tweiss3
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Posts posted by tweiss3
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Everything is made overseas, but may have USA offices. The Japanese stuff is superior to the Chinese made stuff. Stick with brands that support public safety
(LEO & FD) like Motorola and Kenwood if you want things to last and put up with the abuse. There are kenwoods running right now that use a DOS programming software.... that old.
- Sean WRMH985 and Raybestos
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Check this install, he always does a great job: https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/2020-chevy-silverado-install.410995/
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Very interesting. I wonder if your shielding fabric on the cable will help.
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Isn't the 6666 FM only? Kinda missing the point of modding for 11m, right?
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Its like the NanoVNA, but its a spectrum analyzer. I have one, and its a pretty neat tool.
You can buy it from R&L: http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75243&osCsid=ds1r4m541l1jqb3o0g37bvcoi7
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No, removing the antenna just means the radio is receiving the signal, and it's not due to a direct contact on the coax.
If you had a TinySA, you could remove the antenna from the receive port and start getting it closer to spots around/on the head unit to see where the signal is radiating from.
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You need the Kenwood software KPG-99D (v1.55), which works on windows 7 and 10. The cable needs to be an FTDI USB to RJ-45 8 pin cable, look up bluemax49er on ebay, that's where I got mine.
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I've never heard of them, but the reviews on eHam are pretty good: https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=7842
For $65 and a weekend project the SWM3-1018 doesn't seem like a looser by any means.
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If it is a common mode RF, all the grounding you did of the radio may be feeding RF into the chassis.
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It appears that radio has a iDatalink which is a CAN bus link to the OEM body controls and information. See if you can turn that off completely.
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And by remove the antenna I mean unscrewing the entire antenna off of it's nmo mount outside the vehicle.
Well, that just makes the GMRS radio deaf.
How close is this antenna to the FM antenna? What antenna are you using for GMRS? What is the model number for the Pioneer unit? I wonder if there is feedback up the FM antenna of some kind. I'd be interested to do some research on the model.
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Jeeps/Dodge in general are notorious excessive RFI across the board.
Yes, cheap power transformers for usb power do usually cause RFI as well.
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I hear people in GRMS channel 2 in my area saying things like "The register is about to close".
I that legal?
CH. 2 is shared with FRS, and is perfectly ok for business use.
- WROZ250 and AdmiralCochrane
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Most likely the antenna. You did use the correct PVC for the antenna ? Or did you guy it complete ? The antenna is not the best on the market but many like them because they are cheap. I'd start there.
I used the correct thin pvc he recommended. Guy it complete? I'm not tracking there, sorry.
I think he is asking if you used guy wires to secure the mast, and ensure the guy wires are all below the antenna.
I would also suggest making sure any clamps and the mast pole are within the bottom 10" (clamp area). See if you can adjust it to be only 8" or so from the bottom.
Also, check the N connectors, that pins are not bent and they are all tight.
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In testing the DMR theory, I grammes my 878, turned it on, tuned to the frequency, turned on the digi monitor, and it recognizes there is a signal, but does not decode it as DMR.
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When you ordered, did you tell him it is for GMRS? His jpole is wonderful, but it is only for 10MHz bandwidth. Outside of that tuned 10MHz, bandwidth spikes pretty quickly.
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I was bored on the way home from work (scanner was slow), so I flipped over to GMRS. On channel 20, I kept hearing a approximately 3s burst come across the radio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zzv_86znSQPPI0RYIFJiZ7p20m9VUyHM/view?usp=sharing
This repeated every minute for the 10+ minutes I had left to get home, so I recorded it.
I jumped on the FCC to do a search for this frequency, and got zero results with location and radius of 50 miles. Any idea what it is?
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I am interested in this, but don’t yet have my Ham ticket (am scheduled to take the Technician test on April 10th). I do already have an analog UHF radio (have been listening only, of course).
To join tgif.network, I would need both my Technician ticket, and a digital radio, right?
I am still pretty new to all of this, and I don’t even know what type of radio to look for. And I'm not sure how Talk Groups work exactly. I found “DMR for dummies” web site and have been looking through that and elsewhere. Probably will research more later, but at the moment I'm still making studying for my Ham ticket my priority.
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Yes, you will need a DMR radio and either a local repeater that is on the TGIF network, or a hotspot (like the MMDVM). You then need to register your call sign for a DMR ID.
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The FT-817 has exactly the same behavior as HT on VHF and UHF - meaning body being a part of the radiator. It's not a radio problem/feature, it is rather the attribute of the wavelength. On HF the diminutive body of 817 does not contribute anything meaningful to the electromagnetic field, but on UHF the linear dimensions make it very close to 1/4 wavelength, thus it will radiate, and a lot.
However, the original post was about low-power transmission, not about how to judge the radiation from the dummy load.
Does it when you switch it to the back 259 port? I figured it did on the front BNC because that is designed for the rubber duck in the box.
