tcp2525
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Posts posted by tcp2525
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5 hours ago, Sshannon said:
No, it happens with any company. I bought a Comet SBB-5 that had a high (4.5:1 or so) on one band. Unfortunately I bought it from a private party to save $12 compared to the best retail price I could find.
I emailed the Comet distributor and they diagnosed that it sounded like a bad capacitor in the base unit. I could have sent it in to be serviced, but instead I bought a new base for $24. It works perfectly.
I like Comet antennas and if I ever figure out how to disassemble this base unit I’ll fix it.Yes, I never had any issues with Comet. I will definitely be purchasing another this fall. Hopefully by then it will come from a different production run. Plus, I prefer tower climbing in the colder weather.
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9 minutes ago, SvenMarbles said:
SWL/HF monitoring is an adjacent hobby of mine.
Let's set some parameters.
Budget?
Do you only want a newly manufactured radio?
Do you want sideband? (be able to tune HF hams, military, and utility)
Do you need it to be a tabletop or is a portable form factor ok?
Add me to the "don't buy the Eton 750" camp. It's a big plastic box for no reason with the guts of much less expensive portable radio inside. You're paying for the garish plastic injection molded aesthetic. A Tecsun 501 for example is a superior radio to that for about $150 less.
My radios pictured below. They are what I consider to be the best of each respective type/category.
Very nice! And good advice as well.
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5 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:
You're funny.
WOW! Thank you for the compliment. I'll definitely wear that as a badge of honor as I've always looked up to you for your infinite wisdom.
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1 hour ago, WRQI583 said:
There is also the option of a Software Defined Radio dongle. Personally, I did go all out and spend close to $500 building a whole box with several SDR's (to monitor everything from 100KHz-6GHz), outlets, and a Raspberry Pi to run it on, but you can just buy the dongle and a converter to drop the SDR Dongle down into the SW bands.
The Software Defined Radio world is pretty big when it comes to the different dongles you can buy. The software to run it on is free online and they have quite a few programs out there that will monitor, decode, etc. This is another route you could go. The drawback to it is that, it requires you have a computer with the dongle whereas the radio could be much smaller and portable if that matters to you. For me, I dont do anything HF outside of the house aside from CB in my vehicle so all of my operating HF/SW listening it done at home, so the SDR was a good choice for me. That's not saying that you can take an SDR portable and they do sell actual SDR radios.
I figured I add my two cents on this option if it is something that might work for you. The dongles, last I checked, are around $35 or so and the converter is around $70. The prices vary depending on what you want.
And to the guy who said to buy a Ham Radio to listen to SW, there is a cheaper option if someone wanted to buy a Ham Radio to listen to SW. I own the Yaesu ft 891 which I got from HRO for $675. While buying a Ham Radio to listen to SW is pretty dumb, there is the chance that you may want to talk on it, especially if you are listening to Ham frequencies. Some people do. But if you are just strictly an SW Listener, take the cheaper route and just purchase a SW radio, or SDR. I of all people realize that radio is a HUGE world and what you like and get into is many times going to be the total opposite of what most others get into. Just because you like SWL doesn't mean you love HF Ham Radio. My first love in radio was AM broadcast at age 10. That led to SWL and then CB Radio. That was over 30 years ago and up until now, I have never had an interest in operating HF. I've actually hated it. However, now I actually enjoy operating HF. But that is how different some people can be when it comes to radio. So, take in all the information on here and do what works for you and enjoy. It's a big world out there.
73
N1YFA
HamiltonGood points! I forgot about the SDRs. I have one here on the bench, an SDRplay RSPdx, I bought used over a year ago and really don't use it much. When I do, it works really well, all depends on the software and computer. You just have to add the antenna and computer. And believe it or not, there are actually people that don't own a computer, but have a smartphone. That's even better, no extra hardware needed as there are on-line SDR services for free that work really well. See what happens when you kick the hornet's nest and people come out and put multitude of options on the table.
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2 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:
Textbook Sad-H.A.M. "spending other people's money" response. The only thing you forgot was your callsign and telling us how many years you've been licensed, so 8/10
Just trying to prevent him from falling for the classic "Textbook Sad" option of wiping his ass with $100 bills and flushing them down the toilet. At least if he buys a real radio that has a receiver that will exceed that Chinese abomination in performance he'll have something to show for his investment. At the end of his day he has another option. I won't apologize for someone that gets butt hurt by someone putting another option on the table. And it's not going to hurt my feelings if he doesn't take my advice.
