SteveC7010

You are exactly right and thank you for posting! Yup, the Pro Series is a steeper learning curve than some, but it’s a well- built and highly functional family of radios. There’s hundreds of thousands of them still in daily service.

Do not install any version newer than R06.12.05. The newer versions only allow NB (12.5) programming without a Motorola issued EID which allows WB (20 & 25 kHz). You want 20 kHz for GMRS and 25 kHz for ham in both VHF High and UHF. Tons of details to be found on RR and the batboard.

Only for licensees. The rules don’t change because of a major incident GMRS/FRS is already commonly used by CERT and other local response teams. My own community has GMRS in its plan.

Thank you! That clearly settles this particular debate once and for all. Perhaps now the hams who want to push amateur radio thinking into GMRS would do well to read the rules for both services before posting their unfounded and baseless opinions. (For the record, I hold licenses in both services plus manage several Part 90 licenses.)

If you use a 3/8” NMO mount instead of a 3/4” one, you will have less issues (if any) with deformity of the roof. It’s easier to drill, too. I wouldn’t bother with the ghost antenna. Instead a standard UHF 1/4 wave whip will do fine and be less visible. They’re usually $10 or so so you can easily afford a spare to keep in the Jeep just in case. If you or some one you know has the skills and tools, by all means shorten the coax, but leave a foot or two extra.

As long as the ground plane material is electrically conductive, properly sized, and the antenna mount is properly grounded to the ground plane, drilled or not won’t matter. We’ve made highly effective ground planes out of steel, aluminum, and copper screening, foil tape, chicken wire (and other fence materials), and more.

This is absolutely incorrect! No amateur radio service license allows operations on GMRS frequencies. Power level is limited per FCC GMRS rules, not a ham license.

Scroll back up and study WRAF213’s post. It explains it pretty well. Whe the FCC narrow band mandate was implemented on 1/1/2013, business, local government, and public safety all experienced signal losses on their fringes and reduced audio quality. We should count ourselves very lucky that GMRS was not included in that mandate for this exact reason.

You’re misunderstanding me. The connector I am referring to completely replaces the mini uhf. It screws in to the back of the radio. There’s no need for an adapter.

On the Motorola CM200/300 & PM400 radios, there is a readily available BNC antenna connector to replace the Mini UHF standard one. It simply screws in. No soldering or special tools available. While this example is from the UK, they’re available from US sources as well. https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTOROLA-BNC-ANTENNA-SOCKET-FOR-CM200-CM300-PM400-5886751Z01-FREE-SHIPPING/352424840907?epid=22021562587&hash=item520e284ecb:g:dYIAAOSw1zpbT4El

Check this thread from RR on that radio. They reference info over on the Batboard which may very useful. https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/radius-d34lra77a5dk-dash-mount-programming.374358/

Which models? There’s different packages for different models.

The Maxtrac RSS is not to be found on MOL. If all you need is the 1225, it may not be worth the gyrations to set up an account.

Fuse the hot lead very close to the power supply. If the radio is cutting during transmit, the most likely cause would be inadequate wire size. Size chart attached.

One other Motorola oriented resource is batboard.batlabs.com which has been around for a long, long time. It’s chock full of discussions and problem solving on many of the popular Motorola legacy products including the 1225, Waris, Radius, Commercial, and more.

If you didn’t find anything in the 1225 family of radios, you might not have been asking the right questions. Or searching too precisely. Cables are readily available on Ebay. The software is long EOL and readily found on the net. You can buy the software on ebay, too, but Motorola hasn’t charged for in at least 10 years. I’ll send it to you if you can’t find it. It runs best on an XP or a Win95/98 machine. I have a Panasonic CF-29 with XP on it and a real DB-9 serial port. I use the ribless serial cables. Everything Waris, 1225, Commercial, most Radius, older Minitors, and a bunch of other manufacturer’s stuff programs flawlessly with this setup. The mobile M1225’s use the same cable as Radius, CDM, and CM. Same 1225 CPS too. batlabs.com is full of reference info on legacy Motorola gear. There should be a model number chart there. repeaterbuilder.com is another great resource for legacy gear from a number of manufacturers. radioreference.com has many archived threads on programming and use of all sorts of legacy radios. The 1225 family is well featured there in the Motorola section.

Model number(s) please. Need to determine R or S split and 4 or 16 channels. Thanks.

Agree. Trimming and tuning a ham spike to GMRS requires the right test gear. Save the 2/70. You may want it someday if you get your ham ticket. Or sell it to offset the cost of a proper GMRS antenna.

15 amp should be fine. Fuse the + line within a few inches of the battery. If you wire a car, the ground wire should go to a factory grounding point in the vehicle, not the battery negative post.

The “Q” codes explained and defined: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_code

CSQ Carrier Squelch FPP Front Panel Programming SWR Standing Wave Ratio measured between the radio and the antenna. The lower, the better. SWL Short Wave Listening

The coordinator wants to discuss it with you. While some of us may have opinions or ideas on the matter, you’re far better off to discuss it with him. Nothing any of us might offer matters. Ask the coordinator why.

If your pole is set in concrete, it’s not going to be a reliable ground. Better, much better to follow the Motorola spec in the previous post or check NEC or your local building codes for proper grounding. This is something you really don’t want to skimp on, especially if your hobby grows and you find yourself needing additional earth ground in the future.

Just use a non-conductive pole for the upper part of your mast if you’re just going to hang the roll-up from the top of the pole. I have my Ed Fong antennas inside Schedule 20 PVC per his suggestion. There’s enough pipe at the bottom to fasten to whatever you use for a mast without interfering with the radiation.

Many newer cars and light trucks now have power monitors on the negative terminal of the battery. Best practices these days are: 1. Hot to battery hot with an inline fuse within a few inches of the battery. 2. Negative to a factory grounding point somewhere in the vehicle. 3. Check the manufacturer’s install instructions. On commercial gear, fusing is not needed on the negative side. 4. Wiring going through the firewall must be appropriately grommeted. I use the large factory wiring grommet when possible. There’s usually plenty of room to run your power lines there without disturbing anything else. 5 Be neat use loom and ty-wraps. I’ve done hundreds of commercial and public safety installs. These are the tried and true ways to do the job correctly.