SteveShannon

Much simpler than my explanation. Good job!

Eight frequencies have been designated in regulations for repeaters to transmit upon. They are the same eight frequencies used by both FRS and GMRS for simplex communications and they are numbers 15-22 in the FRS regulations: (a) 462 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, repeater, base and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000, 462.6250, 462.6500, 462.6750, 462.7000, and 462.7250 MHz. Eight other frequencies, 5 MHz higher in frequency, have been designated by regulation for transmission by stations wishing to transmit to a repeater for relay by the repeater: (c) 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz. All GMRS certified radios pair the eight channels in those two groups into repeater pairs. Thus, a radio transmitting to a repeater on 467.5500 MHz receives from that same repeater on 462.5500 MHz. The FCC did not assign channel numbers to the repeater pairs in the GMRS regulations, but they did assign numbers to the first 22 channels in the FRS regulations https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-B Because channels 15-22 (462 MHz main channels) are dual purpose, as shared simplex channels for FRS and GMRS and as repeater output channels, some manufacturers refer to the repeater pairs as RP15 - RP22. Others simply continue the numbering sequence by referring to the repeater pairs as channels 23-30. Other call them repeater channels 1-8. The best thing to do is to be aware of the frequencies allocated in regulation and learn what your radio manufacturer calls them.

As you can see from my meter foible, I can not afford too much hubris. Good job figuring it out! On many occasions a good night’s sleep has yielded better results.

Well, that’s embarrassing. The black lead was in the current reading A socket rather than the Com socket. Obviously it must be low impedance (perhaps just a fuse) between the two sockets, but it’s not right. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

So, just the power up screen? Maybe it is the meter. Try taking it all the way back to where you started. Do you have a local friend with a radio? I'm going to bed. Maybe someone else can think of something to try.

Yes, and your meter has two different ohms ranges - you’re in the x10 range which would appear to be open even if it’s not. I would test the circuits that should be closed using the x10 range and test the circuits that should be open using the x1k range. So now the SWR meter is blank or just doesn’t change? Also, I went back to the top. You thought you had a bad cable so you ordered another and it shows the same SWR of 19.99? I am sorry, but I doubt that two separate cables are bad. That leaves something else, the mount, the ground plane kit, or the antenna and I suspect the mount since you’ve tried it with and without the ground plane and with two different antennas. Or it’s the SWR meter. Honestly I’m just guessing but if I were there I would eliminate one thing after another.

Could you show us a picture of your multimeter. For an open circuit it should read something like OL. Of course if you’ve got a probe in each hand it’s measuring the conductivity of your body and all bets are off. For a continuous conductor it should read in some tenths of an ohm. End to end - shield: End to end - center: center to shield - open circuit (my probe slipped while I was trying to hold it one handed to take the picture but you get the idea). It shows that it’s an open circuit (OL) and it is on the Megohm range:

Do you have another radio to check the meter on?

The easiest way is to swap it out to another. Otherwise check for continuity from one end to the other on both the shield and the center conductor. But, the shield and center conductor must not be shorted to each other.

It might be the meter, but I bet it’s either the cable or the mount.

Although it’s possible to get a single radio that can tune almost everything from DC to daylight (cellular frequencies are blocked on receivers sold in the U.S.) and that functions well as a handheld radio for some of those frequencies, a scanner with a large discone would do a much better job as a home-rolled NSA listening post. It will scan the frequencies much faster. Even better would bet would be a bank of scanners, each covering a section of the spectrum. Understand that the RF spectrum is immense and there are many different types of modulation. My Yaesu FT5DR does a great job for a handheld that can still serve well as a 2 meter and 70 cm transceiver and listen to FM and AM from 1 MHz to 999 MHz (minus cellular). But there are several gigahertz of frequencies above that. But understand that antennas (or antennae for those who care) that are “more powerful” do so by focusing upon a smaller and smaller direction. And antennas are most efficient around a single frequency. It’s nice to have an antenna that can receive additional frequencies, but they do so at some cost: you have to include loading coils or traps or multiple elements that are tuned for different frequencies. I’m sorry, but I don’t know the difference between the AR5RM and the UV5RM, but here’s what an AI said:

I don’t have one but this radio seems to check the waterproof box, ip55 with microphone and ip68 without: https://www.retevis.com/retevis-nr30s-gmrs-waterproof-walkie-talkie-for-long-distance-use-with-ip55-speaker-mic-2pcs-us

BKFD650 (BaKersFielD 650) is operated by WRJF803:

Unfortunately, you cannot transfer a configuration file from a radio with one frequency selection to a radio with another. Nor can you change the frequency selection on the radio you’re programming and then import a configuration file from the same radio when it had a different frequency selection, even if all of the frequencies are compatible. That’s the most aggravating thing I’ve found about this radio.

