Radioguy7268

Turn that 40 watt transmit radio down to 25 watts if you want it to live. And blow some cooling air on it with a muffin fan. CDM's are good radios for the price, but they're not designed for even a 25% duty cycle at high power. The difference in total coverage area will be small, your transmitter will thank you, and your receiver will probably work better.

Yes - along with some amateur repeaters that also run reverse split - but not in GMRS, and still certainly worth questioning the information given when someone tells you that their repeater is going to Transmit on the 467.xxx, and Receive on the 462.xxx That's more than an "I screwed up". That's closer to "I didn't have a clue."

I'm sorry, but anyone who couldn't pick out the proper programming for a repeater (high/low vs. low/high) doesn't appear to be qualified to tune a duplexer. I'd also be curious how they managed to tune it to the "wrong" frequencies if you just flipped the high & low sides.

A normal Motorola dealer isn't going to touch a piece of equipment that's @ 20 years past production & requires DOS programming. Especially if they didn't sell it. As I recall - the i20 was really made by Instrument Associates (which later sold to Gaitronics?) for Motorola. I think you can access the programming through the GM300 software that you would normally use for programming your GR300 series desktop repeater. There's probably some info over on Repeater-Builder or Batlabs that might help you. The i20r was sold as an "on-site repeater controller" that did a limited amount of PL/DPL code sets (8 or 10?) and was able to control a simple GM300 or R1225 repeater. Not sure what repeater you're planning to use it with. I seem to recall liking the i20r when it first came out, because you didn't have to mess around with programming it via a maze of DTMF codes (like the Zetron controllers). Was much easier to work with on the bench for initial setup, but a pain if you had to drive out to a site in order to turn a user code on or off. I forget if the i20r allowed just one CWID, or had multiple call signs based on the PL/DPL code in use. Something tells me it was just one CWID.

Unplug your repeater and take it off the air. Try keying up again from the same location. Are you still getting a tail? The 141.3 Hz "traveler tone" is pretty common, and I'd think that in Texas there some other high site GMRS repeaters on that exact same frequency, also set up with Travel tone. Another test would be to have a base microphone plugged directly into the mic port of the Bridgecom repeater, and key up on that mic. Can you now hear the transmit clearly at that same distance from the base? If you can, that is a pretty clear indication that your receiver is being knocked out by transmit desense. Kind of common in flat pack duplexers that are being run at more than 10 or 15 watts power. The "fix" is to lower your transmit power and add a tuned bandpass cavity on your receive frequency - place it between the receive side of the duplexer & the input to your repeater's receiver. A BCU-40 is not exactly high performance. It's just two ordinary mobile radios in a box with a power supply and a controller.

I'm following what Gman is putting down as far as receiver desense, but I'm also wondering if there's a multipath issue due to the metal roof - and that metal reflector is creating a null where the antenna is mounted outside. The fact that there's a "magic spot" indoors where everything seems to work is making me think there's a possibility that some kind of multipath effect going on. If you are walking around indoors with the antenna do you find some other magic spots? What Gman is questioning is also possible, but the fact that you seem to have tried it with different radios makes me think it's more than just a poor receiver being overloaded. I believe we've confirmed that the Wouxun KG-805G is a superheterodyne design receiver, and has some decent receiver specs.

First - if you have the CPS, there should be a file in there under "Samples" which will have a basic codeplug that you can try to load. Many radios will have a "read" codeplug passcode to prevent you from pulling out the profile information, but they will allow you to write a new codeplug to overwrite the existing profile without needing a passcode. Second - If you're handy, the First Generation XPR radios like the 6350 can be read while using Wireshark to sniff the passcode. There's a few videos out there showing details. The passcode hack was fixed in a firmware update for later versions, but most of the original XPR6000 series can be easily read. Third - your "big pharma" employer should be shamed for tossing electronics out with the trash, instead of taking a responsible recycling route for their electronics e-waste.

I also have a hard time believing that a speaker hidden behind the keypad & LCD will deliver better audio, but I can tell you that the front & rear facing dual microphone setup should deliver outstanding noise cancellation and clarity. Speaker mics that have that feature certainly do.

Nobody has asked the area where you live or where you plan to use the radio. A properly designed and functioning Superheterodyne receiver circuit will out-perform a Direct Conversion (the typical inexpensive Radio on a Chip design) receiver in areas of high RF and competing signals. If you live out in the sticks, you would probably never notice the difference. A Direct Conversion receiver does tend to be a bit more sensitive - but isn't nearly as selective. I'm a fan of using surplus Commercial Radios, but then again, I'm not spending your money. I've also got most of the software, and plenty of experience programming my own stuff. Most of the radios I use for GMRS cost me less than $50 - used. Is Ed Fong still selling his antennas? I haven't seen his stuff on Ebay since Covid hit.

