GMRS Radio

bobthetj03 said:
I made the switch a few months ago. Ditched the CB and Firestick for a Midland MXT-275 and their 6db gain antenna. Bought the license and mounted the antenna on the tail light mount. Not an ideal location, but I didn't want it on the hood or cowl. I also picked up a Browning BR-450 antenna just to see if I could get a better SWR. The Midland antenna gave me the best SWR out of the two, so I'll be bringing the spare Browning antenna as a spare. I also got the SW-33 meter to tune them. Best I can get with the antenna where it is is 1.43:1. It's a compromise, but good enough. We have several repeaters in my area and am amazed at the range I can reach with them. You can go to mygmrs.com to get a map of available repeaters. Some you need to get permission from the owner to use them, or get the appropriate PL tones. I also picked up a HT from Radioddity for $39. It's 5 watts and pretty simple to use, and it's part 95E compliant for GMRS, unlike the evil UV-5R, lol!

To answer the question about antenna tuning, you can tune them for a better SWR, but you don't need to take much off. Most you only need to snip a half inch or so shorter. Do it in very small increments with wire cutters, or a saw. Go too short and you throw it away.
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If you want to nerd out on range and such, consider HAM. I know it’s a higher bar with the test, but it can be fun to participate in the local repeaters during a commute. I stumbled on a group that preps for disasters doing their weekly check in recently (which of course you can listen to without a license). There were people from almost the whole state on it!

But I’m happy with GMRS for wheeling groups, ham is just fun to dip toes in (but doesn’t solve any problems for me until the nanobots are activated).
 
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Dino - KX6D said:
I have mine on the front left window hinge. Its not ideal because of the window frame. The CB antenna is on the rear driver's side which isn't ideal because of the roll bar just inside the hard top. Neither are ideal but its what I had to work with and they work! Everything works, some things work better! 3.73 gears and 35's work, but 5.38's...

You want the antenna clear from other metal objects. Center of the hood is great, just not practical. Fender works but the hood is in close proximity. Its a battle! I see a lot of antennas that use a flat bar coming from between the hood and the fender. This works too. If you have a lightbar, mount it up there! I didn't give you a clear answer because there isn't one, but I hope this helps you understand.

As for tuning, all antennas need tuning. At the very least checked! The UHF antennas cover a wider range because of the size of the wavelength. CB is measured in feet and UHF in millimeters so it may be fine right out of the box. I always check but you have to have the right meter that can handle UHF frequencies.
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Thank for the info. Very helpful. I have a Firestik on a drivers side tail light mount too for my CB.

This is the mount I was thinking of using.

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rasband said:
If you want to nerd out on range and such, consider HAM. I know it’s a higher bar with the test, but it can be fun to participate in the local repeaters during a commute. I stumbled on a group that preps for disasters doing their weekly check in recently (which of course you can listen to without a license). There were people from almost the whole state on it!

But I’m happy with GMRS for wheeling groups, ham is just fun to dip toes in (but doesn’t solve any problems for me until the nanobots are activated).
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Look into IRLP
 
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Chris said:
I recently bought this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B2DZSTL/?tag=wranglerorg-20
I don’t have anyone here local to test it out with so I am really looking forward to testing it out .
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Chris said:
I recently bought this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B2DZSTL/?tag=wranglerorg-20
I don’t have anyone here local to test it out with so I am really looking forward to testing it out at TJ Fest.
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Chris said:
I recently bought this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B2DZSTL/?tag=wranglerorg-20
I don’t have anyone here local to test it out with so I am really looking forward to testing it out at TJ Fest.
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Same one I bought Chris. I don’t know the first thing about all this radio jargon, but I’ll play for a while....

I’m the type that probably only needs the little “Pink Radios”! 👍
 
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rasband said:
If you want to nerd out on range and such, consider HAM. I know it’s a higher bar with the test, but it can be fun to participate in the local repeaters during a commute. I stumbled on a group that preps for disasters doing their weekly check in recently (which of course you can listen to without a license). There were people from almost the whole state on it!

But I’m happy with GMRS for wheeling groups, ham is just fun to dip toes in (but doesn’t solve any problems for me until the nanobots are activated).
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It's a great stepping stone for getting into ham radio. For now GMRS is feeding my nerd.

rasband said:
That’s an expensive gamble on liking it!
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I can't imagine what not to like about crystal clear communication.

@Chris, get your license, then find some local repeaters on the GMRS website and put a call out. Most likely you'll get someone monitoring the channel to give you a signal check.
 
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rasband said:
Why? Do you wheel with people spanning a long distance?

If distance is your goal, get a HAM.
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Because why not?


bobthetj03 said:
@Chris, get your license, then find some local repeaters on the GMRS website and put a call out. Most likely you'll get someone monitoring the channel to give you a signal check.
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I got my license so it sounds like this is what I need to do in the meantime. Maybe I will find someone that way to test it out. What is the GMRS website with the list of local repeaters?
 
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Chris said:
Because why not?



I got my license so it sounds like this is what I need to do in the meantime. Maybe I will find someone that way to test it out. What is the GMRS website with the list of local repeaters?
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www.mygmrs.com

Go to the map of your area, find them. Some you have to email the owner for the PL tones.
 
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never monday said:
Yeah, the proximity to the windshield post will give a high reflective signal back into the radio. It will also give you a dead spot in it’s shadow.
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Jeeps are an awful design for good RF... you could probably toss the same setup on any SUV on the roof and be more or less set! It’s all about optimizing for what you need and accepting the trade offs.
 
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Here’s a question, and I think I know the answer, but will ask anyway just for the sake of asking.

What if a CB antenna and GMRS antenna were mounted next to each other on the same mount? And the antenna ran along roughly the same route?

Would the proximity of the two antennas cause problems with each other compared to if they were mounted and ran in different areas?

I want to say you don’t want them next to each other, but don’t know. I know I’ve seen pictures of multiple antennas next to each other, but I don’t know what kind they are.
 
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