mbrun

Measuring the SWR of quarter-wave HT antennas is incredibly difficult (if not practically impossible) to do by the average person because they generally lack the means to measure the antenna under the exact same conditions the antenna operates when mounted directly to the radio. Also, quarter-wave antennas are dramatically affected by the elevation above ground, the radio to human interface and other environmental factors. Half-wave rubber ducks are a different story. They are not affected by these things nearly as dramatically in my experience. There is a load of discussion on this very topic in many of the amateur radio forums available on the net. Only some of the most technically savvy have had the will and skill to overcome the obstacle and build test jigs to simulate the same conditions. I am only now just starting to dabble with this. One of the most common talked about solution includes sacrificing an existing HT to use as a component of the test jig. While we all like to talk about achieving a low SWR, a low SWR on a rubber duck is not as important as achieving a low SWR on a remote antenna (mobile, base, etc...) because you do not have the cable (aka feed line) losses eating up the power reflected back by the antenna. Instead, when you have an antenna connected directly to the radio, even when it is a less than perfect antenna, the highest majority of the transmitter power will still be radiated. From all my reading to date I have learned that the most effective way to contrast the performance of HT antennas is to use a field strength meter instead of an SWR meter. By contrasting the field strength of one rubber duck against another under identical test conditions you will be able to measurably determine which performs better. BTW, I too own a SureCom meter. Mine did come with a ground plane (GP) plate. All my 1/4 antennas perform poorly (from SWR perspective) without the GP (I have experienced as high as 12:1). With it, the values fall down into a range less than 3:1 on all of them. In contrast, the GP has negligible affect on the longer wavelength antennas which regularly seem to measure well below 2:1. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well that could very well turn into one uncomfortable and unhealthy fine. Wonder when/if they will go after the manufacturers BaoFeng and others. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes, you may cut the cable and solder it to a new mount. Yes, you may reduce the length of the cable to suit your needs. You merely need to make sure are properly terminated and the end of the coax is adequately protected from moisture ingress. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The absolute best way to know is to check with the radio manufacturer to determine what voltage range is acceptable. Some, but very few, manufacturers actually publish this information. That said, you are probably ok, and here is why I say that. Manufacturer’s have done us a disservice. They call the radios ‘12v’ radios but their radios are actually designed for use in a vehicle that is operating on 13.8v and not 12v. The higher voltage exists because the vehicle battery needs a higher voltage to be charged. Consequently 13.8v is the voltage most everything in the car is designed around. Also, when a lead acid battery is charged, a charger may delivery up to 14.4 volts under certain conditions to top it off, this exposing all other electronics in the vehicle to that as well. So where does that leave us? I imagine you are measuring your power supply without a load on it and that you’re getting 14.5v. This is just slightly above the normal max that the alternator would generate to charge a battery. If you put a load on your power supply, you will find that the voltage drops, perhaps down to 13.8 or even lower, right where you expect to be. The better the power supply design, the less variance in output voltage between load and no-load conditions. I just recently read a spec on a mobile radio where the manufacturer actually published its usable voltage range for its 12v Radio. It was published as 13.8vdc +/- 20%. That is the exactly the way it should be stated. This eliminates all guesswork. This translates into a radio that manufacturer says will operate correctly within a voltage range of 11.04-16.56 vdc. Hope this helps. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Frequency listed is not a GMRS frequency. Are you sure the repeater is using DCS codes and not CTCSS codes? Are you certain that different codes are being used for Tx and Rx? I am speculating based on the way information is formatted in my viewer, but it looks like you might be using DCS with inverted polarity. Is the polarity of the DCS codes correct? Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I believe repeater owner information is confidential until they respond to you directly with permission. For what it is worth, within the last 30 days I applied for two GMRS license on behalf of a couple of sightless friends. One already had an amateur license, the other did not. The application for the one with the amateur license took 9 hours to process, the other took 46 hours. Both applications where completed and filed on a Monday within about 45 minutes of one another. I do not know if there is a connection their or not. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Good Day and welcome to GMRS. First off you are in the right general area, but the frequencies you list are not official GMRS frequencies. Refer to the official list of frequencies and make sure you entered them correctly. For repeater use, you need use what are referred to as the main GMRS frequencies. The Rx frequency will being with 462, and the Tx frequency will be exactly 5MHz higher and begin with 467. Regarding beeps, that may be Morse Code. Morse code is one method regularly used by repeaters to comply with FCC identification requirements. A repeater will transmit that every 10 to 15 minutes when the repeater is active and often immediately upon becoming active if it has been idle for more than 15 minutes. You could be hearing something else completely different if you are not using correct frequencies. Now, assuming you had a typo and actually used the correct frequencies, one of the things you will learn about radio is what is called “desense”. Desense is the condition where a radio cannot operate properly when it receives strong RF signals that are different from its intended receive frequency. When using radios with a repeater, the radios transmit on one frequency and receive on another. If your handheld radios are sufficiently close to one another, the transmitting radio frequency may be overloading the. receiving radio which is trying to listen on a different frequency. If desense is your problem, you may find that