VETCOMMS

Thx. So if someone is keying up the repeater what controller do I need to remotely kill the repeater and shut it down? I think I saw the Bridgecom repeater does this?

Question the the repeater experts. How do I keep people from scanning my personal repeater tones and gaining access? I do not own one yet but am looking at either a gr1225 or vxr=7000 but if other repeaters are more secure I'd welcome experienced suggestions.

I believe it was used for the 154-155 MHz. Thanks for the input.

I have the possibility of using an old VHF antenna that's up high on a water tower but want to test it to see if it would work for GMRS. Is this a definite no it won't work or do you guys with repeater/tower experience think it would be worth trying my small mobile radio at the base of the water tower to see if the SWR is crazy high? I spoke with the 3rd party company that does comm work in this tower and he said that antenna was put up there before his time and he doesn't know what type of antenna it is. He said I could hook my mobile radio and an SWR meter on the input side of the duplexer and test that way. Does that make sense? Is that possible? Does that mean to disconnect the antenna coax on the duplexer where it says "antenna" and hook my mobile radio up there to test? For obvious liability reasons they don't want me climbing to the top of the tower but this is the closest I've been to finding an actual good elevation site for a repeater. Another related question. If there are multiple antennas on the top of this water tower, and I know which hardline I'm able to tie into at the ground, how does a guy/gal test which antenna that coax is going to?

Yep, screw it. Thx. Not worth the risk.

I'll preface this by saying I have not gotten a close look at this tower. However, I recently noticed an area tower approximately 50 feet tall that has a 3 element beam antenna on the top. Said tower has twisted and bent in at least (and I think only) in one place, leaving the beam antenna resting against the tree limbs near the tower Has anyone encountered something similar? How would a team of people go about repairing the bent section? My understanding is those beam antennas can weigh between 40 - 60 pounds, if I'm not mistaken?

Looks like there are different diameters? Does anyone have a supplier recommendation with great customer service? I typed in Heliax at gigaparts and HRO with no luck. Buy direct from Commscope?

Much appreciated

Something like this? https://www.showmecables.com/times-microwave-lmr-400-direct-burial-coaxial-cable-black

I did a brief search and didn't see anything but please direct me to the topic if it has been covered. Is it generally unacceptable to bury coax from an antenna to the house/structure where a radio or repeater would be located? The pole with the antenna would be about 20 yards from the garage and 10 yards from a power line.

Very good. Thx for reply. Apologize for not searching first.

I realize this is a crystal ball question but, how likely would digital voice transmissions be in the future for GMRS? Thoughts?

Good point on the ca-712. I'm not sure if one day I get this repeater on top of the bluff that a high gain antenna would not transmit down to the river banks below the ridge but rather, transmit across the river. This would leave a dead zone below the level of the antenna, I'm thinking.

About 175 yards behind the house we're headed up the bluff incline. In this area there's about 100 feet of elevation change. That's immediately behind the house. I'm hoping to get the antenna on top of the ridge eventually.

I think this has been brought up before but thought I'd ask anyway. How do I change my display name so it's not my call sign?

That's a dirty word. Along with organic chemistry! Thanks guys!

Is there a way to use Radio Mobile or another line of sight program with elevation/GPS overlay to help me calculate the angle from antenna to the top of the ridge?

Are there best places to look for these antennas when they go on sale? Or just look around, including eBay?

So I'm putting up a repeater antenna on a short 10 foot mast on my garage for personal comms. I want to play radio close to the ground before I jump "all-in"like the big boys with big towers and big costs. I sit in the Mississippi River valley with a bluff directly behind my house and another across the river on the Iowa side. Would a higher gain antenna at such a low mast height, like the db420-b be beneficial or would other lower gain/lower dollar antennas work just as well since I'm not achieving the "height is might" addage?

Thx for that. I was looking online and saw several uhf repeaters that were digital or dual mode digital/analog. I assume the digital/analog would work for GMRS?

I like the gr1225 but no, it's not supported and requires Windows 7 if memory serves me right.

Thanks for all the helpful advice I've gotten from you all on this forum. I have yet another question. I liked the idea of the old gr1225 repeater with it's self contained notch duplexer for family comms Is there a comparable repeater of similar power output that does not require having to find old Windows operating system and finding the old programming software? I see the Retevis model but like the quality/power output/reliability of the moto gr1225. It would be nice to be able to program using Windows 10 or 11 in a user friendly way.

When buying a used repeater, other than "buying from a reputable source" is there anything else the buyer can do/look for to know the unit is in good condition?

And here I thought I'd get yours for $800. Shucks, lol.