AdmiralCochrane

"Proper stuff" - are you implying homemade is improper? Certainly seems to be the text you posted, though you may not have meant so.

I think its more of a cost savings by having ITT or whoever does the programming do it all at once. Some of this legacy crap is still runnning on mainframes

People without licenses are still allowed to listen. Pretty much impossible to stop unlicensed from transmitting regardless of what information they possess or not.

Welcome Stone. You are using GMRS exactly as it was intended.

I have so much success with the 18 ft of coax (probably best grade of RG-58) that came on my Browning 320 on 70cm that I have doubts that switching to LMR 240 or 400 would make any difference. Here's why: #1 its a Browning 320, its very well matched with moderate gain, #2 I have it mounted very high on a tall van, #3 I couldn't mount it directly to the roof or the van's ladder rack, so I built a flat bracket attached to the ladder rack to mount the antenna on that probably works as a ground plane, #4 I connected that bracket with 2 pieces of #8 wire to different parts of the body of the van to be sure I had a ground plane in addition to the mounting plate. You can have all the power in the world delivered to the antenna, but if you can't effectively radiate it where it will work, the power is wasted. Correct me on my math, but 20% power output difference is less than 2db if I recall. Edited to add antenna gain, which Lscott points out is relevant.

I have a laptop I bought for work stuff that there is no mac/apple version. I run the windows only radio software on it for the very same reason.

Same here, ham first then GMRS. Luckily have found a repeater that can be reached from my house, my daughter's house and my brother's house even though each is tens of miles from the other and the repeater. As always with UHF, height is might. The repeater is high up on a tower, high on a hill.

Doesn't the US generally have reciprocal license recognition for many radio licenses? IDK how to phrase it for internet search

This is why sailing ships had an observer riding in a "crow's nest" high in the rigging.

Just in from conference call with the VEC's If you are holding your breath for the $35 GMRS fee, you better have big lungs

BoxCar is exactly correct. The 50w 462 frequencies are NOT restricted to repeater use only as Michael fears. Michael, that exact situation occurs EVERY DAY and the world does not end. The frequencies are SHARED between simplex and repeater output, it really is that simple.

Interference would only come if one transmitted on a busy frequency. Using normal decorum and listening before transmitting to be sure the frequency is not in use is all one must do to avoid "problems"

The original SWR reading may have been "good" because the coax or a connector absorbed the reflected power. You may now be seeing the true SWR of the antenna. Just one of several possiblities

As long as you are not transmitting on the 467.000 repeater input part of the band you are not interfering with a repeater. Its not a prevailing opinion, its an FCC reg. The 50 watt simplex frequencies are the same as the repeater output frequencies, they are shared. 7 miles would be possible with well elevated antennas. A directional antenna isn't that much help in the GMRS frequency band if there are obstructions. Height is might. I have made 11 mile VHF simplex contacts with my Anytone 50 watt VHF mobile, UHF/GMRS is harder without pure line of sight.

Yes, it should work well.

If you like paper study guides, those by ARRL.og and the one by Gordon West are always highly rated by people who have used them to study for the various ham licenses. If you already know simple electricity, ohm's law etc, you only have a little more stuff to learn about particular radio operation and band restrictions in order to pass the technician license test. Most people pass on their first try and some second and third generation hams can pass the test as soon as they are old enough to read ... yes, elementary schoolers. A middle school STEAM student should easily be able to pass the technican class after reading one of the above study guides - you AND YOUR DAUGHTER should get your licenses! On high angle passes I have been able to hear the relay repeater on the ISS with just a simple hand held $50 radio with the stock whip antenna. You can start practicing tracking and receiving before you get your license, you only need the license in order to transmit (talk).

I attribute some of the good luck at my place to the fact that all my antennae are grounded with 6 foot rods and my house has 2 service entrance grounds and the grounding is also connected to 2 defunct wells. A strike about 10 years ago melted the neighbor's cable wire into carpet, impressive and I guess lucky it didn't start a fire.

Welcome Droopy! There isn't any special GMRS lingo, no 10-4, no 73's etc. Like ham operation, you are required to USE your call sign. The main thing to know about GMRS is that its in the UHF band and signal propagation is nearly exclusively line of sight. If you are over the horizon without an elevated antenna location there will be no tranmission beyond 20 miles under any conditions. Buildings, trees, hills count as nearly 100% signal blockers. Repeaters are the big advantage of the GMRS band as licensed in the US. If you are lucky enough to be in an area with many GMRS repeaters (very much like ham and police emergency service repeaters) you may be able to work thru them for dramatically extended range beyond the 1, 2 or 3 mile normal local transmissions. Some examples: I can hear but not get into a particular repeater about 15 miles away, I can easily get into one about 2 ½ miles away and another repeater 18 miles away very well placed high up a hill and on a high tower. The repeater at 18 miles lets me communicate with others within a 25 mile radius of the repeater itself in all directions potentially 40 miles from me in that direction. Some GMRS frequencies are inhabited by legacy business licensees and are nearly useless in the immediate area of the business. Repeaters are privately owned, some require permission for use, others only ask that you operate legally. I only have experience with Wouxon and Motorola GMRS units. Not 100% certain I would buy another Motorola, but definitely would buy another Wouxon. I have a few Baofeng hand helds, but probably wouldn't replace with same if they failed.

The license info is available online, but it can be nearly impossible to determine. Around me there are hundreds or maybe thousands of business license holders. Some are held by holding companies that are parents of the known name of the location. Many have multiple licenses for the same location in various bands. You CAN, but its not always easy

I disconnect all my raised antennae when not in use. Also disconnect power supplies. Learned that the hard way when lightning struck a tree 50 feet from my house and antennae with everything connected. The only radio thing damaged was an incoming power supply filter on a HF rig, disconnecting my antenna would not have saved that, but disconnecting the input power probably would have. Open ended wires are not effective inductors, but loops/coils are, esp closed loops. Now I not only power down radios and power supply, I disconnect them. Fused power strip with Anderson Power Pole plugs, I just yank them out when not in use. Next door neighbor lost 2 AC's and 2 TV's. I also had an unused flourescent light ballast short out. 3 hours to identify the source of breaker tripping because ballast wasn't active and at the end of a circuit with a long line; embarrased that I hadn't disconnected it when it stopped working.

Depending on buildings, trees and local topography, that could be OK.

Read the FCC announcement when it came out. Have been waiting for someone here to mention it. FCC: welcome to the 21st Century

So, in your opinion those who can should not build functional antennae for GMRS?

Great success making VHF, UHF & GMRS J Poles and Slim JIM's. Not hard to do at all.

But there are many grandfathered businesses still using licensed commercial radios in the GMRS band. I looked up the local licensing and it made my head spin.