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1 hour ago, WSCH851 said:
Take the $500 you're going to flush on that crap and add $400 and get a real radio such as the Yaesu FT-710 and have a transmitter just in case you get your ham license.
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-018470
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The best advice is to read a lot of threads in this forum and start learning what works and what doesn't. Ask a lot of questions as well. There are a lot of topics on improving range and getting the most from your installation on the net. There's so much to learn, just take it slow so you don't get overwhelmed. Again, it's all about research and not thinking any question is not worth asking. Most of all, have fun.
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31 minutes ago, Sshannon said:
Because it is less of an issue than most people believe. We have people on this forum who hold the mistaken belief that an SWR of 2.5:1 causes suffering and that’s just wrong.
When an antenna is easily or cheaply tuned I would recommend tuning it. I enjoy that kind of thing, but my original comment was made in response to an instance of a person who had an antenna with a 2.5:1 SWR and another person recommended that they go buy another antenna. That’s poor advice.Agree, it's definitely less of an issue on 10/11 meters and VHF, but when you are in the UHF region, one has to put in a little more effort to optimize their installation as it not only affects transmit, it attenuates recieve. A lot of newcomers rely on us to get the most out of their gear. I feel it best to advise them how to achieve the best performance, but also give them the option to get it just good enough if they have monetary and/or technical limitations. It's all about compromise, but UHF doesn’t handle compromise without a fight. That's just my opinion.
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2 minutes ago, warthog74 said:
It's an older ’06 F150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 with 237,000 miles on it. The rims are from a 2018 F150. Still runs like new.
Very nice! I have a 2013 Limited. I finally upgraded to 20" wheels from a 2023 F150 after ruining two 22" rims from Baltimore potholes. I love the 20s and wished I did it sooner.
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7 minutes ago, Sshannon said:
First, I never said I was extremely happy with 2.5:1. It’s just not the kiss of death that being anal might make you think. Here’s why:
The 18% that is reflected is not lost. That power reflects back from the antenna to the radio where it reflects again and goes back to the antenna. This time 82% of the reflected power goes into the antenna and 18% of the 18% reflects again. It does that over and over until all the power goes out the antenna or is attenuated by the cable.
Attenuation in your cable often has a much greater effect than having an SWR greater than 2.0:1.That's my point. Why suffer with a preventable issue?
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1 hour ago, WRQC527 said:
To be honest, I posted the image under "general discussion" because it wasn't specifically GMRS-related, but it had, among other things, radio content. I knew it would wander all over the forum map.
This same picture was posted in the forum a year or two back. Don't sweat it, we're all trapped in an infinite loop of off topic crap.
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15 hours ago, warthog74 said:
Slick. Sadly no sunglasses holder as this truck has a sunroof. I thought about detaching the face of my TYT TH9800 and putting it in the tray if this didn’t work out, but glad it did. I like keeping the TYT in the house as a base unit. If something happens to the Leixen it’s only a $70 loss. It’s basically a glorified Baofeng HT in a mobile form factor, but it works well enough and is capable of 25w if needed.
What make and model is your truck? I was assuming it is a newer F150, but I'm not rally sure. Mine is an older F150 with sun roof.
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4 hours ago, WSAA254 said:
After reading all the feedback, I would say if 10 folks are saying use XXX meter, then you probably can't go wrong. I use a nanovna h-4 for swr, its overkill, however one thing I have noticed, swr numbers can vary by 2-3% depending on connections, coax type, coax run length, or if you have any antenna switches in the feed line ( I do). I have seen my swr numbers vary by 0.1 depending on the coax type I connected to the nanovna, which hindsite what it is I probably would go with what has been recommened as opposed the nanovna. As long as you have a meter that works in the frequency range required, and you have a few other folks that say Yep this works for me, then your good... Best of luck.. All info is good info... regards. The image attached is swr after a antenna switch and using the same coax that connects to the kg1000.
Good advice! I really don't think the NanoVNA is overkill, it's just an inexpensive slightly more complicated device with a small learning curve that will give the user important information to help optimize their installation. I have read on this forum that some people are extremely happy with a 2.5:1 SWR since it is only reflecting 18% of your power back. I don't want to deprive anyone of their happiness, just as long as they are really happy. At 467 MHz every little thing adds up and can decrease performance. I know I wouldn't be happy dumping power into 50' of LMR400 and an antenna reflecting 18% of my power back, that's just me.
