kidphc

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It can. I know terrible answer. But no definitives. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Right angle jumpers are serious hit or miss. Especially, the premade ones. Some times they are barely soldered on the center pole. Rf doesn't like right angle bends much either. We use loops and the mid point of the loop for long wire antennas (refer to fold backs). Well guess what you can adjust then fold back lengths to tune antenna. Even with a foot hang off the fold back. So much so that my random wire came with specific instructions to use pulleys to create curves in order to minimize bend radius that will be seen as the electronically the end of the antenna. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

I'd leave good enough alone. If it bothers you 213x is a little more flexible. For most of my jumpers the are either rg58 or lmr200. Under a foot not much of a difference. 100 feet yeah, notice losses are by the 100 feet? Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Might have been my pics. All equipment grounded to grounding buss. Buss grounded to outside exit point, it hand a ground point why not use it. Outside exit point grounded to grounding rod. Utility box grounded to grounding rod. It is where the poly phasers are located. I try to avoid daisy chaining as much as possible. I also like to keep ground leads as straight and short as possible. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

No direct range calculation for wattage. It is just more umph to get through the noise floor. So it will get you some more distance, in perception. If you took all three in an airplane and cranked then at max wattage. All three would get the same distance. But the highest powered one would come in stronger and louder at the edges due to the umph making you heard over the noise floor (if you use squelch, it would open the squelch depending on the setting). Hence, the monitor button on most radios. When search for weak signals you turn off the squelch. Most of the time you can barely get any copy but sometimes, sometimes. Through trees and such yes a little power can help. But trees do a great job of attenuationing vhf/uhf signals. They do an even better job of blocking signals when wet. Also when you double the power you only net 3db worth of signal strength. In theory. The gain of the antenna also will affect what you perceive. The 3db antenna is probably better in hilly terrain. The 3db antenna is more like a sphere in radiation pattern. Where the 6db it is more akin to a platter. That is why you have higher gain. You don't get something for nothing. With a yagi yet get 10-12 db in gain but it is highly direction like a pie wedge. Hope that helps a little. Antenna and radio theory are fun aren't they. That is why you need to experiment. All this is why in Lone Survivor Murph gave his life to try and get as high and as clear as he could. He probably knew he was going to silhouette his entire body to every living thing for miles. In an attempt to get help. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Again. Will probably do nothing but a be a big fireball in a direct hit. Partial, I imagine a near field hit you are still going to see damage. I worked at Ft drum doing telephony work as an apprentice. My boss was showing me near field damage. In one of the command offices in the old part of base. There had been a near field hit to one of the trunked lines. The patch panel had these carbon fuse blocks. He showed me where some of the fuses blew from a lightning strike some 60 feet from the line it rode. It went through the line, vaporized the carbon block. Shooting fragments 30 feet across the room through the otherside of the cinderblock building into a dumpster 30 yard away. The ground rods didn't look much better. He dragged me in there to tell me this. Showed me there were lines closer to the strike, but it chose to go somewhere else. So that if I heard lightning to run like hell. Whether or not I was in a CO or by the lines it is going to do what it wants to, you aren't going to stop it or change its mind. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

You mean a coax-less nmo? If so soldering iron and its accoutrements. Crimper(if crimping), soldering tools if soldering and cutters for the so239 side. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Most of the UHF/VHF verticals I have seen were DC grounded. I did see, I think they were Comets that had some that weren't. Funny enough you mention HF. Most of the near HF halos and squalos I saw weren't DC grounded. I got confirmation from one vendor. That their halo style antennas were not DC grounded. I always that having a DC grounded antenna was one way to defeat common mode interference, that vendor said by not having it DC grounded that is how they overcame common mode noise.

