WRFP399

Tried to get to it to see what was going. That ain't gonna happen for a few more months. After research and spending time on solar forums I have come up with a Beta Test 3.0 setup for this year. It is basically all the same but instead of the cheap PWM controller I got an Epever Tracer2606BP MPPT. This controller allows me to have more control over the set points. This allows me to keep the low voltage cut off higher. It also has temperature compensation to offset for the cold issues. I can further set the load, the RT97, to turn off when it isn't being used between midnight and 6 AM. So I set up some parameters for daily consumption as follows: 10 min of transmission time a day, 17 hours and 50 min of standby and 6 hours off. This uses 29.64 watts/hours of power. The transmission times is very conservative to reflect the solar power issues in the dead of winter here. Outside of December transmission time can dramatically increase and becomes unlimited during the summer months. To break even with that level of consumption in December I need to have enough panels for the low light. Solar insolation figures are .54 in December. Running some conservative efficiency figure of .72 to take into account losses of the pa el, charge controller and battery I need 76 watts of panels in December to break even. Running a 35 amp hour battery gives me some headroom. Remove 20% capacity for cold weather. Shutting off the load at 11.8 volts means I consumed about 70% of the usable capacity. That is about 253 watt hours in the battery giving me 8.5 days of use. Once the load shuts down I need to have enough power in the battery to keep the charge controller going until it gets sun. With about 100 watt hours remaining in the battery that gives me about 24 days until it runs the battery to 10.5 volts. That should be plenty of time for a day or two of sun. Based on my real work measurements, each sunny day at winter solstice makes about 135 watt hours, so about 3 sunny days are needed to push it back to "full charge" from full depletion. Once we are away from December I have more than enough power. It's just that month of December. ___________________________________ Rates of Power Consumption: Transmission = .17 hours x 2.15 amps x 12.9 volts = 4.72 watt hours Standby = 17.83 hours x .104 amps x 12.9 volts = 23.92 watt hours Off = 6 hours x .013 amps x 12.9 volts = 1.00 watt hours Total Daily Watt Hours = 29.64 ___________________________________ Solar Panel/Charge Controller/Battery Efficiency = .72 ___________________________________ Avg Solar Insolence Per Day November: 1.34 December: 0.54 January: 0.91 ___________________________________ Minimum Panel Sizes To Cover Power Consumptions: November: 30.82 watts December: 76.18 watts January: 45.35 watts June: 9.71 watts ___________________________________ Formula (Totally taken from the solar forums): https://forum.solar-electric.com/discussion/357176/help-with-low-power-mountain-top-solar-radio-repeater#latest Watthours Consumed x (1/DC System Efficiency) x (1/Solar Insolence) = Panel Size Needed

Pretty sure you can just link your repeaters together but then you can also link into the myGMRS Network when you want. I see a few repeater networks on the myGMRS Network map that don't routinely link into the regional hubs. There are three nodes in Minnesota that are all linked. I link into them from time to time as well.

FYI. Anchorage 625 is down for now. Something went sideways at winter solstice. I am unable to get to it to trouble shoot it until spring.

It's interesting that as the sun comes up my voltage is dropping. Maybe that is the "edge of cloud" effect but instead of cloud it's the snow covered mountain? Voltage dropped to 13.45 and amps dropped slightly to .68.

Update: Has not come back online. I don't know why. I don't know if the battery froze, the solor controller messed up, or the RT itself is down. I doubt the battery is frozen based on the following experiment. I also doubt the panels are not producing enough power to charge up the 35 amp hour battery. We have had a week straight of clear sky's and it's getting at least 3 hours of good sun a day. I conducted an experiment. Iook a 14 amp hour battery, drained it with a 2 amp load. It drained until the the cut off circuit of the same brand/model solar controller cut off the load (11.2 volts when cut off and rose to 11.8 without a load). I then put the battery outside in -5 to -20 degree F weather for 48 hours. The battery did not freeze. Today I put a 30 watt solar panel on it to see how it reacts. The 30 watt panel quickly, as in a minute or so, reached a voltage of 14.5 and the solar controller turned the load back on as it saw a voltage greater than 12.6. The battery was seeing a .75 amp current at 14.25 volts flowing to it from the solar controller. So the repeater should have come back online, at least during sunlight hours. I may be able to snow shoe to it to see what is going on but I don't know. May have to wait for spring that (April/May)

It's up for the evening as just a simple "throw down" repeater. I would assume Palmer, Alaska is blocked a bit by some terrain features but who knows. Give it a shot. I will be collecting this tomorrow.

The main 625 repeater is "off" as it ran low on power from all the "abuse" I was putting it through. While that is off and charging I am thinking about putting up the second RT97 tonight near Mt. Baldy to see how it works with that national net. Just gonna drop it on the ground somewhere with a battery and roll up J-Pole stuck in a tree.

