WRQC527

Except that most of them have changed since the late 1950s to what we have now... because people made up new ones.

One of my fellow repeater owners regaled us one day with a tale of his oozing wound. I about projectile-vomited in the few seconds between when he said that and the time I was able to find the power button on the radio.

This is one of the few "myths" that is actually mentioned in the user manual for every radio I've ever bought, from 4-watt CBs to handhelds to 100-watt multi-band HF radios. I don't think it's a myth, I think it's rolling the dice.

A lot of gear like this will show in the specifications something like "13.8 volts +/- a few percent".

Thanks for the info. If I end up getting the Jackery, I would be using it with other electrical devices. I also connect a small inverter to my battery so I can run my Verizon 5g gateway when we have power outages.

Jackerys are really neato, but you're paying $400. I use a 35 ah AGM battery with a charge controller and two Harbor Freight solar panels in the field, and it sits on a battery maintainer at home. The whole setup was less than $150. I use it to run a Yaesu FT-891 and an FTM-7250. Something to think about before you drop twice what the radio cost.

I made many AMSAT contacts with this antenna and a UV5R. It cost me about nothing to build. I used scrap house wiring.

Each of these questions can be answered with an internet search using the search engine of your choice. Most of us could answer at least some or all of them, but it would take a pantload of time. Not to sound dismissive, but I would toss one into Google and see what comes up. You may be surprised.

Although I don't like mag mounts as a long-term solution, I have used them, and to prevent scratching I've placed a cheap plastic (not glass) tablet screen protector on the roof.

Yes. There's just enough of a gap. That is something to be wary of.

I've had good luck with my dual band amateur setup with my Comet RS-720 on my Sienna. The only caveat is that I need to run the coax in through the rear door past the weatherstripping. But I've had this setup for several years with no issues. https://www.gigaparts.com/comet-antennas-rs-720.html

I know you're going to say no because most every other suggestion anyone has made you don't like, but for the sake of throwing it out there, I'm going to throw something like this out there. https://www.gigaparts.com/mfj-310s.html?utm_term=sku-zmf-310s&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm66pBhDQARIsALIR2zBGnqEdeM1qaplmLAQzJ0WeocTGDgft9uHiVykAwzqMeQYPwteVTrYaArz2EALw_wcB

This was my McGyver setup. Here in Southern California we got about 70% coverage.

That right there is a red flag. I've heard reams of nonsense about the FCC being discussed by my ham contemporaries.

Define "serious". I don't want to make the mistake of having the wrong conversation on my repeater on my commute, which by the way starts in 7 minutes.

Make no mistake. I'm not confused. Not in the least.

You may already be familiar with yagi antennas, but if not, remember that they are directional, so if you know where the repeater is, aim the yagi at it and make sure the elements are oriented vertically. Good luck. Building gear is half the fun!

Might I suggest searching the interweb for "homebrew backpack yagi". There's a lot of plans, videos and tutorials online that describe how to build what you're looking for. Tape measure yagis work but it's probably cheaper, easier and lighter to build them out of stiff wire, arrow shafts, etc. I've built them this way and they do work, and they can be made to break down to fit in a tube for transporting. If you cut the elements for about 146 Mhz they cover the 2 meter band pretty well.

I do the same thing for trail runs. It's more rewarding and useful than amassing points. We had the California QSO Party last weekend. I gave away a couple dozen points to folks trying to get California, but some of those folks had amassed over a thousand contacts with California in one weekend. No thank you.

This is one of the problems with amateur radio. So many activities have devolved into contests and bogus 5-9 signal reports. I enjoy Field Day and Parks On The Air because they get everyone off the grid and outside, but the contest aspect does get old.

Also, don't forget about the ARRL Field Day, which is June 29-30, as well as Winter Field Day, which is January 27-28.

Indeed! Only three months away!

Actually, it's the ARRL that has a Field Day. It's the last full weekend in June. Next year it's June 29 and 30.

In case anyone is interested, there's a Prime Day sale on the Radioddity DB25-G. $86 at the time of this posting.

This entire thread is probably driving both potential GMRS and potential hams away from radio. Why would they want to partake when a bunch of guys from both services bicker all the time?