OldRadioGuy

The Wouxun 805G is not that intimidating.
If you don't use privacy codes there is almost no setup required.
You can just use them right out of the box pretty much.
 
The bigger deal than the 5W is the antenna connector allowing use of an different antennas.
So you can put a mag mount on it for in the car or get a Smiley GMRS super stick or a Nagoya 14" flexible whip antenna.
These better antennas really do help.
They are very nice radios and I like that you can have spare batteries and switch any time.
 
If you are going to use repeaters you will want to change the display so the chan Freq is displayed rather than just channel #.
This is pretty easy.  Menu item 19 takes care of it.
 
There is no power level control so if you wan to save batteries at close range you need to switch to the low power channels.
That's about my only complaint.
 
Vince

There is a place called aquapac.net that sells special radio bags to make them waterproof.
Or just use a ziploc bag and poke the antenna through.  Make a small starter hole first.
Not waterproof but pretty good.
 
The DeWalt FRS radio is listed as IP67 if you really need waterproof.
(Going from 2W to 5W is just a little more than 3dB.)
I think somebody mentioned that the KG 905 is more water resistant than the 805.
 
BTW, there are several different batteries available for the 805.
It's very practical to have a set of spares.
 
So, in my book the 805 has a lot going for it.
Of course the 905 sounds nice too.
I like the transmit power level switch for one thing.
But I'm happy with the 805's.
 
Vince

If you have an unbalanced antenna - such as a vertical that works off a ground plane - it really doesn't matter what you do with excess cable.
I would mainly be worried about the loss.  Transmission line is transmission line.
 
With a balanced type antenna (like a dipole or a beam) - coiling the cable can actually be helpful because is works like a balun transformer.
Balanced antennas are not referenced to ground and want a differential drive.
 
I would say nearly 100% of mobile antennas for vehicle are unbalanced or ground referenced antennas.
 
Vince

Here's a simple explanation.
 
Longer antennas (properly designed of course) focus your signal so it's concentrated towards the earth's surface.
We're not talking to airplanes or other planets so why waste signal up there.
We want to focus our signal at ground level (or horizon) which is where our contacts are.
 
The gain of the antenna tells you how much it concentrates your signal where we want it.... in this case the horizon.
 
So gain (length) and height both help.
 
You may also need to consider the loss in your coax. 
You may want to run heavier and lower loss coax for the longer run then adapt to something more flexible for the last 10' or so.
I would try and keep coax loss down around 2dB or less if you can.  Less than 1dB would be nice.
 
Vince

I notice my Yeasu FT-7900 ham mobile radio does pretty much the same thing. 
So maybe it's just "a thing". ;-)
 
Vince

I notice my Yeasu FT-7900 ham mobile radio does pretty much the same thing. 
So maybe it's just "a thing". ;-)
 
Vince

The LED backlight probably draws only 2-5mA.
So I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
I had a blue indicator LED on a piece of production lab equipment that I designed.
The LED's keep getting more efficient.
People were complaining that it was too bright.
We finally turned it down to under 2mA.
 
Vince

Here's a simple explanation.
 
Longer antennas (properly designed of course) focus your signal so it's concentrated towards the earth's surface.
We're not talking to airplanes or other planets so why waste signal up there.
We want to focus our signal at ground level (or horizon) which is where our contacts are.
 
The gain of the antenna tells you how much it concentrates your signal where we want it.... in this case the horizon.
 
So gain (length) and height both help.
 
You may also need to consider the loss in your coax. 
You may want to run heavier and lower loss coax for the longer run then adapt to something more flexible for the last 10' or so.
I would try and keep coax loss down around 2dB or less if you can.  Less than 1dB would be nice.
 
Vince

Here's a simple explanation.
 
Longer antennas (properly designed of course) focus your signal so it's concentrated towards the earth's surface.
We're not talking to airplanes or other planets so why waste signal up there.
We want to focus our signal at ground level (or horizon) which is where our contacts are.
 
The gain of the antenna tells you how much it concentrates your signal where we want it.... in this case the horizon.
 
So gain (length) and height both help.
 
You may also need to consider the loss in your coax. 
You may want to run heavier and lower loss coax for the longer run then adapt to something more flexible for the last 10' or so.
I would try and keep coax loss down around 2dB or less if you can.  Less than 1dB would be nice.
 
Vince

There is such a thing as a simplex repeater that is fairly cheap and simple, but......
This is not for socializing or that kind of thing like duplex repeaters.
It is intended for emergency comms or remote areas like a hunting camp or something.
Maybe you would use it for special event with a club - for essential or emergency communications only.
 
https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=98
 
It is not clear to me whether the law specifically addresses these for use on GMRS.
I did not find a definitive answer.
Definitely check further if you are considering it seriously.
 
