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I'm looking at picking up an ICOM IC-F6011 for a transmitter either in my base or as the output for a repeater I can install. What I'm looking for are some thoughts on this units performance over time and if there are concerns over possibly reaching or exceeding the recommended duty cycle. They are reasonably priced both new and used on Flea-Bay. I know from past experience the brand is/was frequently cited by hams for its quality.

A recommendation for any unit used as the output or transmitter half of a repeater will depend on how much use the repeater will expect. The heavier the use, the higher duty cycle rating for the trannie is needed. I haven't seen a consumer grade unit with a duty cycle greater than 20 to maybe 25% or roughly 12 to 15 minutes of transmit time per hour. A commercial unit or a public safety grade unit will have a 30 to 50% duty cycle. These are re-tuned FCC Part 90 certified units which cost several hundred dollars each when new but can be picked up for anywhere between $75 to $200 each on the used market.

Marc, I'll disagree with you on range. I coordinated many part 90 channels that lost coverage area going to 12.5 kHz channels. Granted, many of these stations were way overpowered for their AOP so the loss didn't effect them. I mean we had one PS Coordinator that would slap a 40 km AOP for a town that was less than 9 km across and then complain (the term is properly object) to an adjacent whose coverage area stopped 10 km outside the city limits.

It sounds as if the PD is using two frequencies similar to a repeater operation. Check the frequencies assigned to the PD using ULS. You may find the mobiles sending on a MO while the base is sending on another channel.

Welcome! Lots of good information here.

Something to bookmark on your browser. The Enforcement Bureau has opened a new portal to report interference and complaints for Public Safety, Business users and consumers. GMRS/FRS users can report problems using the Consumer tab at https://fccprod.service-now.com/psix-esix/

The FCC has tested/certified an independent test facility report the radio used for this service meets the technical requirements for emission type, stability and power. It benefits other users of this service by ensuring radios will not cause undue interference to other users and those in adjacent services.

The rules plainly state repeater stations may be operated by remote equipment PERIOD. The rules do not make any stipulations on how that automatic control is implemented other than explicitly stating what manners are prohibited in 95.345 and 95,347. It also stands to reason that if simplex repeaters were not allowed manufacturers would not be submitting the equipment for certification nor offering them for sale. I don't know about you, but I was personally involved in bringing to the Commission's attention a device being marketed for use in a prohibited manner. Shortly after my call the company removed the device from their product line. The device that was offered was a repeater being marketed in a band where the only permitted communications are base to mobile and mobile to mobile. Base, or fixed location to base communications is specifically prohibited.

Simplex repeaters also fall within the following: §95.1745 GMRS remote control.Notwithstanding the prohibition in §95.345, GMRS repeater, base and fixed stations may be operated by remote control. §95.1747 GMRS automatic control.Notwithstanding the prohibition in §95.347, GMRS repeater stations may be operated by automatic control. A Simplex repeater would operate the station with automatic control as it keys the transmit portion when the receive is complete. The control is seen as automatic in the same manner a duplex repeater keys a separate transmitter upon its receiver being activated. Remember, the simplex operation requires the repeater start at the beginning of the received transmission which cannot occur concurrently.

Mark, You realize that all channels are shared with other users so you have no control over who may be on a channel where you have your repeater. I believe you will also find the store and forward repeaters to be much more of a PITA than a duplex unit. You need a radio at each location for the repeater to work as it receives the transmission storing it in its memory and then playing it back on the same channel. To better illustrate the use, a 20 second transmission from you takes another 20 seconds to repeat. A second unit on the same channel then adds it's 20 seconds to receive and send. A return message would make it through the repeaters in 40 seconds resulting in almost a 90 second delay between you sending and hearing the response. Like I said, a real PITA for any real conversation.

Welcome aboard!

The main restriction you have on range is antenna height. If you take a no ground plane antenna with you on the ATV and 20 feet or more of coax you can put the antenna on top of some PVC pipe and raise it higher above the ground. Say 4 five foot lengths of PVC with couplers should get you enough range to cover 5 miles or so provided you don't have any ridges blocking the signal.

The easiest way is for him to id as WRDV917 Unit X or what ever letter/number you tell him to use. You would be WRDV 917 or WRDV917 Actual if you are talking to another family member who is a unit.

