marcspaz

Just connect the main power and the power sense wires to the positive connection of the power supply.

Yes... in fact, I have had some potential customers that were using CB radio and opted to stay on CB after the sticker shock. Very few of my non-government customers actually follow all the way through. I've all but stopped servicing private business because the penetration rate was under 20% for more than a year.

Okay... I'm tracking now.

I'm not sure if any of you ever got a communications license for a business before, but it is really expensive and time consuming. I charge customers around $3,000 per site, for a single frequency, and I'm not even the final coordinator. They charge as much as another $500 per application. I have seen applications take months... even beyond a year in some cases, if the FCC asks for changes or amendments in order to come into compliance. And you can't legally operate until the license is approved. That means all of the engineering documents are submitted, surveys are submitted, etc. You could spend $10,000-$15,000 for a small, local commercial radio system for just one frequency and a few radios. Many businesses find it much easier and cheaper to stick to free services like FRS and MURS for that very reason.

I'm confused. GMRS is no where near 403. Its 462 and 467.

The Laird B4505C and it sub-models (BB4505CR and B4505CR) are non-tunable, pre-factory tuned antennas. If you recall from my Gain and SWR thread, I mentioned that some antennas are not designed to be tuned by the user. You need to read the product manuals for tuning instructions. In this case, you would have had to looked at relocating the antenna or checking for damage. Tuning isn't an option for you. Unfortunately, that antenna is likely toast. Even if you get a replacement whip, the chances of getting it within spec is almost zero. The whip being 0.5mm too high or too low could cause issues. I would recommend buying another antenna.

@Lscott... There is a Hobby lobby near my house that was/is using MURS channels. I can hear them at my house, 11+ miles away. No way are they running legit power or equipment. Many businesses are doing the same thing on the FRS/GMRS frequencies around me, too. It's mind-blowing that the mall has an ERP of 70 watts. What on earth could they need that kind of power for? Around here, I can talk 10+ miles, full quiet with 2 watts on a 50' mast.

I have a set of Motorola radios I use with the family, and occasionally for outdoor stuff. I drive around with them on once in awhile too. I hear people (mostly businesses) using them pretty regularly.

Yep.. I used to go to Thompson Raceway Park every year for a drag race called the Buckeye Brawl. Takes about 5.5-6.5 hours to get there depending on traffic and weather. Nothing like driving a 10" pro-street race car 800 miles round trip.

I'm a computer scientist and communications engineer. That last thing I want to do is more digital when I'm out of work. I have a WinLink account that I have never used. No FT8, no FLDIGI, no DMR. I love warm analog static. LoL Besides, face to face to enjoy company... not to talk shop. Familiar subjects just helps get the convos started.

I forgot to post these after I took the picture. Keep in mind, for the sake of this topic... this is not very portable @ 67lbs. http://fiveguysracing.com/marc/HAM-GMRS/20200723_190831.jpg http://fiveguysracing.com/marc/HAM-GMRS/20200723_190844.jpg

Fantastic. I appreciate the lead. I will check them out.

I just checked them out.. wow, their warranty is great. 11 years on the 100 ah deep cycle. But its almost $1,000. I may go this route if the solar system I have will charge it... but I'll be crying the whole time. LoL

This is great advice. I would love to get an LFP and it may be next battery. My system primarily runs off of the solar panels and the battery is there to handle heavy draw spikes when I need to use the amp. I think I need a different solar system to switch to LFP.

Duracell. I'll share a picture tonight.

25-35 ah battery will give you hours of 50w use. If you go 5w or 15w, you can use a smaller 10-15 ah battery and still run for several hours. I have a 100 ah SLA AGP battery that I can run a 100w radio for 11-12 hours at 50% duty cycle. My battery weighs almost 70lbs, so unless you need it, I wouldn't go that large at all.

There are a couple of techniques. I personally tune for the center frequency of the band I plan on using. To be sure you are centered, you check the highest frequency you will use and the lowest frequency you will use. If the SWR is the same on both, you are good. If the SWR on the high frequency is higher than on the low frequency, your antenna is too long. If the SWR on the low frequency is higher than on the high frequency, your antenna is too short. The biggest problems you will run into with GMRS antenna tuning is, unless you have an antenna analyzer, that method is tough to use since you can't tune to the center frequency. Also, in centimeter radio, if you trim the antenna as little as 1 millimeter, you can drastically change the SWR. So, its a slow process and easy to mess up an antenna.

Adding to what was posted above, you do not need to have the tone programed to the simplex channel in order for the repeater channel to work correctly. They are completely separate.

I wish we all lived closer. I would love to sit down and chat with many of you. There is a lot of knowledge and experience in this group. I would definitely bring some doughnuts.

That is the most politely anyone has ever told me that I'm full of crap. LOL

If I make a mistake, please let me know. I do this stuff all day as a professional and sometimes the brain gets fried. Especially at 12:00 AM.

You are correct an I will correct it. Gain factor of an isotropic antenna is 1.0, not one BD... typed a lot. type-os happen. You guys are killing me, though. I specifically said I didn't want to science it up so I didn't confuse people. SMH Explain stuff like a little kid is reading it so people who have no idea what is being discussed can at least comprehend the general concept. All that stuff you guys posted is wasted on me. I already know it. The target audience is not going to have a clue what you wrote means. EDIT: That's not true... what I described about the radiation pattern and its general shape as gain increases is correct. I buggered a type-o. That doesn't make the rest explanation of incorrect.

That stinks... I have been making cables for 35 years. Always do them by hand with a straight razor. Make sure its sharp so you need minimal pressure and you will never cut the shield or center lead by mistake. The only time I use a tool is when I strip very thin cables that I can hold with needle nose pliers and wire strippers like the one in the picture. And I don't bother setting the guide stop. Again, just make sure they are sharp and use light pressure to squeeze and twist and you are good to go.

Good point. I dont have an NMO mount on my vehicles and I don't have a UHF 1/4 wave antenna. Otherwise I would redo the test to see the difference. That would be another point of consideration for antenna tuning as well.

Actually, its a type-A to so239. Some of the wavering could have been from the cheap cable and mag mounted. My analyzer doesn't read cable impedance or capacitance on UHV, so we can't see what's happening on that side of things.