INGO HAM Radio Club

[fullmetaljesus]

I'll either be going this month or next to the Marion test location. I'm in the T5 set of questions in my study guide currently.

Excellent, best if luck to you guys.

As always we are very happy to answer questions.

 

[jsx1043]

View attachment 121446


Here comes Radio control.

Boy, I sure am glad big .gov decided to crack down on all those illegal Baofeng users from the summer’s riots and domestic terrorism. I’m so totally glad they were on it and they took timely action!

 

[turnerdye1]

Excellent, best if luck to you guys.

As always we are very happy to answer questions.

Oh I'm sure I'll have some coming up. I'll likely be getting the GMRS once it drops to $35 just so we have it.

I'm now looking at mobile units for our vehicles. It doesn't take long to go down the rabbit hole with this stuff.

 

[Gaffer]

I hope this isn't like asking what pistol is best :>)..

I am setting up a portable antenna for "in the field use" and I am looking at the X30A antenna which will be raised to about 20 feet or so. This will be for 2m and 70cm.

I would like to get coax that can be coiled up easily (or somewhat easily). The coax that runs from my roof antenna is pretty thick and pretty hard to coil up. I have noticed that in some videos where folks (they seem to know what they are doing) use a cable that looks like one of the TV coaxes (I am sure that is not what it is). I assume this may be RG8u.

So question time: Does a cable come to mind that is easily rolled up for portability, but still works with the 2m and 70cm bands? I would be using about 35 feet of this cable, and around 50watts.

I do understand that all of this setup stuff can at best be a compromise.

And.. yes.. I am licensed, Tech and GMRS :>)

Thanks!

Ron

 

[Cameramonkey]

I've had good luck with L-com's RG316 cable when I needed to adapt my HT to my roof antenna in the car. I had them make it with BNC and then used adapters to get it to the appropriate antenna attachment. The stuff is actually designed for high temp areas like engine bays, but its flexible and REALLY compact. Like smaller than a usb charging cable small. I think my 10' custom cable was about $30.

I dont see that cable available on their automated custom request page, but if you call or email they can quote what you need.

This is the stuff.

https://www.l-com.com/search?Level0=Coaxial+Interconnect&Rfinca99rfcablegn=RG316&Category=Coaxial+Cable+Assemblies&initial_sort=Sortsku:ASC&res_per_page=48&view_type=grid

 

[turnerdye1]

Does anybody know when the new fees will become effective? I just applied for the GMRS and its still $70 bucks.

 

[lonehoosier]

Does anybody know when the new fees will become effective? I just applied for the GMRS and its still $70 bucks.

I have not seen anything posted but I heard over a local net that it should be sometime in March

 

[turnerdye1]

Might as well pay it now I guess.. Kinda wanna get started on GMRS while waiting for my HAM test.

 

[lonehoosier]

Might as well pay it now I guess.. Kinda wanna get started on GMRS while waiting for my HAM test.

I wouldn't wait but I could understand why some would.

You should have no problem getting into the Marion 600 repeater with a mobile. At 18 miles it maybe a stretch with a handheld. The Russianville repeater is about 30 miles from you but it has a pretty big coverage. My Motorola CDM1250 at 40 watts with a 1/4 wave antenna has no problem getting into it at 30 miles.

 

[turnerdye1]

Upon doing more research into GMRS I've located a lot of 40/50 watt mobile stations.

Would buying a 50w dual band mobile ham radio work also for GMRS at 50w? Or would I need to buy one of both?

 

[ditcherman]

Oh, and there are options besides cheap Chinese radios. $80. You can get a quality brand without spending hundreds.

Yaesu FT-4XR VHF/UHF Dual Band FM Handheld Transceivers - Yaesu - Handheld Transceivers - Transceivers and Receivers

Yaesu FT-4XR VHF/UHF Dual Band FM Handheld Transceivers are the ultimate budget-friendly choice for compact design and reliability, providing up to 5W of stable and reliable output power, hour after hour! These rugged handheld transceivers have 1.4-inch front speakers that deliver 1W of...

www.dxengineering.com

I haven't used my radios much and don't have a means of testing, but I noticed a similar thing trying to connect to a net, the "8" watt way underperformed the 5 watt.

Are these yaesu's you linked any easier to program and use or basically the same as a baeofeng? I don't feel like I'm into it enough to justify Kenwood money, but I'll probably never get into it trying to fool with baeofengs.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I haven't used my radios much and don't have a means of testing, but I noticed a similar thing trying to connect to a net, the "8" watt way underperformed the 5 watt.

