kidphc

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

Nec wants you to bond to the house ground. Remeber, even it is grounded to the rod the max potential might be higher then the the other ground. Path of least resistance, guess where it going to want to go. Secondary, you can cause a ground loop although not bad at uhf/vhf. Try avoiding it. I think spacing between 8' rods is 16 feet. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Anything in the path and near path should be replaced. Near field strikes can cause huge emp surges. Highly recommend checking appliances and such. They could of been damaged. Not sure if homeowners insurance will help when gear isn't properly grounded, AKA antennas. On a note to try and help you feel better. Even if you had properly grounded it, it wouldn't have mattered for a direct strike. Grounding the equipment is to bleed of static buildup ( could have been the cause of the strike) and for near lightning strike damage. Hence, why hams rush to disconnect equipment as soon as a bad microcell enters the area. Keep in mind the damage may have been minimized if grounded properly commercial repeaters get hit all the time. Although the antennas are usually obliterated from direct strikes. Even in a car accident you should have insurance replace your gmrs/ham/cb radio circuit boards can develop micro cracks and such. Which develop into erratic behavior. It isn't the massive amount of voltage doing all the damage. The gigantic rise is what really destroys everything. Inside of cables and such that do survive can have parts of it vaporized internally. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

some options. https://www.ebay.com/itm/323883630600?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=323883630600&targetid=1069703719611&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9061283&poi=&campaignid=11612590686&mkgroupid=115886443569&rlsatarget=pla-1069703719611&abcId=9300457&merchantid=7945094&gclid=CjwKCAjw1uiEBhBzEiwAO9B_HUKUqeGBWq_m-QNAxImYemnD40AwpIVSTL21Iy2sPfmgWzkJ3zPBnRoC2c4QAvD_BwE https://go-vertical-usa.myshopify.com/collections/military-radio-tower-mast-sections-antenna-camo-pole https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/mfj-1906?seid=dxese1&gclid=CjwKCAjw1uiEBhBzEiwAO9B_Hb3JOOF-x-KRrX5vOP1hsV-krlvUZnwL-gYW_xvbeEL-egIyngQuJRoC8MQQAvD_BwE

Military surplus antenna mast might be sturdy enough for the yagi, unfortunately won't work in the size department. Spiderbeam makes wonderful but pricey fiberglass push up mast. Weigh the yagi before you call to see if it can support it. Keep in mind with a fiberglass pushup pole you don't have to use all the sections just up too the highest strongest section you can use. A drive on pedestal mount for the mast may speed deployment up quite a bit. Sounds like satelite phone or a mobile starlink (for wifi calling) are right up you alley. Minus the $$$. Ever thought about your ham ticket? Aprs with the use of smsgate allows you to text and email via winlink. Limited yes, but better then nada. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Fiberglass tends to be lighter and more compact. The yagi is going to want to be on a metal pole. Recommendation. Roll up slim jim, sling shot, fishing line and sinkers. You shoot the weight up as high as you can get into a tree. Then pull up the cell repeater antenna and the slim jim. Of course only works when you arent in the middle of the desert. Why the yagi? Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

If you are consistently getting 80% or higher on practice test... just go take it. You'll do fine. It's not like people are going to say omg.. you only got 75٪... we will never know. All the fcc cares about is pass or fail. You both got this. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

That is exactly why I was thinking vertical with a inverted v mounted to the tower. Can switch between antennas. Or better yet forget the vertical and go multi element yagi rotator and an inverted v. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Any vertical should work. To get resonant bands with a tower you could run a fan dipole, or any number of wire antennas. Only time you would need a tuner is if your system is not impedence matched. Even then I would recommend an auto tuner. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Not hard to route the coax. Just a little problematic if you have curtain airbags and such. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Speaking of insurance, I need to find out what waivers I need for my mobile radios in my truck. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Is this what you are talking about? https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-ucgc-z Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

No. It can take a week or so if they file electronically. If they do it manually could be a wee bit longer. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Sorry. Rather that then cussing pounding it and wishing you had the hammer drill right? Might as well pound some more in, not. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Almost all pellet guns require some testing to find "the" pellet. Even some of the choked ones. Keep with it can be very rewarding with a springer when you master it. Me, I avoid break barrel and springers if I can. Hate to have to relearn how to shoot.

