Lscott

Getting the antenna up higher will make a big difference. Try to get the antenna to at least clear the roof top of your house, and any near by if possible.

That's true. I occasionally catch some DMR traffic on one of the GMRS simplex channels where I work. I verified that by using the digital monitor function on my D878UV I took into work one day just to see if I could identify the source. Nothing was said that I could use to figure out who was responsible. It doesn't happen often enough to bother checking frequently. About the rules you have a point. There are several people on this forum who have the attitude if the FCC hasn't busted anybody for an obvious rule violation then they mustn't care so it's OK to continue doing so. The worst part is when they encourage other users to do the same.

Here is some more info on eggbeater antennas. Antenne Eggbeater-Engl-Part2-Full.pdf Antenne Eggbeater-Engl-Part1-Full.pdf

There are "gain" and radiation pattern differences between the various antennas. Also at UHF it's LOS, line of sight, so just moving even a few feet can make a huge difference when there are obstacles between the radio and the repeater location. One other item you may notice while driving at times is a flutter or rapid momentary dropout of the signal. That's commonly refereed as "picket fencing". That's due to the signal being blocked by buildings etc. so the signal path between radios, or radio to repeater, changes rapidly as you move.

Code plug hacking can be a lot of fun, getting a radio to do things the manufacturer doesn’t allow. I did about the same thing with would otherwise be 3 useless UHF 2 channel Kenwood ProTalk radios I got from a buddy for free. Programmed one channel for the typical GMRS road frequency and the other the local GMRS repeater. None of those are in the selection list of preconfigured frequencies for those radios.

What does piss off people are those that treat the rules as “suggestions” with no concern for possible enforcement actions, or where they prove inconvenient when they want to do something that’s prohibited. There are several on these forums who think that way. Unfortunately they set a bad example for the newbies.

Not very reassuring without firm legal ground to support the practice. At least people should be aware that it could be ruled as prohibited at some point so one shouldn’t get their panties in a twist “if” it ever happens.

I tried looking that up to see if there is any definitive definition by the FCC. Nothing immediately popped up that wasn't confusing. I guess that's why we have lawyers and courts to argue the issue. Maybe some court will reach an opinion, then later elsewhere another court will reach a different opinion. Oh well, use your own best judgement.

I have one of the tri-band HT's. I dropped it on the cement floor once at a Twin Peaks while out with the guys. The audio got buggered up. I opened the radio to see if the speaker wires broke, nope. I did get it replaced under warranty but wasn't impressed with the durability. I use it now in a office setting as a cheap scanner. I won't buy another one, seems way too fragile.

Here is another analysis. Just another point of view. http://www.nsea.com/Linking.pdf

See attached files. 14641445_GroundingTipsfortheShack.pdf 203345484_LightningProtectionGroundingSolutionsforCommunicationSites.pdf

By any chance did you forget to enter the "secret" password code to set the mode? It's in the second of the two photos. Also if you look at the text file for the at_options app you'll see the same code just before the lines for the various modes listed for the different D878 models. There is a different code for the D578 series.

I don't believe I have ever used the "AT" option exe to change the mode. I just programmed the radio with it set through the CPS. I just updated the firmware, V1.27, and rebuilt the code plug. Nothing unusual when I programmed the radio and the code plug was built for the expanded RX and TX range. Maybe somebody else can share their experience.

Strange, in V1.27 I recently installed for the original D878UV model.

I've used it a number of times. There was a DMR signal source on the same frequency used by another local mall I monitor while at work. Without the digital monitor I had zero idea what it was. It turned out to be a hospital security detail. While monitoring the communications I was able to gather enough info to figure out which one. Then just the other day on a Ham DMR repeater I was getting traffic but no audio on any of the talk groups I had programmed in. After monitoring a few minutes it was an undocumented talk group on that machine. Dah.

