krvw

Inspired by https://www.scadacor...-line-of-sight/, I decided to run another test quickly. Grabbed a ladder and climbed up into the attic crawl space. Sent a GMRS check to my wife.
 
In the past, it did not even rise above her squelch level, but this time she at least got a staticky signal.
 
Hoping the improved antenna will clean that up further so that simplex comms are workable.
 
Plus, having the antenna better placed, I'm hoping for more hobby time on a couple repeaters in my area.
 
Cheers,
 
Ken

This probably helped.
 
https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter22/section15.2-2293.1/
 
Ken

Wow, my HOA approved my plan to put up not just one but TWO j-pole antennas!
 
I’ll be mounting a tuned GMRS and a ham antenna shortly.
 
This, in northern Virginia, no less.
 
Cheers,
 
Ken

Exact same reason I have both GMRS and ham (technician) licenses. Emergency and vacation comms with the family, and ham for me to branch out further. All good, IMHO.
 
Cheers,
 
Ken
WRFC318 / K0RVW

Still very preliminary to draw my final conclusions, but I received my Ed Fong DBJ-1C antenna kit and an antenna analyzer this weekend (on the same day I passed my ham tech exam, so that was fun).
 
I ran a couple of antenna placement tests quickly. My aim was to communicate with my wife in her office, first via the local Alexandria GMRS repeater and then see if I can achieve simplex to her (2.1 miles).
 
The good:
 
- Deployed at attic height, my wife reports my voice is the clearest she has heard it over GMRS. All good.
 
The bad: 
 
- Still no simplex comms. Not even breaking squelch. I'll keep trying, and will work on a mobile at home as well. I can still go higher on the antenna and mount it roof top, but that requires HOA permission and a whole lot of hassle. Still, I may well do that soon.
 
The surprising:
 
- Antenna analyzer (SureCom SW-33) in hand, I measured everything. I have the ducky that came with my handheld as well as a Nagoya NA-771 and a Nagoya NA-701C. I also have a Nagoya UT-72 mobile mag mount, but have not measured that one yet. All the duckies suck, at least in terms of SWR on the GMRS freqs I use the most. Lowest SWR I measured was 2.0; highest was 4.5.
 
- The Ed Fong DBJ-1C, on the other hand, measured in 3 separate measurements, a paltry 1.02. That seems nigh on perfect, and may well explain the clear and strong signal my wife received from me.
 
I've heard some good and bad things about the Fong kits. (Calling them kits is even a stretch. All you do is insert it in a 5 foot PVC 200 PSI pipe and you're done. Toughest part is finding 200 PSI and not the ubiquitous "Schedule 40" (480 PSI) piping.)
 
My initial impressions are that the nay sayers are largely wrong, at least compared to my needs and deployment. Oh, I should add that I used a high quality LMR-400 feed line with PL-259 connectors.
 
(Aside: As I operate mostly in UHF, is it worth changing from PL-259 to BNC, N, or some other connector better suited for these freqs?)
 
Cheers,
 
Ken
WRFC318
(ham sign pending FCC)
 
 
 

Still very preliminary to draw my final conclusions, but I received my Ed Fong DBJ-1C antenna kit and an antenna analyzer this weekend (on the same day I passed my ham tech exam, so that was fun).
 
I ran a couple of antenna placement tests quickly. My aim was to communicate with my wife in her office, first via the local Alexandria GMRS repeater and then see if I can achieve simplex to her (2.1 miles).
 
The good:
 
- Deployed at attic height, my wife reports my voice is the clearest she has heard it over GMRS. All good.
 
The bad: 
 
- Still no simplex comms. Not even breaking squelch. I'll keep trying, and will work on a mobile at home as well. I can still go higher on the antenna and mount it roof top, but that requires HOA permission and a whole lot of hassle. Still, I may well do that soon.
 
The surprising:
 
- Antenna analyzer (SureCom SW-33) in hand, I measured everything. I have the ducky that came with my handheld as well as a Nagoya NA-771 and a Nagoya NA-701C. I also have a Nagoya UT-72 mobile mag mount, but have not measured that one yet. All the duckies suck, at least in terms of SWR on the GMRS freqs I use the most. Lowest SWR I measured was 2.0; highest was 4.5.
 
- The Ed Fong DBJ-1C, on the other hand, measured in 3 separate measurements, a paltry 1.02. That seems nigh on perfect, and may well explain the clear and strong signal my wife received from me.
 
