maddogrecurve
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Posts posted by maddogrecurve
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I have no clue, but I thought I would comment since you are sitting here all alone!!!!!
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On 12/19/2021 at 8:03 AM, Josh00333 said:
This one is strange.
After my Midland 275 install I tested all the channels (scan) and had no issues, drove around the block to test it. I took a road trip and after being on the freeway a few min (10 maybe) I got interference on 19. Scan would pick it up and just stay. Very annoying. Got worse to 18-20 all stuck. Tried turning up sq to max hoping it would skip it, no joy.
I moved the head a foot just to see if that helped, nada.
After my trip took my handheld 905 with me, retested. Driving around w a cold truck no interference on the 905 or the 275. But once the truck is warmed up 10 min or so it comes back in on the 275.
I tried turning off/on AC, turning off the hvac, turning up down the hvac fan, turning off/on car play, turning off the stereo head all together. Nada.
I'm taking a wild guess I have some power or ground interference that is popping up once the car is warmed up/the alternator is not charging from start up.
I grounded the head on a factory ground in the cab, took power off the factory supplied ign hot lead (part of the auxiliary switch group). Rig is a 2021 Jeep Gladiator JT. I really like coming off the ign hot, but think I need to run a dedicated hot and ground.
Thoughts?
I always run wire directly from the battery to my rigs unless it is a portable quick install, then I have used lighter plugs (no good!). I still get interference sometimes, but not too bad.
Is your antenna grounded?
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On 12/11/2021 at 12:46 PM, PACNWComms said:
Have never used one of these antennas, but came in to see what others had experienced. WRFP399's comment may make me buy a couple for hiking and camping use. Like that they are lightweight but can get out a bit. Have strewn wire into and between trees many times though.
They are light, and easy to make if single banded, but I am having problems getting my ladder line to resonate on two bands except for my 2 meter J-Pole that I made with plans off of the internet.
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On 12/10/2021 at 1:12 PM, WRFP399 said:
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.
That looks like a wonderful idea! I plan on taking mine camping as well, but I do not think any repeaters will be reachable as we have none in the Columbia Gorge. Once I get my ham ticket though, I will also bring my 2 meter J-pole that I made out of ladder line, I should hit a repeater with that!!
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On 12/10/2021 at 12:05 PM, WyoJoe said:
I have the N9TAX dual band slim jim antenna for 2m/70cm, and I've been using it for several years. I hung it from a ceiling hook in the corner of the room, and I've just left it there since. I really don't think about it much. It just works when I need it to. I've used it with several mobile and hand-held radios, and any issues I've had have always been radio related, not antenna related.
Pretty cool that it hangs out with you!! I put mine up when my girlfriend is out of the house, or up in my hobby room. Now that I have my mobile radio working, I want to put an antenna permanently up so I may try to find a spot for the N9TAX.
Mine detuned on MURS, which is really bad, I do not know why it did that, but it did.
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On 12/10/2021 at 10:55 AM, tweiss3 said:
I have used the EdFong version for 2m/70cm ham, and 220 ham. They work pretty well if constructed correctly. My dualband is currently a scanner antenna, the 220 is going back up this weekend.
How active is the 220 band? I do not have my license yet, getting confident enough to take my test soon though.
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On 10/29/2021 at 10:53 PM, IanM said:
I'm doing well with a couple of DIYed Slim Jims tuned for a few different bands. The advantage over just using a mobile antenna is they obviate the need for a ground plane (the ubiquitous cookie sheet), and can be hung up in a window or something like that.
You should be fine provided it's not, you know, right next to your head. I plugged it into the ARRL safe exposure calculator, assuming a generous 3dBi antenna, and it gives you about 3 feet safe distance for a worst-case, 5-minute transmission.
The bigger issue is that most linear antennas are omnidirectional, and you're wasting power radiating into your house when you want to be pointing more of it outside. A Yagi-Uda or corner reflector would be far more directionally efficient. But it's a lot harder to find a convenient place to put inside, and isn't so easy on the eyes.
