TDM827

Sounds like you already are familiar with the need for emergency power. Unless you have something you can use, budget for battery backup and perhaps an emergency generator for your repeater.

Very good point. In an emergency if you don't own it and maintain you just can't rely on it.

My last big project before retiring a few years ago was implementing a new large scale repeated public safety / public works radio system for a county. The bean counters pushed hard for cell based communications because they felt it would save a ton of money and was the wave of the future. After lots of research and hiring some really smart consultants we determined Land Mobile Radio (LMR) is still the way to go, for now, Not to say there are not some awesome systems using cell technology along side LMR, there is lots of cool stuff out there. But the last we learned was LMR will probably remain the primary king of the hill for at least the next 5 years. Come the 2030s I am sure cell based comms will start becoming the preferred and primary reality more and more, with LMR being the alternate backup system. Of course this all moves at the speed of money and even more so politics!

If by "properly" you mean communicating with my immediate family on simplex or sometimes repeater then yes. "Properly" means a lot of things to different people, preppers, off-roaders, campers, hikers, and road trippers. And unless they are breaking the rules they are probably using GMRS "properly." Now as as personal note, I prefer not to hear rag chewers and contact junkies, but they have as much right to the frequencies as I do!

Thanks Marc, I didn't know you did this. Very generous of your time! Now I have something to watch tonight. Also have something to point people to when they start asking the "radio set up" I have.

If a handheld is acceptable, especially if it can hit a repeater that works for you, bicycle cops get good results with them. If a mobile is required you can probably find what motorcycle cops use, I am thinking if you use a ground plane antenna it could be a challenge. Below was taken from: https://www.k5pa.com/Ham Radio/Bicycle Mobile.htm Just google it.

Might as well join and take advantage of the nice distances the network offers. But you may actually get sick of the chatter. Sooner or later someone will drop a dime, rat out, the network operator to the FCC, who at sometime may or may not care. If anyone is left working at the FCC they might send out a strongly worded letter telling the network to stop linking. In the mean time enjoy!

Depends on how complicated you want to get and what you are gonna use it for. Like many others, Midland is my primary base / mobile. Perhaps limited in features and extra programable channels compared to other radios, they are simple to use. Especially for my family members who rarely use radio. I bought the Midland base knowing most in the family just want to key up the mike and talk without touching other buttons, or looking at a information packed screen they find confusing. So if it is simplicity you seek Midland works fine. If you need / want a lot more features, you will find plenty of other good recommendations here. Keep in mind if you buy a combo pack of Midlands the included handhelds are generally not repeater capable. On the other hand I do have some handhelds that only I use which are packed with lots of features and lots of channels. Paid pretty good money for them and in all likely hood will never use more than half their capability, lol.

Better Yet!

GMRS is great for family communications. And, if by clubs, you mean GMRS groups which give you access to regional repeaters, that's a solid plan. If you are also looking for a hobby and are interested in chatting and making contacts add a ham license to you plan.

I know it's a boring solution. But, I second the advice to have a roll up slim-jim for emergencies. In the event your base antenna gets trashed at least you have something, as long as you have something to string it to (tree limb, utility pole, antenna mast, gutter etc, chimney...). I believe they come in sizes up to about 20 feet.

Just buy a blister pack of Family Radios, and don't worry about all the call sign stuff. If you insist on GMRS, transmit simplex, use minimal power on handhelds and the range is gonna be really really minimal. Anyone who might stumble across your comms probably doesn't care.

Welcome to retirement!

Got to agree GMRS is primarily a communication tool vs. a hobby or method to make contacts. So you might be disappointed if you seek casual conversation. On the other hand. If you plan to build our something for information sharing and updates during emergencies GMRS will work fine, if you put in the work and spend time managing it.

If you really enjoy listening and monitoring frequencies you might really like an SDR. They are inexpensive, less than 50 dollars on amazon for a decent unit and can be used with your existing computer. With the right antennas you can listen to just about any channel. Branching out from the basics you can do some very interesting things, like receiving satellite imagery. Enjoy the radio.

My cat is a flat earther, no matter how hard I try to convince him otherwise.

Agree you should contact btg, or any other repeater owner, you plan on using to see what there back up capability is. Just remember, individual repeater owners are under no obligation to provide back up power, or any repeater service for that matter. The larger repeaters, club repeater or a repeater which seeks donations likely offers more power back up solutions. Unless there are some formal club or association bylaws requiring same. The bottom line is, if you use someone else's system it's their system to do as they wish. Which is actually a good thing. In my opinion, and its just my opinion, repeaters fill a good primary or alternate communications role for everyday use, depending on your need. And a possible emergency communications role for small regional emergencies. In the event of a large scale geographically diverse emergency (impacting a larger area) I hope the repeaters I use are up and running, but I don't count on it as emergency communications. If those roles fit into your plan then go for it. If you need nearly guaranteed and robust GMRS repeater access perhaps you and some like minded individuals in your area could pool funds and recourses and build out exactly what you need. Best of Luck and keep us posted if you start a project.

At the risk of introducing more equipment. If you really need to have reliable contact with your wife in almost any terrain, and gain some peace of mind, just go with a Garmin In Reach and one of the more inexpensive monthly subscriptions. You could contort yourself and wallet into endlessly seeking a GMRS set up for many applications, or listen to the HAM gurus and gamble on one of HAM bands providing more coverage. Just my opinion, but perhaps simple is best.