Good job!!

From the regulations: (b) 462 MHz interstitial channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable and base stations may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5625, 462.5875, 462.6125, 462.6375, 462.6625, 462.6875, and 462.7125 MHz. Not only that, but they are limited in power: (b) 462 MHz interstitial channels. The effective radiated power (ERP) of mobile, hand-held portable and base stations transmitting on the 462 MHz interstitial channels must not exceed 5 Watts. Also, for a repeater to function in fill duplex, they listen on one frequency and transmit on another. The offset is 5 MHz, so, your radio would have to transmit to the repeater on a 467 MHz channel. On 462.5625 MHz you’re only allowed half a watt: (c) 467 MHz interstitial channels. The effective radiated power (ERP) of hand-held portable units transmitting on the 467 MHz interstitial channels must not exceed 0.5 Watt. Each GMRS transmitter type capable of transmitting on these channels must be designed such that the ERP does not exceed 0.5 Watt. My suggestion again is to read and understand the regulations. The radio you have was programmed to follow the rules. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E

I know people who make their own tubes (it’s not that difficult). I even know some people who have purchased tow winding machines for making them.

Klingons are aliens. It would be compatible with any outdoor antenna tuned to the frequency you’re transmitting on, provided you use the right SMA to either UHF or N connector, whichever the antenna has.

If you get the antenna back and want to replace the PVC with fiberglass, I think i can help you find some strong fiberglass tubes. But it sounds like you have it working well. I wouldn’t mess with it unless you have to.

The first thing you should do is familiarize yourself with the regulations. Repeaters may only transmit on eight frequencies and 462.5625 MHz is not one of them. (a) 462 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, repeater, base and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5500, 462.5750, 462.6000, 462.6250, 462.6500, 462.6750, 462.7000, and 462.7250 MHz.

sounds like it might be coextruded, like this: https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=74636 If so, It is engineered to be UV resistant. I have removed metal parts from broken fiberglass tubing by heating the metal with either a high temperature heat gun or even a torch until the epoxy fails. It’s pretty noticeable when it fails because it gives off a puff of smoke. Anyway, it sounds like you did a good job of salvaging that Hustler, despite their lack of help!

I’d be curious to see what effect using pvc rather than fiberglass had on SWR. I know that placing the radiator inside of different materials can change the velocity factor, thus changing the wavelength of the antenna, but I don’t know what the difference will be between pvc and fiberglass. Also, unless you used UV resistant pvc, there’s a probability that the pvc radome will suffer solar embrittlement. UV resistant pvc is used for non-metallic electrical conduit.

I don’t know what’s wrong with the laird, but what about rebuilding the Hustler? Different epoxy resins are more or less susceptible to deteriorating due to sunlight. I lost a rocket out in the hills for a two or three years. When I found it the epoxy on the body tube (very similar to a radome) was fuzzy. The epoxy binding the outermost fiberglass surface together was gone, leaving just the fiberglass fibers sticking out, but deeper into the structure the epoxy was still intact. I’ve been tempted to simply slather it in a good quality epoxy and vacuum bag it to restore the structure. But the fins and the epoxy used to adhere them to the body tube showed no signs of deterioration, so it seems obvious to me that the choice of epoxy resin is extremely important. The epoxy I used to attach the fins to the rocket would have been Aeropoxy laminating epoxy which is available from several sources. This was all a long winded post to suggesting that you replace the radome of the original Hustler antenna with a G10 or FR4 tube. Further, you may wish to paint or perhaps gel coat the radome after rebuilding it, but I don’t know what effect that might have on RF.

Good for you!!

I would love to see the inside to see where the chips originate.