Any one close to Bushnell, Fl?

[Mrsig]

Any one close to Bushnell, Fl that can check out my RT97L Repeater system? It is not putting out as far as I think it should. I think I have something wrong.

Thanks Sig.

[BoxCar]

Well, I'm not close but there are several things you can do to check the repeater output yourself. The first thing is to check the power to the antenna with a power meter and dummy load. You need to put the power meter and dummy load at both the repeater output port and, at the end of the coax feeding your antenna to compare. The second is to inspect the antenna and verify its suitability for the channel. This is best accomplished with a nano VNA as UHF antenna analyzers are expensive. Thirdly, how is the antenna mounted? What's the HAAT? That's Height Above Average Terrain. For UHF average terrain will include buildings and trees as well as hills as they all affect the radiation patterns and distance. Once you have done those checks you'll be ready for some "drive tests" to determine both handheld and mobile coverage areas.

[WRUE951]

It's not hitting out here in the West Coast of Califailure.  ..   But I'll keep my ears posted.  

[Mrsig]

6 hours ago, BoxCar said:

Well, I'm not close but there are several things you can do to check the repeater output yourself. The first thing is to check the power to the antenna with a power meter and dummy load. You need to put the power meter and dummy load at both the repeater output port and, at the end of the coax feeding your antenna to compare. The second is to inspect the antenna and verify its suitability for the channel. This is best accomplished with a nano VNA as UHF antenna analyzers are expensive. Thirdly, how is the antenna mounted? What's the HAAT? That's Height Above Average Terrain. For UHF average terrain will include buildings and trees as well as hills as they all affect the radiation patterns and distance. Once you have done those checks you'll be ready for some "drive tests" to determine both handheld and mobile coverage areas.

I don't have any of that stuff. 30' tower with MA09 High Gain 462~467MHz GMRS Omni-Directional Base Antenna & 50-3 Pure Copper Coaxial Extender Cable For RT97L.

[LeoG]

Ya, 30' isn't all that high for an antenna.  Mine is at 40' and I might get 5 miles in the right direction.  Lots of hills and trees in my area though.

[MarkInTampa]

I was not able to hit the Bushnell repeater from the Beef's parking lot Friday night for what it's worth.

[Mrsig]

Bump.

Any one close to Bushnell, Fl that can check out my RT97L Repeater system? It is not putting out as far as I think it should. I think I have something wrong.

Thanks Sig.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, Mrsig said:

Bump.

Any one close to Bushnell, Fl that can check out my RT97L Repeater system? It is not putting out as far as I think it should. I think I have something wrong.

Thanks Sig.

What kind of range are you getting?
If people can use it when they’re near, the most likely thing you have “wrong” is simply antenna height, as @LeoG said.
The other possibility is that your signal is being attenuated between your antenna and your repeater. What is “50-3 pure copper coaxial extender cable for RT97L”?  What cable type is it and how long is it?  Perhaps the 50-3 refers to the length? 50 feet three inches?

[LeoG]

Well if he bought the kit like I did it came with 50' of RG59u (58?) which was horrible for UHF and the cable being that long.

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, LeoG said:

Well if he bought the kit like I did it came with 50' of RG59u (58?) which was horrible for UHF and the cable being that long.

50 feet of RG-58 would attenuate a buttload of UHF RF. 

[LeoG]

Yup, was too lazy to go look last time and couldn't remember.  ends in 9 is 75 ohm ends in 8 is 50 ohm, right?

Here's the roll of 50' I never used that I got with my kit.  If I knew it was going to be this I wouldn't have ordered the kit.

[SteveShannon]

8 minutes ago, LeoG said:

Yup, was too lazy to go look last time and couldn't remember.  ends in 9 is 75 ohm ends in 8 is 50 ohm, right?

That’s correct. But RG-59 has been replaced by RG6.

8 minutes ago, LeoG said:

Here's the roll of 50' I never used that I got with my kit.  If I knew it was going to be this I wouldn't have ordered the kit.

Sell it to someone for use on HF or lower. It’s just not suitable for VHF or UHF.

[Mrsig]

Correct I got it as a package deal with the antenna, mic & cable. I can get about 1 1/2 miles west of me though the old oak woods & about 3 miles east though the pastures. So you guys think I need a better cable.? My antenna is a 

MA09 High Gain 462~467MHz GMRS Omni-Directional Base Antenna  4.5/7.2 dBi High Gain Fiberglass Antenna 5.75’

Thanks Sig

[LeoG]

Ya, I didn't even use the cable after I saw what it was.  I have the RT97S which is only 6.7 watt out of the socket and I think I had right around 2 watts at the end of the cable.  Pretty pathetic.

[SteveShannon]

39 minutes ago, Mrsig said:

Correct I got it as a package deal with the antenna, mic & cable. I can get about 1 1/2 miles west of me though the old oak woods & about 3 miles east though the pastures. So you guys think I need a better cable.? My antenna is a 

MA09 High Gain 462~467MHz GMRS Omni-Directional Base Antenna  4.5/7.2 dBi High Gain Fiberglass Antenna 5.75’

Thanks Sig

 

We can break your bank guessing at what the problem might be. My feeling is that your antenna probably isn’t higher than the surrounding terrain and trees. Getting it higher can help but UHF does poorly in vegetation. Poor cable contributes by attenuating the signals in both directions, but antenna gain and visibility is by far the most important factor. 

[LeoG]

The MA09 antenna isn't all that bad.  I found that mine wasn't really omni directional.  We had a wind event and it bent the flimsy bracket I was using. When I used it while it was at a 15º tilt it was working better than it had in a while.  I replaced the bracket and all of a sudden my signal went to crap again now that my antenna was vertical again.  I had oriented it in the exact same direction because I have a cell phone booster antenna and I keep it pointed at the cell tower on the mast. 

I got this crazy idea and I rotated the antenna about 10º and reoriented the cell phone antenna and my GMRS signal got substantially better (from my house).  Found that really odd that it made that much of a difference.  Must have moved one of the lobes and now it's pointed at my house.

[Mrsig]

Is this what I should get? https://www.amazon.com/GE-Connectors-Shielded-Satellite-33532/dp/B002HESF4K/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SKR40BO43toCi49IrfFHmnKw_ToZpKdgIhoN3crulNHrYZinkZb0c_n6hlU2do387MmhXn8moGyGhFTGJFA55vCd0p5p08MY4g5eVqKZUe8pqI7a5ZQSHPj6zJPtwTZhS7sdsXs5rmUzuPAf7OAhMu-kgh6ppXYUHBc_YkMnqjazgFMo1t_tZpxTsEllKCMwvWGrpkcOFSGBw3dmjAqX6URcM2uvTh2sY-hT2x4h-ew.erBz2-Dr6TvolceVYuFdgITlv5ru3Ork8mhub_DRP90&dib_tag=se&keywords=Coaxial%2BCable%2BRG6&qid=1752618223&sr=8-1&th=1

[SteveShannon]

Absolutely not. 
First, you need a 50 ohm cable. 
Second, you need to keep the run as short as possible. If you can use 10 feet, use 10 feet.

It should be something like LMR400 or better or even hardline. 
I recommend not ordering from Amazon. They’re not experts. They’ll just sell you anything. Instead use one of the professional radio companies or ham radio dealers. 

[LeoG]

Something like this.  It's on the cheap, but not $12 cheap.

 

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/browning-br-400-assembly.html