Homebase Setup

[WyoJoe]

2 minutes ago, Papatree said:

Not familiar with Wicked Chicken, Love Rattlers! There's also a fairly new spot called Crazy Hot Chicken, where the old Tilly's was on Sierra Hwy, I want to try.

I've noticed quite a few "Hot" or "Nashville Hot" chicken places opening up recently. There's a local-ish chain called Angry Chickz or something like that with several locations in the L.A. area and even one in Bakersfield.

Anyway, we've strayed a bit from the original topic, so to bring this thread back a little bit...

Do you think you could reach your home base from Crazy Hot Chicken?

[WROA675]

1 hour ago, WyoJoe said:

Do you think you could reach your home base from Crazy Hot Chicken?

Definitely, I'm sure I could reach it right now with my HT (GM30), it's that close. The home base is still a work in progress and I suspect it'll be complete by the end of the month.

Another slightly off topic subject question. When searching frequencies to scan off of radio frequency dot com, is there a way to tell which one's are analog and which one are digital?

[MichaelLAX]

34 minutes ago, Papatree said:

Another slightly off topic subject question. When searching frequencies to scan off of radio frequency dot com, is there a way to tell which one's are analog and which one are digital?

Radioreference.com? It seems to be offline right now when I try it.

[WROA675]

1 hour ago, MichaelLAX said:

Radioreference.com? It seems to be offline right now when I try it.

Yes, it's back up...I'm on it now

[MichaelLAX]

Looking at some Los Angeles frequencies: 

I see FM, and NFM for Wideband and narrow FM

AM for primarily aircraft; and

P25 for digital, P25 mode.

[WROA675]

4 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:

Looking at some Los Angeles frequencies: 

I see FM, and NFM for Wideband and narrow FM

AM for primarily aircraft; and

P25 for digital, P25 mode.

I see those too, plus some DMR...so with my GM30 HT or DB20-G which modes might I be able to listen to, and will I be able to hear the higher and lower frequencies (e.g., 483.53750, 123.9750, 968.00000)?

What does type mean (RN, BM,M)?

[MichaelLAX]

Both of those radios only receive FM (narrow or wide).

I am not sure of the receiving limits of the GM-30, but the DB-20G can be opened up from GMRS to receive: 136-174 and 400-470 MHz.

I did find this Glossary, but some of your acronyms are not defined:

Radioreference Database Glossary

[WyoJoe]

1 hour ago, Papatree said:

What does type mean (RN, BM,M)?

B=Base, R=Repeater, M=Mobile, F=Fixed, RM=Repeater + Mobile, etc.

[WyoJoe]

1 hour ago, MichaelLAX said:

I am not sure of the receiving limits of the GM-30, but the DB-20G can be opened up from GMRS to receive: 136-174 and 400-470 MHz.

From the GM-30 specs: Rx Frequency Range: 65-108MHz, 136-174MHz, 400-470MHz

The specs for the DB-20G shows the same.

1 hour ago, MichaelLAX said:

I am not sure of the receiving limits of the GM-30, but the DB-20G can be opened up from GMRS to receive: 136-174 and 400-470 MHz.

It looks like both radios receive the same frequencies. Of course 65-108MHz is the broadcast FM spectrum (~88-108 in the U.S.).

I suspect the tuner won't allow you to tune in anything outside of the specified range, although I haven't tried to do so.

As these radios are FM only, you won't pick up anything understandable on digital modes, although you may hear something when they're being used.

[EARL5555]

On 9/29/2021 at 7:58 AM, Papatree said:

So much great feedback from everyone, yet I'm still not quite sure which antenna would best suit me. Here is a list of the options I am currently considering: 

1) the height seems perfect for staying under the radar of the hoa (would be better with a N connector though, right?); $69.99 (BuyTwoRadios)

The Tram 1477 is a Dual Band 2m/70cm Amateur High Gain Base Antenna with a 150 watt power rating. This single section antenna is 43" tall with three 7" stainless steel radials and is pretuned for outdoor or attic use.

