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Can't Hear Base Station but Can Hear Me

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wqwx352

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Sep 20, 2018
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38
Location
San Bernardino, CA
Hi all, I'm wondering if someone can explain how this can happen with my current setup. It doesn't make sense that the base station can hear me but I can't hear the base station with the same equipment and power on a hill.

Base Station has a Browning BR-180 Dual Band Antenna 20ft High using LMR400 to a TYT TH-9800.

My Truck has the same Antenna and radio TYT-TH9800.

Both transmitting at High 50w Power on GMRS.

Base can hear me loud and clear but base comes in choppy or not at all once I'm over 5 miles out.

I thought if one can receive clear, then the other should too at the same distance, especially base which has the higher antenna.

Whats even more off is that base can hear me loud and clear just from a baofeng handheld at 8w power too so base can receive really good.
 

chief21

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Summer - Western NC; Winter - Tampa Bay FL
I'd say some basic troubleshooting is in order...

The first likelihood is your base antenna. Check for good connections, poorly soldered coax connectors, or other possible antenna issues. That mobile-style antenna would probably work much better (for transmit) mounted on a vehicle rather than a mast or a roof. You should plan for a real base antenna.

I'm sure that you're aware that the UHF portion of the BR-180 is intended for the 430-450 MHz UHF ham band. If you're using it for GMRS frequencies, which are nearly 22 MHz higher than the center of the UHF ham band, the antenna would be at a distinct disadvantage, especially for transmit.

Next, check the base radio to confirm on-frequency TX programming and RF output levels. I think that TYT radio is marketed as an amateur radio and its out-of-band performance might not be up to par. Also, any coax or antenna issues could be causing the transmitter to reduce RF output.

Another possibility - GMRS frequencies are allowed to use either wide or narrow modulation. Whichever you elect to use, make sure that all radios in your system are set the same.

Of course, yet another possibility is a failure in the base radio. Many of the Chinese brands are not known for stellar QA levels.
 

SpugEddy

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Messages
437
Location
Camden County South Jersey
First, can the 2 radios hear each other at close range?
If the answer is "no" then it is most likely that one of the
radios is setup to use PL tones (or CTCSS) or even DPL.
If you are running straight Simplex, then make sure neither
radio is set to use PL or DPL on transmit and receive.

If the answer is "yes" then you need to start a troubleshooting
plan, like Chief said.
 

wqwx352

Newbie
Joined
Sep 20, 2018
Messages
38
Location
San Bernardino, CA
Yes, both radios can hear each other at close range.

I'm using GMRS Channels because I'm setting this up as a Family Base Station.

I'm running a 25ft LMR400 cable from the root Antenna to the Radio at Base Station with no couplers at all. The cable is pretty thick with strong connections.

My Truck has the standard cable that goes to the magnet holder on top of my truck. I'm just running that through the door jam for the time being but it has a gap at the top so I try avoiding pinching the cable.

I purchased two other Four Band Antennas I haven't tested out yet because the Radios are Four Band.
Here are the ones I purchased to try out.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FF3XGBG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What Base Station Antenna would you recommend for the best TX and RX?
I take it in order to test the actual TX or RX Power, I'll need to purchase some more equipment.
What would you recommend for troubleshooting equipment?

Thanks for your replies!
 

ipfd320

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Jul 30, 2008
Messages
751
Location
W.Babylon N.Y. 11704
If you are running straight Simplex, then make sure neither
radio is set to use PL or DPL on transmit and receive

?????????????? Thats a New One

You can Use PL Tones on Simplex Make Sure the Tones are Matched in the base and Mobile Rigs
 

FKimble

Member
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Jul 14, 2014
Messages
503
Location
Newnan, GA
I'm gonna go with the mobile antenna used as a base antenna is missing it's ground plane. Probably not affecting receive but it sure isn't helping the transmit.

Frank KK4YTM
 

SpugEddy

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Premium Subscriber
Joined
Oct 4, 2015
Messages
437
Location
Camden County South Jersey
If you are running straight Simplex, then make sure neither
radio is set to use PL or DPL on transmit and receive

?????????????? Thats a New One

Suggested as a "troubleshooting" step. If both radios
are setup to NOT use a PL or a DPL then it can be ruled
out as being the problem.

I take it in order to test the actual TX or RX Power, I'll need to purchase some more equipment.
What would you recommend for troubleshooting equipment?

Not sure what you are looking to spend, but you can get by
with a basic 50Ω dummy load:
https://www.amazon.com/MFJ-0-650MHz...id=1537940601&sr=8-16&keywords=mfj+dummy+load

And a low end SWR meter. This can get you by in the beginning
but you might consider upgrading after a while:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MFJ-873-Gr...384600?hash=item23a2fd9ad8:g:WZcAAOSw17pasXTk

As far as antenna, there are so many out there it's hard.
For the base radio:
I would get 2 antennas. 2 meter antenna and a
70cm antenna (that covers up to 470 mhz) and an antenna
switch
For the mobile radio(s) a good dual band antenna.

I did a lot of research recently on the radio you have
(TYT TH-9800) and they're getting very good reviews. So, check
your programming really good to make sure they're setup identically.
 

ko6jw_2

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Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
1,448
Location
Santa Ynez, CA
The assumption that the path will be equally good for both sides is not always true. While you should investigate all of the other suggestions in this thread, there is the possibility that it is simply a propagation phenomenon. In the ham radio repeater world this happens all the time. One time I was working a bike ride event and a highway patrol officer asked me why in some instances his dispatcher could hear him, but he could not hear them. The only explanation was unequal path losses. The solution (for the highway patrol) was to request that the dispatcher change to a different mountain top. They use a voter to select which base to use depending on which receiver is getting the best signal. It doesn't always work.

In your case you don't have that ability. The only solution is to change your location. Through years of experience we know where the dead spots are with various repeaters and try to work around them. There are instances where the path is bad and no amount of output power will fix the problem. With inexpensive mapping software you can make elevation plots to see how much dirt is in the way of your signal. Since GMRS is UHF it will be more susceptible to path losses.
 

wyShack

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
453
Location
Campbell County, Wyoming
I would check the mobile antenna-If you have a small 'short' or 'open' in the coax it will still work at short range but as you move further out it will not. Check the squelch on the mobile also as the 'choppiness' is likely the squelch 'opening and closing' as the signal strength changes a bit. put the handheld at the base and talk handheld to mobile. when you 'lose' communication switch to the high power base and see if it can reach the mobile. You can also check both antenna's SWR.

Good luck
 

lmrtek

Active Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
534
Yes, both radios can hear each other at close range.

I'm using GMRS Channels because I'm setting this up as a Family Base Station.

I'm running a 25ft LMR400 cable from the root Antenna to the Radio at Base Station with no couplers at all. The cable is pretty thick with strong connections.

My Truck has the standard cable that goes to the magnet holder on top of my truck. I'm just running that through the door jam for the time being but it has a gap at the top so I try avoiding pinching the cable.

I purchased two other Four Band Antennas I haven't tested out yet because the Radios are Four Band.
Here are the ones I purchased to try out.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FF3XGBG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What Base Station Antenna would you recommend for the best TX and RX?
I take it in order to test the actual TX or RX Power, I'll need to purchase some more equipment.
What would you recommend for troubleshooting equipment?

Thanks for your replies!

Buy a Hustler G6-450-3 or a Laird FG4607 for the base

It's quite common to have antennas that transmit better than they receive or vice versa but in your case, your base may not be transmitting well due to swr, feedline, or antenna issues.
 
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