I get my Wouxun KG-1000 G Plus Mobil Today - Base Antenna Discussion

[Tiercel]

Its like Christmas.  My I get my Wouxun KG-1000 G Plus Mobil Today.  It is out for delivery.  The only issue is that my play time is reduced because I have several irons in the fire including my upcoming Ham tests which I have not studied for recently.  I just inherited a WWII Mauser my great uncle brought home from Europe after the war so I am cleaning and researching.  I am trying to sell some estate property, and my son just sent me the book "One Second After" which is a pretty riveting and interesting book so not enough hours in the day.  I am not complaining,  It could be worse.

I will start by setting it up as a base just so I can get used to it without sitting in a car and have it next to my PC for programming.  I do have a laptop however so that is not a big issue.

[Tiercel]

On 11/15/2023 at 2:23 PM, WRYZ926 said:

If you end up using a window pass through bulkhead, you can have a piece of 1/4" all thread sticking out both sides. This allows you to ground the bulkheads and coax to an outside ground rod. And on the inside you can also ground all of your radio chassis to the bulkhead if you want.

I have absolutely NO clue what you just said.  

[OffRoaderX]

48 minutes ago, Tiercel said:

I have absolutely NO clue what you just said.  

Only "Some people" could over-complicate sticking a piece of wire through a wall in their desperate attempt to validate themselves..But he did a VERY good job of showing everyone how smart he thinks he is.. I for one am VERY impressed!

But he's clearly not smart enough to read the room and know his audience...

[WRQC527]

58 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

But he's clearly not smart enough to read the room and know his

This applies so often here.

[WRZH443]

Is the  Comet CA-712EFC rated for GMRS frequencies? All the ones I saw online didn't seem to be.

[WRYZ926]

27 minutes ago, WRZH443 said:

Is the  Comet CA-712EFC rated for GMRS frequencies? All the ones I saw online didn't seem to be.

Yes the CA-712EFC is tuned for GMRS frequencies.

[WRYZ926]

Here is a good video explaining window pass throughs using bulkheads for those that are interested.

Hopefully this will explain things for everyone to understand.

 

And No I am not trying to show my intelligence or being a smartass either.

[WRYZ926]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Only "Some people" could over-complicate sticking a piece of wire through a wall in their desperate attempt to validate themselves..But he did a VERY good job of showing everyone how smart he thinks he is.. I for one am VERY impressed!

But he's clearly not smart enough to read the room and know his audience...

I am not trying to validate myself or over-complicate things or trying to show everyone how smart I am.

[OffRoaderX]

10 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

I am not trying to validate myself or over-complicate things or trying to show everyone how smart I am.

Ok Sparky, we believe you...

[WRZF693]

On 11/13/2023 at 3:01 PM, Tiercel said:

Its like Christmas.  My I get my Wouxun KG-1000 G Plus Mobil Today.  It is out for delivery.  The only issue is that my play time is reduced because I have several irons in the fire including my upcoming Ham tests which I have not studied for recently.  I just inherited a WWII Mauser my great uncle brought home from Europe after the war so I am cleaning and researching.  I am trying to sell some estate property, and my son just sent me the book "One Second After" which is a pretty riveting and interesting book so not enough hours in the day.  I am not complaining,  It could be worse.

I will start by setting it up as a base just so I can get used to it without sitting in a car and have it next to my PC for programming.  I do have a laptop however so that is not a big issue.

 

 

Congrats on the rifle. I used to work in the firearms business and have shit a few of those.  Great rifles.  Well, most are until the end of WW2 and they were making them very sloppy.  

Good luck on the Ham test.  I'm considering it myself because I want to talk on the HF frequencies maybe.

Regards from South Central Indiana USA. 

Tim 

[WRYZ926]

2 hours ago, WRZF693 said:

Good luck on the Ham test.  I'm considering it myself because I want to talk on the HF frequencies maybe.

