a complete list. Michael WRHS965 Edit for spelling. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

GMRS repeaters can be viewed here: https://mygmrs.com/browse?name=&location=&state=IL&frequency=&output_tone=&input_tone=&type=&network=&ori=&travel=&sort=State&step=25 You need to view them in a web browser. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The frequencies you mention are not GMRS frequencies. GMRS frequencies are in the 462/467 MHz range. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

There are 128 memories. All memories are usable for storing transmit-receive capable settings. I currently have 93 programmed and I can affirm you can transmit on all of them. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Good afternoon Dave. What radio are you trying to use? I am unaware of any radio that is legal to use on both GMRS and Marine frequencies. To understand what it takes to use repeaters, you will need to do some research on this site related to how repeaters work and what CTCSS (PL) and DCS (DPL) squelch codes are. There are also loads of YouTube videos on the subject. In a nutshell, repeaters listen on one frequency and transmit on another. Usually repeaters are configured so they only retransmit those signals that include a specific CTCSS or DCS code. It is your radio that must provide this code. You must get that code from the repeater owner or public repeater database. When your radio is configured for repeater use, your radio must transmit on the same frequency that the repeater is listening too, and your radio must be configured to listen to the same frequency the repeater transmits on. How these settings are achieved are radio specific. Once you throw out the model of the radio you’re using, someone in this forum will likely chime in with more help. 73 Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just wanted to confirm that I have been successful using Chirp to read, change and upload new channel settings into a KG-805G using the KG-816 product option in Chirp. I found I was able to configure simplex and repeater channels, set tones, configure Rx only on select channels, edit names and change power settings. Made dozens of read-write operations. Chirp does officially support the KG-805G so there is no ability to edit global radio settings. Only channel specific settings can be edited, but that is the main reason we all like Chirp anyway. I began by reading in my current configuration which had been created and uploaded originally to the radio by the Wouxon software. I then cleared all the channel memories and rebuilt from scratch. I added settings in both the lower and upper range of memories. I found all settings that I created were uploaded and matched in the radio. When I read the settings back into a fresh Chirp file, they all seemed to be in alignment. I found repeater and simplex configurations to work fine. In the future, I am likely to use Chirp for editing channel memories, and use Wouxon’s software merely to modify global settings. Thought other owners of this radio may wish to know this has worked for yet another person. If you learn anything knew in your own exploration, please share. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Should the antenna be vertical? Yes, it should. This is because the radiation pattern of a typical single-element antenna is 360 degrees around the antenna and that is what is needed in most cases. If it is not vertical, you will have coverage, but it will not be uniform around the antenna at ground level. In fact, it will have strong signal at earth level in only two directions. Some folks have great success with antennas in the attic. Basic GMRS (and UHF antennas in general) can be quite small (less than 24”) so they most certainly are candidates for installation there. It is the higher-gain variety that can be quite large. Attic installation can be workable when you don’t need maximum range. Any obstacle you put between transmitter and receiver will reduce coverage. Good news is that it costs you virtually nothing to test what the end result would be. It eliminates the quests work. Basic antennas are very inexpensive. Buy one and try it. Yes, foil radiant barriers will negatively impact performance. An external antenna will give better results. An antenna such as this is a simple one to install and looks good too. Being that you are in hurricane country, you need an antenna with a high wind rating if you want it to survive outdoors during your time of need. I own a Comet 712EFC. It is rated for 110mph which is more than ok for my area. YMMV. Regards, Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Personally I would go the route of batteries as the primary backup. Then, because I have them, I would use them also as the primary power source. I would keep them topped off at all times using a high-quality smart charger; one the floats when full and recharges fast. If I