gortex2

Just order a UHF NMO 1/4 wave UHF on a magnetic mount. The ghost or phantom antennas only work well with repeaters and good repeaters. I use them on my county TLMR system but we have 15 sites in one county. For GMRS I run a 1/4 wave.

All in all this is a good idea. Could they save money by going used part 90 gear. Most likely, however this is exactly why Midland is selling like it is. Its easy and simple and you can go anyplace to get a radio ready to roll. When my father bought his first one i cringed. After learning the issues and how i could help fix it it does the intended purpose. If someone wants to add a second or third they jump online and order another. I have one repeater specifically in NB just for some friend that have the midland gear. I am actually in the process of switching my repeater in my motor home to NB as well being I take it on some Jeep rides and more folks are going to GMRS in the off road world. I still use my part 90 gear (APX and XTL) for most of my communications but having something that works for these folks and others is a good solution. JMHO JS

As stated here it can be what ever way you want it. It really boils down to what subscriber, radio you are going to use on it. If your plan is part 90 radios go wide. If they plan to by midland radios use NB. I have a mix of both due to the users on each.

Also connectors ? N ? Adapters ? What cables are on the duplexer inputs from the repeater ?

I may of missed this but what area in VA are you talking. I have multiple GMRS repeaters sitting looking for locations. You can PM me for details if your interested.

Rich, Any update on your end ? Have you had time to test one of these ?

I think the only reason the 1/4 wave is better is it is more wide band than most gain antenna's. I actually run 1/4 on my work vehicle for this reason. I can go from Ham to T Band without much difference. I wouldn't say its the best solution but worth a try to see.

Also check for splitters in the house. Way back when i worked for Spectrum we would get calls with similar complaints. Alot of times we found splitters with 2 cables and 1 or empty ports with no terminations on them. As others said check the COAX. Anything less than RG6 shielded can cause the issue. My motor home would block on on multiple channels when my GMRS repeater (in the MH) would transmit. Found alot of connections (rg58) with crimps looking like they used a pair of pliers. I replaced all cable in the MH with RG6 quadshield and all my issues went away.

No. The issue he most likely saw was a bad antenna install. I run a 110 watt APX in VHF and a 45 watt APX in UHF on my JK with no issues.

I use the same mount on my JK but with a 1/4 wave UHF whip and see barely enough reflected to worry about. the one thing I did do when installing was grind the paint from the bottom of the bracket as the NMO was not even getting a ground prior. Check with a DVM to see if you have a good ground. I did try a gain style antenna but like the short whip.

You are correct. Repeater does NOT need to ID. Its up to the user. I had one tower owner require a call for mine, but it was not required by the FCC. Rich - Keep us posted. I see value in this box as a quick deploy repeater for some situations and think it would be a good entry level box for some of those looking to get something online for a small area. I would like to swap out my GR1225 in my MH.

All preference. I have both. I use the HHCH in my Jeep and the other radio in my Motorhome.

I have mine setup the same way at a couple of sites, for the reason of the illegal users that were continually using the repeater both unknowingly and knowingly. After 6 months of trying to keep the bubble pack and other folks off the repeater I changed to a DPL and PL mixed configuration. All my commercial gear allowed this and it stopped interference. I spent alot of money on a repeater, tower, hard line, antenna, electric and other associated costs to be at a tower. Its for me to decide who get to use my repeater. On similar subject I have another repeater that was at a county park. I got tons of complaints on how it worked. every time I did a PM it was rock solid. One of the complainers was a ski patrol guy from a mountain nearby who liked to use that cause there radios didn't work. after 3 trips to the repeater and doing all sorts of testing I asked to meet him and look at his radio. He had the midland mobile (dont remember model) and a handful of bubble pack radios. I explained to him this was indeed the issue and as i explained that also realized other than him no one else was licenced. I attempted to educate him on the issues with the "junk" he bought however could not convince him.I volunteered to leave him one of my older HT's to use that weekend. Everything was fine. The following week when i picked up the radio he said he planned to get one..until he found what it costs. He was bewildered he had to pay $100 for a radio to use the repeater when he could buy a 2 pack on amazon of some other radio for $35.00.....At this point I gave up. Repeater has since been removed due to said group of non compliment users,. Sad part was this was installed at the county park for users of the park. At my new house I have 2 repeaters. I specifically have one in NB mode as my parents have a Midland radio. Its still not ideal but it works for them.I run my channel in WB and still use my commercial gear. In the end its what works for the users of the system, and who maintains the system.