separating the radios by a good distance (perhaps 50-100’ or more) will solve your problem. A good way to visualize desense is this. Imagine its night and you are trying to read the front license plate of a car from 100’ away. You can read it because the license plate is dimly lit and you have good eyes. Now someone turns the headlights on and suddenly you are blinded by those bright lights and consequently your eyes can no longer tune into that dimly lit license plate between them. Lastly, it is very common for repeaters to continue transmitting for 1-2-5 seconds after you stop transmitting. This is done for a variety of reasons. One benefit of this to you when you are testing is that you can key-up, announce your callsign and that you are testing, then under. If you made it into the repeater you get the benefit of hearing that squelch tail from the repeater. Generally a good sign you got in. Never do this without announcing yourself. Hope this helps. Michael WHRS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks. I received that email this morning also. That extra three watts is no big loss. Better safe than sorry. My KG-UV9P will output 10w on high setting but I do not operate at that power when carrying. The radio gets uncomfortably warm, the battery drains quickly, and when the skin on your hand touches the exposed battery terminals on the back while transmitting at 10w you will experience an RF burning sensation that will cause you to decrease the power anyway; it may even cause you to drop the radio to eliminate the discomfort. So for me the extra power is nice to know is available, but not something I need. It will be relegated to emergency use only in a mobile, external power and antenna scenario. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Shadow471, one thing I will tell you in advance about the KG-UV9 series of radios is that they have nice displays that are mostly useless outdoors during daylight hours, even at their highest brightness setting. The screen has a small fraction of the brightness of a smart phone. If you need to change a reading setting other than channel or volume outdoors you will be looking for well shadowed/dimly lit areas. The screen is a poor choice for a radio intended for outdoor use. The KG-805G on the other hand is legible indoor and out, as it should be. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I can confirm that the first three DTMF digits transmitted when the alarm button is pressed are in-fact the ANI-ID value that can be set in the software. I tried many different values in the software’s ANI-ID field and had consistent results. I could not however identify the exact source of the last three digits of the code. None of the other editable fields in the software that accepted numbers seemed to affect those values. If anyone learns differently, post a reply to this. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Wanted to share one little ditty I found with the KG-805G radio. I was trying to see if there was a way to view the firmware version of the radio or if there was a factory reset option like there is on my KG-UV9P. While no reset option has been identified, I have identified that one can view some internal information by doing the following: Turn off Radio. Press and hold the ‘Up’ button while turning the radio on. Doing so will display the radio model. Then, if you press the up button again and again you will step thru number of yet-to-be-determined values. One value may be the date of manufacture (or firmware date), one may be firmware version, plus two other unknown values. I had thought that one of the unknown values may be the PTT-ID value that can be set in the radio, but that does not appear to be the case as I did change it using the manufacturer’s software and neither of these two unknown values changed when checked again. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The KG-805G has 128 available memories. All memories can be used for your choice of simplex and repeater configurations, and this includes your choice of CTCSS and DCS codes in any Rx-Tx combination you may need. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have not heard/seen SuperHet officially claimed or verified for the KG-805G and currently assume it is not. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Wavelength varies with the medium through which the signal travels. In free space, wavelength for GMRS is approx 25.40 inches. In solid copper wire, wavelength is approx 24.13 inches. In coax it varies based on its construction and materials, but can be around 16.75 inches. To calculate approx wavelength in free space, use the formula 300/[Freq in MHz] to get length in meters. 300 stands for the approx speed of light in millions of meters per second. To approximate wavelength in solid copper, multiple free space wavelength by .95. To approximate wavelength in coax, look up specs for the coax and look for its velocity factor (often called ‘Nominal Velocity of Propagation’). Multiply the free space wavelength by this value. You can find some typical values for velocity of propagation here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velocity_factor Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have and use the MXTA26 antenna as well. In my opinion, the main purpose of the rubber isolator is to protect your car’s finish during the process of installing and removing the antenna from your car. Years ago I had multiple mag mounts. One had no protector and did damage (scratch leading to rust) the paint. Another had a self adhesive plastic film (thick tape-like) protector and I had no issues. In no case however was my mag mount a permanent fixture on the car. This amateur operator has an opinion on why (despite the protector) mag mounts with the protector do still at times damage the paint. It is worth the read. http://www.k0bg.com/antmount.html Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Correct. I played with that a ways back. Appears to transmit whatever the current PTT ID value is. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I worked with a gentleman 50-60 years old, born and raised in China. His english, writing and communication skills were atrocious. You can image my surprise when I learned we had been officially trained in Chinese to English translation and practiced professionally translating technical writings for 10-15 years. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