Lets not give it too much credit. The VX-231 with it's stock UHF antenna was also making the trip to the repeater but just not as well. Here is an image showing the terrain. You can see how it is clearly not line of sight but the tall steep walls of the ridge lines clearly have something to do with the reception. The j-pole is good for cleaning up a weak signal at the edge of reception and or getting you out and over heavy vegetation on forest floors. I even tried it much further back with just the stock antenna and was able to kurchunk the repeater but the signal was too weak to make out anything. 1st image the the distance to the repeater from the camp. The 2nd image is an approximation of the path we took and where I was able to kurchunk the repeater from. Just prior to fording the river I was able to radio back and speak with someone.

I have the two panels running in parallel...hopefully that helps some with partial shading when it happens. So far the manufacturer says at -10 degrees C I should be around 80% capacity at a .05C discharge. Look a few posts above for more info on that. We shall see if it powers back up this week. If I wasn't in Alaska and was further south I am confident this system would be running flawlessly with just the 50 watt panel.

As an update we have been heavily overcast here for about 2 weeks. So much so it appears the panels are making little power. I have connected into myGMRS nets on Sundays, a Wed Tech Net and the Sat Family Fun Net with Santa. Each was about 2 to 4 hours of TX time each. On Sunday, 12-19-21, at the start of the net the repeater went off-line. I assume the battery protection circuit kicked in. This is the first time the repeater went down this year. Yesterday, 12-20-21, it was heavily snowing all day, so little to no charge. Today, 12-21-21 (Winter Solstice) we have direct sun. The sun isn't reaching the panels until around 11:00AM and it will be gone by 4:00PM. The sun is also at a very low angle. This week it seems like I have a chance for 2 mostly sunny days and a few partly cloudy ones. Guess we will see if that is enough to bring the battery back up to 12.6 volts from 11.2 and turn the repeater back on. On the plus side we are going to be gaining daylight at a rate of about 4 minutes a day from here on. By February we will be back to around 8 hours of sunlight. I attached a photo I took around 11:15AM today of the repeater site. The ridge line you see runs east/west so the face of the ridge is nearly due south. The shadow you see is caused by the opposing mountain blocking the sun. The sun is able to get the site around 11:00AM due to a valley that runs north/south on the east side of the mountain. As the sun continues to rise it is able to stay over the top of the mountain. It kind of follows the contour the mountain if you will. I attached a time-lapse image I stole illustrating the suns arc during winter for reference. For those asking why I didn't put it up higher, it is b/c it's too hard to get to (the grade is steeper than it looks) and the summit has no good place for it. No poles to place it on to keep the panels above the snow line and it would be too easy for hikers to tamper with it. This spring I am going to relocate it further west down the ridge line several miles. This will increase it's RF footprint into populated area and pull it further from hikers. Anyway, this has been a fun project for me.

I have been looking to grab up a pair EVX-S24 radios. I like the form factor.

Yes. I use the 450-512 splits as I don't have use for HAM but it sounds like the OP wants to cross over the HAM...which ideally would also be 2 meters but I personally don't know any radios that can do that besides CCRs. I 'solved' that issue for me by just buying a VHF VX-231 for the few 2 meter channels I wanted to listen to....as well as MURS.

Not Part 95 but you can get a commercial radio that transmits at reduced power levels and able to operate in the 400-470 range. You can then program in the FRS channels at .5/2 watts as needed. Helps you stay inline with FRS specs, minus the fixed antenna etc as TX/RX Channels. You can program the all the other 'out of band' channels as RX only. You can set the channels to scan or dual watch as you like from there. The only one I know of off hand that can get down to .5 watts is the Vertex EVX-534/539 but I am sure there are many others. If you decide to do this and end up with a Vertex product I am willing to lend a hand to help as you need. You can find them used on eBay for $50-100 https://www.twowayradiocenter.com/vertex-standard-evx-534/ They make decent stubby antennas for them to reduce to profile for your child. https://www.radioparts.com/two-way-radios/accessories/antennas/portable-radio-antennas/motorola-atu-16ds?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqvaNBhDLARIsAH1Pq50EDtjPBCqV-qkHCfS2nBQE96So7fUGPmRj2jjwcUzYddv0Iv8tahcaAoWNEALw_wcB

Sounds like a solar recharged RT97 w/ a simple N9TAX rollup antenna might work for you. Simple, small, portable, and little to no environment impact. If you want a complete setup that can be carried in a large backpack: A 30 watt solar panel can fit in a large backpack. A 30 watt panel and a 14 amp hour SLA battery seems to work well here in Alaska during the Spring/Summer/Fall Season but can't keep up during the cold winters with little sun. If you are not in an area that suffered from greatly reduced solar in the winter it would be a solid place to start. Use some alum angle riveted to the back to mount the RT97 and a small solar controller directly to the back of the panel. You can attach the panel directly to a tree, place the SLA battery at the base, and hang the N9TAX in the tree itself. I have posts in this forum about my setup and it might stir some ideas for you. Is this some 100% Duty Cycle Commercial Grade Setup? Nope. But I get 20-30 miles out of mine to 5 watt handhelds and it works for us.

My Epson Workforce printer throws out RFI in the 462 range. It will open the squelch on my radios if I am within 10 feet on channels 2 and 19.

