SteveShannon

Brent, Where would you plan to mount the bracket? Personally I would get a bracket designed specifically for your model and year of truck rather than a generic bracket like you’ve linked. Alternatively, there are thin steel plates with double sided adhesive on one side that can be adhered to your aluminum roof which then allow magnetic mounts to be used. There’s also a company that makes antenna brackets that attach between your third brake light and the cab. They’re expensive but very well done. Or get a bracket and antenna like you linked.

You mean the person who marked the antenna as 162-167 MHz?

I agree with wrxb215, the connector on the antenna is an N connector. Get a piece of lmr400 or m&p Ultraflex 10 that’s the right length. Either get the coax with a PL-259 on the radio end and a male N connector on the antenna end or pick up the correct adapter. You don’t need the right angle connectors and RG-58 is very lossy at GMRS frequencies.

Which just further makes my point. At least your family has you to help teach them about radios if SHTF, most don’t have anyone. They’ll be trying to learn at the worst possible time. It’s like trying to teach a drowning person how to swim. Similarly, you talked about how you would pick up a ham radio and use it. At least you start with an understanding of how simplex and repeater communications work on UHF. HF is a bit of a different animal. Without some level of HF experience, even as basic as knowing that different bands are active in the morning, afternoon, and evening, or about the different types of antennas needed for the various bands, your chances of success are lower.

I think you and I are in complete agreement then. You obviously don’t fit in the category of the people I mentioned earlier.

I understand, and I think most people feel the same way, but have you actually thought it through? Do you have an actual plan or would you just be transmitting on random frequencies hoping that someone is listening? In real life, many people mistake hope for a plan.

One of the myths around radio regulations is that “in an emergency, nobody needs to worry about licensing.” It’s not true. Every class of license has rules that specify what may be done in the event of an actual emergency. For GMRS, the rule regarding emergencies says that in an emergency a license holder may allow anyone to operate his or her station. The difference is subtle (and perhaps pedantic) but is not the same as saying that anything goes, nor should it be. Having a bunch of people who know nothing about GMRS (or any other service) suddenly start using the service, without knowing anything about the channels, the limitations, and the capabilities, will only serve as an impediment to effective communication.

In a repeater, is the repeater controller that connects a receiver and a transmitter a wireline link?

Based on anecdotal reports here, about 1 in 4 arrives unable to transmit. It’s simply not probable that all of the other three are “great little radios!” Perhaps some are but it’s entirely possible that any of them has an issue that hasn’t been found. It’s a great radio for a gambler.

Perhaps there are some like that, but all the VEs I know are very welcoming of folks who take multiple tests in one sitting. I got lucky and passed all three and they were very positive afterwards. In fact, shortly afterwards the VEC asked me if I would help as a VE.

And there have been several reports on this forum lately where a person has two, three, or four TD-H3 (or similar) radios and one of them doesn’t work.

You’re unlikely to hear anything from him. That was his one and only visit here. Two years and one day ago.

Back it up then change it to ham and see if it allows you to use GMRS frequencies.

There’s a portion of the 10 meter band (28.300 to 28.500 MHz) where technician class can operate SSB phone.

The other kids got the cool rebellious TD-H3s. He got the one that had overly protective parents.

You’re exactly right.

Your radio is following the following regulation: ”No GMRS transmitter will be certified for use in the GMRS if it is equipped with the capabilities to operate in services that do not require equipment certification, such as the Amateur Radio Service.”

Maybe you thought it would be like ham radio but without the tests?

I think it’s Rohn makes a mount that angles over the roof ridge and is weighted down.

You should have various components grounded. But it’s not simple. Read this: https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf

I don’t know about the Commscope, but some antennas do have a nameplate like this one from our repeater‘s 2 meter antenna:

In my opinion, get the extra first. You can do it in two weeks of studying, especially if you just recently got your general. I say that only because it builds on the foundation you built studying for the general. CW is learned completely differently (for me personally at least) not hard, but a different part of my brain, related more to hearing sounds and pattern recognition.

Not greatly, for the simple reason that GMRS range isn’t entirely dependent on signal strength. As you have said numerous times GMRS relies on line of sight rather than output power. Mounting on the hood will definitely bias the direction of the signal, depending on which location of the hood it’s mounted.

Not everyone. Many of us have mentioned this multiple times.

I believe this is why companies use RG-58 for their mobile mounts. It has a solid dielectric that isn’t easily smashed. Cables that are designed to have less loss at uhf frequencies have lightweight foam dielectric material that would allow the shelf to short against the center conductor if smashed or even bent at too small a radius.