What sort of install are you looking at building? If you're in a multifamily building you might be out of luck (as I am), but if you're setting up in an attic or the like, you might have better luck with a bigger (or uglier) antenna, and might have decent enough penetration coupled with a height advantage to forgo mounting externally.
Ian,
What kind of slim jim's are you making? I have been trying to make them out of ladder line for GMRS and have been unsuccessful! There are no plans online for them, and the calculators are not working for me. I have made a few for 2m/70cm and a single band 2m one, but I cannot get GMRS or Murs to work by themselves.
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On 11/9/2021 at 10:28 AM, Papatree said:
Do j-pole antennas not have any gain to them, by design? (I'm getting one to try for better range/performance for my location and stay under the HOA radar).
If no gain, is there a way to modify it for gain, or at least to not have any loss in tx/rx?
J-Poles do have gain! Not a bunch, but they work much better than dipoles! They outperform many commercial loaded antennas as well! Look up the info on the net, but be careful, some people are biased in both directions, so make sure that you are using a discerning eye!
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On 9/12/2021 at 12:35 PM, pcradio said:
Don't know all the proper terms, but I mounted the antenna to a wooden 2x4 available in the attic at the southern gable. I ordered an N connector version of the antenna. So, I attached the 30ft of Bolton 400 cable there and then ran it back to my office closet. This is where I have all other forms of cabling going (cat5 etc). I drilled a new hole through the ceiling and a face-plate. From there, you can extend off your run to your device.
Wow, it sounds like you did a great professional job on your cable management! I should follow suit when I run my cable!!
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On 9/12/2021 at 10:44 AM, htims05 said:
First I'm a Noob with my GMRS License.....
I use a couple GMRS HT's - KG-805G as well as KG-935G. We primarily use them to keep in contact with my kids as they roam about the neighborhood, for the most part we can go simplex to simplex on the 5W of the 805's...however if I'm sitting at my office desk which has 2 displays connected to my computer, multiple wireless connections (blue tooth as well as the internet router), I sometimes do not pickup the transmissions from the remote HT's. We also have access to a open repeater that we use for the farther distances in the neighborhood or town for that matter.
I was thinking of putting up something in the attic which would give me about 30 feet of elevation, or simply running an antenna out the window that I'm looking out which goes to the covered front porch.
I've been looking at https://n9taxlabs.com/shop/ols/products/dual-band-murs-gmrs-slim-jim-with-10-or-16-foot-cable for just putting it outside the window.
Or https://www.jpole-antenna.com/shop/uhf-440-470-mhz-slim-jim-antenna/ for up in the attic, But routing cable from the attic to my office could be a challenge and would likely require 100ft or so.
Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.
Good Afternoon,
I have the N9TAX dual band antenna and it works really well! Unfortunately, I have no one to really test it with as I primarily listen to random people talking, but I definitely hear people really well. They are well made and the manufacturer is very helpful as well.
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On 2/16/2021 at 2:35 PM, davidrayt said:
I am a newbie working on setting up my ribbon slim jim inside my apartment as I cannot mount an outside antenna. Everyone talks about keeping it away from metal objects but how far away? I need to use the antenna in my kitchen which of course has a refrigerator and range that are curiously made of metal. I also would like to know which part of the antenna radiates. The top or the bottom?
You should be fine! Do you have an SWR meter or antenna analyzer? If so, just test it to make sure! I have hung my slim jims all over the place and always test them when I move them, sometimes they are affected by objects and sometimes not. Just keep it away from the fridge and maybe any low hanging overhead light fixtures. I hang mine by my fluorescent light in my shop and it is only slightly affected by it.
WRMQ982
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Just now, tweiss3 said:
I have used the EdFong version for 2m/70cm ham, and 220 ham. They work pretty well if constructed correctly. My dualband is currently a scanner antenna, the 220 is going back up this weekend.
