marcspaz

It's not so much complaining, more sharing an opinion. It drives me nuts, too. Its actually a topic I cover briefly in all of my training classes.

Best advice on the internet, today!

@hxpx I measured my TD-H3 on a calibrated meter and got the 0.5w and 4w... so the TIDRadio advertising is very accurate. I was pleasantly surprised. It's assumed based on the framing of the question.

I'm not sure the mobile comparisons are a realistic comparison for the original statement of: A handheld UHF frequencies between 440MHz and 470MHz 2 watts compared to 10 watts HT performance characteristics are significantly different because of the form-factor, antenna design and size, and several other conditions that make it unreasonable to compare them to a mobile radio. We really need someone with an HT that is capable of both 2w and 10w. I have an HT that outputs 0.5w and 4w (about 9dB), but still not 2w and 10w (about 7dB).

There's always one guy. LoL Under perfect conditions, best case, it's 1 S-unit. I would say while there is a measurable difference, there's no difference in practical application. So... I agree.

Hey folks, Just a quick reminder about our meetup this weekend. This is open to everyone. We especially encourage new operators and new members to join. We will have several area repeater owners joining us with information and printed handouts about what is happening in our community. Many of us will have test equipment, willing to help troubleshoot problems and answer any questions you may have. Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday! If you haven't seen the event on our FB page, you can get the details in the original post (above) or at the link below. https://www.facebook.com/events/744340581470568/

@WRXS236 Just so you know, I am not unsympathetic to the point you are trying to make about the terminology being confusing to new-comers. In 2022, I wrote a post here on this forum to help people who are new to radio and specifically address this confusion. I linked it below if you or others would like to read it. So, this is kind of interesting to me... some manufactures use the term "Sub-Channels" to describe DCS and CTCSS, which is very wrong about what is happening, and has no technical history or definition supporting the verbiage. Tonight I went looking for some information on Google about the use of the word subchannels (stimulated by this conversation) and both the AI response and the internet search results point to my write-up on this forum on the subject. That's pretty cool. So, as mentioned above, anyone who wants information about PL tone should check this post out. Couple screen grabs, which I think is pretty cool to see.

I'm not taking anything personally. I'm just trying to help you understand the actual context the word is being used in and what its definition is. Also, the fact that you don't understand the word literacy in the context it's being used just supports my point. Edit: I forgot to mention, if you use the term "Filter codes", you are going to be adding to the confusion because literally no one else uses that expression. No one is going to know what you are talking about. No one will be able to reference anything by that name in the industry, manuals, etc.

I'm sorry, but you're wrong... and that's okay. You can either accept that some words have more than one meaning depending on context and in this context the word is used correctly, or you don't. That doesn't mean the rest of us are illiterate.

No. Absolutely not. The inventor (Motorola) named the technology Private Line, aka privacy codes. It was done to provide the operators privacy, meaning a lack of interruption from unwanted signals. Its the same concept as a privacy sign at a home or a hotel... privacy and it's literal term means to be left alone. A lot of people misunderstand the definition of privacy, confusing it with secrecy.

Pretty wild stuff. Glad they had working radios with them and people to correspond with, too. If they were in trouble, it may have saved their lives. Just being stranded or cutoff from leaving is enough to make someone panic. Sometimes, just having a voice on the other end and some mildly useful information can really make the difference on the psychological impact of a situation.

That's true, the FCC just kind of let it slide into history with zero notice... which kinda stinks for people who knew it as the de-facto operation since the `60s.

I remember when you made the Ch19 video and all the banter on here leading up to it. No one has successfully countered it to this day... so It still stands as the only authoritative source! LoL The sad part was, many of us (myself included) had no idea the Line A issue was nullified, which didn't help.

Hey folks, we are hosting a get-together on Sunday, July 13th starting at 02:00 PM at Carrabba's Italian Grill in Centreville, VA. We will meet in the main lot and spend some time socializing and working with anyone who may need some guidance on their gear. When everyone is hungry, we can head inside for some ice cold beverages and some food. As always, this will be a family-friendly event. Feel free to bring family and friends. Any questions, just post them below! https://www.facebook.com/events/744340581470568/?active_tab=discussion https://locations.carrabbas.com › Virginia › Centreville 5805 Trinity Pkwy Centreville, VA 20120

Just remember the corner caps are plastic. You should have the mount forward on the hood about 6 or 7 inches for a good ground plane.

Couple quick pics. Ignore the body damage.. it my offroader.

I wouldn't put 2 fuses, but i would relocate the one that came with it to no more than 18 inches from the battery. The closer, the better.

Fiber or fabric roof. That's not an option. For a fiber roof, mounting some type if reflector for a ground plane doesn't work. The material is too thick for it to be inside and it's ribbed up top, which adds a whole new level of aggravation.

