kidphc

Is it a non gmrs repeater? Why I ask? The gmrs repeater frequencies are set by the FCC. Set with a +5Mhz offset. Unlike amateur radio repeaters, you can not have a reverse offset and remain compliant. Even then a way to "monitor" a repeater is simply listen to the output frequency. You just won't be able to transmit. For the db20g, you can three finger salute the radio in "open it up". So you can bypass the firmware locking for GMRS. I don't condone it. [emoji6] Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I have seen dstar signals on the sdr. It wasn't anything like a digital fm signal. We confirmed as a nearby aircraft pass. Probably on a glide path. Which would make sense that a radar altimeter was engaged. The signal looked like a giant diamond on the waterfall. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

We are pretty confident now it is a radar altimeter. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I'll ask. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Not that we have seen it narrows back down and slows down in speed and width. It is intresting to see. It's right inside of the fm portion of the band plan. Just a bit higher than the atv portion. I thought it could be a smart meter but those are in the lower section of UHF same with radar which should be in the 1 GHz portion not 1.2 GHz of the 23cm band. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Attached a screen shot, tried to reattach the video filed.http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/673e24f4dcc13/VID_20241120_124934%20%281%29.mp4http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/673e24fb69dfc/VID_20241120_124934.mp4 Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Buddy ran into something on his waterfall. We both have been scratching our heads. The ham group on Facebook says it's radar, it could be hence the shifting width of the signal. It's just nothing like any Eldar signals I have seen. Although, we can't rule it out. He is close enough to 3 international and 1 community airports. Originally, I thought it was a spread spectrum signal because of the stepping. Hoping someone else has seen something similar. Link to the Facebook post, for those that don't want to download the videos. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AfUqPiQaZ/http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/673e2262d4234/VID_20241120_124934%20%281%29.mp4http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/673e226aa6fa6/VID_20241120_124934.mp4 Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Do you have anything empirical for power loss. I guess to get accurate numbers you'd have to sacrifice a bunch of mounts and coax (nmo, mag and glass mounts). You know removing variables by clipping coax to as short as possible equally across all the mounts. Although, any antenna is better than no antenna. I was under the impression that the power loss through glass mounts as well as it's rated power handling are severely limiting. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

16 is simplex. 16r is the repeater, like you said with the offset. 16 simplex and 16r out put are thr same thing. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

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.