were planning for extended power outages, I would then look to either a propane generator or solar panels. If generator, I would use propane because I have 400 gallons almost always available onsite and fuel does not go bad. In the event of extended power outage, and assuming I was using a generator to recharge the battery, I would likely use a high-capacity smart charger to allow bringing the batteries up to full capacity with least amount of generator runtime, thus making the most efficient use of the generator when it was on. I would use small UPS units only for short term specialty needs like a computer because most are not designed for long-term use and because they have generally very limited storage capacity. UPS in general are not incredibly efficient. They use power to convert voltage from DC to AC. They will also draw your batteries down when turned on, even when you are not drawing any load from them yourself. I hope this helps. Regards, Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Welcome Rocketman. In GMRS, antenna height is king, so your decision on antenna and commitment to get it high will be far more important than your radio choice. How high depends upon your terrain and surroundings. With a well placed external antenna and maybe just a 5w radio HT radio connected to it, you may find that even your GXT handhelds may be able to talk 10 miles simplex back to your home with ease. In my case, the tree density around me limits range to less than 2.5 miles base to mobile (in the directions I need coverage anyway) because I have not yet installed my antenna above the tree line. In the direction where there are few trees blocking, coverage is much better. The fewer the obstacles between one antenna and another the better the range. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If a new section emerges, then perhaps existing threads on the topic could be moved there as well? Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am appreciating the seriousness of the answers. I will keep monitoring. Thanks. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The above cable I bought from “Rick” at BTWR. I use it on a Win10 machine. It works fine with the KG-805G units I have purchased. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I do not own a repeater at present. They are a big expense to do right. Cost sharing of the capital outlay and ongoing expense could make it more palatable. If you can afford it, individually or collectively, go for it. Some folks do use simplex repeaters, but I have not yet heard one in service nor do I believe I would use one for any form of routine communications if it did exist. They are unnatural. I would find the talk, listen to me again, then wait delay awful. Some people build their own repeaters just to learn, some to try and save money. Some use HT radios, other use mobile radios. There is even a cheap Chinese portable unit available for taking camping and the like. I would have to ask actual repeater owners to share what they use specifically. Getting your antenna super high is going to be your greatest asset if you decide to move forward with a repeater. 73s Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You know it is absolutely amazing what a repeater can do to pick out a 5w HT out of the noise when at the same time the HT is only receiving marginal signal from a 50w repeater. The improved selectivity of the repeater Rx combined with the filtering provided by duplexers makes a huge difference. It has been said that some high-end HT have excellent selectivity as well. I hope some day to experience the real-world difference between one of those and the current generation CCR. If I knew I could better than double my HT-HT range because of the improved receiver performance of a higher end HT, I would be budgeting for new radios. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I agree that your numbers do not sound right. When troubleshooting, it is always best to eliminate as many variables as you can. Every piece of equipment, cable, connector, adapter and the environment are candidates for affecting results. Anyway you can hook your meter up to the back of the radio directly (i.e. M-M UHF adapter) plus a dummy load screwed directly to the meter output? This should show you a 1:1 SWR and the actual output power of the radio. Can you can get your hands on a different meter so you can contrast readings between the two? When readings are not as expected, it is nice to contrast two pieces of measurement equipment to just to provide confidence. Check specs on your meter. What is the minimum power level the meter requires to function accurately. If the radio is indeed outputting low, the meter may give you bad readings. Case and point, the manufacturer of my SWR meter advises the meter must receive at least .5 watts for meter to perform accurately. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