I've spent too much the last few weeks. I located a vendor in the Netherlands that still had, or access to, the discontinued Kenwood TK-D300E radio. Just got an email from them with tracking number so it should ship today or tomorrow. With just the belt clip and radio core, both new, cost me 271 Euro's with tax and shipping. That now gives me two, one used and a new radio. https://www.kenwood.eu/files/file/comms/uk/brochures/nx/TK-D200_D300_V4.1.pdf Then just a day ago a seller on eBay has a complete kit, radio, battery pack, charger base, antenna etc., all NEW for a TK-5320 FM/P25 radio with the 400MHz to 470MHz band split. https://www.ebay.com/itm/275450179209?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=sUiBWWytRDK&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=j_t98fioS_6&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY https://comms.kenwood.com/common/pdf/download/TK-5220_5320_Specsheet.pdf The price was $250 total with free shipping. Knowing what stupid high prices used P25 radios run I purchased one, the price was way too good. That gives me three of these in my collection now. Still looking for a second VHF version, TK-5220, that the seller isn't trying to rape you on price. The VHF stuff sells for significantly more than the UHF gear.

I'm not so sure of the reception ability of the D878UV design. I had my first generation D878 sitting on a desk next to my Kenwood TK-D340U. https://comms.kenwood.com/common/pdf/download/DMR_TK-D240V_D340U_K_letter_1124.pdf Both were monitoring the output of a local DMR repeater. On multiple occasions the Kenwood would decode audio while the D878 just light up the green RX LED and nothing was decoded. I'm doubting the ability of the D878 to reliability decode DMR traffic now. The best feature of the D878 however is the digital monitor mode. You have no idea what slot, color code, talk group and user ID is being used, well the digital monitor mode shows it all. Unfortunately the higher end commercial DMR radios can't do it. I have a MARS/CAP modded TK-D74A. The radio is a beast. It's the fastest scanning radio I have, something like over 20 plus channels per second. I've only used mine maybe a few times. Other than the D578 it's the only other radio I have than can run digital voice on the 1.25 meter band. With the prices these are selling for used it's like own a brick of gold. One odd thing is nobody in North American sold a soft case for it. I even contacted the US based Kenwood tech support and they confirmed it. Nobody could explain why. I had to order one from a Ham radio dealer in the UK and shipped it by airmail here.

You can use directional antennas, or a bit more power with an “eggbeater” type for TX and RX. The way they are designed is the radiation pattern is circularly polarized and directed up and out to the horizon, thus no tracking required. http://146970.com/PDFs/Antenna Eggbeater-Revisited-English.pdf

I don’t like the one I have. It was a freebie. Had nothing but problems trying to program it. Half the time or more the communications between the PC and radio fails so you can’t reprogram the radio. After a few tries I tossed it in a storage bin. Haven’t touched in a couple of years.

I wouldn't mind having one myself. I've been on the look out for a good deal on one. For $150 and no slugs I can get one that's beat to crap, or for $250 to $300 and still no slugs I can get a nice one in very good condition. Don't forget you an buy them with different connectors. They can be swapped but you're better off getting it with the ones you want. Also the slugs aren't cheap either.

Well you are the best judge of which connector type will suite your needs the best. Don't forget you may at some point want to use the antenna with another radio, such as a mobile, so you'll likely will need some adapters sooner or later anyway.

You have a choice for the RF connector. I wouldn't recommend the SO-239 unless you absolutely need it. Personally I prefer the BNC. I can easily find adapters from BNC to just about anything, and BNC terminated patch cables of various lengths are easy to find. Plus the BNC is a constant 50 ohm type so it's very unlikely to cause any kind of noticeable SWR issues. The down side is it isn't water proof. If the antenna is used out doors where it's going to get wet you might want the "N" type connector, which is pretty much water proof.

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

This should get some interesting responses. People talk about their first radio or their favorite one. In this case which one you disliked the most you wasted money buying? This could be more useful for newbies.