smalpierre

True, but impedance mismatch causes higher swr, so you're ... kinda doing that in a roundabout way?

I've read at least 2 or 3 people in here saying that a cheap cobbled together repeater is useless, just use simplex (what can you do with this that you can't do with FRS), and how you're not going to gain any range, it's way too expensive, and way too technical for most licensees, what are you going to get out of it ... I guess some people just started with a mountain of equipment, truckload of money, and all the know-how!

You know what I get out of a cheesy sub thousand dollar repeater setup that I can't get from FRS? Almost 10 miles in any direction reliably to HT's. Oh, and unlike these fancy high dollar commercial setups I keep hearing about "needing" to make a useful repeater? It's not illegal. I also have fun building, and improving, and geeking out on techie things. Are you guys really getting 10+ miles simplex on HT's (on bubble pack FRS radios no less!)? I didn't think so because that would be absolute poppycock! I'm so glad I never listened to guys that kept saying "you can't".

I'm not saying everybody should go set up a repeater, but the idea that they're useless unless you spend tens of thousands on a commercial type install (which again - is most likely not legal to begin with) is patently absurd. Not everybody has the same goals, or is in the same situation.

Yeah man - I love the nanoVNA, and I got the cheaper one. Pretty sure I got the 4.3" screen, but it'll only sweep up to 1.5ghz - there's a 3ghz one thats a little more expensive, still under 100 bucks though. Definitely not nearly as good as a lab grade instrument, but it's also not 10 grand. You can also connect to a computer and do everything from there - I'm looking to get that going at some point.
 
Ohms vs SWR - yeah, if you're tuning for a single frequency or very tight range and you tune for 50 ohm impedance - you're going to have a low SWR just by default. The opposite doesn't hold true. You cah measure a low SWR and still have an impedance mismatch. I forget exactly how that works but I seem to remember that bieng the case?
 

Yeah man - I love the nanoVNA, and I got the cheaper one. Pretty sure I got the 4.3" screen, but it'll only sweep up to 1.5ghz - there's a 3ghz one thats a little more expensive, still under 100 bucks though. Definitely not nearly as good as a lab grade instrument, but it's also not 10 grand. You can also connect to a computer and do everything from there - I'm looking to get that going at some point.
 
Ohms vs SWR - yeah, if you're tuning for a single frequency or very tight range and you tune for 50 ohm impedance - you're going to have a low SWR just by default. The opposite doesn't hold true. You cah measure a low SWR and still have an impedance mismatch. I forget exactly how that works but I seem to remember that bieng the case?
 

Oh, the Surecom shill... seriously, get a NanoVNA v2 with a 4.3 screen to measure SWR. Tune your antennas to 50 ohms, not to the lowest SWR (return loss).
 
G.
 

if you just want to key up on a frequency and get a reading, get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Mcbazel-Surecom-Digital-125-525Mhz-Antenna/dp/B01D86IKIQ/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=swr+meter&qid=1611736284&sr=8-9
 
or something like it anyway. the vna is "harder" to use, but you're smart enough to want to do it right? The nanoVNA you calibrate (simple procedure) for a frequency range, then hook up an antenna with the SWR trace enabled and you can read it through the entire range instead of just what you're keying up from the transmitter.
 
nanovna = a little more work on the front end, much easier if you're checking multiple bands.,

Yeah, I use an app on mobile or a computer the vast majority of the time, but it doesn't help out of range of internet - which sometimes I am. Not often, but it's good to have something. There's also other data that's kind of hard to get online - I know where to get it now - but NOAA was my go-to for wave data / predictions for a LONG time. 12 foot waves on 7 second intervals? I don't think I'll be going out that day!
 
I'm working on a repeater project too - I'd like to know if you have any feedline issues. I was thinking about getting some rg-214 but its super expensive - maybe I can find some used hardline somewhere, mine isn't going to be mobile. I got LMR-400 and I now hear its not the thing for duplex - intermod, noise, desense ... something like that? Excellent for a base, supposedly not so much for repeaters.

