Columbus Zoo?

[W8WCA]

I live apx 14 Miles (Drive maybe a mile or 2 less straight line) from the Zoo

I used to hear them even on my VX-5R HT and the stock rubber ducky

I have programmed in the new system (DRM) on my new SDS200 and heard nothing at all yet.

Are others hearing them?

Soon I will get a coax up to a Attic Mounted Discone to see how that helps (I have a line coming down from one now but it is short and I have to use a short line added to the COax (with a 259 coupler and that is never good)

 

[W8WCA]

No Comments?

I got the DMR just for the Columbus Zoo!

 

[cbehr91]

Probably not much chatter because the zoo just opened this week from COVID shutdown.

 

[W8WCA]

The Zoombezi Bay is super busy now (also noted when I drove by friday - no social distancing there )

I hooked up my Discone and scantenna in the Attic and still nada heard from the Zoo.

I guess next step is drive by with a 2M - 440 Mag Mount antenna on my Van with Scanner going (Lots of Metro Parks near the Zoo)

 

[W8WCA]

The Scantenna is a ST 2 just fyi

Wish someone else in Columbus area was around to see if it is just I am too far or what

 

[W8WCA]

So . . . This AM I put my SDS200 in my Van and drove past the Columbus Zoo
I have a 2M/440 Mag Mount Antenna I used.

I did hear a little traffic - so It must be that with the Scantenna (Or My Discone) in the attic I cannot get the Zoo.

I may see about mounting both on a short pole on my roof or at peak of roof at side of house and see if that helps.

I sure would have thought as close as I am even the attic antenna could 'get' them!

 

[wa8pyr]

So . . . This AM I put my SDS200 in my Van and drove past the Columbus Zoo
I have a 2M/440 Mag Mount Antenna I used.

I did hear a little traffic - so It must be that with the Scantenna (Or My Discone) in the attic I cannot get the Zoo.

I may see about mounting both on a short pole on my roof or at peak of roof at side of house and see if that helps.

I sure would have thought as close as I am even the attic antenna could 'get' them!

Your QTH isn't particularly close to the Zoo (unless you moved and forgot to change your ham license!); back when I lived in the Dublin area their antennas were on the water tank just north of Powell Rd at the zoo maintenance facility, and it was a pretty low power system even then. Per the license they now have repeaters in several locations, and only two of them are at 95 feet antenna height, while the other five are at 30 feet or less. All are running pretty low power (50 watts or less at the transmitter). Even if they're all still at the water tower that's 100 feet or less.

Moving your antennas outdoors might help, but with the transmitters at the zoo having an antenna height of 95 feet or less and pretty low ERP, your chances of receiving it reliably from home aren't too good, sorry to say.

 

[W8WCA]

Your QTH isn't particularly close to the Zoo (unless you moved and forgot to change your ham license!); back when I lived in the Dublin area their antennas were on the water tank just north of Powell Rd at the zoo maintenance facility, and it was a pretty low power system even then. Per the license they now have repeaters in several locations, and only two of them are at 95 feet antenna height, while the other five are at 30 feet or less. All are running pretty low power (50 watts or less at the transmitter). Even if they're all still at the water tower that's 100 feet or less.

Moving your antennas outdoors might help, but with the transmitters at the zoo having an antenna height of 95 feet or less and pretty low ERP, your chances of receiving it reliably from home aren't too good, sorry to say.

Thanks for the quick reply

No I have been there since 1991 When the house was built
(I Pre Wired Antenna's in the attic to my radio computer room as they were building the house)!.

They told the city inspectors they were stereo wires (Put 2 Long Wires - a Slinky Dipole and 3 Misc Scanner antennas up there

I used to hear the Zoo even on my trusty old VX-5R at home that is what surprised me - but the new system.

Oh well Lots of other things to monitor on the SDS200!

 

[TailGator911]

Absolutely it depends on the system and their broadcasting power. I live approx 7 miles from Fairfield Commons Mall and I monitor 2 dmr security companies, one at the mall and one other nearby. The mall security comes in great, but the other one it depends. Clear at night, but during the day they are choppy. Low power, I assume.

 

[wa8pyr]

No I have been there since 1991 When the house was built
(I Pre Wired Antenna's in the attic to my radio computer room as they were building the house)!.

They told the city inspectors they were stereo wires (Put 2 Long Wires - a Slinky Dipole and 3 Misc Scanner antennas up there.

Must be nice. When my house was being built in 2004 I wanted to run CAT5e, telephone wires and RG-6 for TV all over the house and rear-channel speaker wires in the living room; I even told the builder they didn't have to cut holes in the drywall for it, that as long as I knew where the wires were (I measured the distances) I could cut the holes and fish the wires out myself later, using "old-work" boxes for the install. I even checked the code and found that there was no restriction on low-voltage stuff like that.

Builder gave me a big fat NO, claimed it was against code. I even showed them the appropriate section of the code; didn't make any difference. Lesson learned: if I ever build another house, Dominion Homes is off my list.

I did go in before the drywall went up and marked the top of the framing around my hamshack on the second floor so I would know where to drill to run cables down from the attic (yes, a wonderful HOA neighborhood, no outside antennas). At least the builder didn't whine and complain about that.....