To quote my teenage daughter: "What's a pager?" I used to see thousands of dollars in monthly income from paging companies. Now I see zero. I had an abandoned 900 MHz Glenayre cabinet for years that I kept around due to the 300 watt amplifier it had. Finally got a hammy to buy it for $75. Paging is dead.

Stico makes disguised antennas that mount underneath the molded bumper covers (either front or rear). I've also done stuff for UHF where we just formed an angle bracket that used the license plate mount, and then ran a standard NMO off that. Works if the plate isn't recessed very far. Doesn't get the antenna up, but gets it out... Just looking at the car, I'd be tempted to buy a replacement passenger side mirror, fab a mount for an NMO with a 6" hatpin into that mirror with some copper sheathing molded to the underside behind the mirror assembly for a ground plane - then run the coax down into the door and through the existing loom into the dash. Call it a day. Easy to return to stock when it's time, and should work well.

I'm prohibited from disclosing dealer costs, but I can tell you that the R7 isn't all that much more than the XPR7550e. Less than a 10% boost in dealer cost over the comparable XPR's. The $1716.00 is the List Price for a VHF/UHF full keypad "enabled" model with standard accessories. The R7 does need to "phone home" in order to set the region it's going to operate in. It appears that once you do the initial programming, the radio will operate offline. For now. The "vision" is that radios should be sold to organizations with a 5 year timeline for replacement/upgrades. Mixed fleets are a thing of the past. You're just not going to have XPR6550's or plain 7550 (non 'e') radios sharing channels or systems with the R7. Phased implementation is out. Forklift upgrades are in. Better hope the IT department is on site and engaged. Would you like a system lease quote? 5 year terms work out to just (a few hundred) pennies per day per unit to operate. The R7 is not a radio intended for hobbyists. That won't stop some people.

I haven't sold anything off on Ebay in almost 2 years. For me, it was mostly the ever-increasing seller fees. Lucky for me, I had already sold off most of the oldest junk that was just taking up space. I'm thinking someone will eventually create a new version of the Silk Road where we can barter radios for crypto...

I'd say that the NX-1200 is closer to being equivalent to the CP200d - especially since the NX-1200 is about 1/3 the cost of an XPR7350e! You know I don't disagree with you about the receive sensitivity on the XPR "e" series, but I found the DMR audio on the NX-1200 to be exceptional out of the box. Then again, I wasn't trying to mix & match within an existing fleet of Motorola units. Motorola is painting themselves into a corner with some of the Software Update Management subscription things they're doing on the DMR lineup - so I'm glad to have Kenwood as an alternative.

In the Part90 world - and in the world of FCC Licensing, I think you'll find the FCC's answer: An FB2 is a repeater. FB is a Simplex base - aka a Base Station in the techspeak of older (now mostly dead) Technicians. They would also refer to the downlink frequency (or lower frequency in the repeater pair) as the "Base" - with the uplink frequency referred to as the "Mobile Transmit". When those older techs talked about a mobile radio in a tray - often located at a business office or dispatch center - it was always a Control Station - and sometimes a Fixed Base - which is referred to as an FX1 in the FCC Licensing database. It was NEVER referred to as a Base Station - except by Salespeople, who would always get corrected by the older techs. You might be able to get away with saying it was a Base - but never a Base Station. To them, a Fixed Base was a non-movable radio which transmitted on the uplink frequency to operate a Repeater. A Base radio that operates in Simplex to any other unit on the lower side frequency (462.xxx for GMRS) was also a Fixed Base Station. That is consistent with the definitions I was taught. I was also taught that it used to be illegal for a Fixed Base to talk to another Fixed Base. People went to great lengths to make high power radios "mobile" in order to meet the definition of an MO mobile designation. Not sure when it changed - but I'd guess early 80's with deregulation.

Right, but you didn't indicate why you thought it might need adjustment, or if you just wanted to verify proper operation for your own piece of mind. The FCC removed annual station maintenance checks back in the 1980's for a reason.

Over in Ivyland there's a place called Control Dynamics. The owner there is a Ham, and I don't know if he wants to get involved with your GR1225, but I do know he's got a boatload of experience with them. 215.956.0700 Most dealers don't want to mess around with unsupported products - they would rather just sell you a brand new unit. You didn't mention if the unit was giving you problems, or if you just wanted to have someone put it on a station monitor and verify it for alignment. Once the GR1225's go bad, there's not much in the way of parts or replacements, and the cost of (paid) repairs will quickly exceed the value of the unit.