Dual band fiberglass base antenna
43" (1.09m) tall
Single section
1/2 wave VHF / 5/8 wave over 5/8 wave UHF
3 stainless steel 7" (17.78cm) radials
144-148 MHz VHF / 430-460 MHz UHF
Pre-tuned - no tuning needed
For outdoor or attic use
3.5 dBd (5.64 dBi gain VHF / 6dBd (8.14 dBi) gain UHF
Omni-directional
Fiberglass construction
Mast diameter accepted is 1 3/16" to 2 7/16" (30-62mm)
UHF female (SO-239) connector
Max power 150 watts
50 ohms
Available in white or black
Includes mounting bracket and hardware

2) may draw some attention, not that I'm worried since a lot of people have their Dish satellites here, and the height may give me the range I need; $169.99 (DX engineering)

Base Vertical, Type-N Female, Commercial/GMRS/FRS, 153-157 MHz and 460-470 MHz ONLY, NO HAM BANDS, Fiberglass, 10.10 ft. Height
Comet GP-6NC GMRS/FRS-Commercial Dual-Band VHF/UHF Base Vertical Antennas provide high-gain performance on the 153-157 MHz and 460-470 MHz bands. These superior-quality base station antennas feature a two-piece, heavy duty, UV-stabilized fiberglass radome for many years of reliable service.

With a high power rating in their class, these base station antennas are ready to handle constant use your high-power VHF/UHF radios. Although light in weight, they incorporate strong, easy-to-use, extruded aluminum and stainless steel clamp-on mounting hardware for masts from 1.25 to 2.50 inches. A weather-protected Type-N Female 50 ohm connector is ready for the user supplied low-loss coaxial cable.

3) compact but not dual band (has move to the bottom of my list); $109.95 (HRO)

COMET-NCG CA-F72GF
440 - 512 MHz Field Tunable Commercial Fiberglass Antenna 5.5 dBi 3.5 Feet N Conn.

440-512 MHz (tunable) fixed station antenna, 1.5:1 or less SWR:  10 MHz after tuning
Gain:  5.5 dBi
Max power:  150 Watts
Length:  42 inches
Weight: 2 lb 14oz
Connector:  N-female
Construction:  One-piece white fiberglass
Max wind speed:  135 MPH

4) Received many comments and recommendations, here and other forums, about the Yagi; $115.99 (DX engineering)

Moonraker Ltd YG27-35 Dual Band Hi Spec 2/70CM Yagi Antenna
Moonraker Ltd YG27-35 Dual Band Hi Spec 2/70CM Yagi Antenna is a professionally built Dual Band Yagi that requires only one feedline with a Type N connector.

Key features/specifications:

* Type: Dual band 3/5 element Yagi
* Frequency: 144-146 and 430-440MHz (does not perform on 146 to 148 MHz)
* Boom length: 45.28 in. (115 cm)
* Longest element: 39.37 in. (100 cm)
* Gain: 9.5/11.15 dBi
* VSWR: 1.5:1or better
* Power: 50 watts
* Connection: N-Type female
* Mast Size: 1.181 to 2.165 in. O.D. (30 to 55mm O.D.)

Looking forward to hearing y'alls options (pros & cons) on the above list. 

You could also try this copper J-pole antenna tuned to GMRS frequencies.

https://www.jpole-antenna.com/shop/462-mhz-land-mobile-gmrs-j-pole-antenna/

You could clamp the J-pole to a piece of PVC pipe. Personally, I think this setup would be useful for a temporary mount that could be set up and taken down quickly and easily. I have columns on my front walkway, and I could bungee-cord this antenna clamped to a length of PVC pipe to the columns. You could raise the J-pole antenna up ten feet in the air, by using lengths of PVC pipe, joined together with PVC couplers. 

I have been trying to reach Michael, the site owner, for a week now, and he has not written back,. Hopefully nothing happened to him. 

[WROA675]

10 minutes ago, EARL5555 said:

I have been trying to reach Michael, the site owner, for a week now, and he has not written back,. Hopefully nothing happened to him. 

Thanks Earl. I don't know who Michael, the site owner is, but yeah hopefully everything's okay.

So here's what I finally went with for the homebase, and they should be here in a couple days:

Larsen BSA 450 antenna - 30ft of LMR400 coax - Surecom SW102 - Radioddity DB25G 

I'm gonna get up there and remove the Dish, today or tomorrow,, and leave the bracket to mount the new antenna. then run the cable down into my office (not looking forward to crawling around in the rafters). Hopefully all goes smoothly and WROA675 will be up and running from home by weeks end.

[pcradio]

2 hours ago, EARL5555 said:

I have been trying to reach Michael, the site owner, for a week now, and he has not written back,. Hopefully nothing happened to him. 

He's on vacation.