The tests aren't hard to pass. I took the technician test in October and am currently studying for my general.

Here is a link showing what bands each level of license can use. http://www.arrl.org/frequency-allocations 

If you want to use all of the allocated HF bands then you will need a general or amateur extra license.

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, WRZF693 said:

Congrats on the rifle. I used to work in the firearms business and have shit a few of those.  Great rifles.  Well, most are until the end of WW2 and they were making them very sloppy.  

Good luck on the Ham test.  I'm considering it myself because I want to talk on the HF frequencies maybe.

Regards from South Central Indiana USA. 

Tim 

As someone who had an FFL for over 40 years, I have to say that sounds very painful.

I would also encourage you to do the ham test.  I found HamStudy.org to be a great way to study that made it fun for me to learn the principles rather than simply memorizing the answers.  It truly was easy.  I chose to pay $5 to buy the app for my phone, but the website use costs nothing.

[Tiercel]

I have 4 days to prepare for my HAM test and I am only halfway thru the General material so I have to knock out 4 lessons a day.  I think the Technician test is in the bag however and I can live with passing only that test.  Bottom line is you wont hear much from me until that test and my first Ham meeting is behind me.  I am honestly not sure I would do this if I knew what I know now back when I started with the Ham prep.  From what I have learned and experienced with GMRS I think I would be quite happy with a good GMRS setup.  Since I am this far in however, it is now a quest like going to see Marty Moose  

Once I have my Ham license it gives me options so that makes it worth the effort to me.  Time will tell what if anything I will do with the Ham license once I have it.  I do have two cheap Baofeng UV-5Rs but we will see what that develops into.  If nothing else I can be a Sad Ham when I get bored.  

Back to studying.  Fortunately my father repaired radios, and TVs when I was a kid so Ohm's law, diodes, cathodes, multimeters have all been part of my life and years as a Computer Services Manager with the Dept of Justice all give me a little bit of a base to build on.  I am primarily using a paid site "HamRadioPrep.com"  but I have also spent time on HamStudy.org.

[WRYZ926]

It's always good to have both GMRS and amateur radio to use. We are getting our amateur club to install a GMRS repeater so that we have an addition method of communications for emergency situations.

[ClassicCarGuy]

Hi,

    Trying to get this antenna for the GMRS frequency. I'm just a bit unclear on the grounding system. Did I understand that the correct way of grounding typically like at the both ends of the connector (radio and antenna) and connected to lets say 14 gauge and the wire goes down to a copper ground rod 6 feet or more under. Is that correct? Thank you.

[WRYZ926]

I used one of the clamps that came with my Comet CA-712 to hold the ground wire in place on the j mount and then ran it down to my ground rod.

[ClassicCarGuy]

7 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

Don’t worry about grounding the antenna at the mast end. A j-pole like that is already in contact with the mast (although clamps would be better than tape).

Just run a ground wire at the bottom of the mast to your ground system. 
Then, where the coax enters the house, install a lightning arrester and run its ground to the same ground system.

The Reeve document I posted above does a pretty good job of explaining the requirements.  
Here is a link to it:

https://reeve.com/Documents/Articles Papers/Reeve_AntennaSystemGroundingRequirements.pdf

Okay and thank you for the follow-up. I will order that antenna today, get me a 6 footer mast, wires for the grounding and a coax. I'm debating if the coax I will get is the LMR-400 or if I can find the old RG-8 "mini" that I use to use a long time ago on AM radio. That was anexcellent wire for the money I use to pay which wasn't alot. I was looking very close to the new RG-8x (mini).. That was not the way how thy did it before. The white part us to be with teflon and the braid was 99% close copper. Looks like they went cheap. If I cant get one, what would you recommend for a 45 watter GMRS.

