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tweiss3

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Everything posted by tweiss3

  1. Proper use of scan lists and you can watch way more than 2 frequencies. The XPR7550e is a wonderful radio. I've been jumping between it and a Kenwood NX-5300.
  2. The internal oscillator on the VXR7000 never turns off, it is always on when in repeat mode. This helps reduce keyup/warm up time. Get a few hundred feet away and see if you are still experiencing the same "issue". Your HT will always pickup the internal oscillator if you are in close proximity to the unit.
  3. You can use this to get a good estimate https://extapps.commscope.com/calculators/qvisolation.aspx Keep in mind, even a cheaper mobile duplexer can achieve 70db isolation, better on decent mobile duplexers, and you will likely need greater than 60 feet vertical, one directly above the other, to get it working anywhere close to the performance of a duplexer.
  4. Well, the state system is on 700/800 MHz P25 system which may cover some of the dam/lock operations. It also appears that there is a bunch of VHF FM stuff for the dam and lock operations, but there is also UHF stuff for on ship and ship/ship. Other ships may use unknown UHF frequencies and/or 900MHz DTR radios, that no scanner/radio will pick up. You might be better off with a Scanner that can do close call and sit close to the river and log what it finds.
  5. Look at adding a scanner instead of another radio. Uniden BCT15X can be found for about $100 and can scan better than any radio. It has a coverage of VHF low down to 25MHz, as well as up in the GHz ranges, and will scan much quicker than a radio can. Also to be completely transparent, note that in all technicality, programming of marine radio frequencies (eCFR Part 80) in a radio requires a GROL license. I'll just leave it at that. Many of the radios don't require Mars/Cap to listen out of band, only for transmission. The Motorola softwares are now free as long as you sign up for a Motorola MyView account. It's not terribly hard, just time consuming and requires following up with Motorola via phone. The Kenwood software can be found. The most current stuff you need to find the correct dealer that will talk to a ham/GMRS radio guy. Some will, some won't. Before I found the right dealer, I called a local shop that I know, and they wouldn't sell me the software. And I know one of their head techs, I have lunch with him an a handful of other professionals in the RF industry every few months.
  6. Yep, I corral my kids with GMRS. They sling carry the radio with an RSM clipped on their coat so they can hear me. I use a chest rig and over the ear piece under my helmet.
  7. I've also done the commercial looking, and the cost between APX 8500 and a NX-5K dual deck remote head is about 2:1 Moto vs. Kenwood. @PACNWComms you are probably thinking of the crypto modules which must be sent back for labor + $600 for the board, otherwise, P25 can be added at the programming level for $575 (conv) + $520 (PH1 Trunk) + $400 (Ph2 Trunk), using just the same program that activates D1N. I will admit, the Kenwood D#N softwares are frustrating at times, but not any more frustrating than Mototrbo 2.0 CPS. There are plusses and minuses to both, but I have and use both depending on the situation. I've also started side-eyeing a few other brands that offer multi-band radios, but its harder and harder to look at them since I now have all the M & K legitimate tools/programs already, others are not as easy to track down and obtain. The long and the short of an answer to the OP in this thread: for a new or casual GMRS user, there isn't an excellent option that is cost-effective to recommend. If you really deep pockets and didn't care, there are options you could look into. But for most, you are probably best to run either two radios (VHF and UHF) and find a way to make them fit.
  8. Do you have information on that antenna? Have you tried adjusting the length to see if you can "tune" it into a good SWR? Your problem likely is no ground plane. Oddly enough, if your faceplate of the go-box was aluminum not plastic it might be enough.
  9. That is what I did to mine, extended it just log enough to hear.
  10. I find them helpful at times, but my repeater doesn't have it available in the controller, and its not the end of the world.
  11. Thats a thought. Not to derail the the conversation, but DMR would make sense in more than 1 way.
  12. I just looked up this license, and saw they got 100W approved for the repeater. Interesting.
  13. Yes, it is software based, but I'm not sure you can select the frequencies you would be using in the hops.
  14. tweiss3

    Repeater

  15. In for answers. It would be nice to find something reasonably priced and halfway decent.
  16. Alright, so yours is closer to the band edge than the other one. Specifications indicate operating temperature range to top out at 60 degrees Celsius (140F). His does exceed that, however, I believe they are designed with a 5/10/85 duty cycle, so I'm not sure its a fair comparison. I don't think his is operating abnormally, but it would be worth the time to crack open the radio and see if a heat sync jiggled loose. Also, wouldn't be a bad idea to hook up a meter and see power draw. If he is spiking a power draw, it would be cause to check out the insides.
  17. I have a handful of questions, because this may be related to a conversation I had two weekends ago when I had a handful of radio's and my repeater on a friend's bench for their final checks before being put into service. marcspaz - which split is your XTL? 380-470 or 450-520? What frequency was your test done on? Ham or GMRS? OffroaderX - which split is your XTL? 380-470 or 450-520? What frequency was your test done on? I am assuming GMRS? The reason I ask is he runs TK-890H (450-480) which can be tuned down to the ham bands. He was finding he would burn one up every 6-8 months even when turned down to low power. He found that, even on the edge of the band (such as in the 380-470 split radio) that the efficiency of the final drops off terribly. While some of that wasted energy can be a fan, the control head, etc, most of it is wasted in heat (what you may be experiencing). He then added a large copper heat sync to each PA and the TX VCO, and hasn't had in issue in 5+ years. Without the copper heat sync, the power draw was indicating a roughly 20% efficiency, and after the cooling mods, he was able to tune them to get 45%+ efficiency. We plugged in my TK-8150 and checked the power output in GMRS, was 43W at high power. We then checked the current draw, and with this inline (Amazon) was seeing a 82W draw giving it a 52% efficiency, which is actually pretty good. The point being, the comparison in temperatures between units should consider bandsplit and frequency. Besides the fact that OffroaderX seems to have improved his situation with active airflow cooling, it might be worth the time to open the case and attach a chunk of copper or aluminum to the PA with some thermal compound.
  18. Comet GP6NC is listed for GMRS & MURS, but out of curiosity I swept it last night and it is pretty decent on the 2m ham band. On 70cm ham, its over 2.1 across the board. 3 of 4 isn't too bad. Below is the 2m sweep from 120MHz to 160MHz.
  19. I don't know. I've heard of stories where Texas ran an out of state plate (MN I think) and ran it incorrectly, and it came back to a guy with warrants for armed robbery. Of course, there was a small number prefix on the plate that wasn't used when they ran it, and after a felony stop and some checking everyone laughed and went on their separate ways. Seeing some other things on youtube, CA not running their own vanity/ham plates correctly isn't that far fetched.
  20. Makes sense to me. It appears that the Quantars have more shielding to them though. Probably why they can be stacked 10 high in a big system and not interfere with each other.
  21. This may be the case, I have no personal experience with this specific repeater, but when my Kenwood was on the bench, the second it flipped into service mode, and the oscillator was turned on, all radios on that frequency in the room picked up the carrier, even without the PA being on.
  22. This sounds like classic desense, the HT in the room used to key up the repeater overpowers what the receiving handheld gets, and you hear nothing. If you could get the two HTs apart by 20' or more, try it again.
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