Actually the analogy works for any antenna as the spray represents field strength and it works for both omni and directional.

Another way to think of gain is the difference you get when spraying water from a hose. A 3 dBi antenna covers the area with a fine mist while a 6 dBi antenna covers the same area with a heavy spray. You'll get more penetration or the ability to go through trees and buildings with the higher gain antenna but the total amount of area covered remains pretty much the same. With all radios above roughly 100 MHz the higher the antenna is above the surrounding terrain the more coverage area as the distance to the horizon increases. The visible horizon changes with height. you can see about 3 miles when standing on flat ground, but then from your rooftop you can see 10 to 12. Go another 20 feet (or 6.1 meters) above the roof and you have close to a 30 km coverage area,

One more point. Are you using a single or multiple ground connections? It is possible there is a difference between grounding points even on the same frame member. I'm speaking about the radio grounds primarily but you may need to run a line between your antenna mounts to the single ground point as well.One building I worked at had a 9 V difference between ground rods at each end of the building.

It will definitely work. The 12 gauge wire will handle all the current your radio will ever need.

With the two choices you have your options are a little limited. If you see the power supply and radio as being fixed and not moving then a 14 or 16 gauge wire between the two terminals and your radio fed through the holes will be sufficient. The preferred wire would be stranded with a rubber or THNN plastic covering as insulation. If you think you will be moving the radio and/or the power supply around then use the banana plugs with a rubber or silicon insulated wire of the same gauge.

What a large majority of people buying blister pack radios think is that having a two-way with them when they go out into the wilds is the radio WILL allow them to contact someone in the case of emergency. We more knowledgeable users know it just ain't so. I doubt there are very many active REACT groups for 27 MHz CB anymore either. Forty years ago back in the '70s CB was a fad and there were a lot of people that took it seriously but the fad died long with the skip and CB devolved into something long haul truckers used to combat loneliness along with the pimps and prostitutes hanging around truck stops. The language heard could best be described as filth that would put a drill sergeant or sailor to shame that the people that would have stopped or provided assistance all went away. Cell phones replaced CBs along with a sense of being connected to others around you as you drove around. Some Ham operators do provide a critical service in connecting people in a disaster situation but, for the most part you never hear about the service. LMR, Land Mobile Radio is dying. Fewer new voices are being heard and many of the most stalwart proponents are passing on and their keys are going silent. Saying all that, I don't believe LMR in all its forms will ever truly die but it will become more and more a niche industry and hobby. The largest user group of two-way radio are those in public safety followed closely by business and industrial users. Public safety agencies are migrating to a cellular system called FirstNet in the 700 MHz range. Once the key issue of mission-critical voice is resolved you will see their VHF and UHF systems dismantled and the trunked 800 MHz voice systems repurposed to a network similar to FirstNet. As both the 700 and 800 MHz systems are close in their propagation characteristics one could be used to handle the voice traffic and the other the data functions from the same transmission sites all tied together with fiber and computers. This shift will further move people from dedicated voice only devices just as we are seeing the shift from simple flip phones to smart devices capable of doing many different functions with varying degrees of success. But that's just my take on where radio is going.

I use the same power supply (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EWG6YT8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for my radio. I intend to use it to power a repeater in the near future so the added output capacity will be used. You don't need a matched pair of radios as a radio with a much lower output power can be the receiver with the transmit unit having the higher power.

I have the 25X2 and you can store multiple configurations for repeaters. The problem comes with trying to keep them all straight in your mind. Naming the different configurations isn't difficult, names are easy using CHIRP and even the front panel method isn't too onerous. I just wonder how many you plan on storing. If the frequencies are for cities and areas you frequently visit there is a good possibility there may be multiple sites within the same general location. You would do best to only pick one site per area based on the amount of traffic carried by repeaters in that general area.

Actually, it's a great many LED lighting products generating massive amounts of RF noise. About 4 years ago the FCC fined GE, Sylvania and several other manufacturers of fluorescent ballast transformers for emitting excessive RF noise that was destroying a public safety low band radio network.

Have you tried a different coax?

I use a "Deans" T-connector. They are available at any hobby store selling radio control cars, boats and planes. The connectors will handle a 30 amp load with no problems.

I purchased Mr. Marten's GMRS J-Pole and it's working great.