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Thread: Intro to Radio Communications

  1. #571
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    Quote Originally Posted by rero360 View Post
    That’s it, I found an adapter, set of two actually, on amazon for like 8 bucks so we’ll see if it works, the blade antenna doesn’t have the frequency range as the radio does but it handles just fine the ones I intend on using, manly nearby repeaters
    10-4. That's a lot of antenna on a little adapter/little antenna jack in a cheaper radio. It won't be fragile as a lightbulb but I would handle with consideration.

  2. #572
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    Copy that, I plan on using that setup only in conjunction with my body armor, radio up front in a TACO and the antenna on the back. Got the adapter to hook it up to my peltors as well so I’m going to try and stuff it deep into the pouch and secure the cables close to the opening so as to protect the jacks as much as possible.

  3. #573
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    Let's talk Comms.

    Anyone have a US source on either Thales/Harris 42” or ABBREE 42” foldable VHF/UHF TNC antennae?

    Also for anyone with the 148 or 152 the Blue Force helium whisper is my new favorite pouch.





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    Last edited by jpmuscle; 03-21-20 at 13:02.

  4. #574
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    Guys, the reason the mil radios have such long antennas is the operate on low band vhf (30-72 mhz) for tactical use. So those antennas approach 1/4 wave on tac vhf freqs.

    For 2m or 440 ham/gmrs usage, these larger antennas are not needed except for airsofters who want to be able to fold them to larp, etc.

    For uhf fm that most of us use, 1/4 wave is about 6". Yes, you can make gain antennas that are taller, but the sacrifice radiation in certain directions. IE: if you kept them perfectly vertical they would have more gain in the horizontal direction but if you tilt all further coil they would have less gain that a quarter wave which is more Omni in the vertical plane.

    This also is true of the longer dual band 2 m / 440 antennas hands commonly use. For those that to me is a quarter wave (19in) and the 440 might be a little bit of gain.

    You need to be thanking in the direction of cops who have their UHF antennas mounted on their mics clipped to their epaulet or similar. Those are quarter waves or shorter.

    I have and use longer antennas on 2m and vhf handhelds, but nothing like the military antennas people are wanting to buy for LARPing.

    If you want the look, great. But just recognize the real mil antennas are heavily compromised on UHF as they are optimized for low band (30-72 mhz) vhf tactical which is the primary use of the 168 and 152 radios. Those radios can do uhf but that's not why they have the long antennas. Also recognize even uhf optimized longer antennas will work worse if not perfectly vertical relative to the 6" quarter wave.

  5. #575
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    Let's talk Comms.

    The internet has lied to us then lol.

    So considering that what is the optimal UHF/VHF antenna?


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    Last edited by jpmuscle; 03-21-20 at 15:31.

  6. #576
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    For UHF I stick with the 6-inch quarter wave. and there's nothing wrong with remote mounting it to get it higher if you want to have the radio in a pouch.

    I cover 19 acres full quieting with 2 Watt handhelds and 6 inch quarter waves. Largely position independent.

    if communicating to remote repeaters was critical I would keep a longer antenna with gain that I can put on if needed. But I work for repeaters miles away with the standard rubber ducks that come with the radios.

    The correct longer antennas can help if you dont plan to be prone much, but I still wouldn't do the mil low band VHF antennas though, I have one for 2m/uhf that's 19 inch long that is very flexible yet will be vertical when needed.

    As a ham I do play with low band VHF (28 and 51mhz), which overlaps with mil tac fm. I own and operate both US and German PRC Manpacks and also run six meters in the truck, house, and one handheld. That's when you need the clunky low band antennas that everyone wants to fold back.

    On a PRC 152 in Mil tac fm use on low band the segmented part is part of the radiating element as is the blade part.

    I think there are some Chinese remote mount kits that work correctly for UHF and VHF. Instead of being part of the radiating element, they are essentially coax in the mil looking shell. That moves the real antenna up.

  7. #577
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinzgauer View Post
    For UHF I stick with the 6-inch quarter wave. and there's nothing wrong with remote mounting it to get it higher if you want to have the radio in a pouch.

    I cover 19 acres full quieting with 2 Watt handhelds and 6 inch quarter waves. Largely position independent.

    if communicating to remote repeaters was critical I would keep a longer antenna with gain that I can put on if needed. But I work for repeaters miles away with the standard rubber ducks that come with the radios.

    The correct longer antennas can help if you dont plan to be prone much, but I still wouldn't do the mil low band VHF antennas though, I have one for 2m/uhf that's 19 inch long that is very flexible yet will be vertical when needed.

    As a ham I do play with low band VHF (28 and 51mhz), which overlaps with mil tac fm. I own and operate both US and German PRC Manpacks and also run six meters in the truck, house, and one handheld. That's when you need the clunky low band antennas that everyone wants to fold back.

    On a PRC 152 in Mil tac fm use on low band the segmented part is part of the radiating element as is the blade part.

    I think there are some Chinese remote mount kits that work correctly for UHF and VHF. Instead of being part of the radiating element, they are essentially coax in the mil looking shell. That moves the real antenna up.
    So basically the ABBREE 42” blades are not really worth anything is what you’re saying then yes?