This is a clever audio accessory that you can interface to just about any radio.
People (who are licensed) use them on ham bands and you can use the same device with various radios as long as you get the right cable.
You do not use a "repeater channel" with split frequency operation... there is no offset.  It all happens on the same frequency.
You use a normal simplex channel.
 
You interface this to a radio that you place on high ground in your area of operation.
Maybe you park a vehicle equipped with it on a hill above the area you are hunting. 
The "repeater" radio will repeat every message that it hears - delayed in time.
So you will hear yourself on "the repeater" after you are done talking.
If you are within "direct" range of another talker you will hear him twice - once direct and once on the repeater. 
 
Obviously this is a rather "clunky" (but clever) system intended for essential communications in remote areas.
It is of very limited use but for certain situations it could be real a life saver. 
 
Of course, do not even consider buying one of these unless you FULLY understand exactly how it is used.
Also, of course, you would need to be sure they are completely legal for GMRS.  I did not find a clear answer.
Even so, I would only consider using it "in the middle of nowhere" for special situations like hunting camps.
 
So, do not go and buy one of these and put it up at home thinking your are going to have a "real" repeater for hanging out with your friends.
That's not what it is.  It's just a curiosity for most of us.
I think it's "wicked" clever.... but I'm probably not going to buy one.
 
Vince
 
 

I have an Arrow portable "take down" beam antenna intended for 440MHx/70cm ham radio.
I bought this antenna for my ham radios, before I had GMRS.
Mine is the dual band version with a second set of elements for 2M but otherwise identical to the link below.
 
http://www.arrowantennas.com/arrowii/440-7ii.html
 
I finally got around to checking the SWR with my Wouxun 805G.
It was very good - like darned near a perfect 1:1.
My output power was actually a bit higher than with other antennas I've tested so somehow this antenna seems to "tickle" the 805G just right.
Maybe the 805G is not a perfect 50 ohm output but this antenna is a near reciprocal match????  I'm just reporting the data.
 
I did not talk to anyone on it but triggered the repeater 15 miles away.
So I know it was transmitting.  That repeater is hard to hit on a simple 1/4 wave antenna with 5W.
 
My meter is an MFJ-842 set on the 10W range.
I had about 6' of RG-58 coax in the path.
Hams use RG-58 awith BNC connectors for short runs all the time on 440Mhz.
 
Vince

For this to work you would have to set the repeater radio to REVERSE the TX and RX frequencies.
Ham radios all have this but I don't think GMRS radios generally do unless you program them through a computer.
 
I don't see any advantage in using it this way because you'd still have big delays and no real way of knowing what's up.
Using it simplex you'd maybe here some noise while the other person is talking before hearing the clear repeated message. 
So maybe you'd have a hint when the other party is talking an know to wait.
 
I think for many situations a "human repeater" would actually work better.
You get "Bob" to park up on a hill and when you can't get through to "Dave" directly you get "Bob" to relay to him.
This way you have an "intelligent" simplex repeater that only repeats when necessary..... as long as Bob doesn't mind sitting up on the hill all day.
 
Vince

PL tones only work when you are far from the interference or other radio traffic and relatively close to your contact.
This rarely happens in my world but maybe does happen in urban areas.
 
When the PL tone is off you will hear everything on a channel including people with PL enabled.
I want to know when a channel is in use because I can probably change to one that's not in use.
So we almost never us PL tones.
 
It is a myth that PL tones can effectively create more channels.
This only works when you are in well separated "clusters" with members of each cluster relatively concentrated in a smaller area.
So all of "our" signals are strong among our group and "their" signals are weak.
 
I guess the other situation is where use is very infrequent so the odds of "doubling" are near zero.
 
Some other responders have also said this - in different ways. 
 
Vince

You might try an Arrow beam made for the 70cm/440 ham band. 
They make some very high gain antennas.
 
I have the moon bounce portable beam that I bought for my 2m/440 ham rig.
You may find other models are better suited to your situation.
 
I'm sure there are other makes as well.
I guess the main point is that there is a lot more available for Ham 440MHz than GMRS and the match is probably good enough or tunable.
 
My 440 mag mount antennas match pretty good on GMRS but I'm not sure if the beams are more critical.
So do a little home work first.
 
Vince

This is probably not a good test.
Your transmitter is too close to the test receiver which is desensitizing your wife's RX.
This is a common problem and the reason a repeater needs a duplexer to work. 
The huge nearby in-band signal makes the receiver turn its gain way down.
Of course the repeater signal is much weaker so will not be heard.
 
