dwmitchell61
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Posts posted by dwmitchell61
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Omni-Gain Vertical Collinear Antenna by WA6SVT
I am also going to build one of these and see how it performs. I have some RG-8X laying round.
It seems a lot of the commercial antennas sold use this inside the fiberglass "radome".
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"as well" as well as witch antenna? The Comet 712EFC will work on gmrs as a base?
Yes, the Comet 712EFC will work for base operation. I bought one.
I am now shopping around for a mast solution. I am considering Max Gain systems MK-8-HD push-up fiberglass mast with appropriate guying lines. I am mounting multiple antennas (scanner, Par EndFedz-SWL sloper for HF listening, etc)
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Do "Fixed Stations" even exist in the GMRS world?
I cannot begin to imagine anyone using their radio at home or office to only communicate with another "Fixed Station..."
I have seen where someone wanted to have a station at their home, dedicated to communication only with their mother. They were going to use Yagi antennas aimed at each other to get better range. I would think those would be considered "fixed stations" by definition give
n in the beginning of Part 95.
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I have ordered a Comet 712EFC Antenna and some LMR400 cable to begin testing at my place.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Testing done? How did it go? What radio are you using?
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You said it's not a hobby, then listed a whole bunch of hobbies that it's used for, and then said those hobbies don't sound like hobbies. That's not an opinion... that is silliness.
Uh, no.... Those are sports... I was referring to the fact that the radio may be used for communications while one is participating in activities that may be hazardous in which someone may be put in a hazardous situation requiring assistance and the radio COULD be used for that purpose, which, is not a hobby. The Titanic operator was not signaling an SOS as a hobby, if that clears it up for you. I suppose at this point you yourself would call that business, though, but I am certain the titanic operator was thinking it was an emergency communication. Just saying.
I am thinking Marc may say that Disaster Prep is a hobby rather than a "task" in which one is "stacking the deck" in their family's survival. I guess as of late, with COVID-19 in the picture, one could call toilet paper collecting a hobby also.
Okay, Marc has a point.
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The most common sense answer is, "Just don't while driving."
Just drive while you are behind the wheel. Pull over and park if you need to do other tasks.
It's just not worth it.
I just had my 2010 Ford F-150 and my utility trailer totaled by someone that thought using their cell phone and iPad behind the wheel were more important than driving. There isn't much left of the 2008 Lexus E350 he had just bought, either.
I am appalled at seeing 80,000 lb semis weaving out over fog lines and center lines, only to find the driver has a cell phone up against his head. They should know better.
Do you?
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LOL Nice try... but no. SMH
Huh? I guess opinions are like anuses, everyone has at least one, some have two.... LoL...
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A large part of GMRS owners seem to use them for communications when hunting, off-roading, and for emergency communications should disaster occur. I wouldn't necessarily refer to those communications as hobbies, or rag chewing. I entered the service because I wanted a way to call for help should I be in trouble while kayaking, having cancer and being nearly 60 years old. Some areas may not have cell reception where one kayaks, but there may be hikers or off-road enthusiast with a GMRS radio willing to help you drag you out of trouble. I am setting up a base station at home so my gal and I can communicate if things go wrong in our area and cell service is affected (and now we are surrounded by various large wildfires)... Not quite a hobby of mine,
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Thanks for the reply and info, I very much appreciate it.
Fortunately we live in a rural area and, to my knowledge. there are not many GMRS radios that a high gain antenna would " stomp " on to raise a complaint. I've been studying the FCC requirements as far as power usages and have made a color coded chart for my personal use so I will know what power to set the radio on for what channels until it becomes second nature to me.
As for the LMR400 cable. I have read that Rg58u coax cable is the cable of choice for GMRS, that LMR400 doesn't flex easily and is quite thick, about 1/2 inch. Since I'm going to have to run the coax down the tower into the house attic, and down into the room I was planning on setting up the radio, I was going to use the Rg58u instead. Thoughts anyone?
Also a few questions if I may?
1) Have you set your MXT400 up yet?
2) Are you using the 3dB or 6dB Gain Antenna?
3) How do you like it ( Both radio and/or antenna ), and is it performing to your expectations?
No. I just received it and a power supply to run it at my home. I have been researching the operating rules and antenna options before setting it up. There is also RG-58X low loss available, also.
I bought a ground plane kit to use with the 3dB antenna it came with and hope to get a Deep Recon G1 kit for "bug out", etc.i will mount the antenna on a camera tripod for that operation.
I was trying to find specs for the transmit power on lo and mid settings.
