PRadio

Some handhelds can be programed for narrowband. The Tera TR-505 is one. It is 4 watts though. As for the Motorola T460, I had bad luck with the consumer GMRS radios from Motorola, they do not seem to be Motorola quality, I believe they are made for them. I had the 350R, and they had poor sound quality, and one suffered from the low volume issue. I bought the Midland GTX1000 handhelds to test against them, and the Midlands beat them in every way, with the exception of repeater use, since the Midlands are not repeater capable. I returned the Motorolas and kept the Midlands. They have worked well for the past five years. I did buy the Tera TR-505 handhelds though, and have been happy with them. The Midlands are still used at times though. The Tera has better sound though. I would personally avoid the consumer Motorola offerings. They professional radios though are great, which really doesn't need to be said. If you buy them, get them somewhere with a good return policy. And don't get hung up on 5 watts. The Tera is 4 watts, and has better range than the Midlands that claim 5 watts. There will be very little difference between 4 watts and 5 watts.

It seems that www.buytwowayradios.com claims it is not radio on chip. ""Classic" Radio Circuitry. One of the big reasons that there are so many low priced radios available is that there single microchips available that control almost all radio features. This is great if you're looking to keep costs down, but there's a reason that popular business radio brands don't use them: they compromise quality for price. If we were going to call our radio "Business Quality" it needed to be built like a business radio - inside and out." https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2019/12/introducing-the-wouxun-kg-805-professional-gmrs-and-murs-radios.html

I have the Midland GTX1000 and have found them to be a very nice little radio. I originally bought the Motorola MR350R, and found them to be very bad. They had very poor sound quality, and one of the handsets exhibited the low volume issue some of them had. We then bought the Midlands to test side by side, and the Midland outperformed the Motorola in every way, including range. The best part was we could actually hear each other on them. Later we bought the Tera 505 handhelds and generally use those. We still use the Midlands though, they work well, and are durable. I don't feel unduly worried about them when using them in bad conditions either. I wouldn't mind buying the Wouxuns though, since I believe they are not a "radio on chip" design, so they should receive better than radios with the radio on chip design.

One is part 95 certified, and one isn't.

Knockout punches are the only thing I ever saw used by the companies I knew who installed police radios. The tool form the Antenna Farm looks nice but for the money, I'd rather buy the knockout punch.

Honestly, the best thing to use for a hole in the roof is a knockout punch. https://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-730BB-3-Standard-Knockout-4-Inch/dp/B001UL13M2/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=knockout+punch+3%2F4&qid=1591377435&sr=8-8

Thanks Marc.

Hey Marc, How did the 1/4 wave perform in that position? I have considered it since it is fairly easy for me to route a wire into the vehicle from there. Thanks, Phil

I disagree. On a rental it is much, much easier. Simply drill through the roof and headliner, and run the wire through. Easy peasy.

This shows the codes for Cobra radios and others: https://www.k0tfu.org/reference/frs-gmrs-privacy-codes-demystified.html

Are you using the old models that are only .5 watt? With the new rules channels 1-7, and 15-22 can be put to 2 watts.

Got the same response on the other forum, only more harsh.

That is not always true, especially given the fact the antenna for MURS needs to be longer than that for GMRS in order to me efficient. In my area I have tested both, and generally speaking, we get better range with GMRS, even though theoretically MURS should work better since we have hills. I love MURS, but with the shorter antennas on hand held, I am getting better range with GMRS. Now, with a longer antenna, MURS may give better range, but I don't want one on my handheld.

It's a company that sells survival/preparedness products. Their entire company is built around that premise. I wouldn't be too concerned about how they market the radio in light of what their company is all about. It makes sense for their company model. People who are going to their site normally, are there for that reason. If you like the radio, buy it.

Bandwidth and channel spacing are two different things. Channel spacing: Defines the frequency difference between adjacent radio channels in the radio modem. Channel Width: Occupied channel bandwidth. Typically channel spacing is the same in the radio modems as the channel width.

Thanks. The Motorolas I bought used CSQ, I thought. I didn't keep them long, I returned them since they had horrible volume issues. I bough Midlands and they outperformed the Motorolas. Before I returned them, I was able to communicate with the Midlands with no changing of any settings. I still use the Midlands from time to time, though I have bought better radios since. I will say that having a radio preprogrammed to use a tone by default is not necessarily bad, and possibly a good thing for someone who simply wants to talk to family. They don't deal with hearing others without having to select a tone, unless of course there are others using the same radio nearby. None of it is much of an issue since tones are easy to select, and the radios come with instructions.

I have never seen a bubble pack radio programed to use a tone out of the box by default. All I have seen have carrier squelch by default, and are "preprogrammed" with tones that can be selected if desired.

The small size of the Midland radios may be a selling point for many as well. I have very little space in my car, and would love the Midland, but I need the split tone currently.

You may want to experiment with MURS. It can work in hilly terrain a little better depending on conditions. A CB can actually do better in hills as well.

The data sheet I just looked at for your radio shows it is 25 watts on low power, and 45 watts on high. Increasing power isn't really going to do anything for you, realistically. GMRS is line of site, so you really should have no issues getting three miles from a mountain top, providing there are no obstacles in the way. I get that with my little Tera TR-505 with the right conditions, and it is a 4 watt handheld. Antenna, and antenna height is more important. As for legal, you can go up to 50 watts on some GMRS frequencies, but the jump to 50 from 45 is negligible.

I forgot they changed the rule on businesses. They can now use the FRS frequencies.

Welcome! As for what you are hearing, no, it has nothing to do with the radio, it's just what people are using the band for, though it isn't supposed to be used for businesses. I heard a lot of that on MURS, those bands had been used for business before, but not a lot on GMRS, though I have heard some.

Actually, the tones are not preprogrammed. Out of the box, all the channels are set to use carrier squelch. You have to make the decision to use a code, selecting it from a menu. I don't see the issue here. I would not want to buy a radio with fewer options. Out of the box, without reading any directions, basically anyone can turn on a pair of radios, hand one to someone, and use them to communicate.

His business, his choice. You don't have to read it, or do business with him. And he didn't engage you in a discussion. You were not compelled to read it, or reply to it. Much ado about nothing.

You don't have to read it.