If you are mounting an antenna that large, i would drill a hole in the top of the bed rail over the tail light and hard-mount a UHF mount. (Or NMO). The only other option would be to use a lip mount on the hood. Something like this... ot the Diamond version. https://www.cometantenna.com/product/coment-hd-5m-heavy-duty-rs-840-lip-mount-w-dlx-166-coax-gold-uhf-conns/ I'll take a couple pictures of mine in about an hour and show you what I have (both) for GMRS and Amateur Radio

I wonder if being in a metal rack is helping with shielding. Unfortunately that isn't something I can try in the field. At one point, I did run a 3 foot grounding rod and made sure the case of the radio was well grounded, but that didn't do any good either.

Here are a few sweeps of one of my band-pass filters. I'm confident the filter works fine with about -60dB of attenuation on the other bands. The assumption is that key parts of the radio are not shielded well enough. 10m 20m 40m 80m

They don't help with the IC-7300. If there was a radio within a half mile pushing more than 1w and they were on a frequency below me, I couldn't hear anything but that radio. I made two for 20m and ended up buying a third that was a high dollar commercially made and none of them worked. I ever skipped a patch cable and used a double male barrel connector direct to the radio and the filter did nothing. They all looked great on the analyzer, but the radio just lacks the proper shielding in the IF circuits or some other critical part of the system. Never did figure it out. Just started using mt FT-891 for contesting with the group, since it has a native amp keyer.

My two favorite HF radios for newer operators and for people who aren't DX contest junkies are the Yaesu FT-991A and the iCom IC-7300. The Yaesu includes 160m through 70cm (all bands, all modes) and the IC-7300 covers 160m to 6m (all bands, all modes). My personal opinion, the IC-7300 has much better receive sensitivity, but it is more prone to interference because of it. It is almost impossible to use in a group for things like contests or Field Day, but its great if you typically use it at home or with no other operators around. The FT-991A is truly a "Shack in a Box". Good at everything, not great at anything. If you have any interest in 2m or 70cm SSB, its a good choice and one of the few "new" radios that support it. Otherwise you are paying original retail or more for used radios that have been discontinued a decade or more. For example, I have an IC-7000 that was discontinued in 2014. Last known retail price when on sale was $900 from HRO. They are for sale today for between $900 and $1,100 depending on if they have the head separation kit or not.

Also, they are going by what is at the antenna connector of the chassis. "Output Power listed is conducted power." Conducted Power: This refers to the RF (Radio Frequency) power that is supplied by the transmitter to its antenna, measured at the point where the cable connects to the antenna. This is different from radiated power, which is the power emitted into the air from the antenna. Based on what I read from Cornell, the FCC's definition of "conducted power" primarily refers to the total transmit power delivered to all antennas and antenna elements when the transmitter is operating at its maximum power control level. This is also referred to as "maximum conducted output power."

I found the authorization... it took a few minutes between meetings. LOL What is wild is, the FCC authorization only seems to be valid if the user is operating with a maximum of ZERO dBi gain antenna, unless I am reading this incorrectly. I mean, it says "should" not "must"... so I don't know the correct answer. There is nothing in the rules about antenna gain. Where is my FCC enforcement guy? We know you read this stuff... LOL. Can the FCC legally put a limit on one-off stuff like that without going through a PRM process and an update to the rules? Seems odd. https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/tcb/reports/Tcb731GrantForm.cfm?mode=COPY&RequestTimeout=500&tcb_code=&application_id=MjZkkijyA8IfBeMCZsYVMw%3D%3D&fcc_id=2AGNDGMRSRPT50 TCB GRANT OF EQUIPMENT AUTHORIZATION TCB Certification Issued Under the Authority of the Federal Communications Commission By: MiCOM Labs 575 Boulder Court Pleasanton, CA 94566 Date of Grant: 12/15/2023 Application Dated: 12/15/2023 BTECH (BaoFeng Tech) 702 N Industrial Ave Arlington, SD 57212 Attention: Greg Wilson , NOT TRANSFERABLE EQUIPMENT AUTHORIZATION is hereby issued to the named GRANTEE, and is VALID ONLY for the equipment identified hereon for use under the Commission's Rules and Regulations listed below. FCC IDENTIFIER: 2AGNDGMRSRPT50 Name of Grantee: BTECH (BaoFeng Tech) Equipment Class: Licensed Non-Broadcast Station Transmitter Notes: GMRS Repeater Grant Notes FCC Rule Parts Frequency Range (MHZ) Output Watts Frequency Tolerance Emission Designator 95E 462.55 - 462.725 46.7735 1.097 PM 16K0F3E Output Power listed is conducted power. The transmitter has maximum duty factor of 50 %. This device is authorized to operate in the following radio services: GMRS (Part 95E). There must be an informational insert inside the box (product package) or the Users Manual must include information that clearly informs the consumer (buyer/owner) when the radio is transmitting on GMRS frequencies, that operation on GMRS frequencies requires an FCC license and such operation is subject to additional rules specified in 47 C.F.R. Part 95. The ant gain used should be 0dBi as max,The device with it's antenna must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 114cm from all persons. End users and installers must be provided with antenna installation instructions and transmitter operating conditions for satisfying RF exposure compliance.