gortex2

What ever..... you win, you're the greatest.
 

We get it you don't like Midland but thousands are fine with them. You recommend what you want and I'll recommend what I feel is an appropriate radio for the user. Additionally Midland will sell thousands and continue to fill a void in the service for true simple devices that work fine. 

Midland works fine for the intended audiance. There are way more folks out there using midland products than you think. If not Midland would stop selling it. I've seen them at Farm Shows, Jeep Events, RV Shows and other places. To be honest Midland has been doing GMRS stuff since beforer many of you were born. I have a xstal midland GMRS rig at home that my father put in a car 40 years ago. Yes products change but Midland is just one of many folks that sell stuff. They just cater to folks who want a plug and play radio. Not everyone wants 15 repeaters in there radio or ham and everything else. My parents love the KISS method. I run them in all my Jeeps for that reason. 
 

@Merky1761 That looks like a very nice project. Congratulations. 👍

If I had to guess they are running MotoTrbo GPS tracking on the radios. The GPS system can be programmed to poll the radios every 10 minutes or every 1 kilometer of movement. They are short bursts, around 600ms to 1 second. If a car is moving it sends a lot more traffic than if it doesn't. 

We get it you don't like Midland but thousands are fine with them. You recommend what you want and I'll recommend what I feel is an appropriate radio for the user. Additionally Midland will sell thousands and continue to fill a void in the service for true simple devices that work fine. 

We get it you don't like Midland but thousands are fine with them. You recommend what you want and I'll recommend what I feel is an appropriate radio for the user. Additionally Midland will sell thousands and continue to fill a void in the service for true simple devices that work fine. 

Midland MXT500. Battery is doing fine so far, I have only had it out twice so I can’t comment on longevity. I have left it on at the house for two days and it was still at  13.4 volts.    I’m looking to put a small solar panel and charger with it. 

We get it you don't like Midland but thousands are fine with them. You recommend what you want and I'll recommend what I feel is an appropriate radio for the user. Additionally Midland will sell thousands and continue to fill a void in the service for true simple devices that work fine. 

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2021/01/how-to-turn-the-wouxun-kg-1000g-into-a-gmrs-repeater.html
 

My parents are both in their 70's. They dont go on jeep events but wanted a radio to talk on my repeaters. The Midland is perfect for that. Why would I buy a crazy complicated CCR to put in there vehicels that they would totally baffled about. I mean I still can't get my father to swtich from his flip phone and holy crap when someone sends him a text and the "darn thing beeps at me".
You also dont realize the amount of farmers that use midland. I've installed a dozen repeaters (LMR) for farms that are using Midlands in all the tractors and equipment on the farm. They are simple and last. 
If your using GMRS as HAM lite then your right there are better choices. But for simple communications they serve a purpose and will sell more than all the other vendors combined this year and next year. 

Midland works fine for the intended audiance. There are way more folks out there using midland products than you think. If not Midland would stop selling it. I've seen them at Farm Shows, Jeep Events, RV Shows and other places. To be honest Midland has been doing GMRS stuff since beforer many of you were born. I have a xstal midland GMRS rig at home that my father put in a car 40 years ago. Yes products change but Midland is just one of many folks that sell stuff. They just cater to folks who want a plug and play radio. Not everyone wants 15 repeaters in there radio or ham and everything else. My parents love the KISS method. I run them in all my Jeeps for that reason. 
 

Here’s mine that I am almost finished with.  MXT 500 in a Harbor Freight Apache 3800 case.  Microphone and power cords ect  go inside the Tupperware. It’s powered  off of a 12 volt power supply at the house and a 10ah LiFePO4 battery when in the field. Waiting on a solar battery charger and a few other things 

My parents are both in their 70's. They dont go on jeep events but wanted a radio to talk on my repeaters. The Midland is perfect for that. Why would I buy a crazy complicated CCR to put in there vehicels that they would totally baffled about. I mean I still can't get my father to swtich from his flip phone and holy crap when someone sends him a text and the "darn thing beeps at me".
You also dont realize the amount of farmers that use midland. I've installed a dozen repeaters (LMR) for farms that are using Midlands in all the tractors and equipment on the farm. They are simple and last. 
If your using GMRS as HAM lite then your right there are better choices. But for simple communications they serve a purpose and will sell more than all the other vendors combined this year and next year. 

Enjoy the CCR you purchased. I'm sure you wont be on this forum long. Manage expectations. Buy junk get junk results. I love how a new GMRS user jumps on here and complains when those in the field for 30+ years give them honest answers. Maybe youtube should be your friend. 
 

As someone that has recommended a few radios to a few people in my day, i have, and still do recommend Midlands to "regular people" that just need simple vehicle to vehicle comms; ie; The Jeep Crowd.
Radio Dorks and latent hams will require something with more bells and whistles, but MANY normal people are more than satisfied with the simplicity and performance of the Midland mobiles. 
Choose the radio with the features that are right for you, and ignore the online "experts" that look down on you for not being the same kind of socially reet-ard-ed know-it-alls that they are - it's difficult, becuase there are a lot of them right here in this forum.. Even in this thread..