Are these yaesu's you linked any easier to program and use or basically the same as a baeofeng? I don't feel like I'm into it enough to justify Kenwood money, but I'll probably never get into it trying to fool with baeofengs.

I dont know. I always use a data cable and CHIRP to program. Life is too short to try to hand program. LOL

And other than feature details, they are all pretty much the same to program in CHIRP.

BFs are good for playing. Not a fan of the spurious emissions, but if you need a bunch for SHTF, they're cheap and they work well enough.

I cant stress this enough: The data cables are worth double what they cost. I can have ALL channels filled, with PL tones and display names that make sense before you can get the first 5 channels done by hand. Its like working in excel.

Download a copy of CHIRP and play around. Its free and you can load up a sample and play around with the interface.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Upon doing more research into GMRS I've located a lot of 40/50 watt mobile stations.

Would buying a 50w dual band mobile ham radio work also for GMRS at 50w? Or would I need to buy one of both?

Legally, only if they are also certified part 95. (94? 90? I forget) (good luck with that)

With that official statement out of the way, Nobody is gonna know what rig you are transmitting on by listening. Just sayin.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I haven't used my radios much and don't have a means of testing, but I noticed a similar thing trying to connect to a net, the "8" watt way underperformed the 5 watt.

Are these yaesu's you linked any easier to program and use or basically the same as a baeofeng? I don't feel like I'm into it enough to justify Kenwood money, but I'll probably never get into it trying to fool with baeofengs.

Yaesu uses diff software, and diff cable. I really can't remember if they work with chirp.

But the process is nearly the same.
It's super simple. Typically a quick read of the user manual or a quick youtube search will get you going.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I just checked my CHIRP and it supports LOTS of Yaesus. So you can use their licensed (paid) software or use CHIRP.

 

[Cameramonkey]

And besides being able to download and test drive using built in stock configs, lots of youtube help.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+use+chirp

 

[turnerdye1]

Legally, only if they are also certified part 95. (94? 90? I forget) (good luck with that)

With that official statement out of the way, Nobody is gonna know what rig you are transmitting on by listening. Just sayin.

Alright thanks! That’s kinda what I was thinking also but just wanted to run it by here first.

Dedicated GMRS 40/50 watt radios run about 250. But it seems you can get a VHF/UHF dual band 50 watt for like 150 that’s more flexible.

 

[turnerdye1]

Well I’m having a hard time finding a VHF/UHF mobile radio that is also programmable up to the GMRS frequencies.

 

[Route 45]

Well I’m having a hard time finding a VHF/UHF mobile radio that is also programmable up to the GMRS frequencies.

Research this one:

Tytera TH-7800 Dual Band Mobile Two Way Radio

The Tytera TH-7800 is a Dual Band UHF/VHF mobile two way radio with a detachable front panel and cross-band repeater functionality.

www.buytwowayradios.com

I don't have any experience with TYT mobile radios, but I do have a couple of their handhelds, and so far so good with them.
Apparently, the TYT mobiles can be unlocked through the menu to transmit and receive in the GMRS range. I do know someone who bought a TYT mobile a few years back, and it lasted only a few months before it quit working. The newer ones might be better quality. Customer support for the Chinese brands is lacking or non-existent.

Most major brands (ICOM, Yaesu, Kenwood) require a circuit board modification to "open up" the radio to transmit outside of the ham bands. Usually you have to clip a wire or knock a diode off. Some ham radio sellers will do a MARS/CAP modification to a radio if you purchase the radio from them, for an extra fee. The MARS/CAP mod will open up your radio to transmit on GMRS.

If you decide to get a better quality rig than a TYT, I would recommend the ICOM 2730a with MARS/CAP mod. Easy to program with CHIRP, a detachable head unit with large, easy to read screen, and an easy user interface. Absolutely worth the extra money over a TYT or any Chinese brand mobile, if you ask me.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Well I’m having a hard time finding a VHF/UHF mobile radio that is also programmable up to the GMRS frequencies.

it could be hit or miss. My UV25x2 from Baofeng will tune to a GMRS frequency. I just checked. But new ones may not. Mine is a year and a half old.

Originally a lot of those cheap 2m/70cm radios were setup to be programmed through wide swaths of the band, which just happened to include GMRS and other frequencies. So the FCC threatened to ban all imports because they COULD be programmed outside of their allowed frequencies. I heard to get around it they started programming the radios to exclude those illegal frequencies. But I cant confirm that.

So maybe order one on Prime and be prepared to send it back?