Nice, I hear nothing but good about Ed Fong antennas, he is so cool! I have emailed him because I read that he had a heart attack and was out of business for a while. I may order one of his one day, but I enjoy making antennas, and I have the plans for his, in fact I made his dual band 2m/70cm roll up, though I used the wrong plans as there are so many out there, but I got it close enough to work! I am having issues with designing one to work for GMRS though, the antenna calculators are not getting me close enough to resonate at the desired frequencies and no one has listed plans out there!!
I have made ground plane antennas for both Murs/2m and GMRS/70cm and they work great! But J-Poles and slim jims from ladder line are giving me problems!
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Good Morning!
I purchased an N9TAX dual band slim jim antenna for Murs/GMRS/FRS used from a guy. I bought it because I had tried making them and I am having a hard time getting them to resonate with the online calculators.
I have been using this one indoors (my hobby room) and outoors (in my shop) and it receives really well, I think it transmits well, I am unsure as I have no repeater in my area and only hear FRS traffic. Once in a while I chat with people. I do use it to monitor scanner frequencies as well, and it works great!
Let me know if you use these and what you think!
WRMQ982
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On 7/1/2020 at 10:49 AM, Lscott said:
That all depends. I have a Ham buddy who built a special event repeater, for local marathons and bike runs, really cheap with some used radios and a good power amp. The way it was done is using cross-band repeating so the expensive cavity filters get ditched. Most Ham HT’s can be programmed to do split band operation. You RX on one frequency on one band, say VHF, and TX on another, UHF, when you press the PTT button. For Ham radio this usually ends up being the 2 meter and 70 cm bands. On the repeater side a simple diplexer is enough to work the VHF and UHF radios into and can be had for $50 to $75 new.
Then he takes advantage of the local high rise buildings. Through his contacts he has access to the roof tops. No need for an expensive tower and feed line. When you’re on top of a 10 to 15+ story building you get some decent coverage. Since the repeater can be located close to the temporary antenna you don’t need expensive feed line. And what you do use is fairly short thus keeping the losses down and thus the TX’er power required.
Granted his conditions are not the general case but if one looks around and takes advantage of the local resources you can save a huge amount of money and effort.
However if one wants to build an in-band repeater, then yes it gets more complicated and likely expensive as you pointed out.
Sounds like he has his head screwed on straight! I like the way he thinks!!
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On 10/21/2019 at 1:50 PM, andygeekboy said:
Wish I'd have read this post before I ran off 'half-cocked' *like I always do!
I'm with ya! Though I have not started the repeater journey yet, so I am glad I am reading this!!
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On 3/18/2019 at 8:29 AM, coryb27 said:
Why does every new license holder want to setup a repeater? I would like to shed a little light on some of the important things to consider if you recently got your GMRS license and now want your own repeater.
First thing to consider, are there any open well placed repeaters in your area that you are able to use? I can assure you most repeater owners want people to use there repeater. Owning several repeaters I can assure you all are welcome and encouraged to use my machines.
Do you have access to a location to host your repeater? If your answer is your garage roof you should reconsider. Your garage roof will give you about the same coverage as simplex. Unless you’re on top of a mountain and all your users are at the bottom you will never be happy with this setup.
GMRS is not as popular as one would like to think, unless your repeater covers 20 miles or more you may find you only have 1 or 2 users in the area. Unless you already have a group of friends together you may want to consider this before spending money on a decent well positioned site to install your repeater.
So you found a nice high site and the price is right, all you need to do is get the repeater installed, sounds simple right? Some thigs to consider first and foremost are the costs because they can add up quickly. Are you on a commercial tower that requires a license and bonded climber? If so this could be by far your largest expense depending on your area. I have spent $600 to $1200 on a climber; I have had quotes as high as $2500 depending on the amount of work and heights involved. Keep in mind commercial sites require certified mounts, hard line cable, cable clamps, engineered grounding solutions and commercial grade antennas. No tower owner is going to let you install a comet antenna and 200’ of braided shield coax.
This brings me to my next point, the antenna. Because of the costs involved with climbers you will want to expend your budget on the antenna. Remember a $2000 repeater on a $200 antenna is going to work about as good as a $200 repeater. Whereas a $200 repeater on a $2000 antenna is going to work like a $2000 repeater. On my first repeater I was gifted use of a 150’ tower, I installed a DB-420 on the top and 160’ of 7/8 hardline. Total cost of equipment for the antenna install was $2500, with the climbers labor coming in at an additional $800. This left me with enough to purchase an old Motorola R100 repeater running at 25W. To my surprise it had 30 miles of coverage, all due to the cash spent on the antenna and waiting for a decent spot.
Things happen, more so if you have an antenna 200’ in the air with a conductive cable connected to sensitive electronics. Antenna issues, feedline issues, repeater issues all cost money and I promise at some point you will have issues that need repair and require your money!
It is my opinion that the GMRS community does not need another 2 to 5 miles repeater as it just becomes background noise. What use is a public listed repeater if somebody in a mobile can’t use it 5 miles away while moving or the portable coverage is only a mile? If after reading this you are still going to build a repeater for your garage more power to you, just don’t expect 20 people to show up if it only reaches a mile.
As the owner of several GMRS and Commercial repeaters I can attest to the amount of money and effort go into my repeaters. I have only touched on the basics, if you add in any kind of testing services, duplexer tuning, addition of a combiner channel to an existing tower system, RF engineering, rent and insurance your costs can sky rocket. The best advice I can give any new licensee is to try and use the available systems in the area. Take the time to learn a little about what you’re doing and to assess the usability of the service before investing in a repeater for the sole reason of saying you own one.
Kind Sir,
In my area (The Columbia Gorge Oregon), there are no repeaters at all!! I do want to start a group of GMRS users first, then discuss as a group setting up a repeater or two and maybe linking it with a system of repeaters leading into Portland for rec and emergency use, but that is a long ways away..
Thanks for your input, I understand that they are expensive and time consuming, and I do not have the money nor time right now for it. I do want to get my ham license because we do have 2m 70cm repeaters and people who actually talk on them around me, unlike GMRS. All I have is flaggers, travelers, and yelling toddlers on the FRS/GMRS band.....
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I do not know about UHF but I know that with HF, wattage makes a huge difference!!!! When i had a little kicker in line, I could talk about 15 miles further to a guy on the way to work than I could without. The difference in wattage was only about 60 watts, and my antenna was the best (in my opinion) a 102" whip, though I had crappy RG 58 coax on a Tram magnet mount.
I now use the same mount but I swapped coax for my usual RG/8x coax, but no longer run the kicker.
I plan on getting a mobile UHF/VHF radio really soon and will see how well I can do with further repeaters, but I also know that I cannot talk to those that I cannot hear! I may be in the same boat that I am in with my HT!!!
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On 12/5/2019 at 5:28 AM, kipandlee said:
we have a few of the TK-8360 H good radios no complaints if you choose to go with one here is the software https://hamfiles.co.uk/index.php?page=downloads&type=entry&id=radio-programming%2Fkenwood-programming%2Fkpg-135d-programming
Can you program them from the radio itself?
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On 8/29/2021 at 3:06 PM, kb2ztx said:
Never said it shouldn't. Said why spend time when there is tons of aftermarket stuff for cheap. Again this is a service but appears people think its ham radio....build away..I'll order the proper stuff.
Enjoy ordering the "proper" stuff, I order tons of stuff also, I have multiple mobile antennas and radios. I also have tons of connectors and tools for my coax and the fittings.
I just enjoy radio, C.B, Shortwave, all radio, and since there really is no one to talk to where I live but people passing through and a couple of flaggers who think they own the FRS channels, I will keep making my "improper" equipment until I get my Ham license, then make even more because Ham is dead where I live.
Fortunately, ham is not dead where I work so I can talk to and from work.
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Just now, maddogrecurve said:
Thank you LScott, I think I will keep doing so! I enjoy playing with antenna designs, and my spouse won't let me put a real (permanent) base station antenna up so I am making these little ones that I can throw onto PVC pipe when I want to use them then take them down.
Oh, I also made another wire 1/4 wave antenna but I stripped the plastic off and straightened the wire by twisting it with a drill! Worked great!!!
