Sshannon

So it really changes 5 kHz on fast and 1khz on slow, right? That probably takes forever to sweep from one end to another.

5 MHz fast and 1 MHz slow? How did you get 28.300 MHz? Or did it start at 0.300 MHz?

I didn’t say that it makes no difference. As Randy said it can definitely make a difference in receiving. Also, remember that Chirp is used for many different radios used in different services and the table of data used by Chirp must have a slot for more information than just what’s needed for a GMRS radio. It really depends on the radio features and how they’re implemented. And yes, especially for amateur radios that do not have defined channels, the step size should coincide with the bandwidth of the transmission.

No, I think it’s going to be the increment of change in frequency when you are in VFO mode and go up or down in frequencies. It isn’t relevant for GMRS.

It would be ideal if Gigaparts had a 70 foot piece of M&P as Boxcar suggested You can splice them as you asked, or you could: 1. order exactly the length of 400Max you need with ends installed on it from DXEngineering or 2. order the 100 foot cable and two extra Evolution connectors (M&P makes great connectors) and cut the cable to the exact length you need plus an extra jumper. Gigaparts has the best prices on Evolution connectors and they come in packages of two. If you decide to splice two made up cables together with a barrel connector, but sure you use a good quality barrel connector. I recommend Amphenol. That will minimize any losses. As @WRXP381 mentioned you could just order bulk cable and install your own ends. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Here’s what another vendor says: Wouxun KG-1000G Plus Features 30 GMRS Channels 8 Built-In GMRS Repeater Channels 999 Custom Memory Channels 50-53.995 MHz Receive Only Frequencies (6m) 108-179.995 MHz Receive Only VHF Frequencies 320-349.995 MHz Receive Only Frequencies 400-479.995 MHz Receive Only UHF Frequencies (70cm) 700-985 MHz Receive Only Frequencies AM 108-136MHz (RX) Built-in NOAA Weather Channels https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-1000g-plus.html

Before sending it back, are you trying to run from the USB charging ports? They might not be rated for enough current. Ideally you’d hook directly to the rechargeable battery.

Comet makes nice antennas. M&P cables are excellent. I haven’t tried the Airborne. It’s lighter in weight than their Ultraflex or Hyperflex because it uses copper clad aluminum as the center conductor (exactly like LMR400).

That’s at 100 meters. At 100 feet they list 2.71 dB. I’ve done that before.

Usually within 24 hours, possibly 48. But access to this site doesn’t occur immediately. That might take another week.

And when will you get one? Kidding! I look forward to seeing your video.

And the best price I find for a top quality made up cable with pl259 connectors is this M&P 50 foot cable. This is what I have: https://www.gigaparts.com/ultraflex-10-pl-259s-50-ft.html I didn’t check for ABR, but their cables are pretty good too.

I have not. Genuine LMR400 is only $1.62 per foot: https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/tmv-lmr-400 400Max from DXEngineering is $1.45/ft.

Is the shield of the antenna connector connected directly to the chassis of the radio? If so, that fuse in the negative side wouldn’t see much current if the current does find another path.

Maybe they had some fuses that didn’t open reliably so they built in redundancy! I think you’re right about it being a mistake. A fuse in each leg isn’t too unusual though. My mobile Yaesu radios have that also. I don’t really know what the philosophy behind it is.

Describe them a little better please. I assume two are in series in one wire and one is in the other wire. Which wire has the two fuses in series? What are the markings on each of the fuses? I can only speculate, but I suspect the two fuses in series have different characteristics which combine to provide better protection for different circumstances. If so that’s pretty sophisticated.

Neither one look fake. In fact, if you click on the menu of the Canadian one and select “Program” it points you to the United States website.

Here's a video that (overly) dramatizes the differences in SWR and insertion losses for UHF connectors vs. N connectors. However, while the narrator makes it seem pretty dramatic, the actual numbers don't represent noticeable differences in real life. Reflected power isn't truly lost unless you are using lossy cable and the reflected power is converted to heat. However, for a person obsessed with having nearly perfect metrics, the differences might cause a loss of sleep. Finally, a word about adapters. Adapters are convenient, but if you're ordering cable custom made, just get an N male on one end and a PL-259 on the other and make sure they're good connectors, such as M&P.

When the PL-259 and SO-239 connectors were first introduced, they were called UHF connectors, but now UHF runs from 300 MHz to 3000 MHz and the PL259 and SO-239 are not very good connectors for that high of frequency. The losses for almost everything in radio increase at higher frequencies. Some PL259 and SO239 connectors have a lot of insertion loss above 300 MHz. N connectors solve that problem. Unfortunately, almost every manufacturer sold in the US puts SO-239 connectors on their radios. Most manufacturers of UHF antennas make antennas with N connectors as well as SO239. It's a little confusing, but PL259 is the PLug and SO239 is the SOcket. The numbers came from the military. In an ideal world, GMRS radios would have N female connectors on their backplanes. Fortunately, Messi & Paloni (M&P) and probably Times Microwave (as Amphenol) have developed higher frequency SO239 and PL259 connectors that are supposed to be good for frequencies in excess of GMRS. I buy cables with connectors, but I have cut them to custom lengths. But to me this is a hobby and doiing things like this are enjoyable. DXEngineering will make up cables with whatever connectors you want to any length you want. The tools required for the Times Microwave are pretty pricey but you can get by with just a decent crimper and utility knife if you're very careful. M&P can be done with just a soldering iron and wrenches.

There are lots of different types of LMR cables and RG cables. Generally speaking larger diameter cables have less attenuation. Times Microwave makes the genuine LMR cables and for distances like yours LMR-400 is typically considered the minimum. There are several companies that manufacture cables that are very similar in quality to LMR-400 as well. Messi &Paloni is one I like. You probably want to steer clear of the knockoff brands from China, such as the KMR400. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t definitively say it’s bad, but I also haven’t heard anyone brag about it. RG213 is good cable for the right application (lower frequencies and/or shorter distances). If you only had to go 20 feet the difference would not matter as much. But hang onto it. You always need a few jumpers.

Resistive losses in coax cable work in both directions.

It really does. Thank you!

I see. You’re right; i misunderstood the question and I agree that it’s probably the receive tone. @WSBC264 - I usually recommend leaving the receive tone empty at first. That way you receive everything. Once know your transmission is going through the repeater you can always put the receiver tone in.

So at 450 MHz RG213 loses 5.2 dB in 100 feet, so in 60 feet you’re losing a little more than 3.12 dB. That’s half of your power. That also affects your measurement of SWR if you’re measuring right at the radio because you truly are not measuring the power that reaches the antenna and the reflected power measurement is much lower than it truly is. Try temporarily shortening your cable and measure the SWR right at the antenna.

Disregard the following advice. I was wrong. 20 isn’t a repeater channel. 15-22 are simplex channels. 28 (or RP20 on some radios) is the repeater channel.