SteveShannon

Do you still see the ads? Disregard TCP2525. There's nothing wrong with your browser. It's a hiccup in the database syncing to your membership status. The ads are a symptom, but you probably don't have access to the Premium features either so it must be fixed. As a Premium member here is what I see at the bottom. I just use Chrome with no ad blockers or anything of the sort. If you still are seeing advertisements and you're not seeing the blurb thanking you for being a premium member let me know and I'll report it to Rich again.:

You're not a dummy! Users of GMRS should never feel that they are somehow inferior to hams. I've seen some really stupid hams and I know some really smart GMRS people. There's shouldn't be a comparison. The two services were created for different reasons. GMRS is for facilitating activities. Amateur Radio is for learning about and extending the use of radio. Both are valuable for emergencies. The stated purpose for GMRS is as follows: § 95.1703 Definitions, GMRS. General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). A mobile two-way voice communication service, with limited data applications, for facilitating activities of individual licensees and their family members, including, but not limited to, voluntary provision of assistance to the public during emergencies and natural disasters. The stated purpose for the Amateur Radio Service is as follows: 97.1 Basis and purpose. (Of Amateur Radio) The rules and regulations in this part are designed to provide an amateur radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following principles: (a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications. (b) Continuation and extension of the amateur's proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art. (c) Encouragement and improvement of the amateur service through rules which provide for advancing skills in both the communication and technical phases of the art. (d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts. (e) Continuation and extension of the amateur's unique ability to enhance international goodwill.

Welcome!

Most GMRS users use them in pursuit of other activities rather than listening and hoping to talk to other, unknown, GMRS users. They usually just use their call sign occasionally to comply with the regulations and their first name or position in a family “This is grandpa. There’s a huge grizzly in the area. I want you to come back to the cabin. I’m sorry I let you play with the salmon guts before going into the wood. Make a lot of noise while you’re walking. Scream if you need me. WROM258.” But some GMRS users do listen for others on local repeaters, hoping to strike up a conversation. That’s much more of a ham thing, but it definitely does happen in GMRS as well. I have never heard someone use a handle on GMRS. Even calling them “walkie talkies” rather than “handhelds” could be fodder for some good natured ribbing. Get your license and jump right in.

For more about 3/8 x 24, maybe this will help. I haven’t watched it.

So the difference between one S-unit and the next is 6 db. So an S9 signal is 6 db or four times the power of an S8 signal, yet makes little audible difference. S7 would be 1/16 the power of an S9 and you’d be able to easily tell the difference. I think (hope) putting it on your roof will help, but be sure you get it at least a half wavelength above your roof. For GMRS that’s not very much distance.

Would this help? https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/mobile-antenna-mounts/nmo-mobile-antenna-mounts/270-thick-surface-mounts/292-thick-surface-mount-up-to-1-2-/1153-laird-connectivity-mabvt8-detail

In my opinion, the best way to do it is to replace that puck with something like this, but you’ll need some kind of sealed bushing to fill the hole the puck required: https://theantennafarm.com/shop-by-categories/antennas-mounts/mobile-antenna-mounts/nmo-mobile-antenna-mounts/266-permanent-hole-mounts/289-nmo-3-4-hole-mount-no-connector/1140-laird-connectivity-mb8-detail

Both of those mounts that I linked have a SO 239, which allows you to use antennas with a PL-259.

Can you replace your puck mount with this (same manufacturer) and then use any antenna that uses a UHF mount? https://www.icamanufacturing.com/shop/p/fatboy-puck-3-antenna-mount Or perhaps this would make better sense and allow you to adapt your existing system to something more widely used: https://www.icamanufacturing.com/shop/p/so-239-hardware-mount

There’s a real truth bomb!

Yeah, one of the values of a properly designed busy channel lockout is to prevent interfering with transmissions you might not hear because of tone squelch. This design completely fails.

Not really. I enjoy knowing who else is a ham. I use an alerting software when I do FT8 that watches for specific call signs. I might run into them on the air sometime. Like most aspects of life folks should simply ignore it if it doesn’t apply to them.

That’s a terrible design if traffic which triggers the busy channel lockout only occurs after tone squelch.

Two features I wish RT Systems would implement are automatic saves and automatic versioning.