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@Kballs a dashcam or more so the power supply can cause RFI. I have seen it on 2m (VHF) so it could be possible on GMRS (UHF). Did you try unplugging the dashcam power cable from the vehicle to see if it fixed the issue?

First name John, Last name start with a P? You a Junior or II? If so your GMRS call sign was issued yesterday. WRPK818

It could be that the antenna is too close to the rollbar and is causing the signal to reflect back creating the elevated SWR, the longer antenna clears the roof by quite a bit so the signal that is reflected by the roll bar is minimal. Also, shorter antennas have a steeper SWR curve, more like...

Correct on the power for GMRS, channels 1-7 are 5 watts, 8-14 are 0.5 watt, 15-22 are 50 watts. The bandwidth for those channels is different as well, 1-5 is 20kHz, 8-14 is 12.5kHz, and 15-22 is 20kHz. Something else that may need to be considered when choosing an antenna is terrain. A 6dB...

Depending on antenna most need to make metal to metal contact with the mount, which needs to make metal to metal contact with the body of the vehicle.

You aren't going to find a VHF/UHF/CB combined radio so while you are contemplating think about 2 radios instead of 1. Also most (not all) VHF/UHF ham radios have remote heads so the body of the radio can be mounted out of sight (under/behind the dash, under the seat, etc)

Nice set up, will you be participating in Field Day?

@mx5red. Thank you, I knew I had seen it but couldn't find it myself. I thought it was the "ghost" antenna but obviously it's not.

Upside down would probably work better than sideways as there is some signal loss using horizontal polarization when everyone else is using vertical polarization. Midland offers a small "ghost" antenna and I believe I recall someone(s) mounting it on top of their roll bar in a JL so it may work...

I agree on both. Handhelds don't work all that well from inside a vehicle so the external antenna of the micromobile can greatly increase the performance over the handheld but a handheld is nice to have when outside of the vehicle.

It's 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register and I have not seen it published yet.

And the GMRS license fee is coming down from $70 to $35 in the near future.

Clean install. Looks good.

GMRS operates in the UHF range specifically at 462 and 467MHz. Consequently the antenna is MUCH smaller than a CB antenna (6" vs 102") which makes it easier to mount and mount in places a CB antenna couldn't. The antennas also typically need little if any tuning. GMRS is also FM which makes it...

So you are wanting VHF/UHF installations and not actual "short wave" (HF) radio installs?

Fairly common misconception. A 2m monoband ham radio (50-85 watts) from one of the big 4 (Icom, Kenwood, Yeasu, Alinco) can be had for $150-$160. The MXT-115/MXT-275 GMRS mobile radio (15 watts) from Midland is $150. The MXT-400 GMRS mobile radio (40 watts) from Midland is $250. For $250 you can...

You can coil the coax just be mindful of how tightly you coil it. Too tight and you will break the dielectric insulator and the center conductor can short to the shield. A broad coil will not harm your signal. However, as mentioned shortening the coax and putting a new connector on it is the...

@DeezJT a 2-3" antenna may be ok for short range though I prefer longer antennas that better clear the roofline of the vehicle, are easier to tune, and perform better. You can put a quick disconnect on it so that you can easily remove it when not in use.

The Midland 75-822 can be a handheld with battery pack and short antenna or mobile with power supply and external antenna. For mobile use I would strongly suggest an external antenna, the short handheld CB antenna is pretty useless especially from inside a vehicle.

That really depends on how long winded you are as the RF Exposure guidelines take into consideration how much time you transmit. I wouldn't want to talk none stop for hours with the antenna 18"-24" away on the other side of the window frame but you would likely over heat the radio before you...