axorlov

I can sign under this. I use GMRS on the trails and on camping trips. Our family outings are safer and more entertaining because of the use of GMRS radio. Thinking about "doing radio" as a hobby? Get a HAM ticket, get a part 95 or part 90 UHF radio that can also work on HAM bands. TK-880-1 (part 95) works just fine on 70cm, I'm sure other Kenwoods and Motorolas do too. There are (were?) a dual-band Part 90 Alinco mobiles out there.

I use Astron SS-18 (15A continuous, 18A peak) with TK880H, bought it used off ebay. I tried Ed Fong's antenna, did not work for me well. SWR was very high. J-pole antennas need an efficient RF choke (that Ed Fong antenna lacks) to suppress common mode current, otherwise the feed cable becomes part of antenna and wreaks havoc with SWR and pattern, especially when routed close to metal mast or support. Another thing to consider is that you do not need 2m band, since your radio is TK880. Ed Fong's antenna is 5 feet long, being 2m-70cm antenna. I now use Browning BR-6140, works much better, about 2' long. Newegg still has them for $35. However, with 30miles distance, even on the 6th floor, you may need a directional antenna.

I'm quite sure that original plug is GM-type connector, available in Autozone or Kragen/O'Reilly. However, I soldered T-type to all my TK880s to easier plug different mobiles.

Yeah, absolutely.

All three TK880H I have put 30W into the antenna. Specs say 40W, I see 30W, I tried two different power meters.

The SO239 not soldered, could be intentional. Some Icom transceivers use the spring loaded center contact against the board, to prevent PCB traces cracking from repeated thermal expansion/contraction. I'm not saying it is the case with your MXT400, I can't say anything, never looked inside, do not own one.

On ebay the official CD runs between $15 and $20. Or you can look around on the internets. You need KPG-49D for the TK-880. You also will need a programming cable, that's another $20.

Yes, it's needed to program anything from the panel. With this resistor present, pressing D when powering up will not bring you to "SELF PROG" mode. But only for Ver 2.0 of the radio. I've read that on version 1 you can enable self-programming from the KPG49D software. I cannot confirm or refute this claim, I do not own Ver 1.

Removing the R614 is the hardware mod for TK-880 Ver2.0:

Morse code not needed, Ohm's law: I=V/R. Here, done, you're ready for the test. Me and later my daughter used hamexam.org for the preparation. If you create an account there it'll keep your statistics, showing the areas to study/memorize more.

I think what original poster is looking for, is not a wifi or microwave link, but a way to hit a GMRS repeater on 467.xxx MHz, that is located 138 miles away. I say, go for it! People do Earth-Moon-Earth all the time, and that's 500,000 miles roundtrip, and there are no repeaters on Moon just yet. 138 miles should be doable if there is a line of sight between mountains. And it appears that you have done it already (the hitting the remote repeater). And regarding Part 95 letter ad spirit, I do not see why can't you locally retransmit what you hear from the distant repeater. The so-called "shotgun" repeater link was discussed on this forum before.

Not through the repeater. Repeater will open when hears it's input PL or DPL and will send it's own PL/DPL when transmitting. Sure you can do it on simplex. BARN-R1 is open repeater high up above Santa Cruz. It covers the triangle San Jose - Fremont - Redwood City when you're on HT, farther if you're on mobile . I can open it and talk from some places in Livermore with my 40W mobile radio.

That one was easy to find. FCC ID: 2AGNDUV50X3 The authorization is for Part 90, 50W with 10K4F3E designator. New Part 90 equipment will never have wide-band certification compatible with GMRS, if I understand the rules correctly.

Do not buy Surecom SW-33 for GMRS. It's a miles off on these frequencies.

I did not realign it. I just programmed several local ham UHF repeaters into it. I can easily reach repeaters, signal quality seems to be good. I do not have equipment to see if there is some excessive distortion or any other problem with the signal. One day I might check it with the power meter.

According to data sheet, TK-880 Type 1 is aligned for 450-490MHz, Type 2 is for 485-512MHz, Type 3 is 400-430MHz. I have TK-880H-1 v2.0, and there are no problems programming ham bands into it.

"parsimonious" - the new word in my allotment

Nevermind, found it: 2AAR8RETEVISRT22. Indeed, certified for FRS with 1W. Only narrow-band? Repeater-capable?

What is the FCC ID for the RT22? I can't find it on Amazon or ebay.

I think autocorrect got you here, GMRS->games Sorry, can't comment on a specific antenna because I do not own it. However, if your transmitter power amplifier can handle the SWR (combined feedline + antenna), you absolutely can.

Nice! Your "Bob Villa - style" brackets remind me of the time in early 90-s when, being a poor student, I built myself a nice PC in a discarded wooden 20-bottle vodka case. 486SX, I remember it like it was yesterday. Seriously speaking, I drilled the holes in a few cars of mine, and in the long run it works so much better than the magnetic mounts. Cannot agree more on: be very careful routing coax around airbags in modern cars. You already addressed that - super important!! Nobody wants a piece of coax flying into his/her/their head should airbag deploy. In my last install (2014 Durango) I had to route the coax all the way to the rear hatch opening, to avoid over 9000 airbags in this car.

Brand new! These are old radios. I was lucky to acquire 3 of them for less than $100 each. You need TK-880H-1 for GMRS. FCC ID: ALH24593210. It works on 70cm ham band too. You also will need a programming cable ($15-$30, or build your own) and programming software, so factor that in. I modified two of mine to allow programming from the panel, but it is a pain, so I do not bother. I just bring laptop to car when I need to add a repeater pair. There is also a TK-880 (without the H), which is 25W, also Part 95, heat sink in the back is smaller and may work better in tight installations. And, btw, the handheld Kenwood TK-380 is programmed with the same software as TK-880. Unification is good. I do not have a personal experience with them, I went with TK-3170 because wanted something with Li batteries.

Kenwood TK-880H: Part 95, 40W, cheap, wide and narrow band, programming software easily available on ebay or by googling

Broken segment on your MTX400 display, perhaps? 462.000 MHz is not GMRS, it is business land mobile frequency, under Part 90.

As an owner of three tk-880h (two in cars, one in house), I love this build. Unlikely I will ever build a repeater, no need for me, but if I did, that would be a reference.