[WROA675]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:11 PM, WRCQ487 said:

I've helped a few people with the same setup as yours.

First off, Happy Friday and I hope all is well with y'all out there.

Getting so close...radio (DB25G) arrived, coax (LMR400) arrived, the SWR(Surecom sw102s)meter and antenna (Larsen BSA450) should be here today. Any tips on putting that antenna together?

The coax was a bit more "hardy" than I imagined it would be. I'm wondering, though, if there's anything I should know about running the cable? It seems there's a couple of tight turns and I don't want to stress out or break the cable, in any way that's going to affect its performance.

One other small detail I overlooked, and that's a "jumper cable (I think that's what it's called) between radio and the SWR meter. Does that need to be the same gauge? What's a ideal length (how short do I go)? Is it okay to leave the meter permanently attached to my set up or just remove it once I'm sure of a good swr?

 

[WyoJoe]

1 hour ago, Papatree said:

One other small detail I overlooked, and that's a "jumper cable (I think that's what it's called) between radio and the SWR meter. Does that need to be the same gauge? What's a ideal length (how short do I go)? Is it okay to leave the meter permanently attached to my set up or just remove it once I'm sure of a good swr?

Generally speaking, you'll want to use the SWR meter to ensure the antenna is properly tuned, then remove the meter. As for the "jumper" cable, no, it does not need to be the same as your feed line. A short length (12 to 18 inches is typical) of 50 ohm coax with suitable connectors is sufficient. Because of the short length and temporary nature of the connection, the type of coax doesn't matter much.

[WRCQ487]

2 hours ago, Papatree said:

First off, Happy Friday and I hope all is well with y'all out there.

Getting so close...radio (DB25G) arrived, coax (LMR400) arrived, the SWR(Surecom sw102s)meter and antenna (Larsen BSA450) should be here today. Any tips on putting that antenna together?

The coax was a bit more "hardy" than I imagined it would be. I'm wondering, though, if there's anything I should know about running the cable? It seems there's a couple of tight turns and I don't want to stress out or break the cable, in any way that's going to affect its performance.

One other small detail I overlooked, and that's a "jumper cable (I think that's what it's called) between radio and the SWR meter. Does that need to be the same gauge? What's a ideal length (how short do I go)? Is it okay to leave the meter permanently attached to my set up or just remove it once I'm sure of a good swr?

 

Great that it's coming together for you. The jumper can be different size, just needs to be 50ohm coax. Do not leave the swr meter inline. Once you check it remove it.

 

The antenna is pretty straightforward. Just bottom out all the stingers/radials and start from there. You should get a chart to see what the stinger needs to be cut down for gmrs if it hasn't been already tuned for GMRS. 

 

Coax: do not bend coax past a 12in loop and don't over tighten zip ties if you are using them to hold up the coax. 

 

Can't wait to hear your feed back once everything is setup. 

[mbrun]

First off, Happy Friday and I hope all is well with y'all out there.
Getting so close...radio (DB25G) arrived, coax (LMR400) arrived, the SWR(Surecom sw102s)meter and antenna (Larsen BSA450) should be here today. Any tips on putting that antenna together?
The coax was a bit more "hardy" than I imagined it would be. I'm wondering, though, if there's anything I should know about running the cable? It seems there's a couple of tight turns and I don't want to stress out or break the cable, in any way that's going to affect its performance.
One other small detail I overlooked, and that's a "jumper cable (I think that's what it's called) between radio and the SWR meter. Does that need to be the same gauge? What's a ideal length (how short do I go)? Is it okay to leave the meter permanently attached to my set up or just remove it once I'm sure of a good swr?
 

Here a link to the spec sheet for standard LMR400 https://timesmicrowave.com/DataSheets/CableProducts/LMR-400.pdf. Bend radius specifications are included within. They give two ratings. A once and done installation rating and another where repeated flex will occur.

Yes, you can using a different cable for jumper, but is should be a 50-ohm jumper. Use the shortest practical length that suits your application.

Do not deform your cable. Do not kink it. Do not secure it so tight that shape of the cable changes. Take and record reference measurements of your antenna system (feed-line, adapters, antenna) before permanently installing anything. Make sure all is acceptable first. If all is good, then install. Take SWR measurements along the journey so you can immediately spot any issues you have caused (such as kinking or deforming cable, effect of adapters, etc…).

