pl4tinum

So I have a NR30 (non-s) with a Nagoya NA-771G antenna and its my favorite radio. It performs almost as well as my KG905G but the ergonomics are way better in how it feels in your hand. Feels way more commercial and durable than my GM-30. I got it specifically because I wanted a minimalist radio with no screen for just the two repeaters I use. It's also IP67 so I've carried it around in the rain no problem. Only downside is you can't field program it and it has the gold pin accessory jack which you can convert to kenwood using this. I was looking at a HA1G for my next radio because I I like my NR30 so much and figured that was basically an NR30 with a screen, but now there is an NR30S which seems like basically the same thing but with the noise cancelling. The noise cancelling on the NR30 is pretty meh and I would say I have it off 99% of the time. There are certain use cases where it comes in handy such as talking to someone on a repeater where there is a small amount of static and it basically filters all that out and making them sound clear like DMR but not robotic. Once the signal is a bit weak it does more harm than good, filtering out a lot of the person's voice or making them sound garbled and harder to understand. The one time it really came in handy was talking to my buddy on a repeater for about an hour straight with very mild static and flipping it on made him sound perfect. IDK if the $25 premium over the HA1G for noise cancelling is worth it. Maybe the additional power if it has it; the NR30 has low/med/high and goes up to nearly 10 watts.

Well that's embarrassing, I must have been typing too fast and not paying attention. The coax on the UT-72 is RG-58A/U which I believe is tinned copper for the braid.

Correct, and I'm not an expert on RF theory but did a lot of research to select an appropriate feedline. There is a good writeup here https://www.bridgecomsystems.com/blogs/bridgecom-official-blog/how-to-select-feedline-for-a-repeate which is primarily what I based my selection on. The article recommends against any LMR-### or LMR-#### for duplex service, and to instead use Superflex, Heliax, RG-214, or RG-393 on the antenna side of the duplexer. I don't know if a copper clad aluminum core will be an issue but something like M&P UtraFlex 10 is a good alternative to heliax and not much more expensive than a quality cable of the types listed above. I've experienced duplex grunge testing an RT97S with a Nagoya UT-72 antenna which is about 15 feet of PL-259 edit: RG-58A/U. I believe that coax is a copper clad aluminum center and copper clad aluminum edit: tinned copper braiding. After releasing PTT there would be a low pitch screech which would sometimes continue activating the repeater for a few seconds.

If you do decide to go the repeater route, or may use a repeater in the future, you want an all-copper feedline to reduce the likelihood of "duplex grunge" aka PIM distortion (passive intermod distortion). Typically you'd want something super high end like andrew heliax but there are some good all-copper coax by Messi and Paolomi. You can order custom cables from them and you probably want ultraflex 10 (ultraflex 10 and broad pro c 50 are the only ALL copper cables). If you go with them get the UHF Male PL259 EVO connectors. If you can get the antenna or repeater in an n-type connector, get the appropriate amount of n-type ends on your cable as well. RT97S for instance only comes with a UHF connector not n-type. https://messi.it/Calc/ordine.aspx?l=EN They are in Italy but shipping speed and price is reasonable. You can also find their cables pre-made in common lengths from gigaparts and buytwowayradios. Just make sure it's ultraflex 10 or broad pro c 50. Whatever route you choose, a base station unit or repeater, just getting the antenna out onto the roof will make a big difference.

Sorry could you clarify a little bit, are you saying you can see the lake from your house? Or that you only see houses and trees that are in the way? When you say "If I use a large antenna on the radio at home" do you mean a large external antenna on the roof or a longer antenna on the handheld at home?

I know I'm not who you are asking, but I have a DB20G and it's a very nice radio for the price. I am partial to Ed Fong DBJ antennas and I usually order one from him with an N-type connector on the antenna, and then get a custom Messi and Paolomi UHF to N-type cable as n-type has better water resistance. And/OR you can seal up the connection with silicone tape: https://www.amazon.com/Proxicast-Pro-Grade-Weatherproof-Self-Fusing-Electrical/dp/B00K5GW67O/

If OP needs to reach his wife, she would only hear a base unit if she is right there in the room containing the radio. With a repeater she can carry a small HT while she move about the house or steps outside. A repeater would also give a little more placement flexibility vs needing the radio in a specific location inside the house, and potentially less antenna feedline meaning less loss. Personally I would probably still use a repeater. OP, it matters most what type of terrain is between your home and the lake and how clear the line of sight is.

Sorry I was only asking about the HA1G, the NR30 is always in single channel node as it has no screen and only a channel select knob. From what you are describing it sounds like the HA1G does it like the radioddity DB20g where a key combo toggles it. Good to know, thanks!

Is it possible to disable the dual channel mode? Seems like a cool radio; I have the NR30 which I think is similar shape and dimensions just without a screen. Bummer this only does 5w when the NR does almost 10. That extra power comes in handy once in a while.

Are you using the KPG-49D software? This was my attempt. It's a work in progress so you might want to double check the frequencies, I'm only using RPT-15 at this time so at least that one is right. Gotchas I've found: Make sure "off hook decode" stays checked. Otherwise your CTCSS/DCS settings will be ignored when the radio thinks the mic is off-hook Nobody could hear me well until I turned on compander (per channel setting) I've programmed a b c d to 'home channel', 'scan add/del', 'disable ctcss/dcs', and 'talkaround' respectively. I need to populate that list of user definable ctcss tones and program a button to 'operator selectable tone'. good luck, KPG-49D is kind of a pain kpg49d.dat

I'd been reading about this system and I'm having a hard time understanding how this would work. From the brochure linked on this page: "The DRX Range Extender uses separate Receive (RX) and Transmit (TX) units to relay the signals to your DTR and DLR series radios that are out-of range of the transmitting radio." If you have a tall building with a RX unit in the ground floor and TX unit in the top floor, it seems like it would be really good for helping users on the lower floor reach the users on the top floor but what about the other way around? Maybe I'm misreading this but it seems like it only extends coverage in one direction.