Another option is Vertex. Used VX-231 radios can be found for 30-40 dollars on eBay and they have excellent performance for GMRS use. The programming software can be found pretty easy and the USB cables on eBay work. If you decide to go this route I can help you select the right radio, cable and software. PM me if needed.

This won't be a wildly popular thought but if you teach your g/f how to use a GMRS radio and you guys follow the same standards a family member would no one is going to know the difference and no one is going to ask you to pony up a marriage certificate. To me, and this is just my opinion, this question is along the lines of Part 90 vs Part 95 gear. It seems the FCC just wants the spirit of the law followed. Do that and you will be left alone.

I am using Part 90 radios for nearly all my GMRS needs. Vertex and Motorola. It seems ALOT of people on the myGMRS net do the same thing based on comments I hear during the nets. I thought someone posted comments from the FCC saying that while part 90 gear is technically not approved for part 95 service if your run your part 90 gear in accordance with the part 95 specifications they are going to leave you alone? I am not going to dump 150 bucks for a GMRS handheld when I can pick up a more capable used part 90 radio. Yeah I loose some of the ability to program in the field on some of them but in certain situations simpler is better.

So I know I am reviving an old threat but I found what appears to be a work around for the Wide Band Recovery Tool and at least my EVX-534. I purchased a used EVX-534 on eBay for $40. When it came it was locked to narrow band. I am using the export version of CE151 which would allow wideband if the radio wasn't locked to it. I tried using the Wide Band Recovery Tool but I have simple USB programming cables and not the Vertex FIF-12. The Recovery Tool did not like the cables I had. On the off chance I tried to upload the stock EVX-534 programming files that come with CE151. I am now being allowed to program wideband as needed. No FIF or Recovery Tool Needed. I attached a screen shot showing the two test channels I put in.

I have two. Both are N9TAX. One I modified by removing the RG58 and replacing it with RG400. It it attached to my repeater (RT97). The antenna has been in a tree for about 2 years now. It does what I need. Once I get the repeater to a more permanent position I will switch out to a more traditional antenna. The second is again an N9TAX SlimJim tuned for GMRS. 16 feet of RG58. I use it when backpacking once we set up camp. It definitely helps extend the range. This summer I used it to get back into my GMRS repeater which was behind some heavy obstructions (think mountain). Its hard to see, but in the photo its in the tree to the right of the tent. The antenna itself is up near the top third of the photo. It was attached to a 5 watt Vertex VX-231. There was no cell service back here. This was our only means of reaching back. The repeater was about 15 miles away behind the mountain on the right side of the 2nd photo. I am sure being in the valley helped "tunnel" the signal through and/or we got some refraction over the top edges.

This will be for an EXV-534. I had an eBay seller drop me an offer at $40 so I figured that is a good price...snagged it up. I will try to use my USB cable that has worked for my VX231 and VX261s...if that doesn't work I guess I will be looking into a FIF

Nevermind. After hours of looking I found it. I also downloaded the most current versions of the programming software for most of Vertex's HT and mobile radios. I downloaded the export version which allows programming of wideband for GMRS. If anyone needs one let me know.

Does anyone have this software or somewhere it can be downloaded? I can't seem to find it.

When is it and what hub is it on?

This isn't a jab at you it's just something I noticed in general. Every city in the US has some kind of claim to fame about how they are such a valuable target to attack. Heck, Anchorage thinks it's some major strategic target b/c the airport serves as a layover for a large percentage of air cargo coming from Asia. IMO the biggest threats which could threaten society as a whole in order of likeliness would be natural disaster, economic disaster, and societal unrest. Nuclear and dirty bombs are unlikely from a sovereign state but there is the off chance of terrorists. I don't have any hard and fast fact to back this but terrorists always seems to go for the target that will give the largest hit to moral of a country. These cities tend to be symbolic, think NYC, LA etc. "Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major cargo hub.[28] In 2020, it ranked as the United States' third-busiest airport and the world's fourth-busiest airport by cargo traffic. A reason is that cargo aircraft between China or Japan and the US prefer to have less fuel and more cargo and refuel on the way.[29] FedEx Express and UPS Airlines operate major hubs at Anchorage International for cargo heading to and from the Far East.[24] NWA Cargo used to operate a major hub at the airport until December 28, 2009 when it closed all operations for Northwest Cargo at all airports. FedEx Express is the airport's largest cargo facility and can handle as many as 13,400 packages per hour, employing more than 1,200 people and providing a full customs clearance system. United Parcel Service's hub handles about 5,000 parcels per hour. Both companies forecast a large growth in traffic over the next several years as trade with China and other Far East countries increases and plan to expand their Anchorage facilities comparatively.[citation needed] The United States Postal Service also operates a large sectional center facility (SCF) for the 995xx ZIP Codes. It processes mail and parcels headed to and from all Alaska cities. The United States Department of Transportation allows Anchorage and other Alaskan airports to be used as a transfer point for cargo between different aircraft of the same foreign air carrier without applying for special permission, a privilege not available at airports on the US mainland." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Stevens_Anchorage_International_Airport