gortex2

So some issues come to mind. First is get rid of the LMR400. How is your CDM programmed. TX radio should be programmed for 462.625 TX And RX. RX radio should be programmed for 467.625 TX and RX. You cannot program a radio for TX only so i assume something is amis on the CDM. with a mic on the CDM you should be able to TX to your HT with no issues, and then recieve you HT on the RX radio with all the RICK unplugged. The rick is pretty basic and the description you mention looks like programming. Also where is antenna located ? away from equipment I assume ?

That is a nice setup. I did similar in my wifes JK. I used the ICOM 6061 with remote head kit. It wasn't much more than the Midland and let me use MDC on my LMR channels in addition to being able to add some ham stuff.

Your never going to program a MCS with a USB programming cable. You need the RIB and a older PC. I use a Windows98 PC with a RIB and have no issues. I have tried to read with my W10 PC with a USB/Serial adapter to the RIB and never made it work. Others on my SAR team have spent days ttrying to get a USB programming cable to work with no luck.

I don,t think you can get the GR1225 that low and be stable. I never had any turned down below 10 watts. There is alot of info out there on the GM300 and maxtrac radios that used very similar PA's and would wander on really low power. I run the TPL amps on my GR1225 repeaters in both UHF and VHF and have had good luck with them.

I agree you could build better and cheaper, but the size is the plus side on this thing. I have about 15 repeaters. Smallest I have been able to build is a GR1225 deck only with the duplexer on top of the deck. Still that is not something i can just grab and go. I had stuck it in a small pelican case and works ok, but looking for smaller. I have also built a small HT (based on HT1000) with a duplexer but output power is about 2 watts. Really need about 10 to do what i do with mine. Thats a good compromise by the time i hook up cables and antenna to the box.

I'd like to play with the repeater to be honest. I love my GR1225 in my motorhome, but it does burn alot of power I dont need when dry camping. Id be curious to know the standby current on it and cant seem to find it on the site. I have my GR1225 turned down to 10 watts anyway but with the fan running alot in summer. I have no interest in the handheld units. I assume it has a single antenna port but doesn't really say. If so it may be a good temp repeater for stuff.

This happens more than people realize.

Your correct , however I have seen many ham clubs use cheap stuff and try to pass it to the county. I once walked to a site that had an adi mobile radio wire tied on top of a GE master II recever board and a cheap china duplexer in the site. Power supply was a RS 12V 10Amp unit with about 12 wires coming off it. When i went to the club to help i was told they knew how to do stuff. As a radio vendor at the time my hopes were to help them out, but walked away. A year later they were tossed from the site. I think alot of the younger hams see this, but some of the older guys are set in the way. Buy quality and i will be there when needed.

I am on the fence on this. I know its been brought up on multiple forums and not just for HAM stuff. If done right I have no issues with HAM gear being in sites. The issue is with the folks just like here that want to strap garbage together and put it in a shelter that a county spent millions on to protect. Time will tell but ITs more and more common to find HAM gear being set to the curb. If they spend the money and buy quality gear its not an issue 90% of the time.

Thats the same guy that we got the entire kit from. I actually looked to just get the tripod then buy the tubes ouself. After talking to him about our idea it was apparent I could save some coin, or just buy a bag that has everything needed. He actually cuts all the aluminum poles so they slide thru the tripod and finishes the ends. Yes you could use poles with the ring on them but its slick as slick to just keep adding poles to the bottom and push it up. All his stuff comes in a bag that can be carried by one person up a mountain and setup.

Yup he is pretty firm on his price. We were able to get a donation to help out and get it. May be worth grabbing a 4'x4' sheet of 3//4 plywood to throw on the ground first and screw or bolt it to it. Then throw some blocks or something heavy on it ? I had spikes pounded in the ground on all three when ours blew over. They were about 16" long but the ground was mostly sand and didn't help much.

Nice setup but watch the Tripod you have. I tried similar setup for our SAR team in the past and it didn't last well in some wind even with guy wires up. We since switched to a military style mast kit we found here - https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTENNA-TRIPOD-29FT-ALUMINUM-PORTABLE-TOWER-MAST-KIT-NEW/361384099911 It is night and day better and faster to set up that what we had before. It cost a bit more but in the end it was worth it. The selling point of the tripod is the custom "tripod" adapter he ships with it. Here it was last summer in the national park. This was hooked up to a mixed mode Quantar for an event we handle comms for.

I actually run both on my F150. The only benefit of the 4503 is size. It works well on my local trunking systems but no antenna will work there. For GMRS its ok when on some repeaters, but simplex is junk. I since have put the 1/4 wave back on my GMRS mobile and am very happy with it.

As others have said, just buy 3 NMO mounts with pre-attached cables. I like the larsen as it is crimped on vs soldered and a bit better for places that are out in the elements.

Id like to see more on the linking stuff. As you said fixing the out dated repeater listings is a large task. I tend to come here only for GMRs stuff which i like. Most of the other online forums for radio stuff is all over the place. I know this is mostly GMRS so i tend to come here daily. One thought i did have and maybe its been done but a spot on "license" encouragement would be nice. I wish places like midland would do thia also but they want to sell a product and not deal with this. having a page spelling out the reasons and how to get a license, with a link to start would be cool.

Welcome.

I actually used on of these directly thru the plastic roof of a UTV. It worked well on UHF. Tried similar on a VHF install and while it worked OK, I was a bit more challenging to install. I run one on my motor home ladder mount now with a quaterwave antenna for my on board repeater.

Definitely VHF. They may of licensed UHF for a control link of some sort over time. I had a few construction companies that did that when they were on lowband. a local UHF repeater was installed at the building and was tied into the lowband base radio. This allowed guys in the shop and yard to talk to the trucks on the road via portable radio.

Also run a FCC search for the coordinates. You mentioned the license was cancelled. Back in my shop days we did a lot of LMR and a few times would add a site like this to our license especially if we had a chance to sell other on the system in a fringe area. Once you determine there is nothing connected to the antenna and it is indeed UHF find someone to sweep the antenna for Return Loss and DTF to verify the line and antenna is good. Once that is determined and a deal can be made with the owner, then start assembling your parts for a repeater. As I have said other times if you do build the repeater yourself image is every thing. Most customers/site owner dont want to see mobile or portable radios wire tied to a sheep of metal or power supply. Make it neat. Quality jumpers for the duplexer with no adapters and you will have a decent repeater. Site lease/costs is a big unknown. Do some research and talk to the owner. A lot of times you can work something out especially if its a local agency. If its American or Crown walk away as your going topay many thousands a year. When our SAR team first put a repeater online we worked out a deal to mow and maintain the building at an old tower site in exchange for rent. Worked great for years.

Antenna in the picture is VHF. You would need to swap the antenna before doing anything.

Superflex is great for inside stuff and jumpers. Thats what its normally used for. Rarely do we run it up a tower, but it would work. On most projects LDF is run on the tower then the FSJ from the bulkhead to the equipment racks. I have all my duplexer jumpers built out of FSJ.

The 221 is a rock solid performer. I have many of them in SAR and also for GMRS. Other than one display that went bad on a 4 wheeler they seem to tick away.

I installed a back rack on my new JT as its a soft top. It has the bracket also. It works OK, but not as good as my F150 with a drilled NMO with same 1/4 wave antenna. I mostly talk simplex and it is noticeably different although both sweeps show the same on a VNA. Its the only solution I have on the JT so it is what it is. I would prefer a roof mount NMO. In regards to the NMO mount get the good sealed mount. I run the Larsen thick mount as the standard NMO wont fit the steel plate. I got mine from antenna farm - https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/larsen-nmokhfcxthk-1161

The heat shrink I got is the stuff with sealer used for underground well lines. The glue is pretty tough. I have used it in the past and it works really well. Made by T&B. Hopefully mine is only up until spring and i start my tower install.

I lived in upstate NY (Tug Hill area) for most of my life. All my NY GMRS repeaters run this antenna and all my SAR repeaters run the DB224 (same design) and never had an issue. I have one antenna that is about 20 years old and yearly PM checks are always fine.