We motorhome.  I've switched to GMRS from FRS recently and do not regret it at all.  We started using them for backing in to a site or the storage unit and hiking in case we got separated.  Occasionally, one of us will take the dog while the other stays in the motorhome and that's a little peace of mind.  When we fish (poorly), we sometimes separate a ways to try different areas.  In the last few months, I've built a GMRS base here at home, a Micromobile in the TOAD Jeep and soon in the motorhome.  I don't know of any RV groups that exclusively use GMRS but Jeep Jamboree is going that way this year.  

Kid is getting things DONE! I sat for tech, went for general and didn't quite make it. Been meaning to study up and go back!
 
And for this episode of "are you smarter than a 5th grader" the result is "Not even close"

NOAA weather is super cool, I've been using it for about 30 years from when I started sailing and was on a marine VHF. I haven't tried inland much, but everywhere I've been pretty much has a NOAA station broadcasting on one or more of the 7 channels. Where I'm at I can pick up like 4 of them, one in spanish

For the RV, Im not sure what your goals are - but if you can avoid a repeater, you'll have a lot less headaches. There isn't really a good "plug and play" option. You can get close though! Get something like one of those 1225's people use so much, turn the power down so you don't burn out the finals, buy it already tuned and programmed for a repeater pair with PL tones and the duplexer tuned - and make SURE you keep in mind that even REALLY good cable isn't necessarily suitable for repeater use. The "good stuff" as far as coax has silver plated conductor / shield, and you want to use silver plated connectors. Getting the programming cables / software, and the gear to tune a duplexer is expensive, and there is a fairly steep learning curve.

If possible, I'd opt for a nice mobile rig, and use simplex, but if the range isn't enough, it might be repeater time. If its a fiberglass RV the antenna will need some kind of ground plane. If it's a truck towing a trailer, you can mag mount an antenna to the truck. A repeater you're probably not going to be using while in motion (I can't think of a reason to), and a mobile rig will get you a little further than a walkie in the cab. If you do opt for a repeater setup when you set up camp, think about a setup with like a pushup pole or something to get that antenna as far up as you can. Height = range more or less.

Kid is getting things DONE! I sat for tech, went for general and didn't quite make it. Been meaning to study up and go back!
 
And for this episode of "are you smarter than a 5th grader" the result is "Not even close"

Also most GMRS radios will let you add the NOA weather frequencies so you can also check local weather conditions the same as you might have done with the CB.

Just got my License not long ago and picked up a pair of 805G for the wife and I to use when camping. I pull the camper and she pulls the boat and cellphone reception can be spotty or she likes to be on the Bluetooth chatting with her mom on some of the longer trips. The radio will give me a quicker way to communicate lane changes  and short messages without waiting for a phone to dial and connect. 
 
I've been taking one of the radios with me on a couple 200+ mile trips up to the in-laws and monitor the so called "travel" channel 462.675 MHz aka channel 20 using PL141.3 as well as scanning with no PL. Haven't heard anyone yet but maybe as the off roaders move away from CBs the GMRS radio traffic will pick up.

Do not use RG-58 cable at these frequencies for anything other than short runs. You are much better off using RG-8, LMR-400, Beldin 9913 or some type of heliax, typically 1/2 inch or larger, for the run. Also it is strongly advised to use "N" type connectors. You may need an "N" type to a PL-239 adapter for the end going into the back of the radio unless you make a cable with it on the end.
 
You can check here for coax cables. They may custom manufacture a cable for you.
 
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=344&sort=20a
 
http://www.cablexperts.com/cfdocs/index.cfm

Licenses are based on TX Frequency mostly. If you have a  repeater on 462.700 that's what you would search on. Sometimes location may be Nationwide if its licensed by a big box store. 

I'm not even going to list my  little junkbox repeater online. There's already a really good one available for public use on a tower anyway. Mines for my family in case there's an emergency - mostly in case something happens to the big boy repeater like power outtage or super heavy traffic during an emergency. Last thing I want is mine to be made unuseable because 100 people are on it when I need it.

True, but impedance mismatch causes higher swr, so you're ... kinda doing that in a roundabout way?

Second nanoVNA. 40 bucks. You have a hard time beating that price. And you can use it right at the base of the antenna make changes and view the changes as you make them.  
 

Reading through the posts, I believe you are asking if you need to use a repeater output channel, or if you could use another channel in the GMRS line-up.

The answer is, if you know a channel is used by a repeater and you do not wish to use that channel, you can use another of the 22 GMRS channels for simplex (radio to radio) communications.

On my familys radio set, I have set up three quick reach channels preset with tones and such.
1: Repeater 462.675 (code) 467.675 (code)
2: Talk 1       462.675(code) 462.675 (code)
3: Talk 2       462.550(code) 462.550 (code)

It is important to note, the first 7 GMRS channels are limited to 5W max power, and channels 8-14 are limited to half a watt so if you program these channels be sure to use the proper TX power settings.

GR1225s are available all the time on eBay.  Often with a duplexer and tuning included.  However, be aware of one thing. That radio has a very common problem of blown finals.  While it is rated at 40 watts output, it cannot do that at a 100% duty cycle. 10 watts is safe and I wouldn't suggest going over that for anything but the most minor, infrequent use, application.  So, make sure that whatever you buy is guaranteed.

This is why many of us with good repeaters tend to no longer list them online.

I had a simular incident in Stafford NJ with Monoc ambulance bleeding over onto Ch 21 if you were 5 miles or less from the hospital. At the time monoc was using 463xxxx (I dont remember the exact number) Two things can cause this issue. 1 would be the extra high 200W output from their repeater to cover the southern end of the county as well as Burlington and Atlantic county's. This overdrives the front end of a near by UHF radio using a frequency close to the one the transmitter is on. The other would be frequency deviation where the transmitter begins to transmit off frequency enough to bleed onto other frequency's.
 
Most likely its a GMRS repeater that users are not using their calls on. Without being able to hear the traffic and knowing the area and whats around, kinda hard to speculate who is using it.

I've read at least 2 or 3 people in here saying that a cheap cobbled together repeater is useless, just use simplex (what can you do with this that you can't do with FRS), and how you're not going to gain any range, it's way too expensive, and way too technical for most licensees, what are you going to get out of it ... I guess some people just started with a mountain of equipment, truckload of money, and all the know-how!

You know what I get out of a cheesy sub thousand dollar repeater setup that I can't get from FRS? Almost 10 miles in any direction reliably to HT's. Oh, and unlike these fancy high dollar commercial setups I keep hearing about "needing" to make a useful repeater? It's not illegal. I also have fun building, and improving, and geeking out on techie things. Are you guys really getting 10+ miles simplex on HT's (on bubble pack FRS radios no less!)? I didn't think so because that would be absolute poppycock! I'm so glad I never listened to guys that kept saying "you can't".

I'm not saying everybody should go set up a repeater, but the idea that they're useless unless you spend tens of thousands on a commercial type install (which again - is most likely not legal to begin with) is patently absurd. Not everybody has the same goals, or is in the same situation.

Don't need a repeater to do what he wants to do. "repeater, and repeater capable radios" is the right answer, just to the wrong question. he clarified a couple of posts down from the top what his actual goal is - which is position reporting.

Yeah, I can see your point. Many of the older Hams hangout on HF. They might have a VHF/UHF radio but likely don’t use it much except on the morning or evening commute. The other times the portable radio gets used at the Ham Radio flea markets then goes home to sit around until the next one. Alas there are those few Hams that just have an elitist attitude and won’t talk to people with a Tech Class license. Sometimes you can tell by the call sign format the license class. Certain formats are reserved for higher license classes.
 
I’ve kept my original Tech call sign just to surprise those that look me up on the FCC database or on QRZ.