WSGU500

I am considering the Wouxun KG-905G based on a test done recently by myself and a friend. His house is over 13 miles away from mine. While testing my 10-watt portable repeater he could receive on his various inexpensive handhelds but couldn't really make out any words. However, on his Wouxun KG-905G he could hear me clearly with little background noise. This may never be an issue for most folks (receiving while on the fringe of coverage) but it did show that there is a difference, at least on receiving. This is probably simply due to the Wouxun KG-905G being a super heterodyne radio.

I am using 50' of LMR400 from the antenna down to the lightning protector and then a 12' RG58 from there to the radio. Monday I will be receiving a 41' and 12' LMR400 to replace those 2 cables. Both antennas seem to perform equally well (as far as I can tell). I can hit a repeater 23 miles away on medium power and reports are that it is strong and clear. I have also had the same report from a simplex contact over 24 miles away in the opposite direction. Sounds like the numbers indicate the higher gain antenna should be the winner and it performs well so will probably stick with it. Thank you for your responses - not only in this post but many other posts that I have learned quite a bit from.

The 10-13 watt difference is what shows on my SWR/Power meter. I had never heard of ERP/EIRP before doing some research over the last few days. I entered the data from the SWR/Power meter into the online Power Calculator to get the numbers at the bottom of my post. I didn't know if the Power Calculator was what I should go by but sounds like that is the actual power being put out.

A combination of the lower SWR and the 10 to 13 higher watts is why I was curious if the lower gain antenna would be the better choice.

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I have a related question regarding SWR and output power. I was using a HYSHIKRA FB22-GMRS 8'6" antenna that lists the gain at 8.5dBi. With that antenna I was getting SWR readings of 1.01 to 1.28 and over 50 watts (53-56) on the high GMRS channels. I now have a Comet GP-9NC (16'9") antenna that list the gain for GMRS frequencies at 11.9 dBi. With this antenna I am getting SWR readings of 1.41 to 1.58 and 10 watts less power (~43 watts). With just those numbers it seems that the shorter (lower gain antenna) is the better choice. However, according to an online Power Calculator (qsl.net) the longer (higher gain antenna) is the better choice. I realize that this is probably splitting hairs but I wanted to ask since I will be taking down the mast next week to replace the coax cable and redo the guy wires. In case it matters, I am using a 40' telescoping mast next to my house (well above the top of the chimney and highest roofline). Thanks in advance for any constructive input that you guys may have. HYSHIKRA FB22-GMRS 8'6" antenna at 8.5dBi gain Effective Radiated Power (ERP) = 23.80465151952302 dBW = 240.14036 Watts Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) = 25.95309 dBW = 393.83019 Watts ___________________________________________________ Comet GP-9NC 16'9" antenna at 11.9 dBi Effective Radiated Power (ERP) = 26.070051519523023 dBW = 404.58069 Watts Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) = 28.218490000000003 dBW = 663.51233 Watts

Thank you, sir. I appreciate your quick response and the others weighing in also.

I just purchased a Comet GP-9NC Antenna to use as a GMRS base station antenna. It has an "N" female connector and my current cable (50' LMR400) has a UHF male connector. I would like to use an adapter but am wondering if I should buy a new cable with the "N" male connector on one end. I usually try to avoid adapters but saw a video where a guy used dozens of connectors in a test and there was no measurable loss compared to no extra connectors. On a related note, what is the loss difference between an "N" connector and a SO-239/PL-259 type UHF connector.

That is interesting, WRFP399. I appreciate you including that information, especially in light of the response I received from Retevis regarding power output. I get between 5.5 and 6.7 watts output on my RT97. I figured that it was due to going through a duplexer but wanted to see what Retevis support had to say. Their response included various things to check with one of them being the input power. They indicated that low input power would cause low output power from the transmitter. I did my testing using their included power supply. Anyway, I am happy with my RT97 overall. I thought that their response was interesting and possibly inaccurate. I figure as long as you give the unit 12 volts DC, it should do what it's supposed to do.

I've got a Retevis RT97 10 watt repeater hooked to the MA09 antenna that came bundled with it. The antenna is 43' AGL on the highest point of my property. I was able to communicate with a friend on his mobile rig over 11.5 miles away. Having said that, there are valleys much closer to me than that and no communication is possible to those low lying areas. Still, I can get several miles in all directions with this setup. It runs off of a 30 amp-hour battery connected to a 100 watt solar panel. Also, not that you need more power, but, Retevis announced the RT97L which is an updated version of their portable repeater. It is rated at 25 watts. It is supposed to be in stock on April 4 this year. If nothing else this may allow you to buy an RT97/RT97S at a discounted price, maybe even get a used one from someone that is upgrading.

I must be lucky since my BTECH GMRS-50V2 is showing over 50 watts simplex (channels 15 and 22) and over 45 watts on the repeater frequencies. SWR shows 1.18 on the simplex channels and 1.42 on the repeater channels. I have a YNIBST GMRS antenna with 50' LMR400 to a lightning arrester then another 10' RG58 to my radio. More importantly, I am reaching a repeater that is almost 25 miles away and have talked simplex ~20 miles away in 2 different (opposite) directions. All contacts report that I am coming in loud and clear. I am very happy with the performance of this radio. Hopefully time will prove that it's good for the long haul.