GMRS Stuff

[Frenchy]

Call signs I have or had over the years
N5CRK- US HAM
DA1YM- Germany HAM
WRO1278- US GMRS/MURS/FRS
I did CB for years both base and mobile, but it has a lot of limitations, FM is much better of course, but also has some limits, line of sight and little to no skip propagation.
If your radio is programmable here is a good list you might find helpful.

Yeah my call sign assigned to me for GMRS is WRTK502. Cant say how often it will be used but its what it is. At least i have the license so I have less chance of getting in trouble

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[Frenchy]

Well after running though Medano Pass today I can say with confidence that I.made a good choice for the base radio. Just after the summit of the pass i started to hear some individuals coming from the Sand Dunes. My guess they were between 5-10 miles out when I heard them. Thankfully I was able to pick them up because it was a small convoy and it was easier to get out of the way ahead of time(and streatch the legs). Also running the NOAA Weather I have noticed I can get reception from towers up to 35-40 miles away. Not bad when you think about it.

 

[KnightWolf]

Would I recommend GMRS to others? Most likely yes since the OffRoaf Crowd is starting to leave CB and with GMRS you don't have the so called "Clubs like HAM" that birch at you because you cant talk to someone on the other side of the world. And you dont have to take a test for the license(just got mine for $35).

@Frenchy Hey Chris I am not sure why you feel this way or if you have spoke with other amateur radio operators, better known as ham radio operators. Most all ham radio operators would be more than happy to help you acquire your ham radio license. You do not have to be in a "club" unless you want to. Sure, you can talk around the world if you want, however for mobile operations, you can use 2 meter VHF operation or 70 CM UHF operation. I have been a ham radio operator for a long time and have enjoyed all the different frequencies to talk on and also have talked on CB and haver GMRS radios as well. No longer do you need to learn Morris Code to get a ham license. Just some self study and you could easily get your ham radio license. Your technician class license might be something that would be beneficial to you. Even my wife has her tech license and she said the tests were not tough at all. Enjoy whatever means of radio communications you desire and have a good day!

I can understand not wanting to write the test if your only use case is while off-roading or convoying. The $35 license seems to strike a nice balance, especially since you guys get more out of GMRS. Up here we're limited to 2W, the antenna cannot be removable, and we're not permitted repeaters. All we get are low powered bubble packs, which really limits the usefulness of GMRS & why a lot of clubs have stuck with CB. I do see quite a few people on the trails rocking Boafengs programmed for GMRS though.

I got my HAM license last week, something I've been wanting to do for ages but just kept putting it off. It wasn't that difficult, most of it was common sense things, along with some rules, a bit of radio & electrical knowledge, safety, etc. I studied for about a week & did the practice tests, passed with 85% giving me a Basic with Honours license. Which is equivalent to a general license in the US.

Call signs I have or had over the years
N5CRK- US HAM
DA1YM- Germany HAM
WRO1278- US GMRS/MURS/FRS
I did CB for years both base and mobile, but it has a lot of limitations, FM is much better of course, but also has some limits, line of sight and little to no skip propagation.
If your radio is programmable here is a good list you might find helpful.

I'm thinking of getting that same radio, how are you liking it? Mind sharing how you've run the wiring & mounted the antenna?
VA3KWJ

 

[Frenchy]

I can understand not wanting to write the test if your only use case is while off-roading or convoying. The $35 license seems to strike a nice balance, especially since you guys get more out of GMRS. Up here we're limited to 2W, the antenna cannot be removable, and we're not permitted repeaters. All we get are low powered bubble packs, which really limits the usefulness of GMRS & why a lot of clubs have stuck with CB. I do see quite a few people on the trails rocking Boafengs programmed for GMRS though.

I got my HAM license last week, something I've been wanting to do for ages but just kept putting it off. It wasn't that difficult, most of it was common sense things, along with some rules, a bit of radio & electrical knowledge, safety, etc. I studied for about a week & did the practice tests, passed with 85% giving me a Basic with Honours license. Which is equivalent to a general license in the US.



