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.

[WRYZ926]

The link for that Laird antenna shows it being 11" long which would be good if you are worried about clearance issues.

Here is a Laird GMRS antenna that is 33" long. https://www.arcantenna.com/products/gmrs-mobile-vehicular-antenna-base-loaded-chrome-coil-rugged-no-ground-plane-required-with-spring-rbc-450-5-ns

I am currently using a Tram 1174 on a magnet mount on my Ford Escape which is 13 1/2" long and it seems to be working well.

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/tram-1174.html

[BoxCar]

Laird antennas are some of the best ones made. Larsen antennas are a close second IMO. What you want to look for are any gain figures. Measurements in dBd are real gain while measurements in dBi are theoretical gain. You can convert dBi to dBd by subtracting 2.1 from the dBi figure, and yes, some antennas have negative gain in the real world. You'll find a lot of the inexpensive antennas have no or unity gain 0 dBd or 2.1 dBi. Gain flattens the signal sphere around your antenna, so more signal radiates toward the horizon rather than up (and down) toward the sky.

[Sshannon]

1 hour ago, WRZM228 said:

Okay then. I'll keep on a look out for more mobile antenna. Ideally all I want is like 3 feet or less.

Here’s a thread that’s not too old that concentrates on antennas:

 

 

[Tiercel]

OK, I passed my tests so that is behind me. I also attended my first meeting and joined the local club. 

I did not find the study or the testing to be a pleasant experience.  It might be because I tried to cram too much into my old brain in a short time.  In part it is because I was annoyed that the even though I was told the practice test questions, and quiz questions came for the current updated question pool, but several did NOT.  Fortunately there was considerable overlap which enabled me to pass.  The other somewhat annoying thing is that there were 8 or 9 guys sitting around shooting the breeze 8 or 10 feet from me while I was testing which does not mesh with my personality.  I like quiet when I am thinking, but it all worked out.

[WRZM228]

2 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

The link for that Laird antenna shows it being 11" long which would be good if you are worried about clearance issues.

Here is a Laird GMRS antenna that is 33" long. https://www.arcantenna.com/products/gmrs-mobile-vehicular-antenna-base-loaded-chrome-coil-rugged-no-ground-plane-required-with-spring-rbc-450-5-ns

I am currently using a Tram 1174 on a magnet mount on my Ford Escape which is 13 1/2" long and it seems to be working well.

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/tram-1174.html

Heavy Duty Magnetic NMO Mount for CB, VHF, UHF, GMRS Radios with PL-259. RNMOM-195-SUM-B-12I-ST

 

I should be able to get an antenna for my car even with the 11-30 feet is okay. This magna-mount looks promising and even its strong, the base diameter is not that big which is perfect for the Laired and the Tram antenna you pointed out. This is going to a prius, typical hatchback and I may need a bit longer than 12ft. If I dont find a high quality low loss magna mount like this, should it be okay for me to extend the cox with the same type with a coupling? Thanks...

 

The RFMAX # RNMOM-195-SUM-B-12I-ST is a super high quality Heavy Duty Magnetic NMO mount for antennas in high vibration conditions. The unit includes a super-strong magnet, 12 Ft of Low Loss 195 Cable, rubber no-scratch boot, stainless steel pull tab, and molded rubber strain relief to keep the cable from detaching from the mag-mount.

This unit come with a PL-259 (UHF Male) Connector Installed which mates with the SO-239 connectors found on most VHF, UHF, CBRS, CB radios and works with Midland MicroMobile MXT105, MXT115, MXT275, MXT400, MXT500

Equivalent to: MXTA12, TC-MB90

 

[WRYZ926]

Congrats @Tiercel on passing your test. Now the wait to get your call sign begins. It took me 12 days to get my call sign after I tested.

[WRYZ926]

@WRZM228 I would think that 12 foot of cable should be long enough for your Prius if you are using a radio under the seat with a remote head unit.

I am using a magnet mount with 12 foot cable in the middle of the roof on my 2023 Ford Escape with the coax running back and in through the bottom of the hatch back opening. I ran the cable along the door sill trim and still have plenty of cable to reach under the driver's seat. 

[Sshannon]

20 minutes ago, Tiercel said:

OK, I passed my tests so that is behind me. I also attended my first meeting and joined the local club. 

I did not find the study or the testing to be a pleasant experience.  It might be because I tried to cram too much into my old brain in a short time.  In part it is because I was annoyed that the even though I was told the practice test questions, and quiz questions came for the current updated question pool, but several did NOT.  Fortunately there was considerable overlap which enabled me to pass.  The other somewhat annoying thing is that there were 8 or 9 guys sitting around shooting the breeze 8 or 10 feet from me while I was testing which does not mesh with my personality.  I like quiet when I am thinking, but it all worked out.

