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wayoverthere

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Everything posted by wayoverthere

  1. wayoverthere
    Personally, the 805g is a good level of customizable, though adjusting power would be nice. I have a couple repeaters in range on the same channel but with different tones; the wouxun lets me assign each its own memory slot with the appropriate tones, while still keeping the channel numbered slots free for travel use. It's also free to adjust tones from the display, no keypad needed, if I'm travelling and want to use a new repeater. With the btech 50x1, I have to remember and swap tones in the hard coded channel, since it doesn't allow programming any more tx channels. Some of my lmr stuff, i cant even change tones from the faceplate, it's computer only.
  2. wayoverthere
    I know the Wouxun kg805g will let you have all the transmit channels you want up to the max it can hold, within bounds for gmrs. I believe the 905g and 935g will as well. Jumping over to the LMR side (there are some part 95 Motorola and Kenwood models, I believe) opens a lot more freedom, but limits what you can do in terms of changes through the front panel, versus having to connect to a computer and reprogram. Pricing there varies, and it's a matter of getting good used gear, or $teep prices for new.
  3. wayoverthere
    The map (https://mygmrs.com/map/) would be your best bet for finding a repeater in range; I see a couple on the west and south of Louisville that are listed as open. I also see one to the east (Backbone - Eminence) that indicates it's part of a linked system, so it's quite possible to have heard traffic from closer to Cincy, depending where other repeaters on the system are located. On programming the 50x1, while it can be helpful for monitoring, they don't allow you to add any more transmit channels, so it's kind of limited in usefulness. Setting up for a repeater can be done from the menu, it's just going to the menu (t-ctcs or t-dcs) and choosing the appropriate tone for the repeater. You can set a receive tone too, if you want.
  4. wayoverthere
    I think 19.9 is just the "max" it can display...I got it a couple times checking handheld antennas with no ground plane. Touching the connectors changed the numbers noticeably, depending how and which ones I touched.
  5. wayoverthere
    I have the same issue with my BTech 50x1. Lots of free channels, but they're all rx only. I seem to remember reading something that indicated that level of lockdown made the certification process easier and/or quicker. I appreciate wouxun's design allowing all the tx channels you want that are in-bounds for gmrs.
  6. wayoverthere
    It's a Midland 5/8 wave whip, mag mounted on a 12"x8" piece of sheet metal and tucked on top of a bookcase. Not sure how well the current placement will do for simplex, but it does fine for repeater work
  7. wayoverthere
    incidentally, i have both the SW33 (the small inexpensive one) and the SW102 (the slightly larger, slightly more money, full display model). The SW33 did not come with a plate, though i don't think the enclosure being solid metal hurts...it DID include a 5 watt rated dummy load. The SW102 included the plate. I did a couple quick tests to see if RF affected the readings, though i used GMRS since i don't have anything approved for MURS. With both meters and my KG805g HT, I used channels RP21 (467.700 tx) and simplex ch 3 (462. something...the number slips my mind at this second). SW33 said 1.05 and 1.02, while the SW102 showed 1.0 for both. Then, I freed up some slack in the cable, and held the HT up within a foot of the antenna, and tested again with the SW33. Same 1.02 on Ch 3, RP21 actually dropped slightly, to 1.03. At least for UHF, it seems pretty unaffected...I can try to retest with a different handheld and VHF this weekend..will need to switch antennas and try messing with the ground plane and see if goes that bad.
  8. wayoverthere
    Given it's a mobile antenna, rather than a handheld, and an swr that high, I lean more toward either a ground plane issue or a short in the cable. Handhelds are definitely wonky with handheld antennas (again, ground plane), but it shouldnt matter for a mobile antenna; it should be getting it's ground plane via the mount, not the ht.
  9. wayoverthere
    I would have sworn there was something on midland's site previously mentioning it. That said, their authorization for the 275 DOES allow for it: https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/tcb/reports/Tcb731GrantForm.cfm?mode=COPY&RequestTimeout=500&tcb_code=&application_id=o9gcpY0BMlKQKr%2FMaUSLGQ%3D%3D&fcc_id=MMAMXT275
  10. wayoverthere
    Into the antenna will be in the ballpark, but you need the dummy load to be as accurate as possible. Mine is due any day now, so I'll try to get some back to back numbers between antenna and dummy load and see how much it changes. (On mid power...radio issues)
  11. wayoverthere
    The other tell will be if you're picking up interference. I haven't found gmrs to be super prone to interference in my truck (older ranger clone), though I've heard more issues in jeeps. Power wise, that sounds about par with other reports on the mxt500's. @marcspazhas some direct experience in this thread:
  12. wayoverthere
    Not sure what's up with the ghost; I havent seen a lot of good reports, and it's always seemed like a step down from their previous 3db option, the 5/8wave whip. That one (mxta10) is a little taller but still reasonable at around 12", and I've managed 60+ mile reaches to a repeater with it mag mounted indoors on some sheet metal. Sportsmen's appears to still have some in stock, too: https://www.sportsmans.com/hunting-gear-supplies/radios-and-weather-stations/handheld-2-way-radios/midland-micromobile-mxta10-3db-gain-antenna/p/1476042
  13. wayoverthere
    It depends on your preference, honestly. Tx tone is necessary, Rx tone is optional; I prefer to run it on the repeater slots to filter off simplex traffic on those channels, and no tone on the simplex slots, Some others prefer to skip the RX tone and hear everything...it just comes down to your preference and what's going on in your area. For reference, I have a couple repeaters in range on ch 16, but a local hotel is also using frs for housekeeping on simplex ch 16.
  14. wayoverthere
    The directory is very dependent on the repeater owners (or whoever adds them to the directory) to keep their information up to date as things change. Given the overlap in RX frequency between simplex and repeater, it's possible the repeater owner changed output tones to filter out simplex users in the area. It's also possible you were just hearing simplex traffic (though CW or an automated voice id almost always indicates repeater).
  15. wayoverthere
    So the biggest issue is making sure you're within range of the repeater, and that it's online (which, if you got permission, it should be). Your 935g should already have the appropriate presets (with the offsets included in the repeater channels). Dial up the right repeater channel for the frequencies the repeater uses. Go into the menu, and look for t-ctcs or t-dcs, depending on the tone the repeater uses....that's the big one to get into the repeater (with a decimal is ctcss, if it's 3 digits and a letter, it's dcs.). From there, you should be good for a basic setup; you can input a recieve tone as well if you prefer (which will work like a filter; you'll only hear signal with a matching tone). That's a popular radio, so I know someone else can chime in with a little more specifics as to the menu names and such.
  16. wayoverthere
    Good to know, and welcome to the fun.
  17. wayoverthere
    The repeater will tx on 462.625, and Rx on 467.625....to use the repeater, you'll tx on 467.625 (where it's listening) and rx on 462.625 (where it's transmitting). That said, if you're using one of the many new options for gmrs radios, it should already be programmed from the manufacturer with the full set of simplex channels and the 8 repeater channels (with the appropriate +5.0mhz offset).
  18. wayoverthere
    I've got a hotel housekeeping on channel 16, and some amusement place on another, I want to say channel 15. Also have a couple repeaters in range, 2 on 16 with different tones, and one on 20 that's private. Heard a Convo on one of the ch 16 machines the other day, and flipped over to vfo and discovered I could hear one of the parties on the input, so they likely weren't too far away.
  19. wayoverthere
    First, congrats on your new license! There's generally a day or two delay between the grant and the site recognizing it, since it involves the FCC pushing out database updates and back end processes that load the info into the site's database. I suspect by Monday you'll be good to go.
  20. wayoverthere
    Think of PL/DPL (aka CTCSS/DCS) tones as a filter, where you only hear signals with the matching tone. You're on the right track, including the statement about preprogrammed HTs; the receive frequency is the same for the repeater and simplex channel. It's absolutely possible that you could have a RX tone set for the repeater, yet still hear simplex activity on the channel if someone is using the same tone as the repeater's output tone. For my use, the channels I have set up for a repeater, I'll set both TX & RX tones on the repeater slot. The intent is that the repeater slot will only break squelch for signals from the repeater, while the equivalent simplex slot runs with no receive tone set, so I'll hear everything else on the channel.
  21. wayoverthere

