daschnoz

[my_opinion] Personally, I'm not a fan of "all-in-one" devices. If you break/lose the radio, you're also out your GPS, clock, and whatever other functions the single device covered. Now you're double/triple/quad... screwed. In addition to the quality radio, I would suggest a CCR that meets as many of the requirements as possible. If you're that far away from civilizaion, you need a spare. One is none, two is one... [/my_opinion]

Check out amateurradiosupplies.com for coax as well. They have Davis DRF400. Same specs as LMR, 20% cheaper. They'll put the ends on it for you as well.

Any SWR meter that will handle the 462/467MHz range will get the job done. Mine measures SWR, power, and frequency. They're not that expensive. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D86IKIQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 As for coax: RG-58 is fine if I'm messing around in the shack. For a permanent install I use nothing less than LMR-240 (including my HF antenna). The VHF/UHF antenna runs around the shack are DRF-400 (same specs as LMR, but 20% cheaper). For a mobile install, you're going to need to balance your acceptable coax loss with what is practical. I'm using LMR-240 in the mobile install.

[deleted] I should do more than just skim the OP before responding.

It's not HAM, you're right. But people still like to tinker with what they are allowed to. That said, for many people (myself included), the radio hobby starts on GMRS, and expands into HAM rather quickly.

Can you explain how a home brew antenna causes interference/noise/splatter in the business spectrum, and why it should not be used? The type accepance applies to the radio. Other than FRS, I have not seen anything in the regulations that mentions any type of antenna that is permitted or prohibited for GMRS.

LMR-400 is a must for UHF. Look for DRF-400. Same specs, 20% cheaper. Try to use the fewest number of connections and adapters as possible. Going from LMR-400 directly into an HT with an SMA connector will be akward. Try to get that adapter cable with the needed male/female connectors with no gender benders or PL-259 to SMA adapters needed. One end of the cable goes directly into the LMR-400, the other end goes directly into the radio. You won't go wrong with the Ed Fong antenna. Remember that you need to wrap it in 200psi grade PVC pipe. They are tuned for that and results without the pipe may be different. The BR-6157 (different than your proposed) has 4.5dBd of gain, which equates to a gain facor of 2.8... meaning that 5 watts of input power radiates as if you put 14 watts into a unity gain antenna. Antenna gain also works on receive to boost the incoming signal by the same amount. It is 32-1/2" tall (I don't know if that's a problem for you). ETA: Boxcar posted while I was typing. +1 on looking into a dual band antenna. GMRS is the gateway drug to a HAM ticket.

Running on a Baofeng UV-82... I have a 771 that I never use. With the radio on my hip, it's an armpit tickler. I run a 701C that works well. I don't know if it's any better than the stock antenna for GMRS. I never really tested it for range. I can easily get into the local GRMS repeaters with both antennas from my home QTH. About the biggest benefit is that it's flexible, so it has a bit of give when you swipe it against something.

A couple of the guys I know who have repeaters, both GMRS and HAM, are running flat pack duplexers like the one you are running. They noticed the same thing... reduced Rx range due to the insertion loss of the duplexer. Their solution was to insert a preamp in the Rx line between the duplexer and the RX radio. The cheap ones can be had from Amazon or eBay for under $25. +30dB, which may be too much, but you can usually adjust that by controlling the supply voltage to the module. There are better ones out there, but the price increases with the quality. For under $20, it may not be bad to try. If it works, upgrade to a better quality device if you want.

Be careful with those 3"-ish stubby antennas. Some have been known/found to have VERY bad SWRs, others are apparently pretty decent (I don't have any). I suspect that going cheap on these would not be a good idea.

I have a similar issue at home, except the constant signal is on 550. I have heard that there are some baby monitors that use these frequencies, or frequencies that are very close (462.555 for example). You may have something similar going on in your area. I'm going to be putting together a GMRS Quagi antenna to do some fox hunting (we have a tool bag messing with a local repeater). Finding the source of the signal on 550 will be my test for it.

Lost me at rechargeable. Dead battery, swap it out for a charged one. Back in business within seconds.

Step #1.... Determine if their license is still valid, or if they allowed it to lapse. That information should be available on the FCC site. If it has lapsed, they may be operating as they used to, and since it sounds official on the air, no one has challenged them. If their license is valid, you will need to find another frequency to use. If it has lapsed, you don't need to "throw them to the lions". Send them a nice letter, letting them know that their secret has been discovered. Give them some time, but if 6 months goes by with no change, send them another letter, this time let them know that you also sent a copy to the FCC (and do so). If it gets to that point, I bet the problem will sort itself out quickly.

Relating to power restrictions (that 75W radio mentioned earlier)- My 50W radio in the shack is connected to a Tram 1481, so my ERP is close to 500W (by the math). Even on the intersticial channels with the radio putting 5W into the antenna, my ERP is around 50W. If you have a 75W radio driving an antenna that has only 3db of gain, the ERP is about 150W. From distance, listening to your transmission, how is anyone going to know if your're putting more power into the base of the antenna simply based on what they hear on their radio? I get it - they don't want people using 1500W amps on the GMRS band, so they needed to pick a number. 50W is a nice round number and it's just as good as any other nice round number, so 50 it is. This is one of those cases where the spirit of the rule can get lost in the real world application and actual usage. Maybe they did intend to keep the ERP at around 500W, and since GMRS is intended for the more casual radio user who may not understand the more technical aspects of radio, they set the limit on the hardware because that's easier to understand.