Sbsyncro

Hmm.. just to be a contrarian, I will posit that the whole appeal of FRS/GMRS is its simplicity and "open the box and get started" ease of use. Thus, having designated channel numbers helps the vast majority of FRS/GMRS users. I'll bet that if you polled 1,000 frequent users of FRS/GMRS radios what frequency their favorite channel was on, 950 of them wouldn't have a clue. The other 50 are participating in this forum. ?

My car stereo has an "ATT" (mute) button on the steering wheel. Its an aftermarket (Sony) head unit, so I know there is an adapter connecting the OEM steering wheel controls to this head unit. On a recent trip I found myself wondering if there was some good way to patch into this system to be able to mute the music while receiving a broadcast over the radio. Most of the time I am using my GMRS radio it is with my 4WD on weekend outings. We're either cruising to a destination for 4-6 hours, or we're doing trail runs. I like to have music playing (or an audiobook) but if I do, I always miss the first part of a transmission, which is sometimes directed at me (I'm often either nose or tail). Some poking around found this: https://audiointerrupt.com/cbm-u4/ Wondering if anyone has tried something like this?

Following back up on this thread. I thought the replacement mic had made things better, but alas, a weekend trip with my local Jeep club proved that this radio has a lot of problems. The most persistent issue is the static and popping that I mentioned earlier. Another issue is that it sometimes doesn't start transmitting for 3 to 5 seconds after I key the mic! Other times it begins transmitting very quietly, then goes to full gain. When I got home I tested some scenarios with HTs: • I tried changing the power lead, re-routing directly to the battery. No improvement • Tried two different antennas but same coax. Same problem with both. • I used a mag mount antenna with different coax – no improvement. My last and final test was to install a spare radio (A Radioddity DB20-G) using the same power and antenna connections as the ones giving me problems with the Wouxun. The radio operates without static, pops, or noise on the transmissions, confirming that the problem follows the Wouxun KG1000G and not another variable. Luckily BTWR has EXCELLENT customer service (I mean really, really good!) and they responded to my email within an hour or two and sent me a return shipping label so that they can test the radio. I'm sending it back to them this week.

I did not try that. I need to reprogram one of the top keys to change power level. My eyes are too bad to see the controls on the mic. I have a new mic on the way. I will test with low power first before trying the new mic. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This sounds similar to a bug that was reported in an Amazon review of the Radioddity 20w mobile unit that I read, and the reviewer said that the bug was fixed in a firmware update. Not sure if it’s the same issue but it sounds similar. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On a club run today others started telling me my transmissions were very crackly with a lot of static and cutting in and out. After a bit of fiddling, I realized that it is the key switch on the mic. If I key the mic and wiggled it with my thumb, it introduces a bunch of crackling and static, as if there is a poor connection. I'm 95% confident that this is the issue. Has anyone else had problems with their transmissions being static-y or with their mic? I'm doing a bit club road trip in two weeks and I really want to have this radio working! Edit: After a bit more fiddling I am now less certain the issue is the key switch in the mic. It just seems to be producing a lot of static when the mic is keyed, but without a different mic to test, I can't be sure that it is related to the key switch.

After spending about $300 worth of time researching and thinking about this, I finally pried the $22 loose from my wallet and bought a Laird AB450 1/4 wave antenna. https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191_192_196_213&products_id=4476 We'll see if it fits the bill. If not, I'll try a "puck" style next.

As long as you state your call sign first. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For me an HT definitely has its place but while in the road or trail I greatly prefer a fixed high powered unit. I was following some friends (we’d left camp about 30 minutes apart) and every time I crested a hill I could reach out to them with updates about the folks behind me. They were on 8w HTs and I could barely make out their transmissions from 15 miles away but they could apparently hear me clear as day even when I wasn’t “looking down on them”. If only I could get all my trail running buddies to upgrade to 50w radios... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That sounds a lot like my typical experience on road trips. I still have yet to be able to figure out a repeater when I’m traveling as there are none near where I live Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Having a hard time finding a no ground plane NMO 1/4 wave... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Many folks in one group I run with are using HT's so performance of an HT is probably fine for tree-lined trails where we are spread over less than a mile or so. My alternative I suppose is to just put the rain/dust cap on and switch to using an HT myself... But where's the fun in that. ? hmm... looking at the "stealth" and "puck" type antennae, it looks like they all require a ground plane. Looks like I need to either fine a 1/4 wave antenna with a spring base (I often have branches dragging the top of the Jeep) or just switch to an HT when I'm in the woods.

Just took my Jeep out for the first time with the hard-mount GMRS radio and antenna (Midland 6db mounted on the roof rack). Performance is great, but when we got into the trees on one of our trail runs, my antenna was taking a beating! (I could hear the spring sproinging constantly). It made me want to be able to swap out for a super low profile antenna that would be good enough for maintaining comms on the trail when we're spread out over maybe a mile or so. Any recommendations for a "puck" style antenna that will work without a ground plane?

So most people with Jeeps and trucks are not installing their NMO antennae in a "through the roof" mount and are instead using external brackets. NMO mounts such as the "Midland 6 Meter Antenna Cable with NMO Connector" are obviously designed to be water proof (with an o-ring seal) when installed on a flat panel where the underside is protected from weather by the panel that it is mounted to and the o-ring on the top side of the panel. In a bracket type mount, the underside of the NMO mount is completely exposed to the elements. Is this a problem? Should one somehow protect it from the elements? Most installations I see just leave it exposed, so I wonder if the o-ring is merely to seal the roof panel from leaking and not to necessarily protect the back side of the antenna mount.

