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Well....so here is where I got with this. Size and Weight constraints left me with a 60 watt, 24 volt panel. The system has been running for 4 months so far. The months of July and August have been basically nothing but rain and overcast. Today we had a sunny morning and a rainy afternoon. I hiked up and took some reading on the solar controller. Even with all the clouds it was still making more power than the RT97 was using. I will try and get backup there just prior to the first snow and see how the readings are.

He is correct though, it would be easier to help if we knew what radio the guy was using.. And I prefer his direct and to-the-point replies to the 5-10 paragraph uncecessarily-complicated answers that always include a full resume of the person leaving the reply as well as a list of all the radios they own. I guess we all have different want/needs in forum replies..

You really do need a directional antenna to track satellites and adjust for Doppler. I use an Arrow II antenna with built in duplexer(https://www.arrowantennas.com/arrowii/146-437.html) paired with a Yaesu FT530 for FM satellites, and the Arrow II antenna paired with 2 Yaesu FT817's for Linear satellites. Don't use more than 5W to transmit. I typically easily get in to the satellites using only 1 watt. As far as doppler, only adjust the UHF frequency during the pass for FM birds, and really only very minimally. I do believe FTM300 should be able to work FM satellites in Full Duplex, so it's just a matter of programming the FTM300 with the correct uplink and downlink frequencies for the pass of the satellite adjusting for Doppler. On this page is an invaluable cheat sheet for all the FM and Linear birds... https://ke0pbr.wordpress.com/2018/12/31/my-frequency-cheat-sheet/ Here is also a link to a spreadsheet that will show current and past radios capable of Full Duplex https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v3byggtuqw33fkk/AAAamatWbd9657AQfXhM6-wPa/Articles/Full-duplex_radios_for_satellites.xlsx?dl=1 A live satellite tracking app such as GoSatWatch for iOS or Heavens Above for Android will help you track the birds with ease. Hope this info is useful! Satellites are very addicting and fun and are pretty reliable no matter what the propagation is. Also watch these short videos on FM satellites

Good info on that repeater. Up here, i do have to use receive tones on .575, as there's 2 repeaters in range, plus a hotel using bubble packs for their housekeeping staff.

I recommend no receive tone be set; unless you are receiving much interference from others using that frequency. There is actually a 2 meter repeater above Santa Barbara that I have confirmed with the SysOps that the Radioddity DB-20G and the Anytone AT-779UV have a glitch on their CTCSS tone and they will not receive this repeater when a receiver tone is set. I did not have the ability to test the Ra-25. But in any event, I like to have open reception and not have someone filtered out, especially as I travel.

Yes, and I answered the exact question asked. The code goes in the memory for channel 17rp. The radio make and model have no bearing on which memory gets the code.

The OP asked one question, whether to use channel 17 or 17RP to talk to his repeater. It was answered in a straightforward post (use 17 RP) almost immediately afterwards. Why are you guys fighting over this? Go to your rooms.

I would recommend the Slim-Jim. It doesn't require a ground plane like a 5/8 wave antenna would. It's also good for portable operation like camp sites etc. When not needed it's easy to roll up and stick in a drawer. If you get the dual band version it works on VHF MURS and the UHF GMRS channels. https://n9taxlabs.com/shop/ols/products/dual-band-murs-gmrs-standard-antenna

Really. He said it was channel 17 or 17R. That's pretty obvious and no need to know which radio it is. He even posted the frequencies. Go back to your basement now.

I made my own spark gap transmitter as a kid.....it knocked out television and radio and this made my father hunt me down and paddle my backside. There were sparks flying from my metal "gap" pieces all the way to the ceiling, scorching that ceiling a bit. From then on, I was restricted from using ignition coils for "experiments"....but then ended up with a crystal AM radio receiver kit i was encouraged to solder together. Now, I have an amateur ticket, GMRS license (hence being here), commercial licenses, and a soldering iron. I spent some of this weekend repairing a 1944 R-100/URR receiver, that needed recapped.

Bought the DB-20G mobile with a GM-30 handheld combo.....that GM-30 is the one wish I had not spent money on. It is a decent radio, but already having considerably better radios, to include those also made in China (Anyton 878) as well as Motorola, Harris, and other radios made in the United States (some Motorola is still made in Chicago, as is Harris), that GM-30 is a little too basic for my likes. I gave it away to a neighbor that wanted to get into GMRS, and seems to like it a lot. So, all was not lost. My issue with it was that it was only UHF, just did not fit my larger hands well, and had very tinny audio. Neighbor uses it, but has also bought nicer and more expensive radios since.

Speaking of how smart someone is... A neutron walks into a bar and says "Bartender... I'll have a beer." The bartender says "Sure" and slides him a beer. The neutron said "Thanks! What do I owe you?", and the bartender replied "For you? No charge!"

It might be difficult to fit, but for that distance a 4 element Yagi would work.

I usually let people be people, but did you go of your meds? Seriously, you are repeatedly getting on discussions, and acting in a manner that is consistently antisocial, and lacking the common courtesy. Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk

I don't think I'd trust Surecom for precision... Even the MFJ-847 costs twice as much, and MFJ is often considered a lower-grade product (many items are built into what can be called "hobby" project boxes, rather than engineering a custom case, but this is an exception) https://mfjenterprises.com/collections/mfj/products/mfj-847?_pos=4&_sid=b976da1f8&_ss=r The fact that it shows some variation when you jump 5 MHz at least proves some function. Note that SWR is computed from comparing forward power to reflected power... If the power measurement circuits are "sloppy" (a very low reflected power may not even be detected) then 1.0:1 is a reasonable display, even if false (any reflected power will raise SWR, but if the meter can't detect it...). The spec for the Surecom states 0.5W minimum (with 5% accuracy -- so 0.475-0.525 to my mind). Given that "channels" 8-14 are 0.5W ERP maximum, you wouldn't expect to detect any reflected voltage unless the antenna is pretty much unusable -- send 0.5W out, and have 0.5W reflected!). Even on 5W output, you'd need a 1.9:1 to have 0.5W reflected https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiMj_39_e_5AhUPlGoFHUGxBQkQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrl.org%2Ffiles%2Ffile%2FTechnology%2Ftis%2Finfo%2Fpdf%2Fq1106037.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3UXQaeDbAlSg1tPOEUuz0Z Ugly Google tracking garbage.... Even 1.3:1 implies only 0.1W reflected, so getting that measurement almost seems a miracle. I can only hope the spec is for /forward/ power, and sensitivity for /reflected/ is better: 0.05-60W perhaps ADDENDUM: Also -- any non-exact match at the antenna may show different SWR depending on the length of the coax. There are points where the forward&reflected will add together, and others where they subtract. Just adding a foot extension between meter and antenna coax could change your results.

Forgot to mention..Thanks for reminding me... Always beware of the "some people" that try their best overcomplicate everything.

Recently promoted from Youtube hobo to Youtube vagabond.