marcspaz

As mentioned by @Borage257, especially due to the time of day and the time of year and what the forecast has been, you are near certainly experiencing tropo ducting. That said, you touch on something that many people grossly overlook, including radio pros. Although we discuss VHF and UHF radio being a "line of sight service"... that doesn't mean that atmospheric conditions impacted by solar cycle don't impact VHF and UHF... particularly in the case of GMRS. In fact, during the day, they can have a profound affect in either increasing range or swinging the other way, causing radio blackouts. UHF signals actually travel comfortably beyond the visual line of sight, by about 15%. This is due to refraction and scatter affects in the atmosphere. The more loose, electrically charged ion particles are in the air, the more scatter and refraction you get. This translates to better signal quality at distance and often, a small bump in range. The ionization in the F region increases roughly 2 × 106 e/cm3 during maximum sunspot activity. The F1 layer is the principle reflecting layer during the day in the summer. This is why some bands perform much better during the day. While these principles have more and more of an impact as you go lower in frequency, the lower the takeoff angle and the more the solar weather is spicing things up, the more likely you are to have a significant amount of your UHF signal refracted and/or scattered back to the earth beyond the horizon. As an example, during a contest back in 2009, I was able to use a stacked beam array and 1,500w to make a contact on 146.52 MHz from a mountain top in Virginia to central Texas. On that same day, I was also able to make a contact on 446 MHz to Tennessee, near the Arkansas state line, using the same kind of setup as the VHF contact.

What is acceptable is up to the individual and if you are getting the job done. Losses in a 17' run will be difficult to measure since it's so small and most equipment the casual operator owns and uses. In order to have your signal impacted by 1 signal unit (out of a possible 9, typically) you would have to cut your power by 4. Meaning, if you have a total of 10 watts out of your radio, but only 2.5 watts makes it to the antenna, you will see that the receiver's signal strength meter only falls 1 signal unit. Same concept on your receive sensitivity. Well, lets say your cable has a 3.8 dB loss at 467 MHz. You would need to run almost 200 feet of cable before you impact your signal 1 signal unit. at 17 feet, you only lose about 0.65 dB. At 10 watts out of the radio, you will still have 9.2 or 9.3 watts going to the antenna. While the result is measurable, its meaningless from a user perspective.

Those are pretty neat! I think if you're going to be traveling a lot, that can be something to help keep you company while driving. I was supposed to be going to Moab, but I get very sick twice this year. We rescheduled for August of 2024. We're going to do some desert runs in SoCal, the Rubicon, Black Bear Pass, then head to Utah. Planning 3 weeks in total.

Got to get the 40 mike mike training rounds for the under-barrel. LoL

The idea of paying for an ammo can blows my mind. For decades I have been getting them for free as packaging when I buy ammo. I have lost count of the ones I threw away because I have too many of them and no room to store them once the ammo has been fired.

I agree with the comments above. No adjustments in the radio. The nl-770g antenna is a pre-tuned antenna, that does not require tuning. I also agree that it's good to check your SWR anyway. The reasons Kenny mentioned are all good, but the location of the antenna also impacts your SWR. If your SWR is high, you may want to move the antenna to a different location. Cutting a pre-tune antenna and changing its resonant frequency is typically not a good idea.

Not only is this statement factually true... but in my opinion, the decade of the absent enforcement has led to the ridiculous behavior of jammers.

Great feedback! I like it. We'll have to see if we can hammer out so.e details at dinner this weekend. Mike W will be there. Since he owns most of the repeaters in DC and Northern Virginia, as long as he's good with us doing it, we should be able to get that stuff going. Assuming the group is interested.

No firsthand information, but a very reliable source told me a UV5r. I really can't say... just some inside baseball. As I mentioned, it's not my story to tell. Even if it was, it's too early to tip my hand.

This is local(ish) to me and i know some folks that are involved in this case. I would love to discuss this in detail, but it's not my story to tell. I will say that I do believe the pendulum is starting to swing the other way.

I just approved it. Welcome!

I don't have anyone pending. Had an automatic approval for Steve. Is that you?

Hmm.et me look. I'll approve it now.

Question... what can we do to make this group better for you? We have a lot of talented people who love to help others. I would love to hear ideas on how we can improve. I was thinking about training classes (in person and virtual), radio install parties, gear reviews, weekly tips on fine tuning your setup, etc. Does any of that sound interesting? Also, please make your own recommendations. I definitely want to hear from you all. Thanks, Spaz

I have a few things prepped for just such a thing... including some gear store well outside the predicted EMP blast range of my area. (Everyone should learn how to ride a horse, btw. Unless you own a CUCV, vehicles will be dead.) There are two ways to protect radios (and other electronics) against an EMP. The first is metallic shielding made of a continuous piece of metal. Steel or copper are good choices. Unfortunately, a metal enclosure doesn't always fully shield the interior because of the small holes that are likely to exist in the structure or the metal plates, themselves. This type of shielding often requires additional elements to create a barrier. A multi-tier system. The second method, buy a radio (or other device) that has tailored hardening. The manufactures protect the vulnerable elements and circuits. They are redesigned to be more rugged. The idea is to use parts that are able to withstand much higher currents, making existing systems less vulnerable. @WRKC935 An EMP can break more than just semiconductors. Semiconductor devices fail when they encounter an EMP because of the local heating that occurs. Usually due to excessive current due to the electro-magnetic pulse. Think of it like a short being introduced by a high-voltage external source. However, wires, fuses and even things like vacuum tube based circuits can be damaged.

As Steve mentioned, GMRS is a "Bring Your Own Contacts" type of service. Very utilitarian. If someone is looking for people to chat with on the radio, I always recommend getting your Amateur Radio license. Particularly a General class or Extra class. Then, there are millions of potential people to chat with, both on local Ham repeaters and Nation-wide, as well as globally on HF.

For the last two days there have been a bunch a metor showers that my amateur friends are bouncing signals off of to talk from Georgia to Alberta Canada using VHF and UHF signals. My money is on you hearing this propagation.

Same here. I use 2 radios for my amateur repeater. The radios are RF linked and the up-link and down-link are separated as much as 1/2 mile depending on use case and how much power the transmitter needs to be. I found that even at 5 watts, I need about 100 feet of separation. Cable-linking introduces a whole new level of aggravation. Depending on your use case, it may be easier and more affordable to simply by a low power repeater.

That is very odd. I'm not sure why that is happening. just a WAG based on no real understanding of how the function works, It may have something to do with speed and the additional time needed to process the tones vs the channels with no tone is an instant open, so that channel win?

So, if I am tracking correctly, you have rChx with TSQL programed in scan and the simplex version Chx with no tone programed in, but it only stops on the simplex frequency? For example. Repeater Channel 20, tone squelch set to 141.3. Simplex Channel 20, with no tone. Everything works as intended in this state. You hit the scan feature, repeater traffic is present, but the scan feature stops on the simplex channel most of the time? Even is the scan feature is used to scan from the high memories to the low memories?

I am not speaking for Randy... but I agree it's not for everyone. The are large, get hot, have more than enough power and programing capability to get you in trouble (if the FCC ever starts enforcing the rules). You could legit get a surplus radio that wasn't decommissioned correctly or not at all and all of a sudden you can find yourself on Fire, Police or some federal agencies digital encryption system and a lot of trouble. (Not an I guess or think. A buddy found a bunch on ebay) Then, one in good shape will be anywhere from $700-$1,000. You need to acquire one that is new enough that the programing software will run on modern Windows unless you have a way-back machine or are a computer systems engineer who know how to 'fake it' with a legacy OS. Then, you have to know how to program it once you actually get the software going. I wouldn't tell anyone that they are not capable of accomplishing any of this... but unless you are a tech savvy person with time and resources on your hands, it can be time consuming and frustrating to start with. Given that many new users struggle with using tones and getting repeater access configured, I don't normally point people in this direction.

I am currently using a Motorola XTL5000 and a Diamond NR-7900 antenna and together they are fantastic. I have had great luck with the KG-1000g and MXT500. The Gen 2 Midland MXT400 isn't bad, but the price vs lack of features and difficulty of programming push it lower on the list. I would need to get one at about 30% of retail before I would buy one over the other two. I would 100% buy the Gen 2 MXT400 over any mobile Baofeng/BTech mobile radio. Some people love them (and I like their handhelds), but I have had several of them break within days... even minutes of installation. With regard to antennas, I have also had great performance with the MXTA26 and the Tram 1126-B.

On the hood lip or swing gate... it won't matter. For antennas requiring a ground plane, as long as there is about 7" of metal under the antenna (regardless of the angle) it's going to work. As mentioned above, not all antennas require a ground plane. So depending on the antenna you buy, it may be a moot point. Also, the terrain and who/where you are trying to talk to will dictate if you have a no gain, mid-level or high gain antenna. No gain antennas provide much better coverage an hilly or mountainous areas and high gain antennas are going to provide better range in relatively flat areas. A 3 dB gain antenna is often a compromise. I just own both a no gain and a 6 dB gain antenna.

Hey folks, I am rescheduling a radio expedition up to Reddish Knob. Lets bring handhelds, mobiles, whatever you have. This is going to be a chance to set a personal-best for range of a contact and soak in some nice fresh air. If you have any non-GMRS gear you want to bring, this is a "let play radio" event. Bring it out. Additionally, I will be setting up my HF radio. Anyone who is interested in trying out the amateur bands and possibly talking to someone in another country from radio to radio, everyone will be welcome to operate my equipment. No need to worry about licensing, as you can operate under my station ID up to the limits of my privileges. No amateur license needed. We have chosen this location for ease of access. Its paved all the way there and the parking lot is paved, too. No high-clearance vehicle is needed. This is a "weather providing" event. It will be rescheduled if there are chances of rain and/or lightning.

You can listen to any frequency without a license.