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Finally, thank you berkinet for asking the question about whether there are any stations I can't reach with my existing setup. The way I was setup in the attic was having a 6db omni antenna for hitting the local repeaters and a yagi that was aimed directly at my brothers house 15 miles away since the onmi directional didn't have enough "oomf" to have clear communications and the repeaters were pretty scratchy and noisy when I used the Yagi since it was not aimed in their direction. I had 2 separate runs of LMR400 that went into a coax switch that allowed me to flip between the 2 antennas. This worked as long as I had the switch in the correct position depending on who I was trying to reach. After pondering all the stuff I was going to go through getting an outdoor setup to allow using just one antenna I played around with the Yagi in the attic (And man was it hot up there this weekend!!!) and after several trips up and down the ladder I found a compass position that was between what the heading would be for the repeater I frequently use and my brothers house. The end result is having useable communications with the repeater and my brother!!!
Are you using a Yagi at your brother's place also? Not sure if the FCC Rules would consider those as "FIXED" stations or not. Fixed stations are limited to 15W rather than 50W, though.
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Just bought the same package myself!
The gain will flatten the signal radiated, less radiated vertically. more horizontally as the gain goes up. this raises the ERP (Effective Radiated Power). For every 3dB in gain, the ERP is doubled.
For our radios, channels 15-22 and RP15-RP22 the limit is 50W transmitter power.
BUT... For channels 1-7 the FCC limits the power to 5W ERP (Effective Radiated Power). So if we run at 5W and have an antenna gain of 9dBi, the ERP will be 30W!
Check this out..... https://www.calculators.tech/erp-calculator
I guess the point is, be cautious about high gain antennas on a BASE station, as you may "stomp" all over other users and cause them to raise a complaint. The FCC says use the minimum power needed to communicate for this reason.
Everyone seems to recommend LMR400 cable to reduce cable losses. It is expensive, but if you have a tower it may be worth it.
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I see that channels 15-22 are limited to 50W for MOBILE, HAND-HELD PORTABLE, REPEATER & BASE, while FIXED is limited to 15W.
FIXED is two base stations dedicated to communicating with each other, perhaps using Yagi antennas?
I also notice that channels 1-7 are limited to 5W ERP (effective radiated power), AND FIXED stations are not listed as authorized.
That being said, it would be a violation to use any antenna greater than unity gain with a transmitter running at 5W?
THEREFORE... One would have to set the transmitter at low power setting (1.5W) if using a 9dBi gain antenna, or would have to switch to a unity gain antenna if at 5W?
The repeater channels RP15 through RP22 is limited to 50W for MOBILE, HAND-HELD PORTABLE, CONTROL (THRU REPEATER OR TEST) and FIXED is again limited to 15W.
I am guessing FIXED to a REPEATER would have a dedicated and aimed Yagi?
What is a CONTROL radio? Is that a remote control for the REPEATER?
I DO understand the reasoning behind the madness, as it keeps one from "STOMPING" all over the other channel users.
It seems rather easy for the uninitiated to get themselves in trouble rather quickly.
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I bought a hunting rifle, shotgun, handgun and ammunition instead of buying "gold" I would never see in my hand. I have a fishing pole and tackle. I have a back yard to grow veggies in. Looking at the way the economy is going, we as a couple are starting to prepare for the SHTF.
A guy I was going to college with said he was buying "gold" in case the SHTF. I told him I would be taking the gold, if he actually had any, as he just won't be able to eat it.
SO... Communications are important if one is not alone. If the SHTF, I figured a $1,000+ cellular phone may become a brick. Looked into it and discovered the GMRS.I also plan to get a CB rig. I am studying for my HAM Tech license.
If the SHTF or the "big one" shakes the northwest, I hope to be of service to others in need. We live with Mt St Helens outside our back door, Mt Adams to the east, and Mt Hood to the southeast...
Crap happens...
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Did they change the URL already? I get a "page not found" error
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If one uses directional antennas on two "base stations" then they will fall under the "fixed station" GMRS FCC rules, correct? Those rules limit the power on "fixed stations" as opposed to mobile and base stations if I remember right.
§95.1767 GMRS transmitting power limits.(a) 462/467 MHz main channels.
(1) The transmitter output power of mobile, repeater and base stations must not exceed 50 Watts.
(2) The transmitter output power of fixed stations must not exceed 15 Watts.
"Fixed" stations are those which have directional antennas (ie, Yagi) that are aimed at each other and communicate only with each other, I believe.
§95.303 Definitions.Fixed station. A station at a fixed location that directly communicates with other fixed stations only.
If you are interested in hitting one specific receiver, like a repeater, you might consider a directional antenna if the omni directional antenna doesn’t work for you.
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POSTING REMOVED...
DC voltage on RX antenna
in Technical Discussion
Posted
Some antennas may have a DC "short" in them. One such antenna is the collinear antenna as built by WA6SVT. There is a short between the center conductor and shield where the 1/4-wave whip joins the top 1/4-wave segment. That being said, many of the antennas in a fiberglass shell ARE collinear antennas and MAY have this feature. To err on the safe side, I would check your antenna with an ohmmeter before using it in this setup.
The second issue that may arise is any RF noise or ripple that may be sourced at the solar charging controller. I am not familiar with the internals of such controllers, therefore have no knowledge to impart concerning this issue.