There are 2 "Ed Fong" antennas that are often used in GMRS. 1 of them is his 5 dB "Non ground plane" intended for 460-470 MHz. That's a decent antenna for the price. There's also the Dual band VHF/UHF that is built out of ladder line. That antenna can be ordered to split VHF commercial & GMRS 460. That antenna is not so great for GMRS - but it's a decent scanner antenna. It will also work for a base station/control station uplink to a Repeater. For the price, there are better options in single band. I consider Comet/Diamond/Tram to be the lowest end of antennas you can buy. Building your own antenna out of lightweight PVC (like Ed Fong's) might be as good as some of those. Single band Commercial antennas by Laird or PCTel aren't that much higher priced than any of the previous, but they are better built and will probably hold up well for a decade or more in service.

It sounds like a good use case for a small portable repeater. Not sure how far away the "hill to the east" would be, but if your max range is 5 miles, you probably don't need to get too carried away with picking out the exact perfect spot. Something closer to the center of your operations might work just as well and be less of a hike. Not sure of the size of your rockets, but have you ever messed around with a LoRaWAN tracker? They are relatively small & light weight (two AA batteries).

You will need to use the driver for the FIF-12 in order to make it work with v 1.03. If the cable you're using has the same chipset, then you might be able to skip purchasing the actual FIF-12 cable from Vertex/Motorola. I tried mucking around with a few different cables trying to get the FIF-12 driver to recognize them, but never had any luck with it. I had success using the older version with a generic cable for programming, firmware, and wideband recovery - but it didn't work with v 1.03

There are 2 versions of the Wideband Recovery Tool. Version 1.01 which does most of the older Vertex line. That should be available online if you search it. Motorola/Vertex never charged dealers for the Software. I have successfully flashed older analog VX-231 radios back to Wideband using 1.01 with just a standard (inexpensive) generic USB programming cable. If you're trying to recover newer radios like the EVX series - you're going to need Version 1.03. That isn't nearly as easy to find online, and you also pretty much need to invest in the FIF-12 programming box/cable setup from Vertex to make that work with newer radios. The FIF-12 runs about $150 to $200 new. It really does depend on which radio you're working with - as mentioned above.

Price is a signal to the marketplace which indicates opportunity for those who are best able to meet the demand. If you're a consumer, you always have the choice to walk away from an over-priced product. If you claim that you "NEED" this product - then why did you not purchase more of it while the supply was available at a price that you could afford? After all, that's what the Warehouse did - and that's why they actually have a supply. If you wish to punish those with foresight to purchase products in advance of need - then you deserve to end up in a country full of empty shelves. If you don't like the price, don't buy it. That's what sensible people do. People in a panic will always pay $50 for a snow shovel that they could have bought for $10 the week before the storm hit. Then they'll try to blame someone else for their lack of planning.

Even though we like to think of RF signal as "line of sight" and always traveling in a straight line, the reality is that the signal will bounce, refract, and even bend as it passes through and between free space (air) and objects on the way to your receiver. To understand why you're seeing differences in signal strength while you are moving (even slightly) - you need to understand multi-path and nulls. Basically, you are hitting spots where the signal is partially cancelling itself because two (or more) wavefronts are reaching the same point (your receiver's antenna) and they are out of phase with each other. When they're exactly 180 degrees out of phase, they'll cancel each other completely. The opposite is also true. When two wavefronts reach the receiver at the same time in phase, the net effect can actually be an increase in signal strength. That's part of the reason you'll find "sweet spots" where the radio works best in that exact location, even though you're miles from the transmitter. If you ever suffer from insomnia, feel free to Google up Multipath and Diversity antennas and phase shifted noise cancellation. There's some interesting stuff that goes on in those areas, especially when it comes to data and higher (mm) frequencies.

Add in the Motorola M1225 and P1225 radios for dual Part 95/Part 90 certification. They're out of production for almost 20 years now, but I've still got a few hundred M1225's running in daily commercial service. I wouldn't call them rugged, but they've certainly been reliable.

You're also going to need FAA clearance being that tall. I'd recommend getting a consultant like Steel in the Air to do a feasibility study. They can give you a realistic idea of what the market is in your general area, what the going price is for cellular, and they can also tell you about any local towers that might be your market competition for leases. If it's all owned by American Tower or Crown Castle, you've probably got some room to maneuver and get under their pricing. There's an aspect of "if you build it, they will come" - but most people building new towers have one or two carriers in their pocket, meaning they're guaranteed some income right from the start and they won't go broke if they don't load the tower to full capacity within a year or two. Most of the cellular carriers aren't interested in huge coverage areas any more. 4G and 5G start to drop their data speeds once you get more than a few miles out. I'd be surprised if they're interested in going any higher up than 150 -200 ft. Not sure what the zoning is like in your area, but I'd want to have a conversation with whoever is in charge and take their temperature before you commit to anything. I've seen zoning stuff add years to a build timeline. Especially if you need to get lawyers involved. 40 years ago, it wasn't too hard to put up a tower where you wanted it. Now, it's hard enough to put up a tall tower at all, let alone put it where you actually want/need it. Good luck with it.