- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 78
180w Repeater is set to 20w into an amplifier at 180w.
-
To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:
Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.
If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.
To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.
The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.
For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).
This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.
GTR8000 Pre-selector question.
- Thread starter emtunderwood
- Start date
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
It's a HD Sinclair folded dipole array. The mast is probably 1/4" aluminum. It definitely needs the bracing. Unless it's top mounted, and it would need proper clamps for the mass of that antenna. It's definitely not a low budget DB222.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
Quick question, where your busy area is, from the tower, is the antenna shielded by the tower?
It would be nice if the upper two supports were non conductive.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 78
No, It's open to that area.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
kinda what I figured.
Also what I figured.
99sq miles isn't really that big of an area to cover.
What about building another site in your busiest area?
This... makes no sense. Tower can hear a 5w portable 14 to 15miles away, but the portable can't hear a repeater at about 500w ERP? There is something going on if a portable can't hear a 500w ERP repeater @15miles.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 78
It seems that it is a huge area in time wise. Our old tower which landowner died and new tennant told us we couldn't use the tower anymore and wasn't renewing a lease it was 2mi to the SE 190ft with a Thunderstick the MTR2000 at 100 or 110 watt and it covered fine on wideband, when narrowbanding came out seems it cut our coverage in half. Now one of the odd things is being at the taller tower farther away, we can talk on a portable in places we couldn't on the older tower... The radio shop that used to take care of us and installed the current radio at the current tower spent days out there trying to figure out what was going on. Still to this day. It's the same thing. And they have no clue.. Even friends of mine that work on DHS radio systems have came out and sat there under a tent and scratched their heads and through their hands up.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 78
I see in the spec sheet topmount... Sinclair engineers are the ones that came up with the antenna and mounting configuration. So.. IDK The site just hasn't performed like it should or think it should. I know we are switching to P25 and the repeater needing a pre-selector or not was the problem.. But yet the tower receiving at long distances yet the range of tx is just something we kinda said well it is what it is... Even though it should be better...
So I guess there's still a problem before the pre-selector.
If you can hear better than transmit, a preselector isnt gonna help.
Is poor Tx in all directions from tower?
or maybe just in the line where the tower is blocking the antenna, or in the line on the side of the tower where its mounted.
Engineers, bless their hearts, dont know everything...but yes, they do hold that piece of paper.
Is poor Tx in all directions from tower?
or maybe just in the line where the tower is blocking the antenna, or in the line on the side of the tower where its mounted.
Engineers, bless their hearts, dont know everything...but yes, they do hold that piece of paper.
Not disrespecting Sinclair at all, but a project I got sucked into several years ago had the antenna system designed by them. Side mount 800 antennas on 4' standoffs. Coverage was about 30 dB down on the side opposite the antenna. They swore it couldn't be and something must be wrong somewhere else. It cost the project money but we did a temp top mount using about 80' of 1/2" Superflex. Even with the added loss the coverage improved greatly in that direction and was now consistent on all sides of the tower. What works on paper doesn't always work well in the real world.
dickie757
Wired
That's why I asked about the duplexer.
Or, verify the tx freq is correct in the GTR.
Can a service monitor test BER on the fringes of coverage? The RF might be ok, even if off freq, but ber will be too high.
Y'all can ignore me if you want (it won't hurt my feelings at all), but back to the antenna. Does that model have a downtilt option? I pulled my hair out over a VHF RFI folded dipole that they accidently sent with a mismarked downtilt phasing harness. Externally it looks just like the regular phasing harness, electrically not so much. And it won't show up on a sweep either. Just a thought.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 78
DB224 are widely used around here.... However.... Some work better than others.. There's one that was installed on a Sheriff Dept tower only 100ft off the ground and talks all over the county. Then a mile away the Fire Department in that area has one and it will not talk at all.. And just a few weeks ago one of our mutual aid departments got a tower erected that they been working on funding for 10yr and they put a db224 40ft down from top of a 190ft tower. And it's in omni configuration and it will only talk about 6 air mile. Oh and its mounted maybe 18-24in from the tower.. So, I think the 224 are hit and miss, some like them some hate them. Some just don't know...
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 78
Yes it has downtilt 4 degree. That is to get down in the hollers.. Works there just fine.. This antenna works better than the thunder stick we had before at the same site and it had no downtilt. So, I'm thinking theres something else wrong.. When the antenna was installed all new coax was installed as well. This tower crew did sweeps, performed SWR readings, adjusted things. They took one day to get the old antennas down and the new one installed. The second day to make sure everything was working correctly. Everything has been for the most part, just somethings seem weird especially the rx and tx distances. I've seen the sweeps, I've seen the dense tests, stood right there beside the techs, experienced well known techs, still there is a this ominious problem.
Not saying it’s the antenna, but that sounds suspiciously like my DT issue. You can’t “see” the downtilt in any sweeps or testing. And without another known good antenna to test against you really don’t what coverage should be.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
I'd agree, but the repeater hears the subscribers just fine. He's got lots of elevation, but with out knowing the terrain where he is, maybe it's too much gain and the pattern is shooting RF over the coverage area. But with upwards of 500w ERP, you would think that 99sq miles of needed coverage would be saturated and a couple inches of wet noodle would be enough to hear the repeater.
I've never been a fan of side mounted antennas. I've witnessed the effects of tower shielding with sidemounted antennas. I volunteered with a department that had a 4 bay, 1/4 wave spaced dipole array side mounted with out any standoff, and the tower shielding was so bad, a 10 minute drive away, standing with a portable directly behind the antenna, with the tower shielding it, you could hardly hear the repeater.
Similar threads