I know its a DC ground antenna as you get that typical "short Second, paragraph. https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/swr-issue-on-dc-grounded-antenna.379423/ some more information: DC Grounded Antennas - The Myth, The Legend, The Fantasy https://www.iceradioproducts.com/80.html

For crimping I bought a dx engineering crimping kit. Decent price. Comes with cutter and swappable crimp dies. So you can swap between rg58/lmr400. Definetly spend money on a good circle nmo cutter from laird or larsen. Definetly, a auto center punch (used a harbor freight one). Don't want to have a radio shop punch a hole and put a weather plug in till you can do the install. I used a Milwaukee steel circle cutting bit and a step drill bit. I am a mechanic by trade. Should have know better then to use what I had. Was it terrible job NO. Was I proud NO. Would I have been ok if it was a customers car fNO. Really wish I could recommend something in the middle between professional and I am gonna give it a try once grade of tools. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Is this antenna dc grounded design? Most commercial verticals are. It would show up as a short, please some one correct me if I am wrong. Plus, if it is a dc grounded antenna you may want to ground the mast. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Looks like the same power from a computer power supply. Maybe some one with one can answer. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Could be a kink caused damage or excessive solder in one of the crimps. Guess you got to test each component individually. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Could be the difference fromnjust making onto a repeater to full quieting. Comparing a 30w radio to 60w radio is doubling the power worth about 1db. Hard to say if you will notice. Probably for 90% of the operation no. It's that 10% where you are almost at the noise floor and they can make you out and hear you. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Yes, you can. Understand, everyone can hear you. You will not hear them if the tones do not match. Think of it as a squelch that only opens when the tones match. Now you know why everyone says the antenna is more important then the radio. Uhf/vhf is mostly line of sight. The higher up you get it the more likely it is able to see other antennas over mountains and obstacles. Going from a 1/4 wave magnet mount on my truck to a 5/8 over 5/8 I went from 8-12miles to 23-40 miles. Going from a ht with the radio to my ftm400 now I can hit repeaters some 30 miles away easily. The x200 (8ft 2/70) 30+ feet in my attic. I am hitting repeaters close to 90 miles away (different band with ham repeaters). Congrats. You are reaping the rewards of your work. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Then leave good enough alone before you regret it. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Normally you can't trim commercial antennas that long. They are pretuned and colianear style antennas. If let say a cb antenna, you read the bottom channel swr and top. Bottom is higher then top then usually too long (trim). If top is higher then bottom the (then too short, extend, If not possible stop immediately). You can't length many antennas without replacement of the whip. Normally, I tune so the middle has the lowest. Remeber most vswr curves are v in shape. When vswr starts climbing around where you were wanting the curve to be the lowest you stop. Very important to go slow and small changes. Many hams have piles of whips where they went to far and trimmed too much. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Depends on how easy it is to tune. Personally yes. Also depends on what channel you will be using the most. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Another update. Had to tack weld a support for the upper L of the bracket to control really bad rocking. I also tack welded the mount to the hood hinge bracket to stop it from the constant tilting back after a whack. EDIT: to add image of the welded support

Have a fender mount from Walcott for the 02 burb. I've had to tack weld a support and tack weld it to the mounting location. The type I am using mounts to the hinge location. Keeping in mind the support was due to the usage of a 10m hamstick (70"). When the 4 foot antenna it was fine. The 70" would rock side to side and when it whacks a tree cause the mount to tilt backwards. Should of bought the other hood mount further down the hood. Would of stayed squared, but had the rocking. Why 70", close to 1/4 wave 1st. 2nd didn't want 100 wants blasting me in the face. 3rd 3/4 of the antenna is above the roof line plus with the hamstick it is top loades. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Tune at final location. Yes, lots of up and down. Interactions with environment will cause affect tuning. So239 = female Pl259 = male Your options are to crimp or solder. For crimping you will want/need a crimper, cutter. You will need to know what size coax you are using. The $8 cutters take adjusting to get right, so I recommend you test the cust on scraps. If turn it the wrong direction is that the blades will chip and the cutter is useless. You can buy the times microwave cutter. Much nicer but $100, and you have to buy one for each cable size. The ferrules (part you are crimping). Are the only real differences between cables. Order extras (ferrules connectors) in case you get a bad crimp. Soldering have a good iron. It takes quite a bit of heat, especially with larger or well shielded cables. My recommendation contact a ham club or a ham. Buy the ferrules. He'd probably do it for free to meet a radio guy. Edited because I am home now.

Your summary sounds about right. I add multiple trips to the hardware store into my estimate for any type of renovation. I like your approach trying to do it right. Hope you have some sealant and maybe a plastic shim, to keep it sealed and the coax not rubbing against bare concrete. It can be as bad as a sharp razor blade. Keep it up! Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk