Leaderboard

I want to thank all you guys with great information and patience for us new guys. I wouldn't have thought twice about using some of these adapters and connectors. I'm all about the gidgits/gadgets, erector set type of building stuff. One wouldn't think that they have that much loss by looking at them. It makes me feel a lot better that this project will have a better chance of working. Thanks again.

Forget all of that bulkhead connector stuff. That is a problem waiting to happen. If the cab ever has to come off, just replace the whole mount if needed. That would be cheaper than all of the added connectors for that bulkhead setup, and those connectors ARE lossy. Here's another better idea... just drill a hole in the top center of the cab roof, and mount the antenna there. If the cab ever needs to come off, the antenna comes with it. You will also get better results with the antenna on the roof than you would with it on the rack due to a more evenly distributed ground plane around the base of the antenna.

Hi Ken I have a repeater here in central WI that is linked to another one about 40 miles away. The 2 repeaters get very little use. There is however a bigger linked system in southern WI that is tied in with about 10 other machines that gets used everyday. But not to the point where it can't be used pretty much when you want. So i guess in answer to your question, i would say in some areas its holding its own. And in other areas there is very little use if that helps. Take care Jeff

What material is the kayak made out of, fiberglass or plastic? If so, think of it as a radome and don't worry. In any case, you can always run a test by supporting the kayak on two sawhorses, have someone get under it with an HT and see how far away you can work them. Then, have them try the same test standing outside the kayak (with the HT at the same height).

I picked up 4 Kenwood TK-370G-1 radios off of eBay and some Ham swaps for a decent price if you look around. I've paid as little as $15 to around $40. You will need a charger and battery for most of the used radios. Most of the radios come with the antenna. Make sure you get the type 1 radio! There are several different versions covering sections of the 400 to 470 MHz range. The link below is the PDF version of the Kenwood brochure with the details for the radios and accessories. https://5.imimg.com/data5/TT/AN/AB/SELLER-3451103/kenwood-tk-270g.pdf Note the radio will do wide and narrow band. By removing a diode inside of the radio, covered in the service manual, then checking the option in the programming software you can enable front panel programming. It's a pain to program the radio this way but possible. I haven't mod'ed my radios since I would rather do the programming through the computer anyway. The radio has Part 95A certification so you're legal on GMRS. https://fccid.io/ALH29473110 The stated range for the radio is 450 to 470 Mhz. However the radio will function down to about 440 MHz which covers the Ham simplex and repeater sections of the band that you're most likely interested in using anyway. I have one sitting on my desk here at work right now scanning the GMRS/FRS - local mall security and some Ham repeaters frequencies. In fact I was monitoring a couple of Hams talking about the snow we're getting, on the GMARC repeater on top of the Renascence Center on the river front here in Detroit. That's about 14 to 15 miles from where I'm at. As others have pointed out it is legal to use Part 90 radios on the Ham bands. To simulate a VFO I programmed a bunch of channels with 25KHz spacing. The channel names were things like 445-200, 445-225 etc. With 128 channels I had enough for the GMRS/FRS, some Ham repeaters and 20 to 30 Ham band simplex frequencies. The ARRL band plans shows the simplex section frequencies over the 442 - 445 MHz range. The repeater sections are 442-445 and 447-450 MHz. The software to program the radio isn't hard to find and you can use the cheap "Baofeng" type USB to serial programming cable. The software will complain if you enter a frequency outside of the stated range but will accept it if you click OK. Good luck with passing your Tech Class license test!!!

Inspired by https://www.scadacor...-line-of-sight/, I decided to run another test quickly. Grabbed a ladder and climbed up into the attic crawl space. Sent a GMRS check to my wife. In the past, it did not even rise above her squelch level, but this time she at least got a staticky signal. Hoping the improved antenna will clean that up further so that simplex comms are workable. Plus, having the antenna better placed, I'm hoping for more hobby time on a couple repeaters in my area. Cheers, Ken