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Coax for field kits


flashover52

Question

I’m assembling some mobile radio kits for an emergency communications group. I will be using Wouxon KG-1000g Plus radios, Laird FG4603 antennas mounted on 20’ telescoping poles and MFJ-1921 tripods.

 

I want to have a 25’ and 100’ length of cable in each “field” kit (or maybe 50’ & 75’) so LMR400 is going to be a bit too stiff. These could be set up in a building and pass cable out a window, in a large tent used by a large incident Incident Management Team or operated out of a vehicle on a ridgeline.

 

I have a 300’ pool of rG213 I could cut, though it seems bulky. I was thinking of LMR240 but had someone mention that it’s not great for GMRS frequencies.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?

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LMR240 for 25' would be suitable. At 100' you need LMR400. 

I have a  VHF Search and Rescue Repeater. I swept the cables. We use LMR400 for 30' jumper and when we use the 60' its 1/2" LDF. Yup its bulky but it works well. 

 

Remember at 100' thats just about 3 db (2.7) of loss. Thats half the power you put in and 3db receive less. 240 is 5db of loss at 100. I wouldn't even consider it. 

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How do you plan on carrying this "field kit"? If it's in a trailer and you have room to mount large coils on the wall or in a drawer? The reason I ask, my HF kit for the field has 20' of RG-8x, which is pretty bulky if you are going to carry it. For UHF, beyond having the radio connected directly at the push up mast, you will need at a minimum LMR400, and probably hardline, like the 1/2" LDF mentioned above. Going to 1/2" hardline reduces your loss at 100 feet from 2.7 to 1.5, which is huge.

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The plan is to put the radios n Pelican cases. I was hoping to have everything except the antenna/tripod in the case.

We have a repeater that provides excellent coverage of our city. Heck, I can hit it from my house a couple counties away (-45 miles). So in the city we have the repeater that most HT’s can ping. The main focus is if that repeater is down, then we have a simplex plan. I already have VHF/UHF ham radios at these sites. We are adding the GMRS radios to support the AREs folks and distribute traffic.

Sounds like I may need to leave the coax out of the case, bite the bullet and go with LMR400.

How durable or long should I expect it to last if it’s getting unrolled/rolled a couple times per month?

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