Midland works fine for the intended audiance. There are way more folks out there using midland products than you think. If not Midland would stop selling it. I've seen them at Farm Shows, Jeep Events, RV Shows and other places. To be honest Midland has been doing GMRS stuff since beforer many of you were born. I have a xstal midland GMRS rig at home that my father put in a car 40 years ago. Yes products change but Midland is just one of many folks that sell stuff. They just cater to folks who want a plug and play radio. Not everyone wants 15 repeaters in there radio or ham and everything else. My parents love the KISS method. I run them in all my Jeeps for that reason. 
 

Enjoy the CCR you purchased. I'm sure you wont be on this forum long. Manage expectations. Buy junk get junk results. I love how a new GMRS user jumps on here and complains when those in the field for 30+ years give them honest answers. Maybe youtube should be your friend. 
 

Enjoy the CCR you purchased. I'm sure you wont be on this forum long. Manage expectations. Buy junk get junk results. I love how a new GMRS user jumps on here and complains when those in the field for 30+ years give them honest answers. Maybe youtube should be your friend. 
 

As said do some searching. We have done this for years for SAR stuff as well as other EMO related boxes. Currenlty we have 2 in harbor frieght peican cases. One is a repeater and one just a mobile with mag mount and cirgarette lighter plug. We also have 2 in Plano tackle boxes. 

Look at hamfests or ebay. I paid $400 for my TKR-850, and I've seen a pile of them at the past 2 hamfests for only $600 (I bet they would haggle).
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/226048057405?itmmeta=01HSHB2F643BSH9B3Y7YX7EVA1&hash=item34a183a03d:g:UtcAAOSwJCVl9OK5&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwEF%2FByVwUUmCl%2FrSSYnqjIKsJDuuv%2BUF61HYqlhp%2Bl0UQInVAy1%2FCs0ZUmjcqVxV85Jr0xLhK%2FY92GLCMomKzm1FEXDp%2BQpqtdPw3xYprvgtU9643vKqX3HjuqAuWVvSSuFzMnpJNrHZGdVJCrBL1QPYPi%2FqiSuokF66kwG%2F2wwBC9bPWlHY9j6quv8J5soB1N1VzJJC40eIFSrhbzIyDisTk3RfFrG8UaHKSOGsoMrGjCDhJxRaGm8ph0GHewvT9A%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6zziavMYw
https://www.ebay.com/itm/386631482370?itmmeta=01HSHB3RKHS3ZKZJ4SYYPMY15T&hash=item5a05083c02:g:mi4AAOSwOg5lozE6&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwD6YdARKhicet%2FJCqsdaQ%2FNO1DooBikEygrcPjnosm5ovx92qKiNDmmQJ6dQVo23GdFlYV7tlSLK6%2B2L0grP84qtgJ3tIDWYGFPEiG2KT6%2F6l3EJNOVdf%2FuRC6v9VeQD808EGQnNlwmzv8eRP8RSKUeqxoxrykFr4Y63N%2BYt0ABrk%2B04%2BbKU0VFkhN3rGpmHs17xTQC0z96ui0QIF3r%2Bb7Zo98aglrB3A8HiF0kvYnuqaNavZeOZKCsOiXZHWBZ8mQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_6Jj6vMYw
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186330130294?itmmeta=01HSHB5FGYB0DNN6TCJPT9G53M&hash=item2b62242776:g:lkcAAOSwmjFl55rG&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0GhDq3Q60ViK0xGgPO0ErM%2B5CQjGV2gizzQB%2BTDIOQIOrHPspeu9XSyISNUpb%2FJV9FAQZfX27azoe1KS2YxF8l8M7vFjBQl3oIx%2FANIs9oHlN8tDtucAgFnXy5wwfWYRNrYIb%2BTQpAFAi846ftGP72nDAV491up63tmCBwGDxRENOLY15J7tCoCnHH53Atz5zfAKwfZDD3JImmOS3r6mtVsFlcj70oIGyBBYNBoKZlc9OA9nUkZbYAU6uKH31zWTjc1rjrH1y4soVKvw93H2elM%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8j4lavMYw
 
Three examples................

I would consider his comments constructive. Iirc, he himself tried at one point, and there are about a dozen other people here that tried. It's not worth the effort as it never works out. Besides, as he pointed out, you could have just bought an actual repeater for the costs of the 2 radios you just bought.

Do yourself a favor & search the term "intermod" as it relates to RF.  What you're seeing is likely a product of 2 (or more) frequencies mixing & creating an un-intended 3rd frequency. I'd bet dollars to donuts that the water tower has some high powered stuff that's throwing out birdies & mixing with something else nearby.

For the proce you paid for 2 radios you could buy a good used LMR repeater. I've not seen many folks on this site successfully impliment one and have good resoluts. Lots of choises out there if you look.
 

Not really, you can have an easy $1500 to $2000 wrapped up in a good repeater's radio and antennas. Now let's guess about the power supplies.