TNFrank

Just for grins I got my power/swr meter out(same one I used to test power output in my videos)and checked the swr(unscientifically)and got anywhere from really good on some frequencies with some antennas to absolutely awful on some frequencies. Some antennas did great on MURS and 2M but totally sucked at 70cm. Many didn't do well at all on 1.25M but were passable on 2M and 70cm. Surprisingly the factory 8" and Abbree 771 were both accaptably on ALL tested frequencies. 2M, MURS, 1.25M, 70cm and GMRS. I guess the factory provided antennas aren't as bad as the old rubber duck antennas they use to provide. I'll probably give the 320a a test to see how it looks before I make up my mind one way or the other.

RG-8x seems to be pretty good especially if I keep it at 10 feet.

Just watched a review on the 320a, the SWR was horrible especially on the 70cm band. I'll be sending it back without even opening it. Really disappointed that Nagoya would put out a product like this.

I ordered a Nagoya 320a to try out. I'll put it on my best radio(AR-5RM #3, see my power test video in Armature Radio section.) to see how it works. P.S. This antenna is rated for 10W, my radio is putting out 11W. Is there enough "wiggle room" for it to handle the extra watt?

Your CPS seems to work fine under WINE. It makes programming the radio a breeze. Thanks for all the work you put into it.

Do they have anything like WINE for Linux that you can use on your Mac to run Windoze stuff? I run quite a bit of Windoze software on my MX Linux install without any issues what so ever. GNU/Linux has come a long way since I started using it way back in 2012. It's so easy to use a caveman could do it. LOL.

Awesome link, thanks. Looks like LMR-400 would work well. At 220MHz and 20ft@10W I'd only get a 26% power loss so I'd still be putting out over 7W of power.

https://www.amazon.com/MOOKEERF-KMR400-PL259-Male-Cable/dp/B094D3DFG3 There's also a KMR400 cable too.

LOL, test questions, yep, I know. A lot of stuff I learned in Tech School at DeVry is coming in handy now. Also, that's one reason I'm sticking at 2M, it's the lowest my radio will do and there's quite a few repeaters here for 2M. I'll need to see just how far from the tripod I'll actually be and see how close I can cut the distance.

What about 2M? I was under the impression that RG8x gave less signal loss across all frequencies. I'm still learning this stuff though. What would be better then, RG58? Also, I know shorter is better but I wanted enough length to get the antenna out and away from any tables I'd be sitting at.

I'm thinking of something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Antenna-2m-70cm/dp/B08YWHTHC3 Hooked up with 20-25' of this: https://www.amazon.com/XRDS-RF-Coax-Cable-Coaxial/dp/B0DMNZ9FPJ And this: https://www.amazon.com/Antenna-Adapter-Coaxial-Handheld-Kenwood/dp/B08BCSYDN3 On a tripod I have.

This sounds like fun. I wonder how a 2M 1/2 wave antenna (39"?)on a tripod hooked into one of my 11W HTs would work?

I didn't know we could change our user name. Nice, now I've got my YouTube name as my user name.

I tried a 5/8 Smiley Rubber Duck and it wasn't as good as the 771 I had. I think I'm going to stick with what I've got for now(see my Power Test video in the Amateur Radio section)and maybe try a 320A later.

You'll just need to scan them and see which ones are the most active. Generally Repeater channels get more traffic because they offer longer range over Simplex channels.

I pulled out the radios that I use and did a power test on them. Made a video for my YouTube Channel and here's the results. Thanks for watching. TN.Frank Out!

Here's an interesting video I found.

8" sounds more like a 701. I have an Airband antenna rated for 100MHz-300MHz which should be good for not only Airbands but also 2M, 1.25M and MURS. I'll check out the 320A, thanks.

I watched 3 or 4 of his videos along with a few from some other folks. Just wonder what folks here were using that they found that worked well for them.

It only takes money to QRP. With a Tech License you can TX 200 watts on 10M. With a good antenna you should be able to DX pretty well.

I have a few different antennas from small stubbies(Diamond SRH805s) to a 3.14" longer stubby(Abbree AR-806+,my go to for my work radio) to the mid-length(8")whips and the longer 15.3" Arbbree AR-771. I'd guess that the 771's would give me the best range on par with other 771's like the Nagoya, et al. Question is are there any other antennas that might give me a bit more gain and still be portable enough or is something like a 771 type antenna about as good as it gets? I'll not only be using it on GMRS and MURS but also on 2M, 1.25M and 70cm now that I have my Technician License. Thanks.

Back in the day you had to build a lot of stuff to be an Amateur Radio Operator. Today the market is flooded with stuff so there's no longer a need to build stuff but you still need to know how to program it and what equipment is good and what's not so good. As someone with an Electronic Technician Degree from DeVry(class of '83, LOL) I know how to build stuff If I needed too but why. I just spend a few bucks and get something that works right out of the box. No need to fiddle with things.

My wife is very, how shall I put this.................Frugal. I had to practically twist her arm a few years ago to spend $50 bucks on a pair of shows for work. She also knows are budget and all the bills/credit cards we need to pay off so what I get out of my Crypto with maybe a few bucks extra is going to be it. I'm actually looking at a good VHF/UHF antenna that I can put on a Tripod and adapt to my HT to improve the range. Plus, I can use the antenna/tripod if I want to do POTA.

I was checking repeaters today to see which ones I could hit and got into a repeater net gathering. The controller was a nice guy and very welcoming. There was a few of us on and we played a game of "Appliance Operator or HAM?" where we were given a scenario and ask if it was something an Appliance Operator would do or a HAM. Anyway, that was my first contact on HAM and it was fun. Just wanted to share with ya'll.

Why not use a small solar power station to power your radio? Add a small solar panel to the mix and you'd have unlimited power as long as you could get some sun light.