You really need to get your TX a couple hundred yards, (or better yet, a mile) from your test RX.
 
I did this same thing with a 5W radio and my wife could not hear me at all through the repeater.
But I got a reply from a guy 10 miles away who could hear me fine.
My wife downstairs could hear the other guy fine but her radio "plugged its ears" whenever I was transmitting.
 
Vince

You might try an Arrow beam made for the 70cm/440 ham band. 
They make some very high gain antennas.
 
I have the moon bounce portable beam that I bought for my 2m/440 ham rig.
You may find other models are better suited to your situation.
 
I'm sure there are other makes as well.
I guess the main point is that there is a lot more available for Ham 440MHz than GMRS and the match is probably good enough or tunable.
 
My 440 mag mount antennas match pretty good on GMRS but I'm not sure if the beams are more critical.
So do a little home work first.
 
Vince

You will probably find that just getting a Wouxun 805G for $80 is a lot cheaper than trying to find some special triple band radio.
Many commercial radios (I think) can only be programmed with a computer. 
 
I'm also a long time ham and bought a pair of 805G's so I can use with the wife and fishing friends etc.
It just worked out best that way.
 
You will find that your 440/70cm antennas work well though.
Also, Wouxun works with some Kenwood accessories like speaker mics.
 
Vince

I do not know of any particular RV channel or network on GMRS.
Lots of outdoors people do use FRS and GMRS but I don't know how social they are outside of their circle.
 
I have taken my Ham 2M/440 rig camping and gotten very few replies on repeaters.
I decided it was kind of useless.
I got my GMRS license because my wife and fishing buddies can use FRS/GMRS.
I think it will be great to have around camp or when I go exploring on my bike.
I can call back to the wife or others in our group.  Cell phones don't work out there where we go.
 
GMRS allows external antennas which can be a big factor.
Even for an HT you can put a 14" Nagoya 771 on there and improve range further.
Smiley makes some telescoping antennas.
This can be a big factor over FRS.
 
I have heard that some truckers use Chan 7 on GMRS but have never tried listening.
Supposedly that is the highway channel.  Or did I also hear Channel 20???
 
If you go camping with friends you can always hand them an FRS radio to use.
They can take on in their truck if you travel together.
They are great on the road as long as the lead vehicle does not have a "metal building" behind it blocking the signal.
The vehicle with the rooftop antenna should stay in front.
 
Just some ideas.
 
Vince

For anybody wondering.... the fee was still $70 as of last week (Feb 7)
I just went ahead and paid it.  As others have said $7/year is still pretty cheap.
Use your stimulus check to pay it.
 
Vince

The exact cable length does not matter.  Shorter is better.
The only exception would be if you were using a matching network on the radio end of the cable.
But still, it would have a random effect... as long as your radio is pretty close to nominal 50 ohms (non reactive Z)
I won't get into smith charts so just trust me.
 
Pasternack makes custom cables and Digikey might also do customs.
Not cheap but maybe worth it for the quality etc.
Digikey would be cheaper than Pasternack.
 
Keep in mind you could use a much heavier cable outside and run something smaller for the last few feet coming into the radio.
Mix and match can make sense.
 
Vince

I really like my 805G's and am impressed that I can reach a repeater 15 miles away on the stock antenna.
Switching to the Nagoya 771 antenna improved my signal to that is recommended.
I've been a ham since 1985 and my experience is that this Wouxun is a very respectable radio.
 
My radio did "desense" my wife's radio 20' away while I was talking on the repeater.
So she did not hear me talking on the repeater - just the other guy.
But I think this would be even be expected even on a Ham HT.
It's just a fact of life for hand held radios.
 
I really like the available accessories like swap-able battery packs, speaker mics, BNC adapter etc.
The powerwerx speaker mic is really nice for the money.
 
I wish it had a power level select button to reduce power at close range.
We always switch channels to the .5W group to save power when close.
Other than that I really have no complaints.
 
It would be nice if there were waterproof IP7. 
 
Nice radios.
 
Vince

Probably this has already been discussed over the years. 
 
I finally got around to testing a couple of my mag mount 70cm or 440MHz ham band antennas on my Wouxun 805G GMRS.
The SWR was below 1.5:1 even with a very undersized ground plane.
Probably would have been much better with a larger ground - like on an actual car. 
Both of these were dual band 2M/70cm antennas.
 
So, for my money, these ham antennas will work just fine.
Many are tunable so you can tweak them in even better.
If your standards are higher you can make your own decision.
 
Since there are many more Ham band antennas available they offer a better selection and price.
In my case I already have these antennas so it's a no-brainer.  They're free.
 
Vince