According to Wouxon the KG1000 Plus G radio can operate from -4 to 140F, but don't take my word for it, double check my math. You should also check the safe operating temperatures of the duplexer. You can always put a thermometer in the cabinet and fan arrangement you are interested in pursuing. Just remember cabinet temperature will be affected by the heat generated by 2 radios, which in turn in turn will be affected by duty cycle. I wouldn't assume anything about operating temperatures before sticking a bunch of money in a repeater location. I know its not apples to apples. But as an example, for our commercial radio shack sites we had to install dedicated HVAC units and over temp alarms, even in Wisconsin. On paper the Motorola gear may have operated in our anticipated heat ranges. But our consulting engineer and vendor build engineers insisted on actual AC. Best of Luck, keep us posted.

You mentioned the Adirondacks. Probably the most important factor is the terrain. If your wife hikes behind a tall hill or mountain side opposite of you, or the trailer, its possible no reasonable antenna height or type will work on simplex, non-repeated channels. When I say reasonable I mean about a 20' or less collapsible mast. In other words is there a line of sight between her and you, the receiving radio antenna? If there is no line of sight you would need to determine if an antenna mast can elevate your antenna high enough to clear the hill / mountain (line of sight obstruction). If you can't get your antenna high enough, a portable repeater set atop the hill may work, allowing you both to reach each other. Retevis and Midland make portable repeaters and you can find reviews here and on You Tube. Since you didn't ask about repeaters I will leave it at that. On the other hand, if the terrain where you hike has low hills or is fairly flat, the MXTA26 on a cookie sheet set atop your trailer as mentioned by Sshannon may fit the bill. Kidphc's recommendation of an extendable mast is a solid one also. Unfortunately it's going to be hard for anyone to provide a fairly accurate recommendation if we don't know the relative heights between you / trailer and where your wife will be hiking.

Agree with WRXP381 on the NMO mount, mag mount or edge mount, and a Midland MXTA26. Their GMRS antennas need no tuning, so it's about as easy as it gets. So if it's an option its a great place to start. OffRoaderX reports some fine performance with an MXTA26 mounted lower on his jeep in what many would say is a less than desirable manner, but works for him. If that's not workable, the antenna farm has 1/2 and 5/8 wave NMO antennas which cover the 450-470Mhz range, not sure if they need to be, or can be trimmed, for optimal performance. Like many things GMRS you may have to experiment a bit to see what works for your particular situation

Linking GMRS repeaters is entirely possible. If someone in your group is willing to search "linking repeaters" in the My GMRS forum they will find good information on what's involved, generally, and how GMRS users enjoy, or dislike, linked repeaters. Just not sure if it will fit into your overall plan. Perhaps you could share how you see fitting GMRS into, or interfacing, with your communication plan for the county. With more specifics you would likely get some more targeted guidance. A good place to start is here..

Exactly, don't know until you try. You have the coax and the pipe, sounds like a good excuse to do some "testing."

You got some great advice to first test simplex range, radio to radio, for your 20 acre homestead operation. But you also are interested in a repeater for extended range capability and allowing others to use it. Before you put down a chunk of money on a repeater, see if the friends you want to talk to are also in simplex range. If the Gillette topography allows for it you might get some good extended range on simplex. However, if you are in a rural area, making contact with more distant friends, or if you want to keep in contact with family when they head to town, a repeater may be required. Looking at the GMRS repeater map I don't see any repeaters covering Gillette. But there may be some unlisted repeaters in the area you can discover when settled in. If you go the repeater route, you will find good information and advice here on brands, costs, build tips and reasonable range expectations. Of course You Tube has some good stuff. Repeater-builder.com has some valuable information as well. As far as coverage, Scadacore.com has a line of sight map which will give you some very general ideas on what you might expect for effective radio to radio communications. All based on each radios map location, the topography between the two, the ground elevation of each unit and each radio's antenna height above the ground. It's not perfect, but it's really easy to use and a pretty good resource. Lastly, not are repeaters are equal. Your anticipated use, needed duty cycle (how often it's gonna be in use) and desired range will play a big part in the cost. Best of Luck

Congrats on the homestead. As far as handhelds, I am sure you will get plenty of great recommendations here. BaoFeng, Wouxon, Retevis, all make plenty of good GMRS handhelds at prices which will fit into your budget. Starting around $30 up to about $150. Just keep in mind Midland GMRS handhelds you can buy today are not repeater capable, so that will limit their effectiveness in your plan. They serve us great for "around the neighborhood communications." But if I had to do it again I would go with repeater capable handhelds, which I ended up buying anyway. More costly options includes include commercial radios, Kenwood, Icom, Motorola. Its a steeper learning curve and plenty of folks here will remind you that most of the commercial radios aren't "legal" for GMRS according the the FCC. Just search up these forums for commercial radios, grab some popcorn, and read the heated debates about the legality of commercial radios. In the end no one seems to care, well maybe a few. Repeaters, depends on what you want to use it for. The one you are looking at is a portable repeater that gets good reviews for what its designed to do. If you want a repeater at a base station with more coverage you are probably talking more in the $900 to $1200 range, unless you want to hold out for a deal on a pre-owned one. Lastly, Don't take my word for it. Recommend you check out the "Not a Rubicon" channel on you tube for more info before you spend your cash.