I've heard some good and bad things about the Fong kits. (Calling them kits is even a stretch. All you do is insert it in a 5 foot PVC 200 PSI pipe and you're done. Toughest part is finding 200 PSI and not the ubiquitous "Schedule 40" (480 PSI) piping.)
 
My initial impressions are that the nay sayers are largely wrong, at least compared to my needs and deployment. Oh, I should add that I used a high quality LMR-400 feed line with PL-259 connectors.
 
(Aside: As I operate mostly in UHF, is it worth changing from PL-259 to BNC, N, or some other connector better suited for these freqs?)
 
Cheers,
 
Ken
WRFC318
(ham sign pending FCC)
 
 
 

What Happened To Richmond REACT?  

There used to be a GMRS Repeater - 462.675 that was monitored.  There was also a recording device for logging legit stations, and riff-raff that happened to key up and "play" on the repeater.  

 

Needs more cowbell.

Needs more cowbell.

Needs more cowbell.

Needs more cowbell.

Exact same reason I have both GMRS and ham (technician) licenses. Emergency and vacation comms with the family, and ham for me to branch out further. All good, IMHO.
 
Cheers,
 
Ken
WRFC318 / K0RVW

I know I personally made a comment about sharing channels with kids... but the was me just being a smart aleck. I actually think it would be a great idea.
 
I'm a dad and a grandfather, so i understand wanting to keep the kids engaged and having fun. It's a family friendly radio service by design. That said... with young people being among our most vulnerable, i would keep an ear open.
 
My amateur radio club did something similar, hosting a Kids Night net every week, on Saturday. We have our kids and grandchildren get on the radio and talk to each other. They have a great time. Some of them like it so much that they are studying to get their license.

Well, interesting post!  So, here are my thoughts - without any pre-judgement, others may, and will, vary.
 
1) If GMRS works where FRS doesn't it is just because of the power difference, and maybe the wider bandwidth. But, the downside besides having to talk other families into getting licensed (although, that is probably a good thing in-and-of itself), is more expensive equipment, heavier equipment and shorter battery life.
 
2) It is not, per-se, a bad idea. But, that does not mean it is a good idea. My guess is the kids will tire of playing radio fairly quickly. If the use of the radios was integrated into some other activity, like board games or online gaming, that might have a longer lasting appeal.  But, I do wonder if young kids will take the rules of good operation seriously and not just yell stupidities at each other for 10 minutes before tossing the radios into a drawer.
 
3) Yes, some other users will be pissed off. But, many won't. You have as much right to the channels as they do as long as you and your family operate in a legal manner.
 
4) No such thing.  But, I would not use PL. That might give the kids a sens that the channel is clear, and they might not hear someone telling them to talk less, yield the channel, etc.
 
5) FIRST, you need two ask the repeater owner, even if it is an open repeater.  But, it is always ok to ask and if the owner laughs at you, well that would be an indication of his/her poor attitude, and no mark against you.
 
Good luck and tell us how or if it goes.

FWIW, one of my neighbors has successfully completed his Tech license 100% remotely during the C19 lock down. I asked him for details on how he did this and he said, "The exam I took was from GLAARG. Because the remote sessions worked well in April, they’ve said flt he’ll schedule more sessions in May. I check this link daily: https://hamstudy.org/sessions/91364."
 
IMHO, this is a wonderful step forward, and the lock down has catalyzed innovation and acceptance. As an IT security professional who's been using remote video for decades, I welcome the change. I also know that exam integrity must be ensured, but I'm confident that can be done.
 
Cheers,
 
Ken

2 points.
 
#1. Consider that many people make their own "Ed Fong" antennas, some buy the kit, other's purchase a generic antenna for their desired band and still others order an antenna cut for a specific frequency.  Thus, in addition to any issues about the effectiveness of the design, you have to consider all the other factors as well when evaluating user reports.
 
#2. It is because of the toroidal propagation that the antenna achieves gain in a 360º pattern. Minimal energy wasted by being transmitted above or below the antenna's horizontal plane.

So, I started my personal GMRS and ham journey in January of this year for reasons that are not relevant here. Among my goals was to be able to have simplex RF comms with my wife at her office. (2.1 miles as the crow flies, through suburban northern Virginia. Small rolling hills, but plenty of RF interference along the way.)
 
Frankly, I was disappointed by the limitations of HT<-->HT around here. I was lucky to make it 3/4 - 1 mile. Clearly, line of sight matters enormously.
 
I got a simple j-pole antenna and tried that at home from my attic. (HOA issues.) Still HT to HT, but no luck.
 
I got permission from the HOA to put up two 5 foot j-pole antennas and got them up yesterday. (See attached photo. Both are Ed Fong designs. One ham and one GMRS tuned.)
 
