PACNWComms
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GP-7/SSB Receiver and Garmin Rino 530 GPS/FRS/GMRS Radio
PACNWComms posted a gallery image in Members Albums Category
From the album: PACNWComms - Misc Photos
My "listening post" for my recent trip to the forest. Went into the Olympic National Forest to get away from it all, to include cell phone and radio station signals. But, I still took some gear to hear what was available. One weather channel was noted on the Garmin Rino 530 when scanning weather channels. Channel 4 FRS was also noticed, in use by what sounded like a family unloading luggage at one of the nearby lake resorts. This is the original Garmin Rino 530, that does not have mini SD card capability, and I bought after being issued and using a Garmin Rino 120 while on military deployments to Afghanistan. The 530 has a color display, which does not work too well with image intensifying night vision, where the monochrome 120 does much better. As radios, they work as well as low power UHF can be expected, and being able to send location was helpful at times. The Rino 120 was issued to many military personnel as a sort of intra-team radio that also had a basemap, something the military issued AN/PSM-11 Rockwell units lacked (the newer GPS now has a map display). The Rino 120's acted as a backup measure for areas where accurate maps were often only found in old National Geographic magazines, while the radio worked well for short range (intra-team) comms. (Most of us were also issued Harris AN/PRC-117F portable radios and Thales AN/PRC-148 MBITR's as well). I still use my Rino 120 and 530 as they still work, and are very helpful running around the woods. The GP-7/SSB receiver picked up about a dozen FM and six AM frequencies but none were local. While driving around, there was a piece of cardboard near a house with what looked like an amateur antenna, and a frequency listed. It turned out to be low power radio sending music around the nearby area, about three miles or so away.© WROL355
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While I sometimes still use magnet mounted antennas, yes, that rubber boot is acting as an insulator. But if it works, don't worry too much about it. As mentioned above, check SWR.....this can be done with the boot and without, but it most likely works better touching the metal, with les distance between the antenna and the metal of the car. A true ground plane would have metal to metal contact, as in grinding off the paint and finish to get that contact, but then also not using a magnet mount antenna. For casual use magnet mounts work "well enough"or "not at all" depending on the quality and frequency band/radio in use. Expect to have some impact to effectiveness just by using a magnet mount, ground plane will help, but it is still a compromise between effectiveness and convenience. For GMRS, I use a trunk lip mount, using it to keep my antenna in the middle of the front edge of the trunk on my car, this means the most metal around it as possible, but still no NMO hole that may leak at some point in the future.
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Dual watch to scanning FRS radio
PACNWComms replied to AJBelayer's topic in Family Radio Service (FRS)
I still have an Amiga 2000 that looks a lot like and old Apple Macintosh desktop screen wise. Too bad it does not program radio, or I would use it more often. Nothing I own my self requires Windows 10 to program, (only at work) so I have topped out at Windows 7 for radio programming computers. XP works great with older software to log what is scanned by my old Uniden BCT15, and BCTools. -
I used to run a Comet CA-712EFC 460-470MHz antenna, mounted to the edge of my roof for GMRS/commercial UHF. However, last summer I had my roof replaced, so right now, I am using a Laird NMO magnetic base mounted B4505CN half wave antenna (about 32 inches long) on top of a six foot wooden fence. I mounted a metal bracket to the fence to have my VHF, UHF, and 800 MHz antennas mounted somewhere besides the roof or to brackets mounted to the roof. Even with the lower height, lower gain antenna, and shorter cable run.....I only lost a few miles range in UHF. This is most likely due to the wet weather and the numerous pine trees/needles that wreck havoc on UHF anyways. Seeing that most of my local repeaters are still in range, and VHF and 800 MHz is still usable, I may leave my old mast/brackets off, as this setup is a lot more discrete. Glad the Comet antenna is working for you, SWR of 1.25 and hitting what you need to is a good thing, and what works for you is what matters.
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Fun topic - SHTF communications plans and equipment?
PACNWComms replied to Lscott's topic in Miscellaneous Topics
Yes, mostly Motorola....but some Icom, they still make great HF/VHF Marine and Aviation radios. However, the two Icom IC-M602's shown do not work well together, they lack internal shielding. This of course was found out after a dozen technicians placed a pair on each vessel in a fleet dedicated for oil spill cleanup. Luckily the metal cased Motorola Triton/Triton II/Triton II+ radios had not been thrown out. They were one of the best marine VHF radios around, but lacked Digital Selective Calling (DSC). We ended up having each ship with one Icom IC-M602 and one Motorola. Put two Icom's together and they desense each other if used at the same time. -
Get good and knowledgeable with the Midland radios first. Then move on to the repeater if you still want to. There is a great thread already on here that talks about that. For a house antenna, +1 from me for Tram/Browning and Ed Fong. Dr. Fong has sold antennas for a very long time, having his students cut them to length for specific frequencies, and were a mainstay for emergency management use in a former life. They ship with: wire, connector and two PVC pipe end caps, you then supply the PVC tube and brackets. Get a quality antenna, as it will make even a mediocre radio work better than the reverse. Many people spend a lot on the radio and then wonder why it does not work well. Stay below a 100 foot coax run and LMR-400 and RG-58 will work, but the RG-58 will have more loss. Online reviews of antennas and coax can be useful. Good luck with your radios and installation.
