kidphc
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Posts posted by kidphc
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Second: The Midland magmount is disposable. The environmental sealing around the magnet lasts about a year, then the magnet rusts and the thing falls apart.
Really, haven't found one that doesn't rust. Even my Nagoya Ut82,is rusting up and fading after 1.5 years. That with how badly pinched the coax gets over time, is why I don't recommend it.
Well except for family caravans, where family may actually use the license. Then I am throwing up 3-4 on different cars connected to hand helds and hand mics.
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Not sure of the connector type or antenna that comes with it. If it is a standard pl259 style connector. You could always go with a better mag mount and antenna or drill a hole for NMO mount.
Personally, with what I have experienced I would look into a nice 5/8th antenna where any coils are going to above roof racks or other obstructions.
You will get a much better ground plane with a properly installed drill type nmo. Which can lead to better reception and transmit range and quality of signal. 90% of this type of mount is getting over the worries of the install
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It is a steal at the price. Considering how much a basic one cost at Home Depot.That is the enclosure I plan on using.
Thanks,
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Should meet code, check local laws though. You should probably use #6 going from the utility box to the grounding rod as well. Might as well remember static etc is going to want to follow the least path of resistance. #6 isn't even really that expensive.
Personally, I will be grounding my radio equipment to a buss bar (using copper braid, inside), using #6 that goes to a MFJ pass through to an outside DX Enginnering NEMEA enclosure, which will all be tied back to the main electrical rod. Which for me is conveniently located a few feet away.
DX Enginnering NEMEA Enclosure
MFJ Pass through
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Colinear design. Generally, if you cut it messes it up a bit. Colinear antennasn which are basically stacked dipoles. It also has a loaded coil in the base. They usually come tuned from the factory.
Generally, don't tune that design.
Which end did you clip?
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That is the truth. Shockingly enough it is a bit cheaper to get ham gear at times also. Most people use the test an excuse. Really, with a bit of studying it is more of a formality.
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Ok that sounds like you tones are set properly. Usually referred to a repeater tail, if there was a delay when you released the ptt.
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I found for me, it was a bit of my equipment. The better antennas I got the more chatter I started hearing.
Then it became a lot about the luck of the draw. What I mean is sometimes things lit up like a Christmas trees other times it was dead as a door knob. I mean almost a month before I heard anything on a particular repeater, then it was nonstop for hours.
Continue calling out and monitoring. You will hopefully get someone out there.
Also, when you say automated response are you talking about repeater ids?
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OH NO!! Not an old Bulldog PushMatic! Those had to be the absolute WORST breakers of all time... right behind the Federal Pacific Stab-Loc. The last time I had to maintain one of those was at KHAS-TV back in 1999. The old section of the TV station, built in 1955, had pushmatic panels - BIG ones - with 48 single or 24 double breakers in each panel. Back then you could still get new breakers for them from Siemens. I think you can still get some today from ITE. The original Bulldog breakers were junk. Many times, when they overloaded, they wouldn't trip, just half-way disconnect, and arc, and smoke, and buzz real loud, destroying any sensitive electronics plugged into that circuit.
Junk that panel and get a Square-D QO series load center. Even a less expensive Homeline series would be an improvement in safety over the old Bulldog boxes. Check your local code requirements - some areas require newer style (and drastically more expensive) "arc-fault" breakers when replacing and upgrading old panels. In some areas, it may even be illegal for you to do it yourself. If in doubt, have a pro install the new panel, then you can install your own new branch circuits from there.
Wow must be some real pieces of works! They trigered a PTSD event in Jones. Takes some deep breaths you will be ok, they are only memories. lol
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The decoders are spotty. With a little time you can get cw. Even then a qrp kit with a wire antenna thrown in the trees in the backyard with a cup of coffe and then you are off for a lot less then a full blown HF base station.
Just understand the limitations of your choosen setup and have fun not getting fustrated.
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- pseudo electrician - I'm an engineer, and technology/electrical hobbiest. I knew 80% of the tech stuff from school and past experience.
- pseudo astrophysicst - not sure when i'll get into HF. First, its expensive, secondly, I can't properly get into a base station at home because I have to replace my whole house wiring(pushmatic box with no grounds), add a sub-panel in the garage (easiest way to rewire the second floor of my split level where my office is), on top of replacing plumbing issues and the need to either reside or repaint the house.
- pseudo mathematician - I due trig almost daily, engineering and stuff.
- pseudo audiologist - I'm not sure when, if ever, i will learn CW. I'm not great at languages, and often have trouble doing the translation with enough speed to even think of holding a conversation. Right now, I'm having enough trouble remembering a call sign that just talked so I can respond to them. I'm also terrible with names, it usually takes me a few days/weeks to remember.
- pseudo botanist - I currently have 2 large pin oaks that are at maximum height next to my house (4 total) plus a few other trees that I don't trust.
- pseudo camo expert - no HOA, and local zoning allows towers/antennas up to 50 without a permit.
Yea, if I had to know CW, I'd have been screwed. I also, at almost all times, have a million other things working in my head that make it impossible to focus enough of the listening/translating that CW may be considered a pipe dream right now. I've thought about just going computer generated/translated to see how I like those contacts. Still need a base station in my office to make that happen.
NO HOA... You are lucky. No one said you had to start HF with a 50 foot tower and complete array with rotator and amplifiers. A good dipole, fan dipole will work up in the trees
If you are a hobby technician/electrical guy. Then shocking enough you have the skills and 1/2 the tools to home brew everything from antennas to radios. You might want to check out DIY antennas, and DIY QRP HF radio kits (not the best choice for todays conditions).
The ground, you can drive an 8 foot ground and tie it into your house electrical ground. Pretty sure your house has main ground for the sub panel or the water main. You tie into those. On the second floor you have to be-careful because your ground line to the outside can become an antenna. There are artifical ground kits, to tune out the ground acting like an antenna, not to create a ground.
If you knew CW... there is the key chain CW kit ($44 on Etsy) with a long wire, a 9 volt and a HF receiver you could be tapping CW for less then a $100.
Either case have fun, shake your notions of what can and can't be done and get experimenting.
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Congrats, wish I had done the same. Have fun. for me the learning never stops with this hobby.
I never thought I'd have to become a
- pseudo electrician (all the electrical knowledge)
- pseudo astrophysicst (sunspots you know)
- pseudo mathematician (ideal angle for the sloper is, know how do I calculate they hypotenuse again?)
- pseudo audiologist ( omg was that dit-dah or dah-dit need to check why I can't hear it)
- pseudo botanist (now honey we can't plant that tree, it won't grow fast enough to give me the height I need for the dipole, or the venerable I think this antenna needs this leaf, so it looks more like a potted plant)
- pseudo camo expert (paint it this shade, it hides with the sky better).
- Vance42, Shadow471, Elkhunter521 and 1 other
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Conversely, my local RC shop, went their for helis will do them for a nominal fee. It also introduces you into another very expensive hobby
The peak rating for the power poles is the reason I went for them. My HV heli will generate in the order of 5000 watts [cant remeber exact numbers] of power at peak ( milliseconds) and about 80 amps.
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Yes crimp it on. I would recommend authentic tools and same with the poles. Knock offs don't work well, have a bag full of cheap Chinese ones to prove it.
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I was referring to the Tram antenna the OB posted. I knew yours was a genuine.
Aww ok.. I been having problems with focusing lately. I guess I must have had some more micro strokes. :/
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Another style and a pic of the breakout/buss bar/distribution bar
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Round pieces? The terminals on the power supply? I took some 12 away wire and tinned them and inserted mine in. They had a screw to hold the leads in on my supply. From that wire I put power poles on and connected it to a power pole break out box. Then put power poles on my radio and connected to the breakout box.
The breakout box has fuses for each of the connections.
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For me power poles when ever I can.
Generally, red 22-16awg wires, blue 16-14and yellow 12-10 awg. I imagine it is going to be 12-10 for most radios which has an eyelet of #10
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*** UPDATE
There was some concern about the fact that the NMO2/70B might have been a fake. The order was validated with Gigaparts as an original. Not sure if there are differences (material etc) from the original Larsen and the post merger PulseLarsen antennas. They say nothing has been changed.
They did say not to tune the antenna due to the design. If I tune for 460 it will bring the 2m band out of tune. Due to the fact that the 460mHz band is about 10 mHz out of design band. The SWR looks about right, the more you get out of tune the faster and higher the VSWR climbs. if you are looking for something closer you may want to try something that has a wider range on 70CM or tuned up to 460 mHz.
This is a reactance and SWR chart from some one who tested the antenna only on 2m. The SWR looks about the same
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in the grand scheme of things it's pretty negligible N connectors are typically 0.15 loss @10Gc, now dumb that down to 400Mc and it's irrelevant.
True. that did a calculation, with all the pl259 connectors, and lightning arrestor and it came out to a little less then a dB. Sadly, still came out almost to a 4dB loss (estimated) with a 100ft run of LMR400.
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Yeah figured it was something like that with you seaming to be heavy into public service.
Just found out that the MARS anntennas are protected by the DOJ.
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Don't forget. Connectors. Boy do the losses add up with those.
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Don't get me wrong... I was taught that the two main objectives of Amateur Radio was to promote international good will and to further the technology. The only limits on tech that I am aware of is that you are not allowed to run encryption or anything that is designed to hide the true meaning of the communications and your new protocol(s) need to be published publicly before they are used beyond development. Beyond that, the sky is the limit.
The fact that you can do it is pretty cool. It took some sharp and creative people to come up with the idea and bring it to life. But as an RF communications person, I have been groomed (and been grooming others) to no be reliant on underlying sub-systems for communications, because those systems fail. For two-way peer to peer radio to fail, we would have to have a catastrophic atmospheric conditions that would kill all carbon based life on Earth, before radio completely stopped working.
Big negative to IRLP/digital over the internet is that if you have an infrastructure failure you may lose the whole system or at least large parts of it.
Sooooo. Marc you MARS certified?
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Also, look at the thread here, it looks like a knock off of the Larsen Antenna that Lscott reviewed here: https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/1924-larsen-pulse-270-sh/?do=findComment&comment=17016
I reviewed it, either case the Larsen NMO 2/70b is a genuine from Gigaparts. It was bent up in transit and still has a kink in it. Beats me why Gigaparts took a 3 foot long whip and jammed it inside a 6"x6" box.
Keep in mind the numbers are from the antenna not being tuned. I simply mounted the whip to the coil/base and took measurements. I also noted that there was a paint drip on the coil, not sure if that is affecting the numbers. Probably going to contact Larsen to see if I can get a new whip. The
I will be getting clippers out to tune it bit better in the future. I don't transmit much on the GMRS/FRS frequency so the numbers didn't matter.They were acceptable for me as is. Since the signal reports are great. I have to really concentrate on rebuilding the center console, so I can get the FTM400 and android radio (APRS display) in.
2 Meter PL Tone?
in Amateur Radio (Ham)
Posted
Even worse in spring and fall. When you get tropo, you can get inter mod with repeaters a couple hundred miles away.
There is a reason why they want to have a discussion. Might as well, they haven't said no at least.