Thanks, 

BTW:  I was also thinking about getting this too for my car with a magnetic mount. Any takes?

https://www.arcantenna.com/products/laird-antenex-b4503-450-470-mhz-mobile-base-coil-nmo-mount-antenna-metalic-ground-plane-required

[ClassicCarGuy]

Congratulations to a nice looking an promising radio. Please let us know your experience.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, WRZM228 said:

Okay and thank you for the follow-up. I will order that antenna today, get me a 6 footer mast, wires for the grounding and a coax. I'm debating if the coax I will get is the LMR-400 or if I can find the old RG-8 "mini" that I use to use a long time ago on AM radio. That was anexcellent wire for the money I use to pay which wasn't alot. I was looking very close to the new RG-8x (mini).. That was not the way how thy did it before. The white part us to be with teflon and the braid was 99% close copper. Looks like they went cheap. If I cant get one, what would you recommend for a 45 watter GMRS.

Thanks, 

BTW:  I was also thinking about getting this too for my car with a magnetic mount. Any takes?

https://www.arcantenna.com/products/laird-antenex-b4503-450-470-mhz-mobile-base-coil-nmo-mount-antenna-metalic-ground-plane-required

I don’t know how long of a coax you need, but RG-8 mini will cost you a lot of signal strength in the UHF frequencies if you’re going very far. It would work great for AM broadcast frequencies because they’re medium frequency (MF).

I would use LMR-400 at least. 
 

You can get by with smaller cable for mobile use because the lengths are much shorter. 
 

I don’t have an opinion about the Laird mount. I have no experience with them (my lack of experience, not to imply anything negative towards Laird). I know that some of the radio professionals here like Laird. 

[ClassicCarGuy]

34 minutes ago, BoxCar said:

For coax, go here: https://thewireman.com/product-category/feed-lines/coax/?product_count=48. The Wire Man provides the private branded RG-8 coax sold by DX Engineering. Same coax, half the price,

Thank you for the follow-up. Definitely will cal them to haul for the rest of what I need. I was going to ask if I my old SWR meter that I use in the AM radio will work on GMRS. I'm not sure if my new radio has a built in but even thou, I could use the watt meter. I could use the info before I drive down to the radio store. Amazing I still found my old silver eagle. Unbelievable it survived all these years. If I remember I bought this 1984 together with my Cobra 148 GTL. Time flies.. Thanks

 

 

 

 

[ClassicCarGuy]

14 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

I don’t know how long of a coax you need, but RG-8 mini will cost you a lot of signal strength in the UHF frequencies if you’re going very far. It would work great for AM broadcast frequencies because they’re medium frequency (MF).

I would use LMR-400 at least. 
 

You can get by with smaller cable for mobile use because the lengths are much shorter. 
 

I don’t have an opinion about the Laird mount. I have no experience with them (my lack of experience, not to imply anything negative towards Laird). I know that some of the radio professionals here like Laird. 

Very well said. Thank you!

There are plenty of mast that I can get anyways I dont think I need more than 10 feet since it'll be on top of my roof with a high enough elevation.

[ClassicCarGuy]

Hi,  I also need to get a mobile antenna. This one happens to be available and its 40 inches (3.3 ft.) I want to install it on  magnamount. I'm not sure of I need something that tall. Its for GMRS and the radio is 45 watts. Any inputs? Thanks.

  Comet CA-2X4SR Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antennas CA-2X4SR

Brand: Comet Antennas
Manufacturer's Part Number: CA-2X4SR
Part Type: VHF/UHF Mobile Vertical Antennas
Product Line: Comet CA-2X4SR Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antennas
DXE Part Number: CMA-CA-2X4SR
Mobile Antenna Type: Dual-band
Mobile Mounting Base Included: No
Mobile Antenna Base: UHF
Antenna Color: Black
Fold-Over: Yes
Mobile Antenna Height: 40.000 in.
Magnet Mount Compatible: Yes
Broadband for use across Amateur, Land Mobile, and FRS applications with single antenna.
Mobile Antenna Power Rating:150 watts
Additional Information
Mobile Antenna Band    Frequency Coverage Range    Vertical Antenna Gain Element Phasing (wavelength)
2 meters    140-160 MHz    3.8 dBi    2 x 1/2
70 centimeters    435-465 MHz    6.2 dBi    3 x 5/8

 

[SteveShannon]

4 minutes ago, WRZM228 said:

Hi,  I also need to get a mobile antenna. This one happens to be available and its 40 inches (3.3 ft.) I want to install it on  magnamount. I'm not sure of I need something that tall. Its for GMRS and the radio is 45 watts. Any inputs? Thanks.

