kidphc

Real quick. Loss in coax at uhf and above is a real issue and can be a big loss. Cheap cable and the wrong spec cable, are usually the culprit. Don't get cheap with connector they will only add more losses. For flat areas, high gain antennas as reasonably high as you can get it. I always recommend collapsible flag poles. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Would make sense more for judiciary trial evidence. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Side note how you like the Xg100m? The mission plans have me spoiled personally. Got to play with a kenwood armada. They sound so clean. But it's like one of those things that is so expensive for common folk it didn't even register as a real thing. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I agree. The quality of the audio fidelity of the message means diddly as long as the message is clear and copy able. You have to admit though. It is border line abrasive sounding especially when compared to wideband digital/fm. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Sadly I think part of the reason that ccr are terrible (not all but the one that are especially looked at by novices) is if you look at the FCC certification for the radio it's done in a lab in China. Often with the same person, so it feels like no real certification is going on except for a rubber stamp. It would be like asking your wife to certify you were working to your employeer while you were in the pool all day. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I saw old ass video of an FCC enforcement truck. The guy was impromptu interviewing a field officer. According to them they can identify many radios by spectral fingerprints as well as electronic finger print of the circuitry with power applied to the circuit and not just when transmitting. He did mention they are undermanned. Enforcement cost a lot of money and time. They are better off selling spectrum for the big bucks. So you really have to screw up before they actually start door knock. Usually, entails interferring with someone paying for spectral space to make money off of. Me personally, I would pay a bit more for a Motorola Jedi than a UV5r (yes I have several of the variants). For the durability and spectral cleanliness. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Birdies aren't necessarily only over 1 MHz spectrum. There some times no rhythm or rhyme. However, you aren't seeing spread spectrum transmissions from what I see. Sst usually will have a step looking effect in the water fall as it transitions between frequencies. Plus in the waterfall the blips go almost across the entire 1.6 MHz of the band being displayed. Personally, what I see are EMI burst at roughly. 4m,.5m,.1m,.4 apart. Maybe a power supply with bad shielding. Although I don't know any that run at that cycle rate. I once saw the processor of my computer showing up like that. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Looks like some EMF mixed with some birdies to me. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Had a buddy with topo like that. Mind you where we live around D.C. it's Rolly Polly Piedmont till you head towards D.C. which kinda sits in a bowl. He kept complaining about dropping his mast 10' got him to a certain repeater. Raising it or lowering it more he lost coverage. He would often hit 20 miles straight line due north east. But couldn't make a repeater well that was less 10 miles. It drove him mad. Turns out his house sits on a kinda hill. But his house is surrounded by a hill ridge except in one direction. You got it there was a nice direct line North East that was clear. Every other directions using line of sight calculators he needed a 50' tower. What you should take a way is that you should look at a topo map or uhf line of sight calculator. I don't think much is to gain by switching a HT antenna. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

What are the obstructions? Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Think of the radiation of an antenna 0 dbi gain as a ball. Bear with me simplifying as much as I can. As you squish the ball it get flatter and The sides bulge. Having more of the radiation pattern focused to the horizon. This is what a higher gain antenna is accomplishing. Without going into directional antennas. So the more gain an antenna has the flatter the radiating disc gets. But it starts losing coverage vertically. Yes/no higher gain antennas can help with obstructions. For instance, vehicular offroading with a group where there are elevation changes I will get better coverage for the radios above and below me with a lower gain antenna such as a 1/4. Where if I were to drive in a flat wooded area. I would want a higher gain antenna in the hopes of punching through the leaves and trees. When it comes to hts. I haven't noticed a night and day difference between 0 and higher gain antennas. The ht often is only around 4'8" to 6' off the ground. Often maybe a slightly better radio report from otherside of the repeater with a higher gain antenna. What i do notice is the eye poking risk, physical interference and the constant jabbing of the higher gain (often much longer) antenna. Truthfully ht antennas are relatively cheap. Try different one (borrow if you can) to see what works and you can live with. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Maybe the repeater is set to narrow? Narrow is more effiecient in power, and bandwidth utilization. Radio operators generally don't like it because when compared to wide band it loses in audio fidelity. You should hear narrow digital. Sounds like everyone has a stuffy nose and is in a tank of water. Get p25 trunked encrypted, aggravating, due to all the compression. If your intrested in how bad it is ask a FD or PD to let you listen to dispatch for a second. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