Congratulations 

[WRZM228]

1 minute ago, WRYZ926 said:

@WRZM228 I would think that 12 foot of cable should be long enough for your Prius if you are using a radio under the seat with a remote head unit.

I am using a magnet mount with 12 foot cable in the middle of the roof on my 2023 Ford Escape with the coax running back and in through the bottom of the hatch back opening. I ran the cable along the door sill trim and still have plenty of cable to reach under the driver's seat. 

I'm gonna try to make it work. I'm paying more for the cable than the mounting... Its okay. Honestly I could just really use the radio in the car for emergency. But I'm excited more in the home base setup.

BTW: are these any good?

 

W

[WRZM228]

When I finish my setup in the a few days, can you guys help me out in how to "Ping" on the repeater correctly. I been sending request the past few days and no improvement yet. The site administrator sent me an email and he said I should be able to get in now but this is what I got last night.

[WRZM228]

33 minutes ago, Tiercel said:

OK, I passed my tests so that is behind me. I also attended my first meeting and joined the local club. 

I did not find the study or the testing to be a pleasant experience.  It might be because I tried to cram too much into my old brain in a short time.  In part it is because I was annoyed that the even though I was told the practice test questions, and quiz questions came for the current updated question pool, but several did NOT.  Fortunately there was considerable overlap which enabled me to pass.  The other somewhat annoying thing is that there were 8 or 9 guys sitting around shooting the breeze 8 or 10 feet from me while I was testing which does not mesh with my personality.  I like quiet when I am thinking, but it all worked out.

Congrats!

[WRUU653]

21 minutes ago, WRZM228 said:

I been sending request the past few days and no improvement

Which repeater are you trying to get tones for?  Just looking at where your map is I looked at a few repeaters and all the ones I looked at in that area had the tones listed and were open repeaters.  No request needed. 

[WRUU653]

Congratulations @Tiercel. I had the same experience with people talking during our test. I hadn’t really noticed until another person taking the test just asked them to stop. Then it was quiet. Glad it worked out and you got your license. 

[WRYZ926]

41 minutes ago, WRZM228 said:

I'm gonna try to make it work. I'm paying more for the cable than the mounting... Its okay. Honestly I could just really use the radio in the car for emergency. But I'm excited more in the home base setup.

BTW: are these any good?

I can't answer that question since I have not used that brand. The Mcbazel Surecom SW-102 Digital VHF/UHF 125-525Mhz Antenna Power & SWR Meter is a popular choice and is $24 more than the one you linked to.

GMRS and amateur radio can be addicting. I started getting everything together for my base setup before I received my technician call sign. I now have a mobile dual band radio and GMRS radio setup in the house and both setup in my vehicle now.

[WRZM228]

On 11/21/2023 at 7:45 PM, WRUU653 said:

Which repeater are you trying to get tones for?  Just looking at where your map is I looked at a few repeaters and all the ones I looked at in that area had the tones listed and were open repeaters.  No request needed. 

I'm not really sure how it works because I'm just new to this site. I just looks at what was written and I just dont want to circumvent the owner. So do you mean this is open like whats indicated the picture? Thanks.

 

[WRZM228]

33 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

I can't answer that question since I have not used that brand. The Mcbazel Surecom SW-102 Digital VHF/UHF 125-525Mhz Antenna Power & SWR Meter is a popular choice and is $24 more than the one you linked to.

GMRS and amateur radio can be addicting. I started getting everything together for my base setup before I received my technician call sign. I now have a mobile dual band radio and GMRS radio setup in the house and both setup in my vehicle now.

Glad youre enjoying it. If you dont mind me asking.. How long have you been on the radio?

I had an excellent timeline long ago on the AM radio. That is where I found a few people and close friend that I still have till today. We were doing things that we will never even though about doing today. I been on some many peoples roof house putting antenna, re-roofing friends house.. we re-roof my moms house for 2 days like 20 of us.  change my friends water heater, meet alot of people, getting a job. Heck we've done that all  because of the radio. People seem not to do that anymore.  As I look back, it just put a big smile on me. Right now I have 2 jobs and its a good thing that 2nd one is at home. I'm not really sure what kind of involvement will I be in this new radio system. We'l see. Anyways thank you and will keep in touch. Hopefully I get my home antenna on the mail soon. Don't be a stranger..

[WRZM228]

33 minutes ago, WRUU653 said:

It says it’s an open system and it shows the tones so you have what you need to access the repeater. They ask for you to fill out the request so they know who’s using it so if you did that you’re good to go. That’s the way I interpret it. Looks like there are a few repeaters near you so that’s nice. 

That's not what I said. Its very clear in the "previous picture" the request didn't pass. 

[WRZF693]

On 11/18/2023 at 9:48 AM, Sshannon said:

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.

Buuhhhahahahahahaha.. I just realized what you were talking about with my typo.. That's hilarious.  I also used to work for FFL dealers.. I had my own back in the 80's, but it was only part time and I just didn't have the time to do it as much as I wanted so I let the license expire. I worked for couple class 3 dealers. 
Great comment btw.. Too funny.. Thanks brother! 
I'm going to check out the ham test. I'd like to get the license for sure.. For Emergencies I like the idea that ham has all the frequencies available for all HT's including GRMS, Murs, etc, etc,,.. or an unlocked radio would have!  I would love to talk on HF frequencies or SSB stuff and try to see who I could reach for fun, but I doubt I would buy a dedicated antenna and radio just for that, although it sounds like it would be fun! 
Regards sir. 
Tim

[WRYZ926]

@WRZM228 I received my tech and gmrs licenses in Oct 2023 so I haven't been on the air long. I was into CB for a long time but that band went downhill so I stopped using a CB around 2007. We had fun with our CB's while in high school doing crazy stuff. And it was always fun when conditions were good and we could talk to people far away. There were a few of us that wanted to run CB's while I was stationed in Germany until we found out that was highly illegal there.

You are correct that one meets new friends when on the air with CB and amateur bands. I've even met a few people on GMRS while testing my radios on the few repeaters in my area.

@WRZF693 the technical test is fairly easy to pass, especially if you have a working knowledge of Ohms Law. Plus all of the questions and answers are available online to study. You will want to get your general license if you want to use the HF bands. Technicians are limited to a small range on 10m only (28.3 MHz to 28.5 MHz) only. I am currently studying for my general.

Having your amateur and gmrs licenses is nice and gives you more communication tools in your toolbox. A few of us have even convinced our local club to set up a gmrs repeater

[Tiercel]

On 11/14/2023 at 10:46 AM, WRYZ926 said:

If you decide to use your KG-100G as a base station, look at the Comet CA-712EFC antenna, that is if you don't have to deal with any restrictions on antennas.

I apologize if it seems like I am trying to butt in and steal my thread back  

I have zero restrictions at least no obvious ones.  It is not clear to me how long this antenna is.  It seems I am seeing different specs, maybe the site I am on is mixing specs from Ham vs GMRS

[Sshannon]

5 minutes ago, Tiercel said:

I apologize if it seems like I am trying to butt in and steal my thread back  

I have zero restrictions at least no obvious ones.  It is not clear to me how long this antenna is.  It seems I am seeing different specs, maybe the site I am on is mixing specs from Ham vs GMRS

It’s 10 feet 5 inches long. 
https://rwantennastore.com/comet-ca-712efc-vertical-uhf-base-460-470-mhz-200-w-n-type-female-connector-10-50-ft-fiberglass/

[WRZM228]

On 11/22/2023 at 5:34 AM, Sshannon said:

There’s no need to snap.  Depending on how the answers are sorted the “previous picture” is completely out of context.  A type 500 error is a problem that only the person responsible for the website can diagnose.  

My friend @WRUU653 is exactly right that you have done everything that was requested.  I would suggest that you send a PM to the owner of the repeater and let him know about the type 500 error and let him (or her) know you intend to occasionally use the repeater.  Then get on the repeater and if the owner shows up mention the website error to them.

There is no alarm in my statement which was very clear in the "4" previous picture I posted. As I understood, You're suppose to contact the the owner of the site first by accessing the site for you to get a "green light" so that they would know who is using it, how many and for what purpose.. and whatever. Just like what I mentioned, I'm just new to the site and maybe you're doing something different than what I read and understood. Anyways the President sent me an email and looks like he took the time patiently it all straightened out. These are all just what I know and here are the documents. Thanks.

 

[WRZM228]

On 11/13/2023 at 12:01 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!

 

[WRZM228]

I gotta get me a mast, lightning rod, coax, ground rod, 14 gauge ground wire, clamps, new UHF SWR meter and coax connectors. They already shipped the antenna this morning. Do you guys think 8 footer rod will give me 100% grounding?

 

[WRZM228]

1 hour ago, Sshannon said:

You might want to read this relatively short document on grounding.  

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

14 ga. is too light for ground wire. 8 ga. or larger is required.  

You might not need a ground rod, but if you use one it must be connected to your service ground.

I don’t know where you plan to mount a lightning rod, but a lightning arrester where the coax enters the house is a good idea.  It needs to be grounded to the same ground as everything else to prevent current from flowing through your antenna shield conductor. 

Very good follow-up. I haven't really read everything yet because its all happening at the same time while I'm working and getting ready for the holidays. So going back a but on the right way to install the home base antenna. The highlight you recommended is grounding 8 gauge copper wire (in general) like from both ends on the coax cable and the lower part of the antenna where the mast connects. The other one is, No need for me to put a ground rod instead use the house piping as a ground. Is this correct? Kind of something like the picture below?