A repeater that has a large coverage area is often referred to as a “high-profile” repeater. 25, 50 miles and more are all practical and possible under the right conditions. You will read experiences on this forum of 75 + miles. Distances are the radius from transmitter to repeater and vice versus. So a repeater with a radius of 50 miles can mean 50 miles in all directions from repeater (or a 100 mile diameter). The best GMRS repeater in Cincinnati has about a 40 mile (radius) range or more. Repeaters transmit on the 8 of the same frequencies that your radio uses for simplex. So even if you are not in repeater mode you can hear transmissions from both repeaters and simplex users. If you are hearing transmissions from persons separated by great distances you can bet you are listening to them from a repeater. The quality of an FM signal is fantastic throughout the majority of its usable transmission range under any given set of circumstances. Ever notice how the quality of an FM commercial radio broadcast is so good until you get near the edge of its coverage range? Quality falls off very quickly as you are approaching the edge of its usable coverage range. Also, some repeaters are linked. This means that repeaters in some cities are linked to repeaters in other cities. This allows a repeater in city A to pick up a user around city A and the signal will be transmitted in both city A and in City B. Sunday night is a night in which some nets are active. If you are listening to repeaters connected to a net, do no be supervised to here conversations between folks coast to coast. On two occasions I personally spoke from Cincinnati to New Jersey, upstate Indiana, Chicago, Wisconsin, Iowa and Los Angeles. Spend time reading the zillions of posts in this forum and you will learn lots. Welcome, and enjoy the journey. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

There are a variety of approaches that can be taken. My approach is generally a process of elimination, starting with as few variables as possible. Do you have a another known good GMRS antenna? Does a friend have one. Do you have a know good connectorized cable? Known good mount? Known good SWR meter that is rated for use at 467 MHz? If you have a known good antenna and you know what its SWR is in its known good working condition, you could move that antenna over to your truck and check its SWR using your mount and cable. If the SWR is still good then your ghost antenna is the likely culprit. If SWR is still bad, then your cable, connectors or connections are where you need to focus. Don’t assume that outwardly nice looking solder joint means a quality connection at RF. A knick in the center conductor or shield can have a terrible affect on SWR as can coax dielectric damage cased by excess heat during soldering as can a hair of shield braid coming close to the center conductor. I would consider another very simple test. Attach the Ghost Antenna to a mag mount, place the mag mount outdoors on a metal surface. This could be the roof of any car or truck (aluminum or steel s fine), or the bottom of a metal trash can turned upside down, or even a large cookie sheet or pie tin set atop a wooden post. I would try a short factory made coax or another one that is already known to be working perfectly. What you try first has more do with what you have at your disposal to facilitate the test. Changing only one variable at time is always best. Edited for spelling. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

BetterSafeRadio has changed their projected availability date to November (back from October). I don’t have any more information than that for this model. You can go to their website and get on the wait list if you like. You will be emailed when it is available. There appears to be even more GMRS models on the horizon from Wouxun. An FCC application has recently been filed by BuyTwoWay radios to allow them to beta test some new product. I Presume this to be FRS, GMRS and MURS products based on the model numbers referenced in the application. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not sure why you would walk away from GMRS just because you are having a technical issue. Technical issues can and do exist everywhere in radio. All issues are just problems waiting to be solved. The hobby of radio is all about the journey of learning. SWR issues can be caused by many things. Bad cable, connector, or adapter. Improper tuning of antenna. Antenna design expecting a ground plane but does not have one. Incorrect antenna being used. Antenna is too close to a reflecting surface when a reflector is not (by design) expected. A defective antenna. Others as well. I don’t know beer trucks so I cannot relate to why a mag-mount cannot be used. Perhaps some pictures would educate me and others. Could you post pictures and more information about the antennas your using, where and how you are mounting them? With good product properly installed you should be able to achieve mobile SWR numbers mid to low 1.[n]:1 range. Feed us with more information and I am sure the solution will emerge. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That is a very nice find indeed. I have that on my amateur radio and currently use it to scan for tones on GMRS frequencies. I hope my next GMRS radio purchases will have it as well so I don’t have to use two radios to achieve same results. Michael WRHS965 KE8PM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The time commitment of a VE conducting the online versions of the testing appears to be quite high. 3 people per person per test. Ordinarily there are 3 VE required for a single testing session of perhaps 6-24 candidates. I could not conclude that the online tests were anything more than 3:1, meaning a much greater personal commitment of the VE to conduct tests. I personally was not going to put the VE through that and waited for the in-person group opportunity to open up. In-person sessions are happening in the Cincinnati and Dayton Ohio areas. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You need to use the manufacturer’s software for this. Here is a link to a video showing how. The manufacturer software does not use the +/- option. Instead they require you to enter the exact transmit and receive frequency. For simplex channels, set transmit and receive frequencies the same using valid GMRS frequencies. For repeater channels, use one of the 8 main GMRS 462 MHz frequencies for receive, and then a 467 MHz frequency (exactly 5 MHz higher that Rx) in the transmit column. NOAA frequencies are not support on KG-805G. Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I recently learned that there was some prepper movement towards establishing a channel to use for a future SHTF event. It does not address GMRS specifically, but it does address FRS, so since they share the same frequencies it may be worth a look. Here is a link. https://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/3-3-3-radio-plan-for-shtf-communications/ Michael WRHS965 KE8PLM Edit. I reviewed list again, and they do advocate a GMRS frequency as well. 462.6000 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk