WQYC236
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Posts posted by WQYC236
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Some of those DB antennas are 15 feet long.
Yeah, my comet is 16 feet 6 inches.
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They use a somewhat legitimate concern to hide the fact they just want to "hide" all traffic. Most sensible agencies use a secondary talkgroup, which can be encrypted when needed.
Where I am, there is a large P25 Digital system, works great, and not that much is encrypted...and if they need to sometimes, that's fine. However, what cracks me up is that the State Police, Local agencies that are on it, and other much more secure-oriented agencies don't use encryption much at all....but the State Forestry Division does - full time! That is stupid...are they trying to protect the identities of innocent trees and animals? Give me a break.
That's because the State Forestry Division is trying to conceal all the Bigfoot sightings!
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I'm sure this has topic has been on here before, but hear me out.
December 26th, 2015 my city was hit by an EF4 Tornado, and guess what the first thing was to go? The Power.. Your probably wondering where the encryption part comes in right..? Let me put this in order for you.
I have a Motorola XTS3000 800MHz Model II that scans my cities Public Safety Trunking System,
So I was in my room as usual, playing games and talking to friends on Skype, when I noticed the lights flickered, at the time I didn't think much of it, then it happens 2 more times within 3 minutes, so I get up and go to the living room and see my parents and my older brother watching the news. The weatherman is stating there is a tornado watch for Dallas County, and this thing was far away from my city, I live in Northeast Dallas and he was reporting the storm in far South Dallas, so we didn't think much of it, and I go back to my room playing and talking to friends on Skype. A short 10 minutes go by and the power goes out for about 5 seconds then flips back on, I opened the door to my room and my dad and brother were opening it just as I was, and said "We're getting your bed and moving to the laundry room!" Before leaving I grabbed my Motorola XTS3000, flicked it on and then ran to the laundry room, passing by the living room I see on the TV it says "Tornado Warning for Eastern part of Dallas County" and continued my way to the laundry room, mom was already in there and my brother and dad got back with the mattress and we all sat down, power went it again and we began listening to my radio as it scans through PD and FD talkgroups, we hear:
"40 hold all traffic, 50, I can still see it, looks like its North of 66, still East of Dalrock"
"500 to all units, be advised we've lost power and our phones in here, we're going to try to get some off duty employees in here to help us out!"
then FD tones out the FD for an entrapment and the reply is
"Firecom from Station 3 be advised the station does not have power--" and then he literally cuts out
During this whole time we have NO Cell Service, nor do we have any AM/FM Radios to listen to the weather service, so here we are, stuck with my 3000 listening, trying to figure out where this thing is, and guess what.. That radio may have saved our lives, think of someone equivalent to us out there, with either a scanner, or some type of device to listen to the PD/FD.. That may have saved their life. Lots of cities came from all over to help out with the disaster.
Then the next few months pass and I set a schedule to meet with the city who runs the system and talk to him and his team about the new system that is coming up and ask them specifically what the backup plan was if the current system went down, great example was the tornado.
Anyway, the whole deal is that my city is encrypting ALL of their talkgroups, PD and FD, all of them, every single one of them.. That is what they decided. Yes I 100% understand the things these officers go through and the risk they take, I back them up 110% but to encrypt FD? Like, I submitted an FOIA Request to gather the radio audio, and heard they told all the stations of the weather situation, so when you think about it, that could save someones life, by listening to that broadcast, as the power was down, so no way to look it up on the internet or receive updates. I suppose they assume everyone has an AM/FM Radio? I mean we did at the time, lost in the garage.. Lol..
What do y'all think about encryption when it comes to Public Safety Communications, because think of if they were encrypted when it hit.. And don't even get me started on encryption when it comes to Interoperability, I suppose that's where the Statewide 800MHz IOP Channels come into play..
Now imagine an EMP and 10-15 years without power and your neighbors eating you.