Thanks all! Some great suggestions here, and some look very heavy duty if I ever need to go that route. I went ahead and ordered this one based on some reviews and the fact that it comes with "wall mounts" with a quick-detach setup that looks pretty good. Now I need to do some noodling/research to determine antenna placement (for the mobile not the mast!) on the Jeep. Wondering if it needs to be separated from the GMRS antenna that I have in the center rear of the hard top.

I began researching Starlink and coverage isn't there yet. It also requires registering the receiving antenna to a "zone" and it will only work in that Zone where the satellite network expects it to be. So for now, its a non-starter. I have a sat phone and my experience with it is that it is fine for texting short messages (with up to 5 minute delay) but thats about it. and $$$ This Cel-Fi solution will work in places where there is LTE coverage (or Edge) and I need to take it from 1 bar (unusable) to three bars (usable). I'm not expecting to have crazy fast internet, but should be able to "check in" periodically. It will also boost signal to my phone for Gaia maps while on trails in remote areas with weak signal strength.

Thanks. I frequently camp in the desert and or places without a lot of trees (or with very dense tree coverage) so I don't think this approach would work. In addition, when setting up a mobile cell signal booster, to get the greatest boost, one needs to turn the antenna to face the nearest tower, so having a mast that can be rotated will be important. I'm thinking about something like this: https://www.signalbooster.com/products/telescoping-pole-and-mount-for-antenna?variant=32153211764821&msclkid=768774ae3be91187fed4143a19480207 The reason for the Yagi is that it is the recommended directional antenna from the company I'm buying the cell booster, and seems to provide the best directional signal gain for this particular type of setup. For those curious, the setup will be a booster and interior dome antenna that will be moved back and forth between my Jeep and my camp trailer. The Jeep will be outfitted with this antenna: https://4thdsolar.com/products/rfi-lte-antenna-cdq7195-4g-lte-cellular-mobile-antenna-698-2700-mhz-black-radome-black-chrome-spring?_pos=1&_sid=82b1d3553&_ss=r on this mount: https://4thdsolar.com/products/rfi-folding-bull-bar-mount-black-stainless-steel-fbbm-b?_pos=1&_sid=9dfe4b742&_ss=r For the trailer, there will be a mast and the Yagi A32-V32-100 When traveling I will have the booster and interior antenna in the Jeep (probably with a 12v ciggie mount and a velcro mount for the dome antenna and then when I arrive in camp, part of the trailer setup will be erecting the mast, moving the booster and interior antenna to the trailer, and then tuning the signal using the phone app (and OpenSignal). Why go to all this trouble? I'm one of those folks lucky enough that I can do what I do from anywhere in the world, as long as I have Internet. I frequently visit family in places where the cell reception and/or data connection is close but not quite good enough. I also like to hunt/fish/camp and I'm hoping that this setup will allow me to extend my trips by a few days (or more) being able to check in and do a bit of work from camp or other family members' homes.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a "base camp" type portable mast? Something that will collapse down to 6' or less, but extend to 15 to 25 feet and be portable enough to stow on a small camping trailer (my storage tube is about 6' long). My plan is to mount both a GMRS antenna and a Yagi directional antenna for a Cel-Fi 4G LTE signal booster while remote camping. It seems based on my bit of research that aluminum will be better than fiberglass.

Bluetooth mic? Also, if you find a good external speaker please post a link to this thread. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=191_192_196_215 If you poke around a bit you can find some specifically tuned for GMRS. My Midland 6db antenna and cable tested out at 1.0 to 1.2 SWR so I’m not seeing a need to look elsewhere at this point. I may add a “tilt down” mount at some point. I’m also adding a Cel-Fi mobile cell booster soon which will be a very similarly sized antenna. That system I’m getting from these guys: https://4thdsolar.com/collections/communication Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Interestingly I have found the upper GMRS channels to be less crowded during busy off-road events (like TDS) than the 2m and 70cm bands (probably because of the “rugged radios”) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The reason you’re able to hear people and not able to talk to them may be due to them using “privacy codes” (tones). Some radios can scan and “grab” that tone (I have it assigned to one of my programmable menu buttons) but with other radios you’d need to know what frequency corresponds to the channel displayed on their little radio and then manually program it. Sometimes they vary by radio brand. For example here is a list published by Midland: https://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/124284/17/midland-gxt720_775-page17.png Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Michael. I forgot to mention in my previous post that the thing that tipped me off to the nearby CH-22 RPT possibly being a repeater was the periodic morse code. I figure the only time I'm going to be anywhere near a public repeater, I won't know far enough in advance to gain permission and setup details, so unfortunately the likelihood of me ever being able to use one are fairly low...

As a repeater newbie reading as much as I can about the topic, I’m still curious about how one even “discovers” a repeater? For example I’ve noticed while driving around my town with my radio (KG-1000G) in “scan” mode I will pick up intermittent signals on the radio’s pre-programmed “CH22-RPT” channel. Does this mean there is an unlisted repeater operating on the default frequencies? (e.g. 462.7250/467.7250) Assuming that it is set up with tones, in order to “test” it (assuming I obtain permission), I would either need to scan for the rx/tx tones or obtain them from the owner, then program two radios and see if I can hit one radio from the other? I’ve read a lot on the theory and concepts of repeaters (pretty straightforward) but not seen a nuts and bolts “repeaters for dummies” step by step on how to actually do it.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a great video that really simplifies the general concept. Now if only there was a repeater in my area I could test against... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk