marcspaz

@WROZ250 Good info! You know, you may be onto something with someone having the uplink and downlink flopped. One of the really heavily distorted/load stations I heard was calling from FM19 and I am FM18. I can 100% full quiet to a station in FM19 from my house.

@WROZ250 I appreciate the advice. I have used other people's gear before and had a great time, which is why I tried my own equipment yesterday. It was pretty fun using one person's radio at 800mw and another at 5w. I had an FTM-400. I don't know if it was a firmware issue compared to your experience, bit the lowest mine went was 5kc steps. I replaced it with the FTM-300DR. I'm currently thinking about an FT-991a, IC-9700 or an IC 705. I just don't know if I like the idea of being QRP unless I buy a bunch of amps, or I would have already purchased the 705. Anyway... thanks again. I guess a new radio is in my future.

There is no attenuation function on my radio. It's a mobile VHF/UHF radio. I do have an Icom 746 Pro which has an attenuator, but there is no UHF, so it wasn't an option. I may look at a Yaesu 991a, if that has an attenuator and 1 Hz tuning. Sucks to hear about the cancer... but it sounds like you have a nice setup with the radio.

True... but if people are worried about that, they may as well never turn a computer on ever again. Tracking cookies are worse and available to more people.... and if you are using location services on your phone, not only can I find your house, I can find you work location, where you like to by groceries, where you really were when you told the wife you were going to hang out with the fellas... I can even grab all of your account login information for banks, forums, social media, find out what you have been searching for and shopping for online, etc. People hearing my call sign on the air is so innocuous compared to using a computer or phone to access this (or any other) website. It's just not a big deal.

I have seen those before. Its a pretty net setup. I am using a Yaesu FTM-300DR. It only has a 5k step instead of a 1k or finer. I wish I had a 1 Hz tuner... but the last radio that U had that feature on was my now long-gone 857D. The reason I think there was too much gain is because of the audio characteristics. It get louder and louder until it sounded like someone was screaming into the mic. My S-meter was pegged, too. I did try shifting up and down 5 KC thinking it might have been doppler, but it didn't help. Maybe 5k is too large of a jump and I need more fine tuning? Just for giggles, next time the ISS is going to fly over, I my test with an HT. LOL I tried to find one of those for 2 years and gave up. Few are for sale and the ones that are, the owner is asking way too much. Thankfully, the FTM-300DR has 2 seperate transmitters and receivers, which made it easy work, for the most part.

Hey folks, I have a quick question. Tonight I made a 1,700+ mile contact from Virginia to Mexico using the ISS cross-band repeater (VHF/UHF). I was running my Diamond X300 vertical which has 7 dBd gain (9 dBi) on UHF and my frontend was getting overloaded to the point where a lot of audio was distorted. I was watching the tracker and I could only hear well when I was on the edges of the coverage area, near the horizons. However, one person sent me an email saying he could hear me very well in Mississippi... so I know the take-off angle and the doppler effect is accounted for. Does anyone here do satellite work? I'm thinking I have too much gain. I am considering building an omni-directional horizontal loop and trying again soon. With the exception of buying a beam on a tripod, do any of you have any advice on what to do for antenna design? What has worked well for you? Thank! Spaz

Honestly, I think you guys are over thinking this. If I really wanted any of your info, it's all Federal public record. All I need to do is submit a "Right to Know" or "FOIA" request for all documents that mention your call sign or FRN.

QFT. I have witnessed first hand, a well placed high gain antenna running 100w out, significantly outperform a poor antenna at low elevation and 1,000w+.

@Screech ah! Got it. I didn't realize you were putting a new circuit in. I missed it some how.. sounds like its going to be a good setup, for sure.. Thanks for the quick reply.

@Screech I'm curious why you are installing a 50 Amp circuit? Even poor efficiency 50 watt radios only draw 7 or 8 amps on full power. I have a 50w GMRS radio, 50w VHF/UHF radio, 100w HF radio, and a 300w VHF amplifier on a 40 amp circuit and never max it out. I could literally transmit full power on all of them at he same time and still fall short of 50 amps.

I mean, I didn't see anything that said it has to be your legal name. I use an alias on most of my federal forms because they are public records.

For the record, you can have a PO Box. You just list it at the time of application. If you already have a license, you can change it to a PO Box.

First and foremost, it's not just Hams that do that. GMRS based CERT and REACT team's (who are often not Hams) handle nets and emergencies the same way ARES/RACES does. The reason for this is because emergency communications has been standardized in the US and anyone who want to help is going to do it the formal way. Secondly, I think you are misunderstanding the concept of calling for emergency or priority traffic. If it was EmComm traffic, operators move from local, up to regional/national nets, and then back down to a local net. In a traditional communications blackout, that is how emergency and priority messages get handled. So, that is how they practice. The whole procedure is not for the guy stuck on the side of a mountain... though if no one has been returning your call for help and you know a net is on a specific frequency and day,, you can bet your bottom dollar you will be thrilled they're on the air and they will take your emergency call. Also, it's a good habit to get into in case there is a real emergency. Especially before a net or a bunch of long-winded people getting ready to ha e a BS session. It's a good idea to remind everyone that regardless of what they are talking about, all conversation should stop if someone with an emergency gets in the air. If you don't want to listen to or participate in a net, no big deal. Just turn the radio off.. Don't trash people for caring enough to make sure there is no real emergency and practicing for the day one happens.

Actually, this happens in my area all the time on the repeaters. Not so much on simplex, though. There is a 650 repeater I use all the time on Bull Run Mountain and another 650 repeater in Ellicott City (52 miles away). On the near daily basis, even with different tones, we end up having massive issues. My buddy may bring up the BRM repeater with the proper tone, but even though he is closer to the repeater than the other station, the other station using the Ellicott City repeater will either come over the top of him of they both end up wiping each other out. Not a good time.

There is a lot more to commercial towers than just getting it in the air. If you have working capital, it could be a good thing. Just remember there is risk. Two recommendations I would offer is this... if you're going to a bank or venture capitalist, you need a solid business plan that looks like its going to work, and a backout plan to still make money if it doesn't. The other is, talk to potential customers. Tell them what you're planning and ask them what their needs are in order for them to consider doing business with you in the future. By doing this, the County emergency services office was able to help my friend get through obstacles that stopped the process, because the County said it served the greater public good. He had no idea they would be an ally until he talked to the Emergency Coordinator. Good luck! I hope you succeed!

He made his money back in just a few years. He is letting the county use it for free, but the other companies are paying over $30k a month, collectively.

You can't go by what you "hear". There is a repeater near me that has 15-20 people monitoring the machine from around 0730 in the morning until 2100 at night, but may never say a word. Sometimes none of us talk to each other for days. Then there are people like me. My base station is always on and monitoring all if the GMRS frequencies. Even if I'm not home, my wife, son or mother in-law could all answer an emergency call.

You know, there is no ERP limit with mobile radios. It would be fun to build a crazy stacked beam array and see how range improves with 50w and 14 or 15 dB of directional gain.

Last climber I hired was $200 and hour from the second he got out of his truck until he pulled out of the driveway. It doesn't seem too expensive until you get to the point where he is just standing there waiting for you to finish your work between climbs. A friend of mine has a 300' commercial tower that hosts several cellular carriers, the county police and all of his amateur and GMRS gear. Cost him well over $1M to get it installed. He was charged $60K just to have the land certified that it's not historically significant nor has any specially spiritual/ritual significance for Native Americans.

Sucks to hear you didn't have any luck. Not only does that suck, it's one of the many reasons why I have every type of personal radio service radio in my offroad vehicles. Are you sure you had repeaters programmed correctly? I have to say, on UHF with 5 watts I have talked direct to people from about 4,400 feet to the shoreline about 160 miles away. That said, you need to be sure that there are no other mountains/hills/etc. In the way. And also remember that the earth has a pretty sharp curve to it and UHF/GMRS is a line of sight service. If you have a poor performing radio, antenna, or if the current conditions don't support scatter or ducting, even at 4,500 feet, you will be limited to about 90 miles, even if everything is 100% perfect and zero obstruction to the horizon.

I am a Ham, but had my GMRS license long before my amateur radio license, going back to 1988. It was an individual license back then and gear was primitive at best, but that is part of what made it easy. Me and my Ham friends (whom actually do appreciate GMRS) very rarely use VHF/UHF ham frequencies anymore and are almost completely GMRS. Many of us got sick of the club politics. We just use GMRS to chat while we are heading to meet up, stay in touch on the road, and in touch while offroad. Be it in 4X4's, on foot, small boats, etc. Anyway, I wouldn't let it discourage you. While some clubs have linked GMRS repeaters and have Nets, there are way more causal users and families with handhelds, mobiles, as well as base stations or repeaters in their garage so they can talk to family and friends.

Correct, Sharp Corp is a Japanese company. However, starting in 1962, they had a division called Sharp Manufacturing Company of America in Tennessee. While Sharp Corp was located in Japan, they decided to leverage a Nationalism wave that was happening in the US at the time and founded their first overseas (for them) manufacturing and distribution subsidiary here in the US. Production and sales were 100% color TVs and microwave ovens. They had Made in America stamped on every product. For all intents and purposes, it was an American TV (with Mitsubishi guts, sense Sharp had a longstanding relationship with Mitsubishi Electric).

As everyone else pointed out... it comes down to price. A great example in the amateur world is the Ten-Tec 588 that starts at $2,700 vs the Yaesu FTDX-10 that does the same things for $1,400. Or the FT-991A which has most of the same features (less power/portable platform) plus VHF and UHF AND is not a ROC, but rather a much, much better triple-conversion superheterodyne receiver with excellent filtering for $1,200. I really like Mike and I am thrilled he kept a Tennessee based company alive, but I can buy 3 Japanese radios for 1 of his.

This reminds me of when I was a kid and did sales and repairs of TV's. I used to have so many people bitch about my Mitsubishi, Toshiba and Sony inventory levels and model options being so much more than "American" TV's like RCA, Phillips, Magnavox and Sharp. One day, I setup a display with every 19" TV I sold, with the back's of every TV open so all could see. I had post-it notes pointing out that every single TV, regardless of the brand, domestic or otherwise, all had the identical Mitsubishi or Toshiba main board. People refused to believe that it was just packaging. Even after seeing it with their own eyes. I had some people accuse me of staging the boards to look like they were the same. I guess, what I am saying is, stupid should hurt.

Your reply was very pleasant and I appreciate that. I try not to think of it as "correcting" someone... because occasionally there is a negative connotation with the expression. I hope my reply didn't come across coarsely. I prefer to think of it more as... we have different experiences and we are just sharing our experiences to help each other.