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I agree with Steve, although I usually will monitor CSQ and transmit 67.0, we have a lot of users on FRS, so many they stretch over to GMRS, unlicensed. Most use 67.0 so I'll yell at 'em to get off the freq, or toy with 'em and give my callsign on a different tone.
I'll reprogram today with all on CSQ, I like that idea.
And let me know how you like that TR, I've been wanting to get one!
I love my Tera TR-505's! They really talk and have all the options one could want. They just feel good in the hand, sort of like a high end business radio, and I can't say enough about the 15 inch optional antennae, those guys really extend the range.
I programmed the last 5 channels with (1-5) MURS frequencies, 1-10 GMRS simplex, and 11-12 for two local repeaters. Works quite well for me. I have talked 17 miles to a Cobra walkie from a mountain ridge and talked between Tera's about 7 miles over average terrain with the 15 inch antennas.
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Hmm I have a Solarcom A99 Cb Antenna is about 17.7" I wonder if I can cut it to match GMRS frequencies lol. Yours seems to be 16.6'
Mine is MURS/GMRS, VHF/UHF so it has some inline induction built into the design. Antennas are so inexpensive these days that personally I would just buy one. But If you do build of modify your own actually do the math and cut the antenna and ground planes to the exact frequency you need. IMHO
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^ Thank you Sas. Do I need a dummy load to use with this meter
I have one and I didn't spend a lot of money for it so I can't speak to the quality but it does what I want.
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What antenna are you using? I have a 1/4 wave ground plane i believe they are 0db I need the best I can find at a low price lol.
It's a Comet GP-9NCA. (rated at 11.9 dbi)
http://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/comet-gp-9nca-1088.html
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That's a neat tree installation. I'm playing metal games myself trying to figure how to safely get to the top of a 100 ft tree that sits on a 10 foot hill about 50 ft from my house. I'd like to put a 16.5' antenna attached to a ten foot pole in the top of that tree. My neighbor has a bucket truck but may not be able to get in or operate out of my uneven back yard. Another option is to buy the climbing gear and try it on my own. I think I also may need to build a small platform about twenty feet from the top of the tree in case I decide to mount a repeater up there. The antenna is 11.5 db and should give me some reasonable range at that altitude.
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I'm using a Rohs VHF/UHF MFJ-842 SWR/Wattmeter. It's a low cost instrument and I have no idea about the quality level, but it seems to give me "reasonable" readings using a 12' whip. I've used it on the Teras and on my 50 watt mobile unit. The scale is 0-15 and 0-150 watts.
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From time to time I see radios advertised with words to the effect: "Programmed with the standard or common CTCSS coding". When I got my hand held TR-505's they had their own default coding programmed into the 16 channels.
Now, except for the local repeater frequencies all my GMRS channels in all my radios have the CTCSS option turned off. I understand that there are some common repeater frequencies and CTCSS coding across the country like (462.675 MHz,141.3 tones), but are there also common CTCSS codes on the simplex frequencies as well?
I am assuming that the way to hear or communicate with the most people (on simplex channels) is to monitor with the CTCSS coding turned off...am I right or wrong on this?
How do you guys operate out there?
Sasquatch
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Thanks Sasquatch. I appreciate the information, I ordered a set and I am waiting for them to come in the mail. those wattage outputs are pretty impressive for a inexpensive handheld. I do not understand why the market is limited to quality part 95 FCC certified GMRS radios that can be programmed to hit a repeater... Maybe because of all the bubble pack junk = no one bothers to get a license for ?
Did you get your Teras yet?
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If I remember to turn on my HT the Alexandria repeater (462.675) is the one I monitor on my commute. At home I seem to be in a slight hole, but usually monitor the Woodbridge (462.625). If I find the time (I'm taking care of a slight remodel at home) I plan on building an Ed Fong dual band antenna for the house. That should help some.
If either of you guys want to try communicating on (462.675, 141.3) I can be on the air anytime listening. I usually have no problem hitting that repeater from my driveway, although with all this rain it's been a little iffy lately at 51 miles out.