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So I will end with a few questions, then say what I would consider fully prepared (if it were me making the plans).
1) What is YOUR GMRS equipment? Are you on a HT, or a mobile with magmount? Which transceiver do you have? I ask because some of the dual watch and/or NOAA weather capabilities are in many now.
2) How do you handle the extended power outage with your radio equipment?
What would I do? This is a tough call, but is a mixture of equipment I already have, what I know of your area (and based on information available) and my understanding of hurricane evacuations. Do NOT take this as a list of what you must have, as obviously, you have more experience and history with these situations. Also, note, I have my General license and privileges. I would consider your preparations to be a continually shifting plan of attack.
1) First and foremost, as you probably have phased evacuation plans, make a written plan for each evacuation zone. If that means there are 3 different places you could evacuate to, research all three places (local radio systems, first responders systems, is GMRS available on local repeaters, what digital modes are used, etc.). You will never be able to get that information on the go, count on cell phones/internet to go down.
2) KEEP your current GMRS plan, improve when possible. A GMRS HT that can also listen to NOAA weather is helpful.
3) Install a 50W mobile dual band radio in the car, even if it means using a mag-mount antenna. This will double your communication capabilities. Me, I would just use my CS800D (DMR and Analog). In addition to my local repeater frequencies, I would have a zone of analog frequencies for each spot I could end up, plus each DMR repeater will have its own zone. I will also have 146.52 & 446.00 simplex in the radio as well.
4) FT-817 connected to mag mount CB antenna to listen to hurricane net. 817 will come inside with me when arriving, and I would have antennas for HF in addition to the rubber ducky that works on 2M/70cm/6m. I have two end fed half wave antenna (40m-10m & 80m-10m) plus a GRA-1899T telescoping vertical.
5) I would have a way to monitor local power company, police, ems, public works and DOT. This gets complicated, but I have a Uniden SDS100 scanner that would handle your area. It also has a GPS, so when evacuating, it could jump systems in the database to listen to the local PD when I would get into the area. I could expand more if you want in PM to not muck up this thread with scanner information, but based on your area:
Duke Energy uses a 900MHz Moto Smartnet Type II trunking radio system
Pinellas County has their own 800MHz P25 Phase 1 system
FL has a statewide 800MHz EDACS system
Other inland counties have 700/800MHz P25 or EDACS systems
All of these above systems can be scanned with a SDS100 or SDS200.
6) Keep car chargers and wall chargers for all radios in the radio back ready to go.
Again, thats just what I would do. It does seem overboard when I type it out, but then again, I do have all that equipment laying around, and absolutely does not mean you should go out and buy a bunch of stuff right now. I only posted it to get you thinking.
Again, study for the test, you should go for it.
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Not to be a downer, but most SHTF ham use is fantasy. It just doesn't work like TV and movies.
I would happen to agree, though, part of his situation is a little different.
That's really an interesting statement. I'd be truly interested in knowing what you suggest as a better option for comms - seriously..... What do you suggest then? Not even licensed for HAM yet so I'm all ears at this point - that would save me a lot of work and expense. In my case SHTF means hurricanes - Driving to get out of the way along with another 1 million evacuees. Afterwards, blocked roads, no electricity, no fuel, no cell phones, no internet, no home to go back to, etc. Maybe your definition is different. Again, I'm all ears.
All the best,
JAS
WRKP245
Here is why I agree with his sentiment. In any SHTF situation, you cannot, and should not, rely on others yo udo not personally know. You can only rely on you and your party, and what you have prepared for.
You currently have a GMRS communication plan. GREAT!!! Do not deviate from that. I think its great, and it allows all family members, old or young, participate. I think you have a huge part hurdle figured out there. I say stick with it, unless you can get every member of your convoy licensed on ham (I really doubt it).
But here is the other point, and the reason I say still go for you ham license. Its not that hard to get tech, and even general is marginally more information to remember. In the event of evacuation, besides communication with your party, INFORMATION is the next most important thing. While you shouldn't count on other ham operators to save you, there listening may provide plenty of benefit.
Listening to 146.52 and 446.00, as well as local repeaters can provide invaluable information from others evacuating. Beyond that, there is other information from emergency response that can be heard on HF:
14.325MHz USB and 7.268MHz LSB (main) for hurricane net information
3.815MHz LSB is marritime mobile/waterway net
3.950MHZ LSB (N. FL) & 3.945MHz LSB (S. FL) is the Caribbean Net
14.265MHz USB is Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network
Get the amateur radio license, expand your knowledge, and make a plan. Don't think you can make it up on the go.
Admiral Cochrane makes a very broad statement with nothing as background. While I'm in western NC I do know a little more about how the amateurs in Florida have setup some of their emergency communications network throughout the state. I know the Florida DOT has made space available on their radio towers for hams to install repeaters. Orange County has an active emergency management center that includes amateurs within the structure. I believe Pinellas also includes hams in their emergency ops center. The more times regional and state emergency operations are activated, the more agencies and groups are included to facilitate the flow of information both into the center and out to the affected areas and general public. I firmly believe you are on the correct path for the protection of not only your family, but those you come in contact with when evacuated. You will have a means of getting information in and out of wherever you are.