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  8. #578
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    Quote Originally Posted by jpmuscle View Post
    So basically the ABBREE 42” blades are not really worth anything is what you’re saying then yes?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I looked at the ones on Amazon designed for the boefungs. They seem to be reasonable construction for a chinese antenna.

    Their cut open view showed a base loading coil which would be appropriate for VHF hi band (2m/150-160) with an electrically short antenna. It would not provide any gain on UHF, but would probably work.

    First you kind of need to decide what band are you going to operate on. If it's UHF 440 / gmrs only, then I would just get an SMA 1/4 wave or slightly longer with gain.

    if you need dual band VHF and UHF, the ARRES might work and it has the mil look. Certainly looks rugged. Especially if you're a 2-meter user (vhf).

    I read the reviews on the Amazon one, most people said that they could not detect an improvement over the regular antenna. Some like the look. And there is a bunch of fake ones out there that don't work as well.

    I still use Larson Kulducks, Diamond & Comet, and the factory antennas. I have about 10 different ham/uhf/dual band radios. Nearly all have the factory antenna unless I lost it or wanted something a little bit higher gain but with longer length. For those I usually use a comet or diamond one that is very fine wire and flexible.

    I use my radios pretty much daily for ham 440 uhf and gmrs. Not in web gear. So others may have better advice. Just wanted to point out that the real mil antennas are probably suboptimal for the way most of us are going to use them.

  9. #579
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    I bought a Retevis RT97 UHF repeater a few weeks back. It is a 10 watt weather resistant radio repeater. I have it on a local mountain side being powered by a 9 Ah battery and a 30 watt solar panel to recharge the battery. The antenna is a simple N9TAX roll up SlimJim on a 10 foot lead tuned to 465mhz. The repeater is programmed to GMRS frequencies. I located it in a spot where all my friends and family in the local area can reach it with a simple handheld. I have reliable communication between my brother in laws house which is 22 miles away from the repeater. He has a Baofeng UV5R and if he is standing a decent spot on his deck the stock antenna gets his signal out to the repeater fine. He also has a N9TAX roll up that when used really increases his signal strength.

    I know you can get more powerful repeater setups on Ebay for the same cost as the RT97 but they are not stand alone and not weather resistant. This setup I have is literally just strapped to the side of a tree.

    I really think this is a great option for simple comms setup if you have a good place (high up) to put the repeater. You don't need a lot of power if you have line of sight.

    I bought it straight from Retevis. Arrived in about a week and a half, even with COVID.



    RT97 Repeater.
    https://www.retevis.com/rt97-portabl...er-uhf/#A9150A


    N9TAX Antenna.
    https://n9taxlabs.com/shop/ols/produ...-16-foot-cable


    10Amp Solar Controller.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


    30 Watt Solar Panel.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Last edited by TomPenguin5145; 07-08-20 at 17:22.

  10. #580
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    Programming a Baofeng or similar is really easy with a cheap, commonly found cable and the free CHIRP program. You can even use drop down menus to select FRS/GMRS/MURS/Local Amateur Repeaters/Marine frequencies. CHIRP will then just add those into your frequency list. Hit 'Write to Radio' and done. You now have a channelized radio where all you have to do is turn it on, scroll through to whatever channel you want and your good to go.

    If you are looking to use the radio as a tool for SHTF or whatever, then I suspect that is as far as you will take it and that is fine. I did that. 5 years ago. Just this year, just prior to COVID, I got more interested and I got my GMRS license...no test, simple online forms, 70 bucks, and good for 10 years that covers my WHOLE family. I bought a Retevis RT97 repeater and set it up as a remote solar powered mountain side repeater. It gives me coverage with about an 18-25 mile radius of coverage. Now that I have a repeater up that extends the range of the little radios from a few miles to many many times, more friends and family take it seriously. They also got radios and I helped introduce them. I now have a city wide family/friends net that will function here even with the power fails and/or telecommunications overload (like they did during our earthquake).

    Radios are just like anything else. You start somewhere and if it interests you, you will keep getting more and more involved.

    I am gonna get my HAM license here soon just so I can keep experimenting. There is SO SO much out there you can do.

    With my local GMRS network I can talk with people and collect situational intel on just about anywhere I could need it. The major city, its immediate suburbs and the more rural outlying areas about an hour away. Now I am interested in trying to get on HF to communicate statewide/nationwide.

    I would be VERY interested in piggy backing on Mike Glovers "American Contingency" idea which is all about networking and information sharing. Obviously telecommunication/internet should be the primary way to collect and share information but having a back-up net on HF for nation wide comms with local VHF/UHF nets could prove valuable should the telecom infrastructure become damaged/overloaded.

    https://www.americancontingency.com/

    https://www.retevis.com/rt97-portabl...er-uhf/#A9150A
    Attachment 63304

    https://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

    https://www.radioddity.com/products/...4aAl69EALw_wcB
    Attachment 63305
    Last edited by TomPenguin5145; 08-02-20 at 00:36.

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