marcspaz

Yep... that is the site I use.

The numbers I provided are the RF horizon. But, yes, typically the RF horizon is about 15% further than the visual horizon.

In my opinion, it really depends on your expectations. 15 feet gets you about 5.5 miles to the RF horizon. 35 feet will get you out to about 8.5 miles. 50 feet gets you about 10 miles.

Just putting my two cents in, and reiterating what others have said... in the world of handhelds, GMRS and Amateur Radio UHF perform the same since they are in the same band and general frequency space. Again, specifically with handhelds, the lower in frequency you go (VHF and HF for example) the worse the performance will be as the antenna becomes less and less efficient. This is because the lower in frequency you go, the longer the radio wave length will be and the longer the antenna needs to be. Now, if you were to take an HF handheld and hook it up to a standalone antenna system that is the proper size, then you can literally talk around the world. The drawback is, the handheld is really no longer 'portable' for all intents and purposes.

Man... I remember when I first bought the TRASH80. So many people talk crap about it, but man did I have fun with that thing. I learned how to write shells and programs using that thing. Backup and restore to a cassette tape was too funny, too. Radio Shack was a great store for two-way radios all the way up to when computers, cell phones and satellite TV became mainstream. I literally bought components to do repairs if I had a customer waiting on a job and I ran out of resistors, capacitors and standard 3-leg transistors... occasionally ordering bulk ICs, and PAs for radios I was commonly repairing or upgrading. The good old days of peaking, opening up modulation, adding channels. Good times.

Im just trying to help and little, but i think there is benefit to watching this video. I put it together for some new Hams in my club, but the Amateur frequencies in UHF are close enough to GMRS, that the demo is still very valid.

How do we "loose" an attitude? And which one is it? Should we stop discussing this stuff or should we share our knowledge and experience? I'm confused.

I've done exactly this. It was to demo real-world line loss at example frequencies. I'll share a link if you or anyone else is interested.

That's really something. Even with such a short length, it makes a big difference.

Great choice! Congrats!

I don't know if that is the only benefit, but is sure is a good one. Most people don't monitor those frequencies since they are most commonly used for repeater inputs. You end up with a much less crowed channel. Now that you mention it... is there an OTC type approved radio that is configured to transmit simplex on the 467 mains (maybe a KG-1000?), or do we have to use reconfigured LMR radios?

Too late... you're committed now!

Zero pressure from me... I just hope its a useful tool for you.

I have tried to explain this before, at least the way I understand it... the station type is defined by its use. This is why you never ask cops for advice. You need to consult lawyers and judges. The rule very specifically says that a base station is a station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations. Therefore, the act of using a station to communicate through a repeater changes the 'station type' to a Control station. A Control station is a station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations. So, using a radio at your home to communicate through a repeater is not a rule violation. The only defined hardware type is a Mobile radio, with handheld radios being a sub-type, with the definitions as follows: Mobile station. A station, intended to be used while in motion or during halts at unspecified locations, that communicates directly with base stations and other mobile stations, and with control stations and other mobile stations through repeater stations. Hand-held portable unit. A physically small mobile station that can be operated while being held in the operator's hand. All other references are to station types, which are defined by how they are used... for example: Base station. A station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations. Control station. A station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations. Fixed station. A station at a fixed location that directly communicates with other fixed stations only. Personal Radio Services station. Any transmitter, with or without an incorporated antenna or receiver, which is certified by the FCC to be operated in one or more of the Personal Radio Services. Repeater station. A station in a fixed location used to extend the communications range of mobile stations, hand-held portable units and control stations by receiving their signals on one channel (the input channel) and simultaneously retransmitting these signals on another channel (the output channel), typically with higher transmitting power from a favorable antenna location (typically high above the surrounding terrain). You will notice that even a repeater is defined by the job it does, rather than physical characteristics. That is because you can easily build a repeater with 2 mobile radios, as an example.

I apologize. I didn't realize we had a rule against it.