Yes, in most cases you can leave an SWR meter in circuit. Mine remains in circuit full time. I power it up when I need or want view readings, otherwise it remains off. It continues to pass signal when no power is applied.


Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

[WROA675]

3 hours ago, WRCQ487 said:

The antenna is pretty straightforward. Just bottom out all the stingers/radials and start from there. You should get a chart to see what the stinger needs to be cut down for gmrs if it hasn't been already tuned for GMRS.

Considering I'm mounting it to that metal bracket (formerly the Dish bracket), I shouldn't need to worry about anything else (more metal) as far as grounding it, right?

[EARL5555]

6 hours ago, Papatree said:

First off, Happy Friday and I hope all is well with y'all out there.

Getting so close...radio (DB25G) arrived, coax (LMR400) arrived, the SWR(Surecom sw102s)meter and antenna (Larsen BSA450) should be here today. Any tips on putting that antenna together?

The coax was a bit more "hardy" than I imagined it would be. I'm wondering, though, if there's anything I should know about running the cable? It seems there's a couple of tight turns and I don't want to stress out or break the cable, in any way that's going to affect its performance.

One other small detail I overlooked, and that's a "jumper cable (I think that's what it's called) between radio and the SWR meter. Does that need to be the same gauge? What's a ideal length (how short do I go)? Is it okay to leave the meter permanently attached to my set up or just remove it once I'm sure of a good swr?

 

Sounds very cool. Good luck getting everything cabled together. 25 watts pushed through a roof antenna should give you very good range. 

[EARL5555]

23 minutes ago, Papatree said:

Considering I'm mounting it to that metal bracket (formerly the Dish bracket), I shouldn't need to worry about anything else (more metal) as far as grounding it, right?

Unfortunately, I don't know much about antenna grounding. But I do know that copper J-poles and roll-up J-poles do not need a ground. 

 

[WROA675]

11 minutes ago, EARL5555 said:

Sounds very cool. Good luck getting everything cabled together. 25 watts pushed through a roof antenna should give you very good range. 

Thanks Earl. I'm anticipating good things.

I used my DB20G and the Bingfu mag mount (on a metal skillet) a few weeks ago and was able to hit the nearest repeater and talk to the folks over the hill (no the clearest transmission, but it worked), so this has gotta beat that, by far. 

[WRCQ487]

2 hours ago, Papatree said:

Considering I'm mounting it to that metal bracket (formerly the Dish bracket), I shouldn't need to worry about anything else (more metal) as far as grounding it, right?

You should be good to go. Just use the hose clamps that are provided. Put the top hose camp at the very top of the dish bracket arm. 

[axorlov]

2 hours ago, Papatree said:

Considering I'm mounting it to that metal bracket (formerly the Dish bracket), I shouldn't need to worry about anything else (more metal) as far as grounding it, right?

Your dish mount should be grounded already. But if it is not grounded, you should ground it. Ideally to it's own ground rod with #4 wire (according to the code) or at least to something that's already grounded. That would not be by the code, but it will allow static electricity to discharge through something other than your radio. Static is generated in surprising amounts just from the wind.

[WROA675]

20 hours ago, WRCQ487 said:

You should be good to go.

It arrived today, yay! However, it'll have to wait til later for installation, as I has a tone of daddy-do's to get done. 

Beyond, being able to tx/rx with the nearest repeater, will I still be able to pickup emergency and other channels, utilizing the full potential of the DB25G, I usually scan (outside the 450-470) with my new Larsen's?

[WROA675]

Get 'er done...almost there. Everything is in place, initial test successful hit the repeater and making contact. My transmission was readable but noisy.

Maybe it was that I was going through the swr meter, which btw was at 2.66. down from 5.89 uncut. I did leave it a tiny bit longer than the suggest cut in the chart, to have something to go by (baseline).

Other things I noticed was the knurl section of the antenna end and the smooth inside of the cable (see pictures)...is that going to be an issue?

Everything else seems okay but I'm sure I'm missing something. I'm gonna cut the antenna down to specs now and see what changes it gives me. Not gonna to start securing thing too much until a acceptable swr is reached.

[WROA675]

1 hour ago, Papatree said:

I'm gonna cut the antenna down to specs now and see what changes it gives me.

Current settings: rod length 8-3/4, 462.612 mhz @ 1.0 swr,...467.650 @ 2.44 mhz (my closest repeater).

Gonna stop here for now (getting dark) until I get some more input on how to proceed