Simultaneously, I got a 50 Watt (UHF) / 40 Watt (VHF) mobile radio.
 
This morning, I ran a quick and informal series of quick tests with the mobile radio set up in the ham bands (70 cm and 2 m) as a cross-band repeater. (I use a 70 cm simplex channel to my home mobile, which then repeats it on 2 m out to my local repeater (W4AVA).)
 
In short, VICTORY! The repeater connections had several flat spots for me. They're 99% gone now. I can trivially tx/rx to my wife's office location with 5 by 5 audio signal on a simplex connection.
 
I know many folks here dismiss the Ed Fongs, but I have to say those reviews are not consistent with my experiences. In particular, the Warrenton GMRS repeater that is some 40 miles from here was completely out of range for me in the past. With the Fongs on the roof, I'm getting 5x5 signal reports consistently on that repeater -- which serves a vast footprint of NoVA and MD. YMMV.
 
So, yeah, I'm pretty happy with where I am on my personal journey. 
 
Cheers,
 
Ken van Wyk
WRFC318 / K0RVW
 

Well, you could just google “amateur radio band plan.”
But, I’ll save you the trouble, this time. http://www.arrl.org/band-plan

WRFM92 is not a valid call sign.  Please check your license, and try again.

The repeater outputs are on the simplex frequencies.  You can talk on any frequency your license covers, regardless of if a repeater nearby shares that frequency.
 
Additionally, you don't 'always' need the owner's permission to use a repeater.  While all repeaters are privately owned, many owners will allow any licensed user to use it.  I would recommend making a best effort to contact the owner and ask.  Sometimes, I have actually hailed the owner on the repeater.

In my case, I only have a 4w handheld I can use in the house, and it's a townhome community so I'm surprised I can hit it even outside with all the obstruction. I'm near the Wegmans in Fairfax, about 1 mile west of the city line. And yeah, almost 10 miles exactly from the Seven Corners location. I'm not sure why they haven't renamed the repeater in the listing.

Nice setup! I'm in northern Virginia also (Fairfax) and may do something similar. I can hit the Warrenton and Alexandria repeaters from outside, but not inside. 

So, I started my personal GMRS and ham journey in January of this year for reasons that are not relevant here. Among my goals was to be able to have simplex RF comms with my wife at her office. (2.1 miles as the crow flies, through suburban northern Virginia. Small rolling hills, but plenty of RF interference along the way.)
 
Frankly, I was disappointed by the limitations of HT<-->HT around here. I was lucky to make it 3/4 - 1 mile. Clearly, line of sight matters enormously.
 
I got a simple j-pole antenna and tried that at home from my attic. (HOA issues.) Still HT to HT, but no luck.
 
I got permission from the HOA to put up two 5 foot j-pole antennas and got them up yesterday. (See attached photo. Both are Ed Fong designs. One ham and one GMRS tuned.)
 
Simultaneously, I got a 50 Watt (UHF) / 40 Watt (VHF) mobile radio.
 
This morning, I ran a quick and informal series of quick tests with the mobile radio set up in the ham bands (70 cm and 2 m) as a cross-band repeater. (I use a 70 cm simplex channel to my home mobile, which then repeats it on 2 m out to my local repeater (W4AVA).)
 
In short, VICTORY! The repeater connections had several flat spots for me. They're 99% gone now. I can trivially tx/rx to my wife's office location with 5 by 5 audio signal on a simplex connection.
 
I know many folks here dismiss the Ed Fongs, but I have to say those reviews are not consistent with my experiences. In particular, the Warrenton GMRS repeater that is some 40 miles from here was completely out of range for me in the past. With the Fongs on the roof, I'm getting 5x5 signal reports consistently on that repeater -- which serves a vast footprint of NoVA and MD. YMMV.
 
So, yeah, I'm pretty happy with where I am on my personal journey. 
 
Cheers,
 
Ken van Wyk
WRFC318 / K0RVW
 

Nice job on the install looks good.

I've been thinking a lot about antenna grounding. I don't live in an area with a lot of lightning but it does happen from time to time. I've been reading on the interwebs about some that say it is absolutely critical but others say that they never ground their antennas because grounding them acts as a bullseye for lightning strikes. I would love to hear from those that are for and against, if possible. If I decide to ground it then what are the best ways to do so and how to keep it budget friendly.
My antenna is an Ed Fong encsased in PVC and mounted directly to the side of my house at the roof line with 2 metal U-straps. 
 
Thank you in advance.