SteveShannon

Once in a while, I can hear traffic on the southeast hub...but nothing on any of the others.

Thanks. My mistake. I read poorly. 

MXTA26 is not a CB antenna....
Browning BR-140 is an NMO CB Antenna - round about $50-$60 online...  49" length

1. Yes the mount will work. 
2. My mistake. I read the question incorrectly. I don’t know. 

Measured the cable with no antenna and it's a total open, which it should be.  Ya, I think it's gonna have to come down.  Maybe I'll email Retevis and see what they have to say about how their antenna might react to a dc ohm test and other such related questions.  Because after doing the 1.5 mile test with the HTs, I don't think this has been working right since the beginning.

It essentially doesn't work.  I can get 1/4 mile out.  I can get a mile and a half with the HTs with 4" antennas going through a forest and a highway embankment.  So I think their just might be a slight problem.....LOL

All of what you said are how I've based my thoughts, back from my knowledge of installing CB stuff.  Other than not realizing the RG8 cable was more waterproof than the LMR400.  I expected quite a bit of protection from the tube.  I made sure the coax was centered and had no contact with the tube also.  I thought it would be very difficult for water to actually get into the fittings with the setup they provided.  I thought maybe air moisture might be able to get in there eventually but not physical rain getting into the connector itself.
As for grounding my thought was it's mainly for lighting/static protection and not really an antenna ground.  That the ground plane provided what the antenna needed to function properly.

I have a similar sense of being lost whenever I work on my wife’s Mac. 

There’s a difference between privacy and secrecy. Secrecy is when people don’t know what you’re doing.
Privacy is often used to mean that, but can also mean that you reduce the chances of being disturbed or interrupted. The way the question was answered in the “test” makes it obvious that’s the meaning the OP intended. 
That’s why there’s a classification level of “Top Secret“ but not “Top Private.” ☺️

Device Manager. 

OK I'll check it out...  Again I'm a Mac guy and I haven't navigated PC's since the DOS/Win3.1 days....
 

One of the long running tenants of ham radio organization and protocols has been self-policing.  Example of lack of self-policing is CB radio.

I suggest creating a new post/topic so as to not confuse/dilute/drive this entirely different question off topic.

Actualy like Steve said if you reach out, which most times unless your in an area like me, I have noticed most hams are more then willing to respond pretty quickly.

I have noticed currently that the only one I have ever heard active at the moment since getting my gmrs liscense has been the K4FL which according to google maps is only 7 miles from where I am currently living. That being said now having passed my ham tech finding repeaters that are active or even clubs in this area hasnt returned any results as of yet.

Thanks! That clears it up for me!

As @gortex2 mentioned: HF ham radio.  40 meters would probably be easiest. You really don’t need a high powered transmitter.  Get your technician license and use Morse code or your general license if you want to use voice, start attending swap meets, and learn all you can about antennas. 

That’s what I do, simply click on either the bell to see the notifications or click on Unread Content. I only see what’s new.

If you hold your radio up to a telephone while transmitting, your friend on the other end of the line will hear it 🤪

As @gortex2 mentioned: HF ham radio.  40 meters would probably be easiest. You really don’t need a high powered transmitter.  Get your technician license and use Morse code or your general license if you want to use voice, start attending swap meets, and learn all you can about antennas. 

Welcome! I’m very sorry for your loss.
if you haven’t already found it, I found HamStudy.org to be an extremely effective way to study for my ham license.

In a grid down or SHTF scenario I'm guessing internet would also be down. If thats the case then there would be no link if there was linked repeaters in both areas. Personally in that situation HF on Ham Radio or cell phone are the best alternatives. 

Power Save.

This is an interesting technical question. An antenna over salt water which is just about the perfect ground plane. For one thing, propagation isn’t strictly determined as perpendicular to the radiator; the angle of the ground plane also affects it, albeit less so at UHF than HF.   
You might be able to simply raise a wire alongside your mast.
If I knew more about how to simulate this using one of the antenna simulation software programs I think it would help. Do you know someone who does that sort of thing? I just don’t know much about it. 
What type of antennas are typically used for marine band?

or you can just select unread content and see what has been updated that you haven't read.