WROZ437

I think you're right on that one. I got GMRS to be legal when I installed a Midland 15w mobile in my Jeep. I quickly realized the limitations of that setup. I started playing around with a Baofeng, which was a trash radio, but it opened my eyes as to what else was out there. I got my Tech ticket and grabbed a Wouxun UV9PX, intending to mostly scan/listen but then it became apparent that digital radio is where most of the action is (or at least it seems that way to me). Now I have an AnyTone 878 HT and a 578 mobile. I'm still barely getting my feet wet with the ham stuff but it's pretty neat. Doubtful that I will ever get a general or extra class license, as I just don't see myself trying to bounce HF around the world just for the sake of it but for where I am currently at with the hobby, I am glad I got my technician class license. Obviously, most people are put off by having to take a test to get the license, which is too bad. There are so many 2m and 70cm repeaters out there. I've been listening to DMR through a local repeater and there is actually a lot of chatter on the local talkgroups. I rarely hear anything on the local GMRS repeater I can get into or when I am scanning while traveling.

Quick question about the railroad frequencies... Are the railroads still primarily using analog or have they been migrating to digital like many other commercial applications? I have a Wouxun UV9PX and can scan the railroad frequencies, but I haven't tried that at all as of yet.

Nice job! I am big fan of clean installations. How do you like the "CB Bar?" I am going to be moving on from my Midland MXT275 to an Anytone D578, which lacks a detachable faceplate, so I will need to be able to see the radio and interact with it's buttons and knobs. Seems like it might be the cleanest way to mount a radio without a detachable faceplate.

I understand the regs. I left them out of the discussion since I know what I am talking about doesn't fit within them. You know, I am just asking hypothetical questions about what radios might be capable of certain things. ? Eh. for the same performance I can stick with my Midland MXT-275 mobile unit and Wouxun KG-UV9PX HT. Maybe I'll get ambitious and run coax and an external antenna for the Wouxun when I'm in my Jeep. If I'm going to spend more money there needs to be a benefit like improved performance or the ability reduce clutter. These are fun thought experiments, though. I appreciate the responses and insight.

Thanks for the insight. I don’t really have a favorite brand. I have used both Moto and Kenwood HTs at work. Both seem to work equally great in our use case, which honestly isn’t very demanding. I merely used Motorola as a a brand that would be recognized as quality. Substitute Kenwood, or maybe even Yaesu or Icom as things that are accepted as quality when compared to the plethora of CCRs that are pretty mainstream. As was mentioned earlier there was a prominent member here who was all about the XPR7550e radio. I understand the reasons why and agree with the logic 100% but it seems the reality is that a lot of people end up on Baofengs and Wouxuns because the “feature” sets are more robust, including front panel programming, and all at an affordable price point. As you mentioned answers here are free so I just figured I’d ask if there was a quality stand out radio that fit the bill. Something along the lines of surplus government or comercial gear that can be easily programed for VHF and UHF stuff like MURS, 2m, 70cm, GMRS. I get why there isn’t. There isn’t a market of people willing to pay for the features (and support of those features) on a radio made by a top tier manufacturer and appropriately certified by the FCC.

I get all that, from rules to digital protocols. I appreciate your help, but I think you misunderstood my question. I did not ask about compatibility. I asked about comparability, as in performance quality. Is an Anytone radio of a similar quality to a Motorola? While I don't have $5,000 to spend on an APX radio I could be willing to go a little further into my pocket than I did for the Midland MXT275 I currently have. Basically, is there a middle ground between CCR stuff like Midland, Wouxun, etc. and the high end like the Motorola and Kenwood stuff? Is the Anytone or Radioddity just cheap CCR stuff? I've poked around long enough to know there is older LMR gear that can be purchased and programmed for GMRS, but lacking all the bells and whistles and "capabilities" of newer Chinese made radios. As a specific example, is there an older Motorola or Kenwood LMR mobile that can do what the Anytone D578-UVIIIPlus can do if programmed appropriately? If such a radio exists, am I going to be disappointed anyway? The whole point would be to limit clutter, number of radios, etc. but I'm also assuming that finding an antenna with acceptable performance on 70cm, 2m, and GMRS would be tough, if not impossible.