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While I would never use Wikipedia for anything scholarly, this link describes FRS/GMRS after changes made in 2017. Long story short, you are not breaking any regulation, just working within them. There are shared FRS/GMRS frequencies, with power and bandwidth changes for FRS versus GMRS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mobile_Radio_Service
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I drive 'em until they are destroyed, but am also a bit envious at that room. Nothing I own now has room for stacked control heads, to include similar scanner and radio (BCT15 and MCS2000 model 1). I had to buy a cheap Radioditty DB20-G that fit a storage hole in the dash for my current daily driver. Having a dedicated scanner mobile is something I miss now, and handhelds just lack the tactile "form factor" that I like. -
Also have a few of these running in Texas. Good radio repeaters, but full disclosure, I also used to work at Zetron, when they were part of the JVC/Kenwood Group (along with Viking/EFJohnson), engineering comm solutions and 911PSAP equipment. So,in that role, everything was Kenwood/Zetron/EFJ....etc. -
Still run some of these myself for shore support of a fleet of oil spill response vessels spread across the country. Although, some newer sites now use SLR5700's now. XPR8300/8400's replaced aging Vertex VX-7000's. -
Thank you for the warning on the DB25-G, I also like to have channels pre-programmed for my area. For many years this meant a Vertex VX-3200, as I had 128 channels and also used many of these for work on board a fleet of vessels for oil spill and emergency response efforts. With a smaller car now, I did buy a Radioddity DB20-G (the Wouxun would not have fit), as it actually fit a cubby hole in the dash perfectly. But, ruggedness is not the same as the Vertex. However, it can be made to work in most of the VHF/UHF band, which is useful to me now.
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Welcome to the site and forums. My only recommendation is to do a search first, as many questions have been answered before, as some sites also do not like old threads to be brought back to life months later. I only recently joined this site, but have been in radio professionally for almost thirty years now, and there is still more to learn, so do not be afraid to ask too.
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You just got your GMRS license, now you want your own repeater?
PACNWComms replied to coryb27's topic in General Discussion
Recently I have mentioned to a few people that have gone down the GMRS license path, and recommended UHF GR1225 and GR300 Motorola desktop repeaters. Add in a decent antenna and an old GR series repeater can do very well, especially if you swap the old radio (M120 mobiles in my GR300) for something newer, like an XPR4550 Trbo radio stack. However, one person I made this recommendation to, ended up attaching a Cobra magnet mount antenna (as in 27 Mhz CB), can you say, convoy...... -
Fun topic - SHTF communications plans and equipment?
PACNWComms replied to Lscott's topic in Miscellaneous Topics
Thank you for the info on their auction site seller name. May have to buy a few more items from them with that additional cost saving. My current employer is also looking for ways to save a bit, and this could help even more. Just did a little price comparison, and XPR7550 UHF radios at $385 is better than new XPR7550e at $1010, with a few options that we do not even use. I also have yet to receive a handheld that really looked used/abused out of about a hundred now. Running some XPR6550's for several years that they re-cased, and the only part that showed wear was the vent element on the chassis. I did once receive a CDM1250 where the front panel had been damaged in shipment, as it was turned outward in the box, and shipped with seven others. They replaced the control head quickly and at no charge. A co-worker said 4-5 years ago they received a damaged XTS2500 that was replaced quickly as well. Great company to deal with. -
From the album: PACNWComms - Misc Photos
RoIP rack with VHF commercial, VHF Marine, and UHF commercial radio frequency programming, for use with Telex/Bosch Communications IP-223 IP interface devices. This allowed computers running Telex C-Soft software to remote control the radios via an Internet connection. This rack ended up in an emergency communications package, installed within a conex box, which was then sent to hurricane/oil spill/and exercise response efforts. The UHF equipment was capable of being programmed for GMRS and interoperable comms with local auxiliary communications services spread around the country to assist first responders. However, all of this is analog, and was used near waterways, hence the marine radios. All of this has been replaced with newer gear, or decommissioned as smaller palletized systems took over.© WROL355
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Fun topic - SHTF communications plans and equipment?
PACNWComms replied to Lscott's topic in Miscellaneous Topics
I have had good luck with Used-Radios.com for commercial grade single band radios that are in near new condition, sometimes even being new old stock. What is not new is also often refurbished, all is checked as serviceable and within manufacturer specifications. Although, my last batch of CDM1250's sometimes showed engraving of police and fire departments across the country. Currently, they do not show any VHF mobiles (CDM1250's) in stock, but UHF is between $145-155 each right now. Get good at scrounging, and higher quality gear is often given away by municipalities, sold for pennies on the dollar or even donated. Obviously, the more connected your organization is to the local community, and the value it brings, will help in funding and donations. Good luck.
