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1977Hahn

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  1. Like
    1977Hahn got a reaction from wayoverthere in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    I want to thank WAYOVERTHERE for the recommendation of the Midland Micro Mobile Antenna my SWR is now at 1.2 on the above frequency.
    Thank you again you saved me!! 
  2. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to Lscott in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    I have one of the 2x4SR antennas, and a buddy here at work put one on his pickup truck using a lip mount on the front hood near the roof pillar. They work OK, but being a 5/8 wave design you need a REALLY good ground plane.
    I did an SWR scan using a RigExpert AA-1000 and downloaded the data to a CAD package for plotting. As promised the SWR was under 2:1 around the GMRS frequencies and very surprisingly very low on the MURS frequencies. 
    https://rigexpert.com/products/antenna-analyzers/aa-1000/
    The antenna is somewhat sensitive to mounting location even with a good ground plane. If you want one antenna to cover Ham and GMRS its a good option.

  3. Like
    1977Hahn got a reaction from wayoverthere in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    WAYOVERTHERE
    I just ordered the Midland antenna 
  4. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    small expansion on this point; there are a few dual band antennas focused on the commercial/MURS end of VHF that are a decent match for GMRS as well.  I have (but haven't tested) a Comet 2x4SR nmo that is supposed to play well with MURS, 2m, 70cm, and GMRS, but trades a little bit of a gain for the wider range.  this again requires a nmo mount of your choice, and it's on the long side (~3ft).  it DOES fold over, though, and there is a spring kit available to give it a little more flexibility.
  5. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    Problems with the cable can cause high swr as well, but looking at those antennas, they don't look like a good match for gmrs frequencies.  Dual band, in itself, isn't an issue, but with the way 2m and 70cm relate, an antenna that's good in the 2m ham band tends to also fit well with 70cm (430-450 mhz) Unfortunately, this is a lower range than we need for gmrs.
    The bingfu is a wider frequency range (that stretches up to 470), hence that being the better of the three. What you're really aiming for is 460-470 mhz. If you want good to go out of the box, it's hard to go wrong with Midland (https://www.amazon.com/Midland-Antenna-Durable-Connection-MicroMobile/dp/B084BPXNC5/ ) though it requires a separate mount.
    Ideally, if you can still return them, I'd go that route, and look for something better suited to gmrs. Laird 1/4 wave for 450-470 are very inexpensive (around $10) but do require a mount with a good ground plane.
    If you're past the return period, a couple of those you linked (the straight whips, first and last I believe) look like they could be cut to be tune them for gmrs; its a usually a matter of loosening 2 screws holding the whip to the mount and taking a little off the bottom of the whip. (Grinding might be better to get there slowly without overdoing it). You could also check with a radio shop for what they might charge, as they'll have the equipment needed, both for the cutting and measuring the antenna performance.
    For a couple other suggestions (both require a nmo mount), I've used this browning on my truck, and with it's wide range (406-490) it's played well for both 70cm and gmrs, with a swr 1.2 or less. https://www.amazon.com/Browning-406MHz-490MHz-5-5dBd-Mobile-Antenna/dp/B00TY2KP5K/  the downside is size, at 35"
    On the smaller side (~13"), others have used the https://www.amazon.com/Browning-450MHz-470MHz-3dBd-Mobile-Antenna/dp/B00IDTJ2EA/ with good results, though that one also may prefer a little trimming to be perfect for gmrs (per the reviews).
    That said, Ive had an antenna that said it would require trimming, but when measured was already really good so I left it alone.
  6. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to WyoJoe in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    I think a lot more information is needed in order to answer your question.
    First of all, there is no mention of your intended use for the antenna.
    Second, there's no mention of what type of radio you're wanting to use it with.
    Third, there is no useful information given about the antennas you currently have.
    SWR readings are relative to the antenna and the radio you're using it with. It is not an "across the board" value. It very much depends on the frequency at which the radio is transmitting.
    Please provide more information, or go back and read through the threads about antennas to see what recommendations have already been made.
  7. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in Correct or recommendations for an antenna   
    Based on his other threads, he's likely working with the BTech gmrs 50x1...speaking from experience, I'll hazard a guess that the 2.5 are dual band ham antennas, as that's about what mine showed.
    More info on the antennas and the intended use (base? Mobile?) will definitely help with suggestions on whether they can be tuned to something usable for gmrs, or if other options should be  aside from that, I know there's a lot of threads in this section of the forum, search terms like "base antenna" or "mobile antenna" may help find situations similar to yours to give some better focused ideas.
  8. Like
    1977Hahn got a reaction from MichaelLAX in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    Thank you Guys I got it set up
  9. Like
    1977Hahn got a reaction from wayoverthere in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    Thank you Guys I got it set up
  10. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    If the problem is not being able to transmit, yes, that's the issue....it will not transmit on 31 (or anything above 30).
    For 462.725/467.725, use rept 22 (ch 30) and set your 141.3 pl on that. You can do it with chirp or the radio's menu, whichever is easier (I believe it's menu item "t-ctcs")
  11. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    @1977Hahn here's a quick grab from my 50x1, to give an idea of what the working channels look like (in my case it's REPT16 and REPT18). 
    The sample screen @MichaelLAXshowed above is pretty close to an actual download from my radio.. I've filled in ch 30 with the 141.3 and "Tone" for the tone mode to show the settings you mentioned above. 

  12. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to MichaelLAX in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    Sample CHIRP (since I do not have the 50x1; ignore that this is for my HT)

    It is always a good idea that when you use CHIRP for the first time, do a DOWNLOAD FROM RADIO and save it as "original" or "default" so that you have the original settings that came with your rig. Also, this "primes" your CHIRP file with the other settings that came with your rig, such as backlight, beep, etc.
    Then do a SAVE AS and give it another name (I like to use "50x1 202109282045" so that I can always tell from the date and time which is the most current as I resave to a new name when I make changes) and then make your additions to the file, such as 725 repeater in Channel 30 and then do a SAVE again.
    Then do a UPLOAD TO RADIO to put these settings into your rig. ?
  13. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    so..bad news up front: anything you add beyond the 30 it's preprogrammed with will be RX only (I found out the hard way). you can still add custom receive channels, and run it dual watch with the REPTXX channel you'd need to transmit on.  what part are you getting stuck on?
    If it's the setup within the software:
    Chirp's site has a "beginner's guide" here: https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Beginners_Guide
    the one i found most helpful is the descriptions of the columns: https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns
    miklor.com has some good guides to Chirp as well: https://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_CHIRP.php#guides
    if it's more an install issue with the computer, as Michael mentioned, more information on your system will help.  if it's setup, give us a litlte more about what's giving you problems and maybe we can better guide you.
  14. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to MichaelLAX in Chirp- BTech 50X1   
    what are the details of the repeater: freq, tone etc
    what type computer: Windows, Mac, etc
    model of radio and where did you get the USB cable?
    one of the experts on the 50x1 may have to help you out. I don’t have any experience with that model
  15. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to wayoverthere in BTECH 50X1   
    So it's getting power...if you press the power then press and hold the channel knob, does it show a blue screen and password prompt? That might hint if it's a bad connection in the screen or something in the firmware.
    (No idea what the password would be, and I have t found any hints online)
  16. Like
    1977Hahn reacted to BoxCar in BTECH 50X1   
    Also try changing channels. BTECH is good with tech support so drop an email to them and see what they say.
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