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I think that was his seal of approval. He did note that I had a good grounding system, but need some soil conditioning to improve the grounding characteristics.

I just had one of my towers inspected today and I'm happy to say it passed.

My New Year resolution is to use a short run of LMR400, a very short run.

Now that is pretty cool and looks like a fun project to experiment with. This is something I definitely want to build out of aluminum plate and see how well it performs on mobile GMRS. Thanks for posting.

Nice! I knew you would like it.

Nope, this is strictly a task for RG-8x.

I definitely agree! The ghost antenna is perfect for off-roading and can withstand the force of relatively small low hanging branches. Now, if you're a serious off-roader like me you really need to step up your game and get a higher quality ghost antenna. This is why I use this heavy duty model manufactured by Bird. It's rated at 50 watts and delivers the perfect antenna radiating performance, about equal to the Midland. The best part is the durability, with its DIN connector that adds extra holding power to the vehicle so it can withstand branch strikes up to 6" in diameter. On a more serious note for the OP. If you're traversing through terrain where you're going to be grazing a lot of tree branches you might want to consider the famous and much loved 1/4 wave whip. It's perfect for rough service, just bend it back to shape after a fun day on the trail. It breaks, replacements are cheap. And you'll get better range than the ghost antenna you're using now.

Very true! Not only do you have a really nice space heater when transmitting into that crappy feedline, you have the very best set of ear plugs. The loss for receiving is one of the most important aspects most people never consider.

Good suggestion. He might want to try a homemade 1/4 wave groundplane feed with high quality feedline prior to buying any antenna. Keep in mind he did say the antenna price range is $200.

It's really nice to see someone paying great detail to their environment and taking the needed time consider all aspects of deploying a GMRS system that will perform. In my opinion, since you seem to be budget oriented, which is great, I will make a suggestion of buying it right the first time and doing it right. For the money, you are not going to beat the price and performance of the Comet CA-712EFC. Next is your feedline, keep it as short as possible and buy the best as possible within your budget. Unfortunately, this is where most people skimp. I always lean towards 1/2" Heliax or LMR-600 as a minimum for short runs on UHF, but others will chime in and give you good advice for your requirements. As for all the technical mumbo-jumbo, it's great for a learning experience, but you're most likely not going to gain anything more than a headache. Keep it simple by using gear that has built a good reputation. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-ca-712efc Another choice if shorter length is a requirement is the Tram 1418, but that will need tuning. If you don't want to go through the tuning procedure, get the Comet CA-712EFC. https://www.buytwowayradios.com/tram-1486.html

I don't know as I never used one. You will be happy with the Comet mount. Let us know when you get it installed.

The O-ring that I am talking about is a standard design of the NMO mount as it seals between the mount and the sheet metal of the vehicle when you punch a 3/4" hole in your roof.. You just don't see it. The problem I see with the Nagoya is the mount in your picture looks like it is taller by one thread count compared to the Comet. It's best to stick with Comet as there products are top notch.

I would not add any more rubber grommets as you're looking for trouble. The Nagoya mount, which is crap, will work as is and prevent water getting in, but it is more ideal to have it seat properly. If you can return the Nagoya for a refund and get an original Comet mount as it will mate up perfectly. Oops, brain fart. I meant trunk lip mount. https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-cp-5nmo

No, not an issue as it's partly the design of the Comet antenna as it has a very short threaded section. And the magnet mount has higher threads than what a Comet mount would supply. You have the rubber gasket inside the comet antenna to protect from getting water into the antenna base. And threaded part has an O-ring underneath the threaded section to prevent water getting into the coax of the magnet mount. That said, water will only get on the threads on the base and the antenna, but not into the parts that matter.

The great thing about the scenario you describe in the original post is 98.93736452367263554327% of all GMRS communications are generally radio checks, so interference is not an issue.

You did good, son. Generally, these issues are self correcting as the user gets more familiar with their radio. Now you will really enjoy the DB20 as its an amazingly good sub-$100 radio.

The tried and true method is to time slice. Repeater A users get transmit time for even minutes and Repeater B users get to transmit on odd minutes. Of course this would be totally voluntary between the two groups. Just like the old land line days of yesteryear with the party line. If a dispute were to happen then would get their radios throttled using WWV as the standard. If all else fails, the offending mobile user takes a one week time-out . In all seriousness, nothing to worry about as the percentages of interference will be minimal.

Speaking of "roids" Did I ever tell you that I have one dangling as long as a snap bean? And for you hotrod enthusiasts, I am willing to tell you about my full blown hemi. And these have been relevant topics on our local repeaters.

I totally agree 100% with you if it were my repeater and the activity didn't break FCC rules. The problem is it isn't my repeater. You gotta take the path of least resistance. And yes, I am totally against all forms of censorship.

Why get upset when these "news" organizations are just opinion spreaders with nothing related to factual news and all should be taken with a grain of salt. I can handle their opinions as a source of curiosity even if I disagree with them. Bottom line, repeater usage should be civil and respectful..

It will die down in a couple weeks. My neighborhood is with all the kids having fun with their new toys.

That's just it, I agree with you, but..... It's not about us. Trust me, do you think I enjoy the direction our society is going? Nope! But I'm just along for the ride like most people. I've learned long ago to accept the fact that we have to deal with people that are just simply unhappy with their life and they expect everyone around them to be just as miserable. I've always lived by the simple rule, "If I don't have a financial or emotional investment in your ass, I won't allow you to get a rise out of me." That said, the manufacturer of my radios installed some really neat controls that most people never learned how to use properly. They are called an ON/OFF switch and that highly advanced channel selector. If I don't like the content or rules on a repeater I can simply turn my radio off or move to another repeater. And frankly, I have nothing to gain by trying to hold an intelligent political conversation with someone of an opposing viewpoint because neither of us most likely won't be swayed by simple logic. If I have to it will be in person. We've all heard the drunken hams on HF. I surely don't want that on any repeater so I would just move on if it was there.

I agree with you that a good thoughtful and civil discussion can be had, but politics is one subject that you are guaranteed to offend at least 50% of the population. You combine that with people that have never learned how to respect people that have a different viewpoint than theirs. These trends are getting more pronounced as generations move forward. It's evident that this segment of people have never learned civility, respect for others, conflict resolution, discussion and debating skills to move them forward positively in society. This phenomena can be traced back to the introduction of the internet and social media where the users had the option to "unfriend" or block other users. While this, on the surface, sounds like a great feature, it impeded the user to develop and evolve emotionally to deal with difficult situations. All that being said, why would you not want to abide by the repeater owner's charter? If they don't allow this type of discussions, why is so difficult to show respect? I find life is so much easier for all members on the repeater when we respect each other by not discussing things you know if going to offend others that might not have developed skills to deal with it. It's simple, have fun and be respectful.

Why would anyone be foolish enough to use a utility that is on the internet that is absolutely free and only gets updated when the crows fly upside down? This applies to all sites, not just this one. The onus is on you, not the site giving misinformation. Only way to do it correctly is to do a site survey for a predetermined amount of time to be 98% sure you're not going to cause or receive interference.

The one and only time I ever had problems with RT is when they had a buggy update for my Icom IC-7610. I e-mailed them and explained what happened and they got back to me in in a couple hours and told me to download the update again an it will fix the problem. They admitted to the mistake and apologized as it would have affected everyone with that radio. Great company to deal with! And it will be the best $25 you ever spent.