Welcome Rcoholan. First off, here is a link for manually configuring the radio: https://www.miklor.com/BTGMRS/BTGMRS-ProgMem.phpThe site is a good reference. Configuring the memories of the radios is substantially similar radio-to-radio when using Chirp. You will need to learn the limitation of your radio to ensure you configuration it correctly. Chirp lists your radio as supported, so that is good. You must have a working compatible cable to program your radio. There are many cables out there that fit your radio but may not work well for you. There are loads of posts on this forum regarding the V1. A search will invariably turn up some useful information. There are YouTube videos that cover the V1 and also Chirp. Both categories will provide useful insight. Your question is a bit open ended. Perhaps you could ask one or two very pointed questions you need help with so our members can start to provide effective answers for you. There are many GMRS V1 owners on here, one or more will most certainly chime in. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM

I would go outside as berkinet has suggested, unless there is an overwhelming case for indoors. Whether it makes a difference has far more to do with how close you are to the edges of viable communication with your intended audience. You can easily test before you commit to permanent installation. Case and point. I personally am literally on the edge of coverage of several repeaters. If I use the antenna indoors, I receive a usable but degraded signal from the repeater but cannot get into it at all. Move the antenna to other side of the wall (1’ horizontal distance) and receive improves plus now I can get into the repeater with partially usable audio. I am of the opinion: put no obstacles between you and your target unless you have verified that such obstacles do not prevent you from achieving your objective. I would think you can easily confirm this. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Loads of serious questions below. Why do we have a linked GMRS network? What is the need it intends to create and/or satisfy? How and when is it intended to be used? What is the appeal to some new GMRS users that seemly causes them to immediately think they need to get their new repeater on the network? If I owned a repeater that did a good for me, my family and my local community, why would/should I want to connect it to a national network? It would seem it would make it seem it would make it less accessible to me and the locals. How would a linked network, from a practical standpoint, help the collective “us”, in the event of an national emergency? How does retransmitting my voice over all linked repeaters in the US benefit me and others throughout the country? Is there anything more too it than “because we can.” I have now listened to many official net sessions on GMRS repeaters (and over the internet) as well as amateur radio and have yet to be able to conclude anything more practical or meaningful than “because we can”. I am truly looking to be enlightened. Please help. 73s Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agreed. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I am thinking this thread has run its course. Perhaps a new thread with a new focused question or point of discussion is appropriate. YMMV. Michael WRHS965 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just throwing it out. We have been using metal towers for antennas since nearly the beginning of radio. There are well established codes and best practices for lighting protection, grounding and bonding of said towers/masts. Follow the codes, and industry best practices and your risk is no greater or lesser than probably 99+ percent of all other responsibly installed towers. Michael] WRHS965 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Here is an interesting article on Antennas and Lightning. https://eos.org/research-spotlights/antenna-towers-attract-additional-lightning-strikes From what I have read thus far, it seems that higher something is in the area, the more frequently the area surrounding the high object will be hit compared to areas further way. Michael WRHS965

I would argue that is the 100% the manufacturer’s responsibility, in this world of software defined radios and certifications, to ensure that the firmware of the radio is written in such way as to ensure the radio remains in compliance with the FCC requirements. The firmware of the radio is not intended for user modification in anyway. The firmware is how the manufacturer’s leverage the exact same electronics to build radios to serve different markets, achieve different certifications, and expose different feature sets that yield different prices from the public. It is the specific combination of hardware and firmware that defines the radio. If the firmware of the radio allows the radio to do something that is disallowed or otherwise outside the specifications of the FCC, then the manufacturer has failed their responsibility. In contrast, again in this modern world of software defined radios, it is common place, and even expected practice, that radios be programmed by the user; the public. Programming is made possible through modifications of exposed settings available to the user via front panel controls and, if an externally accessible programming port is available, by means of external software. It is reasonable to conclude that, if the manufacturer has done their job, any and all settings that can be changed on the radio are a candidate for modification without affecting its legal usage. While we call changing the settings of a radio “programming”, actually we are doing nothing of a sort. We are not adding logic, business rules or enforcing and legal limits, we are merely changing the settings exposed to us by the radio’s design/implementation. I currently write software for a living. Any setting I expose to the user is fair game for modification. Any value the user provides is validated to ensure it is within an allowable range (where necessary). Where critical combinations of values are material, said combinations of values are validated to ensure they collectively pass muster. In an SDR, such ultimate rules are the responsibility of the hardware-firmware..the part of the radio not intended for user modification. I own a couple of modern HT, both of which are programmable via front panel controls and via software to various degree. When I make the mistake of setting values outside the allowable limits of the radio, the radio itself prevents the value from being used. If I am using the manufacturer’s software, the manufacturer’s software will tell me so and disallows the sending of the invalid value to the radio. Chirp on the other hand will not warn me, but will let me send the invalid value. However, if/when I attempt to use the radio with that setting, the radio itself warns me with an audio/visual indication of an invalid value and will not operate. Case in point... an invalid Tx frequency. In this case, the manufacturer has done their job. So to wrap this up. If the manufacturer of a GMRS certified radio has done their job per the intent of the FCC, the radio will not operate using any setting that would cause it to perform outside legal limits. The public has an equal responsibility to adhere to rules as well. If the user knowingly exploits a manufacture defect and use settings outside FCC limits, they are knowing breaking the law. If the midland radios make available settings to change by means of their programming port, it is reasonable to conclude they are, by design, intended for modification. Conversely, if you knowing exploit a manufacturer deficiency and set values outside the FCC limit then you have crossed the line. Michael WHRS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If Chirp supports your model of radio, and your radio is repeater capable, then yes you most certainly can can use Chirp to program your radio for repeater use. You will have to own the appropriate cable for connecting your radio to your computer. There are many videos on YouTube that will show you how. While there are some small differences between radios models, the process for programming frequencies and codes is substantially the same across the lot. If you mention what radio you’re trying to program, perhaps someone on this forum may have some specific insight to share. Michael WRHS965 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk