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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/10/24 in all areas

  1. WRYZ926

    New to GMRS

    Yeah I do NOT suggest using the only (or good) cookie sheet. You don't want upset the spousal unit.
    4 points
  2. WRUU653

    New to GMRS

    I would try both but the pizza pan in a window should work fine. While a cookie sheet will also work I wouldn’t use it unless you have a second one because homemade cookies are really more important… I think.
    4 points
  3. WRYZ926

    Wrapping antenna connectors

    I have to agree. Especially if you keep your runs 100 feet or less. And most people will not have a coax run over 100 feet. I would just stick with LMR400 or equivalent. I did the calculations for LMR400 at 467.600 with an antenna with 6 dBd of gain at 50 watts. You are only looking at a power loss of 18% over 30 feet. But you make that up and more with a 6 dBd gain antenna. which gives you an ERP (effective radiated power) of 164 watts. I like using https://kv5r.com/ham-radio/coax-loss-calculator/ to figure out cable loss. Let's say you have another 20 feet of coax to get from the radio to where the coax comes into the house. You are still getting an ERP of 144 watts.
    4 points
  4. OffRoaderX

    New to GMRS

    Your pizza pan will work just fine.
    4 points
  5. OffRoaderX

    BoofWang BF-F8HP PRO

    I TRIED to warn you! *Their.. .and.. Do you seriously think anyone came here to find out what you would do?
    4 points
  6. You're exactly right. I wasn't aware that I needed to be in VFO mode, or I overlooked it or something. Boy, do I feel dumb. Anyway, I got it programmed correctly now. Thank you for your help!
    3 points
  7. BoxCar

    New to GMRS

    Isn't that what I said?
    3 points
  8. WRYZ926

    Wrapping antenna connectors

    You're welcome. I will suggest to everyone that they bookmark that coax loss calculator. It is quite handy.
    3 points
  9. WRYZ926

    Coax jumpers

    There is also LMR400 Ultraflex which is a bit more flexible. You can use some quality RG8X if the jumpers are say 6 feet or less. There won't be much loss at such short lengths.
    3 points
  10. I have this radio. It’s a really good radio. Ignore ass hats who only have negative non constructive things to say. Most of us do. I personally use Chirp to program mine so I’m not much help with the channel wizard. I know there are those that love it and hopefully they will chime in.
    3 points
  11. WRYZ926

    BoofWang BF-F8HP PRO

    Here is a novel idea @Socalgmrs, if you don't have anything positive to add to a conversion, maybe you should just NOT reply. No one likes a Negative Nancy @RayDiddio hopefully you won't have to wait too much longer.
    3 points
  12. Glad I could help! That tripped me up once also when first learning to program them. They are great radios. I got them because they are easy to program without a computer. Enjoy!
    2 points
  13. The call sign used must be an actual call sign. It still needs to be reported to @rdunajewski so he can free it up for the actual owner.
    2 points
  14. On further thinking about this issue, do you know that to program a channel/frequency you must first set "mode" to VFO using the "mode" button. You enter the frequency you want to program then open "Channel Wizard" and make the changes you want. Don't forget the last step of "save". If you are seeing frequencies you don't recognize push the " Mode" button until you see the channel you programmed. The mode button cycles though channel number, channel name, vhf frequencies and UHF frequencies if you named the channel you should see it displayed.
    2 points
  15. I have used the channel wizard almost exclusively on the three 935G+ radios I have and it works great and is easy and quick to use. Can you describe the exact steps you are doing and what the display shows. You must be missing a step.
    2 points
  16. I've been programming directly on the radio itself, using the Channel Wizard feature, which is supposed to be easy. Actually, it is, it's just weird that it changes all the frequencies and I can't figure out why. Using CHIRP and a programming cable is probably going to be my next route. Arguably, it's probably the best route, I was just hoping to be able to do it right on the radio itself. Otherwise, yeah, it's a great radio and I'm really enjoying it. I programmed in my local repeaters yesterday and went up into the hills to try it out. They were pinning the meter, but I couldn't hear anything. Figured I'd screwed up the tones. Nope. Then I saw that the frequencies were all wrong. How did I screw that up? Turns out, I didn't.
    2 points
  17. When PG&E first started putting in “smart meters” they had a frequency that was tripping early GFCI breakers (Zinsco to be exact). Some homes had to be fitted with newer GFCI outlets to replace these breakers. My understanding is they later changed their operating frequency. There were RF issues with early arc fault breakers as well which the breaker manufacturers addressed in second generation arc fault breakers. While some GFCI outlets have been installed in non grounded homes it is not and does not provide grounding but rather for ground fault protection, nor should it be used as such. The GFCI looks for a difference of current between the hot and neutral and trips if it becomes too much (I believe around 3 milliamperes). I have seen surge suppression plug strips catch fire when they were hit with a surge but had no ground to suppress to. Energy has to go somewhere. So just a note of caution there. I would not plug a surge suppression into a non grounded circuit.
    2 points
  18. "Some people" love to spend other people's money and "some people" are incapable of understanding the difference between some guy putting up a hobby radio antenna and a professional-radio station antenna. LMR400 will work just fine - it is not perfect, but the perfection-per-dollar ratio is plenty high enough for regular people.
    2 points
  19. I like scotch 103c self fusing rubber tape, a layer of scotchkote (I believe this is what @WRKW566 is talking about) and scotch +33. If you plan to remove it someday then a layer of glass cloth tape or even some cheep electrical tape would be helpful first because you will have to cut through the rest to get it off. Rubber gloves are a must when handling the scotchkote, it will stick to your skin. It’s not easy to remove. This is absolutely waterproof. That said there may be a better less permanent solution but I haven’t tried one.
    2 points
  20. SteveShannon

    Coax jumpers

    For the jumper at either end you typically want something very flexible. The shorter the jumper the more flex you want. LMR 400 isn’t very flexible because it has a solid inner conductor, but M&P makes two different 10 mm (same diameter as LMR400) cable types with stranded center conductor. One is called Ultraflex 10 and the other is called Hyperflex 10. Most of the cable manufacturers do something similar. For more flexibility you can even go to smaller sized cable, such as M&P Ultraflex 7. It really depends on you setup, but for example I have an 18” piece of RG8x going between my radio and my SWR/Wattmeter, then a six foot piece of some flexible coax that is similar to LMR 400 except with a stranded center conductor. I think it’s M&P Ultraflex 10 or maybe the ABR equivalent. That leads to the pass through/lightning protector. Yes, there are conductor differences. The thinner, more flexible jumpers have more attenuation, but because they are short the loss doesn’t matter much. That’s the only way it will adversely affect performance, but that’s the trade off and it’s doubtful you’ll ever notice the slight loss.
    2 points
  21. WRYZ926

    Wrapping antenna connectors

    Most will use self fusing rubber tape and then a good quality electrical tape over top of that for UV protection. Scotch Super 33 is about the best electrical tape to use overtop of the self fusing rubber tape. Here is the self fusion tape that I use. Proxicast Pro-Grade Extra Strong 30mil Weatherproof Self-Fusing Silicone Rubber Sealing Tape
    2 points
  22. All you are going to get is people re-enforcing their opinion that whatever they bought is the best.. and, you will get one that will say "brand X is junk and everybody i know that ever had one returned it or threw it away"...You can ignore him because we are all pretty sure that he is rhee-tarh-ded.. Tell us what is important to you in a radio and you will likely get some better recommendations ..
    2 points
  23. Go right back to that dealer. He might be able to clear this up quickly.
    1 point
  24. I did say "if".
    1 point
  25. briantxgs

    New to GMRS

    I made sure I grabbed an old pizza pan. I have two newer and better ones.
    1 point
  26. That is true to a degree. Im sure some radios have a busy indicator or busy lockout that could help. Though, the monitor button or temporarily disabling the TSQL may still be the best way to go. I have Yaesu and Motorola radios that don't show any activity at all if the tone squelch is on and not the correct tone to open the squelch. So I would have no idea if the channel is busy or not unless I go into monitor mode. Also, the busy indicator can't tell the difference between a conversation and random noise. It would stink if you're waiting to use the radio based on the meter or busy indicator because the RF noise floor is higher the the user squelch threshold.
    1 point
  27. So ... this depends on whether the radio has tone defeat and whether it has a meter. I still posit that this is above the average GMRS owner.
    1 point
  28. VETCOMMS

    Wrapping antenna connectors

    For sale 80 feet of Andrews Heliax LDF5 7/8" hardline. Thanks for the calculator and all the help. Much appreciated.
    1 point
  29. I purchased a 3rd H3 specifically because of this feature. lol So darn easy!
    1 point
  30. Did you read from the radio first? That’s advised with almost all CPS.
    1 point
  31. RayDiddio

    BoofWang BF-F8HP PRO

    This thing, all because of RANDY, is getting pushed further and further back for shipping dates. I should have ordered when I was going to but of course I didn't.... I should have listened to the warning to order NOW but of course I didn't...
    1 point
  32. We get it that some will bad mouth Wouxun radios every chance they get. @FishinGary I have never used the Channel Wizard with my KG-935G. I either program the channel individually and then save it to an empty memory slot or use the Wouxun programming software. I haven't had any issues.
    1 point
  33. WRYZ926

    New to GMRS

    A pizza pan or even a 9x13 cookie sheet will work fine.
    1 point
  34. Falcon45

    A newbie mistake...

    Thank you...I will try soon. Goodness...there is so much to absorb in this website!
    1 point
  35. BoxCar

    New to GMRS

    The railing will also work. The signal from your radio will be stronger going in the same direction as the railing, but still omnidirectional for all practical purposes.
    1 point
  36. For reasons mentioned by @SteveShannon the Yagi may not be your best choice for this situation. I think the ano-50g needs a ground plane, if you don’t have one you may want to try a different antenna. It sounds like you are set up for a base station.
    1 point
  37. So the kg-905g is transmitting into a low gain antenna that transmits in all directions. I don’t know what your range is (same two miles or closer in?) but a Yagi is a poor antenna to use for anything other than a clear shot directly to another antenna. And I am not familiar with the ano-50g, but in trees like that I would be much more inclined to try a low gain antenna on the kg-1000g. That will let the signal radiate in all directions like the antenna on the 905 does.
    1 point
  38. SteveShannon

    A newbie mistake...

    Since you only have three posts, just create a new account using the right call sign.
    1 point
  39. SteveShannon

    UV82 Radios

    Can’t you use Chirp? Chirp will import from RepeaterBook.
    1 point
  40. OffRoaderX

    UV82 Radios

    OVERLORDS, not gods...
    1 point
  41. amaff

    Receiving Repeater Help

    Disable the Rx tone is troubleshooting step #1. It's not necessary for using the repeater (but for filtering out, ideally, non-repeater traffic on your radio's end). But if it's set wrong for some reason, it'll also filter out your repeater.
    1 point
  42. 1 point
  43. If you have a 2nd radio just clone it and you can restore it quick and easy too.
    1 point
  44. You can easily restore the programming. Backup the programming with CHIRP Flash radio to NORMAL Read the radio AGAIN (this is per CHIRP) so CHIRP has the layout of the memory Re-upload your saved config via CHIRP back to the radio These were the steps I followed and it worked flawlessly for me. I have done this going from GMRS to ham to NORMAL modes and back. It has worked each time.
    1 point
  45. WRYZ926

    Wrapping antenna connectors

    While 3M Scotch Super 33+ is more expensive, it does hold up to UV exposure.
    1 point
  46. If the area is already saturated with repeaters, how do you plan to avoid causing interference by adding another?
    1 point
  47. Reach out to the owners of 2m or 70cm repeaters listed in your area; it takes a little research to find them, but they typically identify with Morse which will give you a call sign that you can use to find the owner. Or look in Repeaterbook, or on the band plan website for your region. A 2m/70cm repeater owner could help you through the process of finding a site (possibly the site they're using), getting in contact, and so on. Some hams are happy hams, and will help.
    1 point
  48. H8SPVMT

    Get out and vote folks!

    Voted and Happy with the results!
    1 point
  49. Maybe watch some video reviews and user experiences on YouTube, so you can get an idea of the various features offered by different brands.
    1 point
  50. I will suggest getting a mobile radio with a good IP rating since you said you want to use it while off roading especially if you are in an open type vehicle such as a Jeep or UTV. Knowing what features you want will help us give suggestions. And don't forget that you will need a good antenna.
    1 point
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