True. Like I said above, his situation is a bit different than the usual SHTF prepper, as his situation relies on evacuation, not bunker down and protect the family.
An addendum....
Did not mention this before. The last time we had a SHTF episode was in August 2017. Again, we left and went to Orlando. And again the brunt of the hurricane winds went over us at the hotel. We were on the top floor and it was iffy for about 3-4 hours. The hotel sprung a roof leak and the lobby got quite a bit of water. The hotel was packed to the gills but luckily there was no power loss. We had a GMRS plan working so we had no comm issues between vehicles. No issues there.
On the way back we had a long wait close to home. A large floating restaurant boat got loose from her moorings and ended up caught under the bridge leading to our home. Had to wait until the bridge was declared safe.
We had no comms to tell us about that beforehand, power outages were widespread and most cell towers were not working, The one's that worked were jammed up with comms. Sooo, we sat there for a couple of hours before we could get back to our home. By the way, the sheriff department wont let you in on the island unless you have ID with your address on it. We got there and we had some minor roof damage and a lot of tree limbs to clear out. We had no power (that lasted for four days), no Internet, no cell phone, etc. We left the house (it was almost 90 degrees inside the house) and went to stay with relatives that had power, but no cell or internet, until the power came back for us. Still, we had no cell nor internet for a couple more days. I believe that with a HAM HT I could have at least kept track of what was going on.....
Attaching an image of Irma's track from the NHC. Our home is only 15 miles west from the center white dot. It was a close one!
All the best,
JAS
WRKP245
See, your GMRS plan worked. Amateur radio can help expand that. Your last problem is power, as you noted. That is something you can work on improving.
Thank you! By they way I love your state. I try to go there often in October,usually to Asheville for some photography (I'll post an image below).
You are absolutely right about Florida. It's different down here. We get hit by Hurricanes rather often, so state and local governments have established programs to get information out to the folks, and amateur radio is a big part of it. That said, there is a lot of talk about DMR and such digital stuff, but when the comms go down, analog still wins the day...
Thanks again!
Best,
JAS
WRKP245
The tail of the dragon. I must go back soon.
All valid good points.
When I was running around the country doing service for a few years I also took my FT-817 with me. Tried to get hotel rooms up on the top floor where possible. Used a small camera tripod to support some VHF and UHF antennas. Made a few surprising contacts on 2M SSB that way.
I haven't yet traveled while licensed, but plan on changing that this summer, besides vacation, I'm planning on SOTA and PTOA activations this year.
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Yaesu FT-818 or FT-817, will do down to 1/2watt and has a standard 259 plug on the back.
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I was just thinking based on your story about getting out of the path of a hurricane and keeping track of everyone perhaps APRS would be the ticket. You can find info on it here.
Basically APRS uses a GPS receiver connected to a radio which will periodically, and automatically, transmit you current GPS position to any compatible radio in the area. This data can also be displayed on a map accessible on the internet so anybody can see your location if one or more of the RX'ing radios has an internet connection. Even if there is no internet access close by APRS can use special APRS digital repeaters to propagate the APRS packets over a very large area.
Mapping.
APRS is a viable option with the few exceptions:
1) Need an active gateway to receive the signals during the entire trip.
2) Every radio must have a ham licensed operator, already stated is a problem
3) It does rely on the internet, could be spotty at times
4) Doesn't mean a lot to someone receiving if they don't know what they are looking at.
If APRS is desired, the Kenwood D74A is really good at APRS, I love mine. I'm still taking my 817 on vacation instead of the Kenwood.
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If the FT-818 has about the same output filter as the FT-817, I own the original version with the MARS/CAP mod, the power drops fast above the upper limit of the Ham 70cm band. Around 462 MHz it does about half power max, and at 467 MHz lucky to get 1 to 2 watts out of it at best if you are thinking about GMRS access for emergency comm's.
Also the radio won't tune above 154 MHz on VHF so even on RX you can't get any of the NOAA weather stations. The later seems to be a big complaint with even the unmodified radios since the market for is is QRP operation while camping, hiking etc.
True. I have an 817, and its supposed to be MARS/CAP, but I haven't tried it. I was assuming he already has GMRS equipment, and this would be an additional unit. Besides, he will get better information on 14.325MHz during a hurricane than the NOAA weather (which he will likely have on his GMRS HT).
American made (not political)
in General Discussion
Posted
Motorola Solutions is HQ in Chicago, built overseas
JVC Kenwood is HQ in Long Beach, CA, built in Japan
All are the same, Alinco is CA, Btech is KS, Midland is KC, but none are manufactured here.