Kugellager

I posted because I had never stumbled across this radio in my searches. Thought it was new but was wrong. Sorry. John ];’)

Stumbled across this today. I wonder if it will be part 90 certified? http://www.anytone.net/pro_info8.html http://hamradio360.com/shop/anytone-at-888-uhf-400490mhz-mobile-radiotransceiver-amateur-radio/#productdetail Also comes in 2m, 1.25m and vhf versions. EDIT: I just realized this is oldish and is part 90 certified. https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=HB5rHpESynjlwIEtYp7liQ%3D%3D&fcc_id=T4KAT888U John ];’)

I get that myself...which is why I can get that repeater I mentioned over 50 miles away with my base station @25W. It's located at almost 7100 feet and I am at just under 5100 feet with no obstructions in-between - classic LOS UHF radio wave propagation example. Another less understandable (to me) question about of radio propagation is If mpoole can't get 1/4 with only a 40 ft ridge running interference with his 50 watt rig; how come I can get nearly a mile with two HT (HT to HT @ 2w) with a 60 ft+ ridge in between? See elevation profile below. Situation is from my house in a suburban neighborhood with trees etc. to a park on the other side of the ridge. Signal reception to park is decent to excellent. House is at 5473 ft and reception is at 5506 ft on other side of ridge in park. John ];')

I just realized I never posted the final configuration of my base station antenna. I ended up building a tilt-over mast with a simple 1/4-wave ground plain up at 27ft AGL fed with about 55ft of DRF-400 coax running to the radio. I have tested the base to HT range with my Midland GXT 1050's and can get at least 5 miles to the HT if I am not in a low spot. I have also been able to hit a repeater over 50 miles away that was LOS. I also am able to hit my local repeaters in my local Front Range GMRS group. So basically I did my research online, took excellent advice from this group, did my calculations and that, with a little bit of luck, managed to exceeded my original requirements. EDIT: Added a photo I neglected to the other day. John ];')

I got mine in early 2019 so they should be about 2.8 watts on the HI setting according to the FCC test files. FCC ID: MMAGXT1050G I had to search w/o the last “G” to get the FCC search to find it. Midland has something like more than 360 filings. John ];’)

I would think the Wouxun’s would do better than the GXT1050. I have 4 of the GXT 1050’s and in my testing of my base station setup so far I have been able to talk about 5 miles base to HT from higher spots in my area to my 25 watt test setup with a 1/4 wave ground plane antenna at 20 ft. I get about 1.5 miles HT to HT on the 1050’s. I haven’t tried further than 5 miles base to HT yet.

Here is my museum: Hammarlund SP-600 JX-37, Rycom R1307A/GR, Setchell Carlson BC-1206. The Rycom and Setchell Carlson are LW receivers where the Rycom goes from 10kHz to about 900 kHz. The SC is for air beacons/NDB. The Hammarlund is my baby and works very well. It is my main MW DX rig and I have received DX from all over N America and Cuba. John ];’)

This is the setup I use to test my small antennas. It is a 5ft TV Tripod with a 15ft slightly modified telescoping window washing pole used as the mast. I have my 1/4 wave ground plane antenna on top. Mast weighs about 2.5 lbs. the whole thing takes 5 minutes to set up and makes for a decent 20 ft of height. John ];’)

I know this is an old thread but I found this calculator really useful for estimating cable losses in various type of coax. https://www.qsl.net/co8tw/Coax_Calculator.htm John ];’)

Joined a couple of days ago to learn more about GMRS and the radio hobby in general. Got my GMRS license about a year ago. John ];')

Thanks everyone for the comments and info. I am primarily a dx'er of various bands and have done a lot of diy to satisfy my antennas needs. I have used and experimented with all sorts of materials for masts and antenna construction, tilt-over masts etc. I will either be attaching this to a well secured/supported, but abandoned, 2" copper plumbing vent (house remodeled but vent left) adjacent to the peak of the roof for the potential low position, or for the high spot, on the 2 ft mast pipe for a 4-bay TV antenna secured to my chimney. @ Radioguy7268 ...I Actually do want to use it as a base station. I'm not into using them on repeaters - at least for now. I get about 1.5 miles max usable distance from handhelds now, which barely makes it to my daughters school. My goal is to get another 1/2 mile to mile of range (more would be icing on the cake) as it would cover both of the kids' schools and a lot more of the daily back and forth we use them for now. @Lscott ...That calculator is great...I'm surprised I never stumbled over it before. @ WRAK968 ...Either location will not be blocked by my house but will, at a minimum, get it to even with the top of the roofs of most of my neighbors. I already have lots of materials for masts etc. Just need to place it in the best spot. I plan on going about 5 ft above the roof line even with the lower spot - I don't want it to stick out too much. No home owners association but want to not make too much of a spectacle. Also, the antenna weighs only about 6 ounces...even with the winds we get here there should not be much load. Thanks for all the good information. I'll post back with what I finally do and maybe post a video of it on my YouTube. Also, I won't be replying to everyone with every post I do...just did this time because I am new to this group etc. John ];')

I have built a number of temporary and permanent antenna masts using fence top-rail and heavier gauge fence post. I would suggest securing the bottom two feet to house using a sturdy mount and negate the extra two feet mentioned in you post. I think 20' of top rail by itself will be ok with your very light antenna...More than that I would not go. John ];')

I am planning a basic base station for my home and am trying to determine the best location for my antenna on my roof. My house is is a standard suburban neighborhood with rolling hills for terrain. It is located in a lower spot in the terrain. I will be using a simple 1/4-wave ground plane antenna fed by LMR-400 for now. I have two locations where I could put my antenna. One location would put the antenna at about 22 ft AGL fed by about 20 ft of coax. The other location would be at about 26 ft AGL with about 55 ft of coax. Which would be better as far as signal range? Or maybe more basically, will the roughly 1 dB of signal loss, due to the 35 more ft of antenna cable, negatively affect the signal range more than getting the getting the antenna 4-5 ft higher above the ground? Thanks, John ];')