DownEastNC

I am most definitely in flat country here in the coastal plains of NC. I've already committed to the Comet antenna. I actually got the last one in stock at GigaParts and they have no idea when any more are coming in. My plan was to set a 25 to 30 foot utility pole and then have a 25 to 30 foot mast come off the top of that. So the base of the antenna will be 50 to 60 feet from ground level. The antenna is 10 foot 5 inches.

I'm very familiar with the 3M rubber splicing tape. I was a Journeyman Electrician for a number of years and we went through miles of that stuff. Thanks!

The gain of the Comet CA-712EFC is 9dBi, or so they say. This is really challenging. Everybody says to get the antenna as high as possible which means more cable and more signal loss. To go with a sturdier cable means a great deal more expense. I know this is a very subjective question, but is there a sweet spot for antenna height and cable length that is budget friendly? My long term goal was to get the antenna up around 60 feet but that may be just a dream.

Thanks! As far as weather proofing, do they make any sort of boot that covers the connector or do I have to home brew a solution?

I just placed an order for a Comet CA-712EFC base station antenna. It has an N type female connector. I need about a 100' run of cable with an N male on one end and a PL-259 on the other. Can someone recommend a source for this type of cable. I would like the LMR-400 Ultraflex. If I can't get the PL-259 then I'm assuming some sort of adapter would be required??? Edit: I have found this. Good deal? https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=342_343_347_998_1415&products_id=6882

Also shows out of stock. Hopefully some reviews will come out on this radio.

I'll be blunt. I made the conscience decision to invest into GMRS for the freedom and to engage with other like minded folks. If I wanted a hall monitor correcting my behavior or some sort of strict regimentation I'd go get a ham ticket. Also, it's important to note that many of us live in the outskirts, the boonies, the sticks where there isn't any radio traffic. We would relish the opportunity to "call up" a pal and chat a bit. As long as we're being respectful to others and yielding the channel when necessary, I see nothing wrong with using the radio in that fashion. Besides, it's good practice for that SHTF scenario that the marketing folks so succinctly suggest the equipment is good for.

There's Comet GP-6NC 153-157/460-470MHz Base/Repeater Antenna tuned for GMRS It's not in stock but you can see the details; https://www.gigaparts.com/comet-gp-6nc-153-157-460-470mhz-base-repeater-antenna.html

The coastal plains of NC between Bettie and Cedar Island in Carteret County have the designation of "Down East". This includes Harkers Island, Davis, Atlantic, etc. Most of us border Core Sound which separates us from the wilder uninhabited portions of the Outer Banks. You're a good 165 miles away by road and 110 miles as the crow flies. I'll poke around and see if there's a repeater between us but I'm thinking that's doubtful and even on a good day we would both have to have some antennas way up in the air. I'm working on the antenna thing but not quite there yet. I wish I could help you with some contacts but I'm struggling with that myself. It is deathly quiet on the radio out here. I'm chatting up the idea with a few neighbors and I have the Facebook Group in the works, but so far folks seem to be reluctant to engage.

I'm here just to say my KG-935G does the same thing. The user manual says that pressing any other key except the Up / Down keys will stop the scan. I'm thinking that the intentions are to allow a scan in one area and just a single channel in the other area, with the scan area being the "Main" area. If you get some chatter on your single channel, switch the Main to that area thus stopping scanning, take care of business on the single channel, then switch main back again to the scan, re-initiate the scan, then go again.

All my GMRS radios receive VHF. I'm simply asking if a VHF/UHF antenna helps on the VHF receiving side without compromising GMRS communications.

Looking at this again, that is a 10 Amp power supply, which in reality probably provides enough power for the normal functions of the radio. If the radio is fused for 15 amps then that usually means the highest consumption of current shouldn't exceed 12 amps. It could be lower and many times the fusing is to protect the wiring. It will be interesting to see what the actual current consumption is when the radio is stress tested. As soon as I get my hands on a radio I'll put a DC ammeter on it and peg it at one of the higher wattage channels and then we'll know. Thanks!

One of my high school shop instructors always had a come back when we tried to push things. He would say "Just because your speedometer says 100 mph doesn't mean you can go that fast"

All I can tell you is what the user manual says and it states it needs a 20 amp supply. Truth be told they may be covering their butts but until I check it out I won't know for sure.

Yeah, I got 12 volts in the RV but much easier to plug into a 120 volt outlet not only for now but in the future if I want to use it in the shop or wherever. Until I can put an ammeter on the circuit I won't know exactly what I'm dealing with so for the moment I'm going with the 20 amp power supply per the operator's manual. I'll check it out after I get it hooked up and then report back.

The owners manual says... That cigarette lighter power supply is only good for 2 amps so I don't think it will cover the requirements of that radio. Thanks for the lead but I think I need to keep looking. Edit: Here's what I think we need; https://www.amazon.com/SHNITPWR-Converter-Cigarette-Transformer-Refrigerator/dp/B08LKTW22R/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=20%2Bamp%2Bcigarette%2Blighter%2Badapter&qid=1634334290&s=electronics&sr=1-5&th=1

I just placed an order for the KG-XS20G. I wanted the Nagoya NL-770G mobile antenna but they're back ordered for a couple of weeks so I settled on the Wouxun ANO-050G. I may look into a 120 volt power supply so I can play with it in the RV.

My situation is unique but my experience may help you. I created a Facebook Group specific to the area, disaster preparedness, and for GMRS. I then went fishing around for other FB groups that are specific to my area, did some chatting with the admins, got their blessings and then invited their membership to join my group. Within 2 days I got 15 members and they're still dribbling in. With a couple of exceptions none of these folks are familiar with GMRS so I'm feeding them some YouTube videos and links to web sites. I hoping eventually we will have some users in the area and a little more activity on the air waves. If you want to make it happen you got to work it from different angles.

I'll take a look at that. I wasn't sure if anyone ran the cable between the bed and cab, under the cab, and through the firewall. I would prefer to not cut off the factory BNC connector but if it came to that it's not the end of the world. Thanks and if you happen to think about it, some pictures would be nice.

Yes, they email you with a link to a downloadable pdf which is your radio station authorization (license). I received mine the day after order but I've heard it could be a couple days

As soon as payday gets here I believe I will order the VHF/UHF version of this antenna, the GP-6NC; https://cometantenna.com/land-mobile/base-antennas/vhfuhf-dual-band/

Never say never ? As a systems integrator I run into serial devices on the factory floor on a regular basis. Weigh scales, label printers, PLC's and so on. It's mostly customers that are trying to milk every last bit from that "old technology" before converting over to IP devices and having to re-code the system. Yeah, I know I'm the Lone Ranger, but just making a point that that stuff is still running in someone else's world. You would flip out if you saw the number of virtual com ports I have on my notebook.

Is this a Wouxun or Baofeng and confirm the model number please.

Ford F Series Pickup Owners, how did you route a cable from a magnetic base antenna into the cab? I have a 2013 F-250 if that makes any difference.