He asked about using an HT antenna on a mobile. So I geared my answer around it. For receive sure you can use the HT antenna with appropriate connectors, I wouldn't transmit. My abree 48" tacti-cool antenna is literally a tape measure with flexible heat shrink. I do expect damage to it if I lit it up with 20 watts. Pretty sure I would have a floppy flaming sword. For apartment/condo/house/camping. A slim jim outside thrown up with some rope is really hard to beat in price, performance, and convenience, regardless of transmit or receive. Oh look incoming storm, oh look potential static conditions, bring down and roll it up. Plus they cost barely any more than a ht antenna. For receive only I would have recommend a lot of other things to start with. Like a passive/active antenna with a cheap SDR dongle. So much more to listen to, s/m/l wave, vhf/uhf/shf, international broad cast, pirate radio stations, unencrypted traffic, hunting for wspr beacons, slow video scan, yada, yada. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Either use a shorty for when she is using the truck and swap out for longer when you drive. Even on a hood mount any all band style antenna is going to be long. Hoping out of the truckbto fold the 2x4sr got old fast. Not to mention even with the spring it's a thick stiff antenna. I don't think it will take whacks well. Hence why I switched back to the Larsen 2/70sh back on. Mine has a permanent kink in the open coil and has tons of paint missing from all the whacks. Yes it's loud, but it takes a beating. Didn't help the wind load was high and the mount+antenna was always rocking. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

HT antenna are usually not rated for more than 5w so most don't try. They are usually very compromised and are a barely passible design for the job. The elbow connectors are generally really bad. They a lot of time are not constructed internally very well. The 90° design often induces other issues. Generally, speaking avoid them. If the ground plane is an issue. How's about a jpole or slim jim. They are compact and integrate a counterpoise into the design, so no ground plane necessary. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

For me the shortest multi-band antenna that actually is pretty broad banded, does depend on the frequencies. Are 1/4 antennas. For gmrs, amatuer radio "70cm" and "65 cm" lmr frequencies the 1/4 is cheap short and does the job incredible well. It when you throw in 2m and vhf lmr it gets hairy, since 1/4 vhf usually is going to be 3/4 for the cm services we use. I don't like ³/4 wave antennas. 98% of the time for ham, gmrs 90% of the time it's a 5/8th wave modified to accept a notinol whip. The other 10% of the time it's a 1/4 or 5/8 over 5/8. For all band coverage. The usual 2x4sr and diamond counterparts. Be forewarned on hood mounts they perform meh and have terrible swr. The diamond seems to have better swr in that location. For my hood/ditch light mount I use a 2/70sh so it can take a beating. It's a bit directional, borderline terrible on the hood of the LC when compared to when it was on the roof of the suburban. The ftm400 it is connected to does have the caps mod. I however really use it to monitor. The XTL5k is connected to the roof antenna, it hears and reaches out about 500% better. Due to antenna location. Really just depends on what is important and what exactly you want.

Randy ala xoffroaderx had a video on the Kraken SDR tracker on YouTube. The signed kraken unit was sitting with a local here for a bit. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Considering 7300 is an SDR radio you gain a pan adapter and maybe a hair more sensitivity. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Some great responses. Wish there was something like this thread 4+ years ago. If you are learning and just playing, then a cheap RTLSdr is more than adequate. Paired with even rabbit ears it can be fun. If budget allows, it active/passive antennas and discones expand its capability and can be re-used. I had mine set up with the usual recommendations with omni rig for a while as a psedu waterfall. Ended up switching to a rsplay1 for more HF versatility, at the same time switched to SDR console, liked the cleaner interface and book marks. Also got tired of the winamp look, heheheh. Future want/plan is to ditch it all and go straight to an Apache labs or Flex style SDR radio. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I was going to install a 900 in my truck. What stopped me? Another brick for one band. A band that is being over taken by SCADA equipment, that alsi has one repeater locally, with very little usage and is kinda far for me. With an SDR I was shocked at the noise floor locally on 900 MHz. You may want to look at old public safety gear. For example here is a XTL2500 BRICK 900. You will still need the head, mic, speaker, cables, programming cable, cps etc. Although not difficult, if you have very little big "M" experience you could fall down a rabbit hole of learning. https://www.ebay.com/itm/135159923563?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=iZAsytqvQCq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=a03yk-vsq9o&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY A cheaper option might be to try using or having some program a Motorla GTX in 900. They are going to have other issues, for example battery might be dead. But hell they pop-up on Fleabay for $50. LSCOTT, might now what to look for in the older Kenwood 900 mobiles. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Reasoning? Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Well to be fair I was trying to be generic with the answer. If you are wide they are narrow. You would sound loud to them. They would sound like they are under deviating and need to turn the mic gain up or yell into the mic Going through the repeater (set to narrow) it would really matter if you were wide banded. The repeater would clip the audio and retransmit as narrow and sound a bit to quiet. Sound fidelity wise, wide sounds more natural where narrow there is often clipping of the highs and lows. There is just more bandwidth to play with. Think playing music at 40bits vs 256 bits. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Audio would have been quieter. Like the mic gain was too low. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

If you are chasing gain. Try quad antennas, they usually have a narrow cone when compared to a yagi. When I say narrower I mean, less spread vertically as well as the pattern was more focused from what I in antenna software and theories. I just ran into issues when trying to DIY due to the spreaders. I just wasn't very happy with the materials Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I think Marc had the same experience. With a good solid ground plane, the SWRs are good. Even if it is a bit off of good, it starts nose diving. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk