gortex2

I guess the question is do you want a repeater that works or one that you can talk a mile from home with. That's the cost factor. All of my repeaters have at least $5000 into at minimum for hardline, antenna and repeater. All have 30-40 mile range. Can you do it cheaper yes but dont expect to talk all over with it. A good DB404 antenna will be $500 alone. Even my home GR500 (2 GM300 mobiles, rck and duplexer) was about $300 used. Thats a solid little repeater but then add the DB404 and 25' of 1/2" hardline, polyphasers and tripod mount on my roof and im well over $1500 and I can only get about 3 miles from home. Granted I'm not on a hill and the only reason for the one at home is to talk to my farm stuff. 

The baofengs are not good for scanning. Does it but not well. If you want a real scanner for a vehicle then there are many options from uniden and other scanner manufacturers. 

The baofengs are not good for scanning. Does it but not well. If you want a real scanner for a vehicle then there are many options from uniden and other scanner manufacturers. 

The RT97 is ideal. Had one in my motorhome and would cover most camp grounds just fine with a decent antenna. The issue with the surecomm simplex repeaters is people understanding how they work and worse if they can hear both conversations. Save up and get the RT

The RT97 is ideal. Had one in my motorhome and would cover most camp grounds just fine with a decent antenna. The issue with the surecomm simplex repeaters is people understanding how they work and worse if they can hear both conversations. Save up and get the RT

The baofengs are not good for scanning. Does it but not well. If you want a real scanner for a vehicle then there are many options from uniden and other scanner manufacturers. 

Same tones as it was. I went up and "replaced" it in late May. I used a higher voltage panel and a better MPPT charge controller. The controller is rated for colder temperatures and I was able to program it to cut off the load at 12.0 volts instead of 11.2.  It is also running a Laird 5/8 over 5/8 collinear antenna vs the roll up J-Pole. I saw no improvement in reception or transmission with the Laird but I have not done any extensive testing.
 
When I removed the battery and power line from the "old" repeater a month or two later, when the ground was thawed. I found that the battery was at 12 volts still. I examined the power line and found it was broken internally. Corroded and failed.  It is very likely the system failed in December due to that and not due to a frozen battery. Winter will be here in a few months and we shall see what happens this time.
 
Feel free to use the repeater. It has seen very light use this summer.

This is a very good use for the Retevis RT-97, which is an all in one repeater and duplexer. Add an antenna and cable and you have a small low power repeater. 

Has to be rugged and reliable. If it dies from dropping on a cement floor it’s useless.

And while we are on the subject of Repeaters.... Why do people keep listing repeaters that do not exist? Is there some thrill? Aren't they sad or embarrassed when they have to explain it never existed? I don't get it. 
I've had a private repeater for years, people asked to use it right up until this Spring, when I made it public with new PL's and a refreshed listing. Now...summer activity time...not a peep. People still ask, even request permission even though they don't need it per the listing. Not a peep. 
If anyone is interested in a mint MTR2000, cabinet and Zetron panel.... she's probably going to be for sale soon. I'll throw in a supposedly good ASP805 & Clamps too (not mounted, currently stored in barn).

I have a pair of Moto xpr4350's, a quality set of jumpers, cheap controller, Telewave duplexer, 50ish feet of Andrew 1/2" hardline, and a Laird 5 db fiberglass antenna at 20 feet. Covers the neighborhood well, and good for about 3 miles.
 

I guess the question is do you want a repeater that works or one that you can talk a mile from home with. That's the cost factor. All of my repeaters have at least $5000 into at minimum for hardline, antenna and repeater. All have 30-40 mile range. Can you do it cheaper yes but dont expect to talk all over with it. A good DB404 antenna will be $500 alone. Even my home GR500 (2 GM300 mobiles, rck and duplexer) was about $300 used. Thats a solid little repeater but then add the DB404 and 25' of 1/2" hardline, polyphasers and tripod mount on my roof and im well over $1500 and I can only get about 3 miles from home. Granted I'm not on a hill and the only reason for the one at home is to talk to my farm stuff. 

That's not what I've heard from repeater owners.   i believe you are way under estimating the cost. (Of course, a repeater owner could tell you better than I. )

For small tractors, Kubota or John Deere are very handy to have around.  I have a little John Deere 2305 with hydrostatic transmission which is very easy to operate and my son-in-law has a Kubota just a little bigger. Both have 4 wheel drive.
I’ve heard that Mahindra and Kioti tractors work pretty well and are cheaper, but I have no personal knowledge of them.  Here in the lower 48 it’s always possible to find a used tractor.  A friend of mine has a full sized White with a loader that I think would be pretty good for what you’re trying to do but getting it there would be prohibitive.  If you follow the boom/bust cycle of the oil industry you can find skid-steer tractors and backhoes for pretty good bargains every ten or fifteen years. ?

Can't speak for everyone, but I get my coax loss information from the manufacturer of the cable I use in any given application. Pretty solid source.

No pics of my first. It was a 4 channel Uniden crystal radio. 
One of these 2 are my grab and go radios....
 

Nope. Sorry Im not a fan of nets. They should be on Ham radio in my opinion. A national net just ties up repeaters when no one is listening to them.

Our first tower site for our SAR team was owned by a concrete company. You could almost not see the building with growth. We told them we would clean up the site, mow all year and help fix windows doors etc. We were there for 5 years until we moved to a county site. It was a great partnership and we left the place much better than it was. With that said we were a 501C3 with insurance. Without that it may be a stumbling block in these days. 

6:" you should be good. I ran 2 UHF TLMR antennas in the back of my GC for years (total of 6 mounts on the roof). Never had Sirus/XM drop out nor issues with UHF

I used to be a member for years myself, even was an EC for the county I lived in at the time. Things got ridiculous as I tried to do the right thing during that time period, but politics and massive egos of some got in the way (along with a DEC and an SEC that ignored what was going on) and I just couldn't handle it anymore. Since then, things have definitely gone south, and it's unfortunate. Seeing the ARRL get into bed with Homeland Security cut out a lot of hams that gave their time and efforts to the ARRL only to get screwed over by new rules and requirements that the Feds requested, which left many hams out in the cold. Trademarking the acronym ARES didn't help matters in my eyes either. 
But it's not just that: Even QST has dropped in quality somewhat, with half the mag containing ads and such along with raising annual dues. Now, I find that I get more ham-related material from QRZ and YouTube...stuff that I can actually get my teeth into.
Would I become a member again? I have to say that the answer would be absolutely not under any circumstances. The only thing I have received concerning the ARRL is Logbook of the World; now THAT was one of the best things the organization has ever done. 
Now that I've probably rustled some feathers with what I've said, but it wouldn't be helpful to see those who are ARRL supporters and especially field organization placeholders showing up to say basically that I'm wrong about my comments. I've seen it, lived it, and been burned by it all, so it will be my intention to completely ignore the noise. That will be my last word on this, unless someone decides to make it personal where I'm concerned.
Sorry for the rant, but some things had to be said.
Warren, WQ1C / WRPC505

Make sense.  I am moving the other way away from the MXTs for radios that allow more.   Altho the wife's TJ still running the MXT115
 
 
Re-did the wife's TJ mount. 
 
Found a LED third brake light for the TJ at the swapmeet today.  Got home installed and the ball started rolling on a new mount, inspired from an earlier post.
 
 

There are several reasons with the big one being that the Wouxun makes my Jeep cluttered.  I like that the Midland is all in the mic.  The quality feel of the 575 is another, and then the simplicity.  So when I'm not using it, it disappears, or at worst, hangs on a mic holder out of the way and without looking like clutter.  It also has better volume so I can hear it with the top down.  I had to use an auxillary speaker with the Wouxun, even with the mic speaker and the base speaker turned on.  The mic speaker is so weak it might as well not even be there.  The Wouxun's backlighting is terrible, too.  Too bright at night. You can't dim it or change the color.  And the best location of the face plate, which worked well for info and usage put that light in a bad spot for me at night. (Top center of the dash.)
The Wouxun has performed well in terms of range and reception, but the 575 is just as good there.  But again, the higher volume makes it superior.  
So I liked the Wouxun from a performance standpoint, but ergonomically, it just doesn't work for me.
It is going on Ebay or FB Marketplace soon if I get no reasonable offers here.  I have the box and all the cords. There isn't a scratch or mark on it, so it is in new condition.  $320 takes it, shipping included within the continental US.  If local, then $300.

There are companies that aggressively search for "open" areas lacking coverage that also have the ability to have a tower placed there. Those companies are responsible for 90%+ of all new tower site builds. They have lawyers at their disposal, zoning specialists, and years of experience building out sites.
They also have relationships with wireless carriers, and know that they're likely going to have 1 or more carriers as tenants on the site before the first shovel hits the ground.
That's the kind of business plan you should have before you go spending hundreds of thousands (or more) to put up a tower.

There is a lot more to commercial towers than just getting it in the air.  If you have working capital, it could be a good thing. Just remember there is risk. 
 
Two recommendations I would offer is this... if you're going to a bank or venture capitalist, you need a solid business plan that looks like its going to work, and a backout plan to still make money if it doesn't. 
 
The other is, talk to potential customers. Tell them what you're planning and ask them what their needs are in order for them to consider doing business with you in the future.
 
By doing this, the County emergency services office was able to help my friend get through obstacles that stopped the process, because the County said it served the greater public good. He had no idea they would be an ally until he talked to the Emergency Coordinator. 
 
Good luck! I hope you succeed! 

He made his money back in just a few years.  He is letting the county use it for free, but the other companies are paying over $30k a month, collectively.