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This is a common issue with many of the Tram-Browning series antennas. Many users of the three foot long antennas have ended up cutting them too short for UHF use, as well as 800 MHz in my own use cases. Then, it comes down to the skill of the person running the test equipment to check for function and SWR. I have a team member that is notorious for stating that a 5 watt CB radio puts out 35 watts, instead of 3.5 watts, using a Bird 43 wattmeter. (In that case it was NMO-27 base and whips that could be cut down to size per frequency.) It was so bad that there is now a large wood yard stick, marked with the cutting points for different frequencies in use. Sadly, I have seen many of the ones that are too short on the secondary surplus market as my employer sells its scrap, which often ends up in local auctions and later for sale at the yearly amateur radio show/convention/yard sale. These antennas are also often paired with magnet mounts where the base has corroded and the center conductor has broken. Good luck with your antenna. Measure twice and cut once.
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From the album: PACNWComms - Misc Photos
Stacked Icom mobiles, IC F-1020 on top and IC F-2020 on bottom.© WROL355
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From the album: PACNWComms - Misc Photos
Audio Intelligence Devices of Florida, radio direction finder. Unit shown tracking a signal source at bearing 339 degrees from my car.© WROL355
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From the album: PACNWComms - Misc Photos
Stacked Motorola mobile radios. UHF XPR4550 on top and older CDM1250 VHF on the bottom.© WROL355
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New model Baofeng appears to be a great improvement
PACNWComms replied to jc1240's topic in Amateur Radio (Ham)
Have seven here, DTR410's when they first came out. If you bought six, you had the choice of getting either a seventh radio, or a six bank charger. In 2021, I realize many users of the DTR/DPL series radios leave them defaulted. If some LARPer group were to make their own "TalkGroup" with a custom hopset set, then things get interesting. I only wish Motorola came out with a higher power version of this. (Knowing that the 410's were already limited by their fixed antenna.) I'll stick with Motorola when my life is on the line, and as you and others mentioned, CCR as a gateway to something better. As I mentioned in another thread, it was a little scary seeing a state emergency department with Bridgecom repeaters, Radioddity DB25-D mobiles, and other cheap radios alongside Yaesu, Kenwood, and Motorola. But in that case, at least they are cheap.....as they will need to stack spares deep when they are needed. I live in a state that has lots of tax revenue, but has no clue how to spend that money. At least the protesters have Baofeng's, which are very easy to listen in to with a twenty plus year old scanner.
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New model Baofeng appears to be a great improvement
PACNWComms replied to jc1240's topic in Amateur Radio (Ham)
I always get a kick out of those that buy Baofeng radios, then tune them to some TV station frequency, thinking they are outsmarting well funded government agencies that are most likely using an Oscar Green/Blue spectrum analyzers, or some other signal detecting hardware. The groups I would worry about, would be carrying something more like the Motorola DTR series frequency hoppers, and keep them hidden inside a pocket, using remote PTT earpieces or speaker mics. Baofeng has received some interesting street cred with them prominently displayed by many LARPers, even if they are getting built to better specs now. Interesting thread for sure. -
Dual watch to scanning FRS radio
PACNWComms replied to AJBelayer's topic in Family Radio Service (FRS)
Still use Windows XP and 7 for many of my radio programming needs. At work it is Windows10 and XP as there is everything from old HT-750's to APX8000's in use. At home and for hobby use, GMRS for example, I still use DOS and Windows XP. But then I am programming Maxtracs to a Harris XG-100P Unity in that case. For GMRS, it is usually a Motorola mobile, FRS might be an old Talkabout, and a Realistic scanner from the 1990's, like I suggested for the use case in this thread. -
I have done some work with applications such as Zello, which works great if the end points are somewhere that is useful to the end users. I have found a few interesting sites in the middle of the California desert for example, connected via the Internet and the Zello application to radio. Works much like a hotspot, and in some cases you need to email the "provider" of the end point for permission to use it and transmit. Instead of a dedicated radio looking device as shown above, I used by Samsung Galaxy series smartphone loaded with the application. Reminds me a bit of the Motorola WAVE system that ties radio and telephone via the Internet.
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As others have noted, there must be some medium connecting to different geographical areas, with radio coverage at the end points for this idea to work. Every working day, I have to explain this, with a nationwide radio network that pieces together: Internet, intranet, Internet Protocol interface devices to Motorola P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2, Trbo DMR networks, and analog conventional networks. Each time, those at a particular site think their solution will work everywhere else. What is always missed is infrastructure, interoperability, and any mitigating circumstances. The one common denominator for success is to keep the solution simple. The simple solution has less points of failure, and room for error, but also addresses the problem. In this case, I would have to concur with the idea that a video application and/or social media method would work the best in this use case.