Yup. Did it last night on my ft991a. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Terrible.. you are on the beginnings of buying something like an fx impact ot auschund now.... j/k.. Yeah, break barrell springers are tough because of pellet seat constitency and artillery hold. Actually, impressed if you are grouping 1.5" at 44yrds with the gun. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

I pump she shoots. Really 1322 was just a pinker where I did not have to use the hpa tank or co2. Personally, it cuts my right hand behind the thumb. Since I grab the grip when I pump. Hoping the tippman stock is strong enough to be used as a lever. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

You are well on your way. Soon all the towers with antennas you never saw will start appear in your vision no matter where you look. Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Congrats on the ticket. When ever that was. Now to fully be a ham. You will need to adopt the round plump size which can correspond with you personal knowledge base. Or conversely you can adopt the skinnier eccentric body/personality type. Personally, I choose the former rather then the later. Took me a while to figure it out why I couldn't lose any weight anymore. Wife promptly informed me it was because I was on my fat ass playing with radios or electronics instead of running around with the kids anymore. ROFLOL.. Actually, realized it was true and made me almost cry, not....

Lol... wife and I had a conversation about the flag pole antenna last night. She said she should have ok'ed it. She doesn't like the idea of the bird feeder attracting deer and pest. Her: was the feeder because you want to watch birds? Or was it always the antenna? Me: Antenna of course... Her crap should of just bought the flag pole. At least I could of chosen some flags. Trust in the fact your wife knows that it is a new radio... lol.... It has just entered the rolodex for potential memo later. I am looking at alternative mounts and antennas. The general ticket is on the back burner for a bit. Here is the conversation with a fellow ham last night. Him: So why not just a straight HF rig in the truck Me: only a technician Him: get the ticket Me: too lazy Him: Oh one of the 4 banes of the amateur radio operator. Me: 4??? Him: Yes. 1.) Not enough money for the toys 2.) Too lazy to do it right now 3.) XYL 4.) HOAA Me: so many abbreviations in amateur radio Him: QRM, 73 Me: WTF, QRM??? you are standing in front of me.. hey get back here.

I would not want that for the GMRS service. The truckers that use CB end up running illegal amps not all but you would be shocked by how many will openly admit it. Quite a few users splatter across adjacent channels, rendering them useless. Or they free band into Ham 10m bands, because of course no one is using them right? Now imagine that mentality in the beloved GMRS service. Where the 1kwatt amp is splattering across all the frequencies. In the sake of getting more distance out of a service that was implemented as a hassle free close coms. The biggest problem would be the FRS/GMRS bands are in most places adjacent to license business operations or EMS/Police/Public sector bands. The service is awesome for short distance coms. The ability to walk into Target or Walmart and pickup a radio for a caravan without going through the installation of a mobile or any real training on radio operations is incredibly awesome. As far as the FRS in the campground shops. Makes sense. Kids can play with it. Mommy and daddy can keep tabs on Billy without having to stare at him. You start to see GMRS mobile units in off road shops. Where the user normally doesn't want to fumble around with an HT while being tossed around in a truck. Been there done that, no thanks.

***UPDATE After 2 days or so. The reports I was getting have been decent. Some of the signals I am receiving are absolutely beautiful. One issue has raised its head. It has to do with the bracket. The combo of the hustler disconnect, whip and nmo adapter maybe too much for the L shape of the bracket. It just rocks the entire mount on some bumps. Even if we removed the fender and tapped another hole for a bolt. Where the NMO attaches isn't rigged enough and bounces about a 1/8th of an inch at times. I am definitely not going to pursue putting a Little Tar Heel II on that particular mount. I may have to invest in another mount further down the hood. The issue is most hood mounts are L shaped. So I don't expect for it to get better by much. I hope a bit since the other location for the hood mount and style is more compact.

I looked at a IC7100 for the shack. Wife hated spending over 1k on an alarm clock. Plus for mobile everyone has bitched the form factor of the head can make mounting difficult. So she bought me the FT991a as a B-day gift. Love the shack in the box in the house. I would never use that radio for mobile driving operations. The menus require some thing most of the time. I hate doing Mars Mods. I am terrible with surface mounts. Only time I want to put a soldering iron to them is to see how many I can round up into a ball when a device is unsalvageable. Hence the FT991a is stock. The FTM is CAP modded for emergency GMRS usage. CF4M wide sounds fabulous, most natural sounding. CF4M narrow sounds like every other digital. Robotic with the added sound of a stuffed up nose. The nearby repeater feature I want, again for road trips into unplanned areas and such. I am finding with the FTM400 the same frequency pair and tone is being used for repeater up and down the east coast that I have programmed. So I need to delete some. In comes the character limitation. How so, how do I know the callsign of the repeater I am on? Won't be able to. This is where I would find it useful.