    Didn't want to clutter up your MXT500 thread with any more off-topic, but it's pretty definitely the radio. 

    External meter agrees on voltage output from the PSU, and I took the Btech and the same antenna out to the garage ,stuck the antenna on top of my toolbox, and wired it to an extra car battery I have around (that stays float charged...it was pulled chasing a starting issue that ended up not being the battery), and it's doing the same thing.

    I also did some heavier testing on the radio last night in the wee hours...no fluctuation on low or mid power.  Also ran it through some longer transmit cycles a minute at a time with minimal breaks, enough to get the fan running.  It seems to lose power as heat builds, it'll bounce back kind of slowly if I unkey and key again, and  it eventually steadied out around 25 watts. 

    Transmit time is a lot less than receiving, and I rarely use high power as it is, so I'll probably just run it till it dies and either pitch it or use it as a scanner after that.  For on the air I'll just add an antenna switch so my 70cm vertex has access to both antennas.  Seems like a better option than digging out the MXT115 :D 

    1. marcspaz

      marcspaz

      That really stinks, my friend. Sorry to hear.  Did I read earlier that it's out of warranty due to age?  If it is under warranty, I would send it back, for sure.  Otherwise it's time to start shopping for a new rig.

    2. wayoverthere

      wayoverthere

      Yep, just about at the 2 year mark, so most likely out of warranty, but I'll double check.

      On replacement, the good news is I already have something that can fill in, as the 70cm vertex that's on the table above it is 95a certified, just need to route the gmrs antenna to it.

  22. wayoverthere
    Given none of the other codes have 2 decimal places, I agree with Michael. My mxt115 manual has the same typo though.
  23. wayoverthere
    What I've heard, I'd compare to a good analog signal, but "crisper". Haven't tried any simplex p25, just repeaters and a handheld. I also can't say it's been particularly inexpensive.
  24. wayoverthere
    How's your sound quality on DMR? I'm reserving judgment till I get it up and running on a better radio (and possible via an actual repeater, rather than a hotspot), but sound quality seems not great so far, varying levels of garbled, from minimal to near unintelligible. not sure if it's my cheap radio, the hotspot, or just life on DMR yet. (on a side note, thanks again for the attempts to help...in the end it came down to the talk groups i had were stone dead...trolled the 'last heard' page on brandmeister for active ones, and added those, and boom, working.)
  25. wayoverthere
    Sorry I wasn't able to get a good data points (and for the slight tangent)...going to poke at the issue a little more, see if it does it at lower power levels, and if the power meter on the display gives any indication (also, sanity check the PSU with an external meter, though i trust it more than the radio). Needless to say, that'll probably be about it for me and Btech. @wqmm866 unfortunately, it's coming up on 2 years old, so out of warranty. it hasn't seen a whole lot of transmit time, no funky SWRs or low voltage (Alinco PSU with ample headroom). haven't seen the power drop on anything else i've tested on that meter (Surecom SW102). The same PSU runs the 2 radios for my ham setup (though they were off while i tested), so between those points and Marc's experience points to the radio. It'll work fine for scanner duty, i guess, with that wide receive it has.
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