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On 8/26/2021 at 5:43 PM, Lscott said:
The brass rod will work just fine. Being rather stiff it won’t bend out of shape from handling the antenna, that’s the advantage.
One other thing, the larger diameter wire or rod tends to increase the bandwidth too. That means you might get away with an antenna the works over the range of two services, like Ham 70cm and GMRS, or Ham 2M and MURS.
Manufactures typically spec the usable bandwidth of their antennas at the 1.5:1 SWR points. Practically most radios are OK up to a 2:1 SWR. The higher the SWR of course results in a larger usable bandwidth.
Go ahead build some antennas, experiment, do some reading and ask questions. It’s a great way to learn, and you can end up with a usable design that you hand crafted yourself!
Thank you LScott, I think I will keep doing so! I enjoy playing with antenna designs, and my spouse won't let me put a real (permanent) base station antenna up so I am making these little ones that I can throw onto PVC pipe when I want to use them then take them down.
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On 8/9/2021 at 5:10 PM, WRNA236 said:
Depends on how bad it's pinched. Removing the pinch will help but it's not going to really fix it either. I should also admit that it's not a situation where any damage is automatically bad necessarily. Ideally you have perfect coax but that's also not realistic and a little damage isn't going to take your SWR from perfect to terrible.
So if you can test you should but unless you've completely flattened the coax I'd probably not worry too much. I would not notch my sheet metal personally, that's not necessary. I'd just run it until the jacket abrades or the UV takes it toll and be more careful next time.
BTW there exist mounts with a short length of tiny coax (RG-174 or RG-316) that transitions to RG-58 after about a foot. This is the slick way to get through gaps.
Very cool! I thought about those kind of mounts, but where I would mount them, I have room for large coax. It's my fenders that I have no space, and looking at my Ford Focus, it is even tighter. I put a fender mount on it but am trying to figure out how to get the coax ran through. I may have to stick with maggie mounts.
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On 8/8/2021 at 5:18 AM, mbrun said:
While I agree with 236’s post on how characteristic impedance is calculated, what is most import to you is what effect that pinch is having on you in your situation. If you can find a way to eliminate it then I advise doing so. But you may not be in imminent danger. If you have an SWR meter or NanoVNA, measure the effective SWR. If the numbers you get are within acceptable range you can use what you have until you can find a better solution.
I will let those that do mobile installs offer further input how you might improve your installation.
Regards
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLMMy SWR has not changed, it is very good, around 1.3 all through GMRS/FRS. So I am not worried about it, and since I am only running HT's, I am not worried about loosing power, I have none anyhow LOL>
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On 8/9/2021 at 5:15 PM, WRNA236 said:
Looks fine to me for Mk.1. If you use solid 12 or 14 AWG electrical wire like that one I showed you can work it to be straight-ish but for more permanent antennas you might experiment with welding filler rod, coat hangers, metal rods you find at a hardware or hobby shop.
Oh, also, you should test it with insulation on and off, you might see if it makes any difference (it should).
I just made a dual band antenna out of two coat hangers Ended up scrapping it due to over-trimming the 150mhz band portion. I the video I saw had the coax connected directly to the coat hangers via the terminal strip, but when I remake mine I am going to use jumpers and connect an SMA male connector onto it for my SMA female coax connector.
Anyhow, I just welded the stinger onto another groundplane antenna using brass rod that I bought to make tumbler pins for locks. They are 12 inches long and I am going to install them full length, and run my analyzer on it and see where it resonates and trim it from there. Just curious..
I do not know how well brass will work, but I have plenty of brass, so/239's, and coat hangers, so I can play..
WRMQ982
Tram 1187 - Where do you tune it?
in Technical Discussion
Posted
I did a search and you will have to cut the antenna down to tune it. So if the SWR is high at the GMRS frequencies, 467MGz then cut 1/8" off and re test. continue until the SWR is below 1.5, if you get to like 1.8 and you trim again and it goes up a little, quit cutting!!!!! LOL
I have ruined many antennas by cutting too much, and some just will never tune!