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Welcome from Virginia!
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Hello! I am new to GMRS too. I have been a ham since 1991, its a great hobby. Plenty of people around to help you get that license! Im trying to find some activity on GMRS, seems people dont use the repeaters - how is it in your area? Im near Washington DC. ..
I'm about 51 miles SW of DC near Castleton, VA but monitor the (462.675, 141.3) repeater near the "Seven Corners" (junction of Hwys 50 & 7) area when I'm in the car. If you ever want to chat give me a call on the repeater frequencies (WQYC236).
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I just discovered a repeater located near the intersection of Hwy's 50 & 7 near DC. It's not listed anywhere (that I can find) and is on the same frequency and codes as "675Baltimore" (462.675, 467.675 and 141.3, 141.3). I recently had a nice conversation with a seasoned HAM and GMRS operator on that system. I was mobile in Warrenton,VA at the time which is about 31 air miles SW of the location. I was in between two buildings and hitting the repeater off the side of the car and still a good signal. He said it was a REACT repeater but I was perfectly welcome to use it as long as I had a licence.
I have been monitoring that frequency since last Saturday and haven't heard a soul. Unfortunately I didn't ask a lot of details like how high and power out, etc. I will next time I talk to some one on it. My personal range testing by listening for the carrier tone, has been out to 56 miles so far with out any problems. I even went out side last night about 1:30 AM and hit it with my Tera TR-505 hand held using the 15" antenna (5 watts). My house is about 51 miles SW from the repeater.
I'm hoping I'll be able to connect with people in the area through this system and I also am hopeful that I will be able to talk to my wife and son who both work within a few miles of the tower. The are doing the 60 plus mile commute thing and it would be especially useful in bad weather.
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Another thought is the FCC data base allows searching specific, towns and counties for all the GMRS licence holders. Maybe a group email would work.
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I know this is never going to happen because of money and inconvenience, but if the manufactures offered GMRS only radios, and had the customer sign a briefing statement that they need a licence to operate the radio, maybe it would be a different world. I think most people just use the radios out of ignorance, not any real malice aforethought.
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Congratulations...that's great news! That's my next project.
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That is going to be one cool machine. How did you find it?
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I would have called police and directed them to the criminal activity, rather than thwarted their efforts. Now They will continue their activity elsewhere. Plus, it may have been more fun to hear their reaction when the cops came, and then taunt them
AntiSquid disclaimer: All information provided is personal opinion only and may or may not resemble actual fact
That's a great idea but I was receiving their transmissions from the side of a mountain facing West (about 1600 ft elevation). I knew what they were planning but never heard a land mark or name of the place.
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WOW, what a deal! Now if you could only find a mountain somewhere in Indiana
, (I grew up 20 miles south of Ft. Wayne, IN)
Base Station Antenna Locations
in Technical Discussion
Posted
I have two possible base station locations that I'm considering. I did some basic gain/loss calculations for comparison. Which way would you guys go and how much difference in range over average rural terrain do you think there would be for the two locations?
Note: The 90 footer will be considerably more difficult to do
(Location #1 – Base of 16 ft antenna is 90 ft from the ground)
Cable Loss per 100 ft at Operating Frequency of (462 MHz) = 2.725 dB
Cable Length = 120 Ft.
Calculated Loss = 3.3 dB
Power into Cable = 50 Watts
Power out of Cable = 23.5 Watts
Gain of Antenna = 11.9 dBd
ERP of Antenna System = 364.7 Watts
(Location #2 – Base of 16 ft antenna is 36 ft from the ground)
Cable Loss per 100 ft at Operating Frequency of (462 MHz) = 2.725 dB
Cable Length = 50 Ft.
Calculated Loss = 1.4 dB
Power into Cable = 50 Watts
Power out of Cable = 36.5 Watts
Gain of Antenna = 11.6 dBd
ERP of Antenna System = 528.1 Watts