SteveShannon

That’s right. I completely forgot about that.

Just setup your radios to scan the eight repeater channels with no tones. Then let them scan. You might not be able to respond but you might learn what repeater channels are active.

The ability to buy and sell in the classified section and the ability to download database extracts from the repeater directory. No advertisements. Free beer at Rich’s house. Most importantly the knowledge that we help pay for the site.

Go out to mygmrs.com, not forums.mygmrs.com. Rhen bring up your control panel and click on $ Subscriptions:

No, that’s typical. When you reconfigure your radio from a GMRS radio to a ham radio it usually has to reset the memory which wipes out any saved channels. For many radios you can back up the memories before reconfiguring and then restore them to the new configuration, but not all. The DB20G will block restoring memories from a different configuration.

It’s silly to knowingly place your name and address on a publicly available list and then get upset that someone uses it. Randy has a video about how to use a mail forwarding service to obtain a modicum of abstraction from your real address.

A radio in a window will have a narrower field of view than the base antenna on the roof (presumably) at your house. Getting a tuned antenna might help some, but getting an antenna up on the roof of your shop will be more likely to do the trick. At that range it doesn’t have to be high gain, in fact it’s probably better if it’s not a very high gain antenna.

I realized that the lower price is without attached connectors. Once you add the necessary connectors they’re close to equal price.

Yeah, Gigaparts has it for $84, but the reviews seem to indicate that that the $35 one comes from Kenwood USA. For the price difference I’d try it and return it if it’s not genuine.

And be careful to get a genuine Kenwood. Amazon has two (at least) listings for this. This one appears to be genuine Kenwood: https://a.co/d/4br5zAE And at $19.95 and no mention of Kenwood, I suspect this one is a clone: https://a.co/d/5ocPatD

Good job, Gil! That’s a much better price than the one from LCom.

And another video I enjoyed:

It has been a while since I looked at them, but there’s also a way to use existing coax rather than dropping your headliner and pulling in another cable:

I would look at what Kenwood sells.

Here’s the gps antenna replacement I mentioned in my edited earlier post: https://www.l-com.com/nmo-mount-combo-28-db-gps-glnss-vehicular-antenna-nmo-mount-sma-connectors-ll195-cable-hg-gpsglnmo195-sma?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD9ns-nsNx68a39JmpChg0pu-IwbE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsoe5BhDiARIsAOXVoUsk2dsrso9-Jaurjo8QZROWHV8p4mL-ixUhIR51gPVsTpMz_sSN9MsaAprNEALw_wcB

Does your Escape have a gps antenna on it? Maybe you can use this and route the cable through the existing hole https://www.l-com.com/nmo-mount-combo-28-db-gps-glnss-vehicular-antenna-nmo-mount-sma-connectors-ll195-cable-hg-gpsglnmo195-sma?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD9ns-nsNx68a39JmpChg0pu-IwbE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsoe5BhDiARIsAOXVoUsk2dsrso9-Jaurjo8QZROWHV8p4mL-ixUhIR51gPVsTpMz_sSN9MsaAprNEALw_wcB

I understand the hesitance, but we’ve all seen hundreds of vehicles our entire lives that have permanent antenna mounts in their roofs. They look better than having a cable laying on the roof. Why not get full enjoyment out of the truck for as long as you own it? It’s like suffering with cheap cupboards, worn out flooring, and an inefficient furnace for 30 years and then fixing up your house to sell it. None of the comments I’ve seen from people who sell or trade off vehicles with permanent NMO mounts make me think the value is affected. I don’t know if you’ve looked into the Bulletproof Diesel third brake like mounts, but that might be another option. Finally, there’s a company that makes replacements for the factory GPS or satellite roof mount antenna that provide an additional two way radio mount. If you’re interested I’ll see if I can find them again. I’m not certain what models they cover. I would compare the strength of self adhesive steel disk trick on top of the roof to the large magnet under the roof liner. I’m not certain that two magnets on either side of an aluminum roof will have as much attraction. Try both methods and let us know, please.

How about drilling and mounting an NMO mount in the center of the roof?

I’m not worthy!

I checked yes, but that’s too simplistic. A lot depends on the licensed people in your town. A postcard announcing the presence of a repeater with assurances that no further contact will be forthcoming unless the recipient wishes might be appreciated. A lot of people get into GMRS with no interest in repeaters. Let us know how it goes.

No hurry and I’m perfectly happy with just the thought that there’s a beer in Florida waiting for me (or bring something back from the country you’re visiting). Have a good work day!

Actually that’s a valid regulatory point rather than “sad ham.”. Broadcasting is when you transmit one way,not expecting a two way conversation. Some radio services (like GMRS) prohibit it except in specific instances for emergencies.

Yes! Truly your choice! I like them all. The only kind I’m still getting used to are IPAs. I like some of the Hazy ones, but some are just too bitter.

I’ll send you mine. I would not want to contribute to anyone else’s vices! But I would rather drink a beer of your choice. I like to try different beers that are locally made.

Good luck on the test!