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BoxCar

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Everything posted by BoxCar

  1. BoxCar

    wattage

    And good practice is to only use the amount of power needed to reach the destination. But then, why would you care?
  2. BoxCar

    GMRS coax length

    Belden is a well-known name for wire products. Look at the cable specs and see what the minimum bend radius is for all the cables you are considering. Compare that to the path your cable needs to run, and use that as one of your selection criteria. The bend radius will tell you how sharp a corner you can make with the cable while maintaining any loss figures.
  3. There are numerous YouTube videos on how to program virtually any radio using any software. Try looking on YouTube for videos and learn from them. It's really easy as the Midland radios are rather dumb and lack a lot of options. You'll need three things, the Midland or compatible software, a programming cable for your radio along with your radio being connected to your computer through the programming cable.
  4. As GMRS/FRS is an unregulated, uncoordinated service, just like CB, you'll never be able to control who installs what where. As the service is well established as a low-power, uncoordinated service, you'll never be able to get the cat back into the bag -- period! Hams got it to work in VHF/UHF because they saw how Part 90 was done and had a national organization to act as a clearing house to spread the word on the frequency assignments. The only way to accomplish your dream would be for the FCC to allocate new unlicensed spectrum and the chance of that happening is slim and none, (Oh, Slim had already packed his bags and that truck left town 5 years ago.)
  5. +1 on the Polyphaser recommendation. You are trying to protect a high priced radio, do you want to trust it to the lowest priced protector or do you want one with a known good reputation?
  6. WRONG! Stun and Kill are activated using DTMF (Dual Tone, Multiple Frequency) tones, not digital although they can be sent in digital radios.
  7. Mixing digital and analog services on the same frequency just doesn't work. It works in Part 90 because the channels and coverage areas are coordinated to prevent one service from interfering with the other. GMRS/FRS is an uncoordinated service meaning you can use any of the frequencies at any time and any place. Also, as there are so few channels available you can't help but have the modes interfere with each other.
  8. I will chime in and plainly state: MIXING DIGITAL AND ANALOG RADIOS ON THE SAME FREQUENCIES DOES NOT WORK -- PERIOD. We Part 90 coordinators fought through this issue when Moto introduced MotoTURBO. It reached the point where the 4 Public Safety coordinators froze all applications to either convert existing systems to digital or create new digital coordinations. We were finally able to create guidelines that often resulted in converted systems allowed lower radiated power or antennas being aimed lower on the horizon. New coordinations were also restricted on radiated power, often much lower than originally requested.
  9. Starting a thread for sale notices
  10. Laird antennas are some of the best ones made. Larsen antennas are a close second IMO. What you want to look for are any gain figures. Measurements in dBd are real gain while measurements in dBi are theoretical gain. You can convert dBi to dBd by subtracting 2.1 from the dBi figure, and yes, some antennas have negative gain in the real world. You'll find a lot of the inexpensive antennas have no or unity gain 0 dBd or 2.1 dBi. Gain flattens the signal sphere around your antenna, so more signal radiates toward the horizon rather than up (and down) toward the sky.
  11. For coax, go here: https://thewireman.com/product-category/feed-lines/coax/?product_count=48. The Wire Man provides the private branded RG-8 coax sold by DX Engineering. Same coax, half the price,
  12. I've got one of the FTM-6000s. It currently sits in a go-box, unused. I'm not a fan of the menu system and found it difficult to work with, as it's just not intuitive, IMO. As a unit, It is a decent starter rig, but I do prefer ICOM and its menu system. My primary unit is an ID-5100 which has its own quirks as far as using the remote head is concerned, but I solved that with a Swap My Rigs extender kit.
  13. Go to https://timesmicrowave.com/documentation/lmr-guide/ for the Times Microwave guide to their coaxial cables.
  14. Antenna height is the key. A higher antenna means the distance to the horizon increases along with clearance for obstacles like hills, trees, and buildings. You can use something inexpensive as a mast for an outdoor antenna such as PVC pipe. You can easily use 2 ten-foot sections of 1 1/2 inch pipe to get your antenna up over 20 feet.
  15. Straight-through cables and the various Cat cables all connect pin 1 to pin 1 at each end of the cable. The difference being the color of the wire strands used. There are other differences but they are important only in network situations.
  16. Handhelds are limited to low power, but the advantage is that they're self-contained and very portable. They can be connected to an external antenna through adapter cables or plugs, but you're still limited. A mobile will have more power to punch through local obstructions but require an external power supply, power cable adapter, or connectors, along with an external antenna and cabling. The biggest advantage is power, of course, but also much greater flexibility with the programming. What you get will depend on how you are planning on using the radio. If you are primarily using it from your home, then a mobile would be the better choice. With an extra power cord and antenna you can use the same radio in your vehicle. If you wander around the landscape on foot, then the HH is better.
  17. However, if you do want to tune your antenna, or compare different antennas, use one of these: https://www.amazon.com/AURSINC-NanoVNA-H-Vector-Network-Analyzer/dp/B07Z5VY7B6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1R9O27XQ4SNH6&keywords=vna&qid=1700049596&sprefix=vna%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840&th=1
  18. I don't like disagreeing with you, but your statement is both true and false. Radio engineers, at least the ones I have met, do test stock antennas with their designs and write specifications for the "rubber ducky" that provides the best match. Many times this results in one that has to be manufactured to specifications that existing units don't meet. Why else would LMR radios specify different antennas for specific radios operating in the same band? One size doesn't fit all.
  19. Higher power means better coverage in the same area as the increased power penetrates obstacles better, but the area served remains the same.
  20. And it does have a dark underside.
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