I understand your disclaimer. I will say that I don't plan to operate with power that exceeds FCC regulations for specific frequencies/bands. So are the Radioddity or Anytone radios at all comparable with something like an older Motorola? Am I just asking for too much in one package? One of the HT's I currently own is a Wouxun KG-UV9PX, which checks all the boxes except for DMR and not having a high-quality receiver. I live within eyesight of NYC so I imagine a better receiver would be beneficial here.

So can you guys recommend a decent mobile radio that will work on GMRS, 2m and 70cm? I have a Midland MXT 275 right now, but I recently got my technician ticket, so I am looking to expand my capability. I have a couple Wouxun HTs so I have seen that they may not be very sensitive radios despite the superheterodyne marketing. I am game to go down the rabbit hole with a programmable Motorola unit but none of my computers are old or have serial ports on them so it will have to work with more modern operating systems and USB. Being able to use digital and analog would be a plus (I use UHF DMR radios at work under an IG license). And for a sense of budget... APX radios are WAY, WAY out of reach right now.

Thanks for the update! I believe you have a Gladiator, which is also what I have, so I find your experience interesting. Which antenna location did you find problematic? I am also a huge fan of driving without doors or a roof. Currently I have an MXT 275 and no immediate plans to replace it as I am generally happy with it even though I don't use it a ton. That said, I am always willing to improve my setup, within reason. My antenna is currently mounted to the driver's side cowl but I have a full height bed rack and I am seriously thinking of moving the antenna to the rack. The obvious drawback there is the height that will be added to the truck but I think radio performance could be better due to the height. I could also add a true ground plane on the rack. Sorry to derail the thread.

So what is the best option for those of us that don't want to deal with everything involved with obtaining and reprograming older Kenwood or Motorola mobile units? Is all of the "CCR" stuff trash? Is there no good affordable option for those of us that just want a simple reliable radio? You know, something like an MXT500 or MXT575 that actually works?

I don’t want to derail the topic but where did you get a coverage map like that? That is pretty awesome that it takes terrain into consideration.

Thanks @PACNWComms, @BoxCar, and @PartsMan. I’m gonna check out that Crutchfield link. I also did some independent research and have 2 other things I need to check on. I ran power and ground directly to the battery. I need to move my ground to the “bonded jumper” grounding point on the chassis. I may have inadvertently created a ground loop. I also need to check to see if my antenna mount is grounded. The radio in question is mounted in a Jeep Gladiator JT and the antenna is mounted to the cowl. The bolt and mount are steel but the cowl is plastic. The steel bolt is affixed to where the cowl is held to the rest of the body. I assumed this would be a good ground but now I wonder if I don’t have good continuity to ground in that location. I can move the antenna to the fender easily enough although it won’t look as clean.

Yes. It’s directly related to the engine RPM. It’s a faint whine in the background that can be heard when the radio breaks the squelch while receiveing a transmission.

I went on a road trip over the last few days and it seems I still have some interference with m setup. I ran my power and ground all the way to the battery. I have the cooltech cowl mount and a 6db gain whip. I hear a little whine that corresponds to the engine RPM. My radio also opens the squelch for a lot of transmissions that are not discernable. Sounds like just static or a an open mic but I can't hear talking. Could all of this be ground wire or antenna ground related? I like the location of the antenna but can move it to get a better ground. Could I just add a ground braid? I am unsure with how and when to use different strategies. I do have a bed rack so I could always move the antenna back there, too, and probably even establish an actual ground plane...

I see your problem is solved but I’ll add my experience. I have a 2020 Gladiator with an MXT275 . I have a similar (same) antenna mount (Cool Tech) in the same location with the same Midland antenna. To power the radio I originally tapped the dedicated hot under the glove box, which also powers my dash cam, and used a ground in the cabin, again shared with my dash cam. That was no bueno. I had a lot of interference and I was also worried about the size of the factory hot wire. It was certainly a smaller gauge than the leads on the MXT275. My solution was to run dedicated power and ground through the firewall to the battery. Problem solved. My radio is now crystal clear. I ran 12ga. wire, which was way overkill but I figure I am future proof if I ever want to run a higher power mobile in the future.