Hell, maybe I'm too anal. But, when I tune duplexers, I try to get every 1/10th db return loss back I can. Bottom line, if whatever you're doing delivers the performance you want,, just roll with it.
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Nice!!! The DB20 has been a real winner and a great inexpensive performer at 15w on GMRS. A 40w version would be highly welcome just as long as they don't overprice it.
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The best advice one can give is to install several runs of the largest diameter conduit in the walls so you can pull wires between floors from basement to attic and everything in between. This way you will have an easy time deploying whatever you plan now and in the future. Conduit is extremely cheap and installing it while under construction is easy and painless. As for a repeater in your situation, don't expect the signal traveling very far. If you can't get the antenna at an optimal height you will be limited to a few miles. Still install the conduit, though.
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Soldier is expendable, Baofeng and AK-47 is not.
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3 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:
Thankfully for normal people using a GMRS radio, "close" is plenty good enough.
I totally agree. I'm just saying for the people that want to get the most out of their GMRS installation is to do it right the first time and squeeze out every bit of performance for maximum enjoyment. As we see on the forum we have many people not getting the performance they deserve. Like you said, "close is plenty good enough" for most people.
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12 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:
I have tested several against my RigExpert AA-650 and they always come in within ~1%-5% .. Weird.
I'm sure it's just sample variations. I've tested a bunch of meters throughout the years and find that no two meters from the same manufacture will give you the same exact reading. This even applies to Bird meters. Bottom line, one has to accept the possibility that whatever budget meter they use it might be in the ballpark or not. A cheap NanoVNA is the ultimate choice if you're looking to get the best from your installation. This is even more important on UHF.
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On 4/3/2024 at 9:55 PM, AdmiralCochrane said:
102 works for me too, but I try to tune them ahead of time with a NVA
I second that. There are really only two choices for this task, a Bird 43 meter with appropriate slug on the high end of the price scale, or a Chinese NanoVNA for about $60. I have both and highly recommend Mr. Chung's NanoVNA as I use it for all my antenna building endeavors and checking SWR. I'll even go as far as saying it's totally and utterly foolish and breaks every terrestrial and celestial bounds of human stupidity relying on these cheap meters as I've found them to be off anywhere between 10 to 20 percent off. This even applies to Daiwa meters as well. For the budget minded hobbyist that want fantastic accuracy for only a few bucks, the NanoVNA is the only choice.
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Fortunately, I have a bunch of these Transco switches. Right now I have two on top of the tower to switch between vertical and horizontal antennas on 2m and 6m. A bit overkill for those two bands, but the price is right and they are reliable. I'm eventually going to do the same for GMRS, switch between a high gain vertical and a stacked set of yagis.
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3 hours ago, WSAA254 said:
For what its worth I use a Alpha Delta switch. Its a manual switch, there are a couple of different versions depending on frequency. The version I use is good through 1.3 ghz. Losses are down in the .1 range. There is good isolation between in the switch. They are not cheap, and I got mine through dx engineering. Best of luck
I only use Transco switches. No fake specs and extremely low insertion loss.
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35 minutes ago, WRBN567 said:
What is the high-end operating temperature of the Midland MXT500? Mine is running at 119.5 after talking for back and forth about 30min is that normal?
Put a fan behind it and don't worry anymore.
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14 minutes ago, GMRS4TheWin said:
Got it. This is helpful. But, what is a pro version of this antenna that Public Safety uses?
Super Stationmaster
https://www.wiscointl.com/celwave/antennas/uhf/pd455/index.htm
Shortwave Radio Recommendations
in Technical Discussion
Posted
I tend to buy the items I think I need instead of what they think I need. Best to do what you're doing, asking questions and research. I see you're also looking at the IC-7300, which is a great radio too. I lean towards Icom for my station. Just stay away from package deals and get the radio you desire, a decent power supply to handle the load should you get your license. I don't know your physical situation when it comes to deploying an antenna, but a great choice would be an end-fed wire with an UN-UN. If you are unfortunate enough to be in an HOA, this is an easily concealable antenna. Calling HRO or DX Engineering and give them an idea of what you want is one of your best options. And they will gladly help you as they are knowledgeable and willing to help.