I'm thinking of getting that same radio, how are you liking it? Mind sharing how you've run the wiring & mounted the antenna?
VA3KWJ

If I'm not mistaken most are using a rubber plug near the rear right or rear left of the cab to get the cable through the to the outside. After that it depends if you want to mount the antenna on the roof or bed area. Just be aware that if you mount the antenna right around roof height you will want to have a shorted antenna for a few reasons. For starters better clearance on and OffRoad. No need to hit things if you can avoid. Second up that high you get pretty good signal that you have little need for a taller antenna. Due to where I mounted my antenna on the Pathfinder the taller antenna was roght for my needs. If I mounted it on the roof I would have gone with a much shorter antenna and very possibly would have had the same if not better signal.

 

[JesseS]

I'm thinking of getting that same radio, how are you liking it? Mind sharing how you've run the wiring & mounted the antenna?
VA3KWJ

I like it, it's not high end, and only 25 watts but plenty for what I use it for. I have one in my RV with a Ground plane antenna on the roof, with switchable 1/4 & 1/2 wave dipoles. I get about 30 miles range between the truck & RV not using a repeater, I have gotten 100 miles hitting a mid point repeater. It is dual band with a wide frequency range, so be careful what band you are transmitting in and with how much power. As its lowest power is 5 watts you are restricted from some FRS & MURS channels ( ) . I ran my cables from the dash down and under both door sills and through the rear cab air vent to the bed, where I mounted it in the fixed portion of the Backflip cover. I will make a custom pole mount at some point. I also have the 1/4 and 1/2 wave dipole for it also, the 1/4 wave is shorter and good for like 3-7 miles, and the 1/2 wave loaded is taller and gives much better range. I really did not want to put a hole in the roof of my new truck, there are other options but I like simple.

 

[Phil_R]

I got my HAM license last week, something I've been wanting to do for ages but just kept putting it off. It wasn't that difficult, most of it was common sense things, along with some rules, a bit of radio & electrical knowledge, safety, etc. I studied for about a week & did the practice tests, passed with 85% giving me a Basic with Honours license. Which is equivalent to a general license in the US.
VA3KWJ

Congratulations Stu! Glad to have you as a fellow ham radio operator!!!

 

[KnightWolf]

I like it, it's not high end, and only 25 watts but plenty for what I use it for. I have one in my RV with a Ground plane antenna on the roof, with switchable 1/4 & 1/2 wave dipoles. I get about 30 miles range between the truck & RV not using a repeater, I have gotten 100 miles hitting a mid point repeater. It is dual band with a wide frequency range, so be careful what band you are transmitting in and with how much power. As its lowest power is 5 watts you are restricted from some FRS & MURS channels ( ) . I ran my cables from the dash down and under both door sills and through the rear cab air vent to the bed, where I mounted it in the fixed portion of the Backflip cover. I will make a custom pole mount at some point. I also have the 1/4 and 1/2 wave dipole for it also, the 1/4 wave is shorter and good for like 3-7 miles, and the 1/2 wave loaded is taller and gives much better range. I really did not want to put a hole in the roof of my new truck, there are other options but I like simple.

Awesome info, appreciate it thanks! Did you run the cables through that tray or just across the dash? I think I'm going to pop the tray out to see if the wires could be routed neatly through the dash. I haven't decided on an antenna or where/how to mount it yet, definitely not going to be putting any holes thou.

Congratulations Stu! Glad to have you as a fellow ham radio operator!!!

Thanks! Looking forward to diving deeper down the rabbit hole

 

[JesseS]

Awesome info, appreciate it thanks! Did you run the cables through that tray or just across the dash? I think I'm going to pop the tray out to see if the wires could be routed neatly through the dash. I haven't decided on an antenna or where/how to mount it yet, definitely not going to be putting any holes thou.
Thanks! Looking forward to diving deeper down the rabbit hole

I drilled a 1/2 hole in the rear right corner of the tray, (hidden with dash cover) from there it is an easy path down the passengers side behind the glove box to the kick panel and door sill. Pop the door sill and run the ant cable under that, I did have to loosen the B pillar cover to get it past the seat belt detractor. Get a solder on PL-259 connector and cut the one on the antenna off, makes it MUCH eaiser to run the wire, then just solder a new one on when the cable run is done. (of course you do this in reverse)

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