The CAT5 should not be causing your issues. What duplexer and cables are you using ? Did you buy the LMR premade ? Did you put a watt meter on it yet ? It really appears your are getting RF someplace it should not be.

Nice gladiator. I have been looking at the Tazer for mine but have not been able to justify the cost as there are only a few things i need to for. I tried to order each option i wanted and needed one mine so i didn't need a programmer after. Only thing i really want is LED tail lights now.

I actually run 2 of my 6 repeaters in NB and most likely will be switching another to NB in the near future. For those that run the Midland gear it does help those radios. I still like my WB stuff but i use what makes it work best for the users on the system. As you said its all whats best for the repeater owners and users. I wouldn't want the FCC to say you MUST go NB cause i would be unplugging half of mine.

So some issues come to mind. First is get rid of the LMR400. How is your CDM programmed. TX radio should be programmed for 462.625 TX And RX. RX radio should be programmed for 467.625 TX and RX. You cannot program a radio for TX only so i assume something is amis on the CDM. with a mic on the CDM you should be able to TX to your HT with no issues, and then recieve you HT on the RX radio with all the RICK unplugged. The rick is pretty basic and the description you mention looks like programming. Also where is antenna located ? away from equipment I assume ?

That is a nice setup. I did similar in my wifes JK. I used the ICOM 6061 with remote head kit. It wasn't much more than the Midland and let me use MDC on my LMR channels in addition to being able to add some ham stuff.

Your never going to program a MCS with a USB programming cable. You need the RIB and a older PC. I use a Windows98 PC with a RIB and have no issues. I have tried to read with my W10 PC with a USB/Serial adapter to the RIB and never made it work. Others on my SAR team have spent days ttrying to get a USB programming cable to work with no luck.

I don,t think you can get the GR1225 that low and be stable. I never had any turned down below 10 watts. There is alot of info out there on the GM300 and maxtrac radios that used very similar PA's and would wander on really low power. I run the TPL amps on my GR1225 repeaters in both UHF and VHF and have had good luck with them.

I agree you could build better and cheaper, but the size is the plus side on this thing. I have about 15 repeaters. Smallest I have been able to build is a GR1225 deck only with the duplexer on top of the deck. Still that is not something i can just grab and go. I had stuck it in a small pelican case and works ok, but looking for smaller. I have also built a small HT (based on HT1000) with a duplexer but output power is about 2 watts. Really need about 10 to do what i do with mine. Thats a good compromise by the time i hook up cables and antenna to the box.

I'd like to play with the repeater to be honest. I love my GR1225 in my motorhome, but it does burn alot of power I dont need when dry camping. Id be curious to know the standby current on it and cant seem to find it on the site. I have my GR1225 turned down to 10 watts anyway but with the fan running alot in summer. I have no interest in the handheld units. I assume it has a single antenna port but doesn't really say. If so it may be a good temp repeater for stuff.

This happens more than people realize.

Your correct , however I have seen many ham clubs use cheap stuff and try to pass it to the county. I once walked to a site that had an adi mobile radio wire tied on top of a GE master II recever board and a cheap china duplexer in the site. Power supply was a RS 12V 10Amp unit with about 12 wires coming off it. When i went to the club to help i was told they knew how to do stuff. As a radio vendor at the time my hopes were to help them out, but walked away. A year later they were tossed from the site. I think alot of the younger hams see this, but some of the older guys are set in the way. Buy quality and i will be there when needed.

I am on the fence on this. I know its been brought up on multiple forums and not just for HAM stuff. If done right I have no issues with HAM gear being in sites. The issue is with the folks just like here that want to strap garbage together and put it in a shelter that a county spent millions on to protect. Time will tell but ITs more and more common to find HAM gear being set to the curb. If they spend the money and buy quality gear its not an issue 90% of the time.