  Comet CA-2X4SR Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antennas CA-2X4SR

Brand: Comet Antennas
Manufacturer's Part Number: CA-2X4SR
Part Type: VHF/UHF Mobile Vertical Antennas
Product Line: Comet CA-2X4SR Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antennas
DXE Part Number: CMA-CA-2X4SR
Mobile Antenna Type: Dual-band
Mobile Mounting Base Included: No
Mobile Antenna Base: UHF
Antenna Color: Black
Fold-Over: Yes
Mobile Antenna Height: 40.000 in.
Magnet Mount Compatible: Yes
Broadband for use across Amateur, Land Mobile, and FRS applications with single antenna.
Mobile Antenna Power Rating:150 watts
Additional Information
Mobile Antenna Band    Frequency Coverage Range    Vertical Antenna Gain Element Phasing (wavelength)
2 meters    140-160 MHz    3.8 dBi    2 x 1/2
70 centimeters    435-465 MHz    6.2 dBi    3 x 5/8

 

The Comet 2x4 is rated as usable good up to 465 MHz. It’s an antenna that many Search and Rescue units use because of the wide bandwidth it covers, but it’s really not designed for GMRS.

If you intend to transmit to a repeater you’ll be transmitting at 467 MHz.  Unless you absolutely need an antenna that’s capable of 2 meters, 70 centimeters, and the bottom frequencies of GMRS, I would recommend getting a GMRS antenna.

I use a Midland MXTA-26 which would screw onto an NMO mount.  It’s specifically built for GMRS.  There are literally hundreds of posts on the forum that recommend various antenna.

[SteveShannon]

28 minutes ago, WRZM228 said:

Thank you for the follow-up. Definitely will cal them to haul for the rest of what I need. I was going to ask if I my old SWR meter that I use in the AM radio will work on GMRS. I'm not sure if my new radio has a built in but even thou, I could use the watt meter. I could use the info before I drive down to the radio store. Amazing I still found my old silver eagle. Unbelievable it survived all these years. If I remember I bought this 1984 together with my Cobra 148 GTL. Time flies.. Thanks

 

 

 

 

The specs for that power/SWR meter say it goes up to 144 MHz.  GMRS uses 462 and 467 MHz channels. I suspect if you compare the readings you’ll find that it isn’t accurate on UHF.

[WRYZ926]

I agree with @Sshannon that the Comet 2x4 is not the ideal antenna for GMRS. Dual, tri, and quad band antennas are a compromise in that they work on different bands but they don't do well on all of them. 

My brother has a Comet 2x4 that he uses for 2m/70cm and it is a good antenna for those bands. The SWR checks out fine at 462MHZ but is high for 467MHz. You could use it for GMRS but there are better options.

[ClassicCarGuy]

Okay then. I'll keep on a look out for more mobile antenna. Ideally all I want is like 3 feet or less. I had my fair share with the 4.5-6 footer francis antenna and I'm iver and done with that almost 40 years ago. The reason why I want magnamount. its going to a Prius which doesn't have much option in putting a nice antenna location. I'm  actually looking forward more in the home base. The car is just like behind the wanted list. Just curious, what do you guys think about this one?

Thanks

https://www.arcantenna.com/products/laird-antenex-b4503-450-470-mhz-mobile-base-coil-nmo-mount-antenna-metalic-ground-plane-required