Is This Possible

[Camerons1217]

Hello Everyone,

I live on the eastern side of Connecticut and am interested in listening to a mall in Providence Rhode Island. This mall is using Motorola XPR 3500e and they do have a repeater Click Here For There Info At Radio Reference. I live around 40 miles away from the mall but in between, us are miles and miles of buildings trees, and more. So Im wondering if it would even be possible to listen to them. You can hear them almost all over the state of Rhode Island but cant from my house using a stock antenna, and other basic equipment.
So my question is do you think this is possible and if so what type of equipment do I need to get started?

Thanks, everyone,
Cameron

 

[jtwalker]

Seems unlikely that a mall would need a tower & power to transmit a signal 40 miles, so I’d guess no you can’t without being in the parking lot. But just a guess…

 

[Camerons1217]

Seems unlikely that a mall would need a tower & power to transmit a signal 40 miles, so I’d guess no you can’t without being in the parking lot. But just a guess…

I would think so too, but since I could hear the mall through almost the entire state of Rhode Island, im wondering if it's possible.
But I guess we will find out.

 

[doctordialtone]

I live around 40 miles away from the mall but in between, us are miles and miles of buildings trees, and more.

That would be a stretch. Depends upon a number of factors, but seems unlikely, as @jtwalker stated.

 

[Randyk4661]

It would depend how much power they are using, how high up their antenna is.
You would probably need a good high gain beam antenna with good coax and mounted as high up as you can possibly get and then it might be a maybe on hearing them.
If there are any other users between you and the mall on the same frequencies, that would cause you to not hear them.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Hello Everyone,

I live on the eastern side of Connecticut and am interested in listening to a mall in Providence Rhode Island. This mall is using Motorola XPR 3500e and they do have a repeater Click Here For There Info At Radio Reference. I live around 40 miles away from the mall but in between, us are miles and miles of buildings trees, and more. So Im wondering if it would even be possible to listen to them. You can hear them almost all over the state of Rhode Island but cant from my house using a stock antenna, and other basic equipment.
So my question is do you think this is possible and if so what type of equipment do I need to get started?

Thanks, everyone,
Cameron

It really depends upon terrain. Google Earth Pro has features where you can draw a line (ruler) from your home to the mall and then look at the terrain between to see what is stopping the signal. Where I live is sort of in a hole to south and low lands to the north so signals pretty much favor the north. I would need about 150 foot tower to round the circle.

 

[ur20v]

I grew up in northeast CT and it's where I developed my interest in radio/scanning/etc. (It didn't hurt that I lived literally a stones throw away from a Motorola dealer whose employees would give me all the old radios, parts, coax, and antennas I could ever want). In my experience, a little elevation goes a long, long way when it comes to receiving out there... It's not out of the realm of possibility a cheap discone 10ft above your roofline would allow you to pull in the repeater. If not, a simple old outdoor TV antenna pointed due east will probably do the trick. You might even have one on your house already...

 

[wtp]

the coverage map shows about 10.5 miles out.
so yes, that would be most of Rhode Island...

 

[dave3825]

Rf Line of sight site. Will even show a graph.

RF Line of Sight - SCADACore

RF Line-of-Sight provides radio path information for mapping long distance SCADA radio communications by using antenna height and topography.

www.scadacore.com

 

[ecps92]

Hello Everyone,

I live on the eastern side of Connecticut and am interested in listening to a mall in Providence Rhode Island. This mall is using Motorola XPR 3500e and they do have a repeater Click Here For There Info At Radio Reference. I live around 40 miles away from the mall but in between, us are miles and miles of buildings trees, and more. So Im wondering if it would even be possible to listen to them. You can hear them almost all over the state of Rhode Island but cant from my house using a stock antenna, and other basic equipment.
So my question is do you think this is possible and if so what type of equipment do I need to get started?

Thanks, everyone,
Cameron

Unless you have a nice line-of-site (los) to the mall, you are out of luck

ULS License - Industrial/Business Pool, Conventional License - WPPB739 - PROVIDENCE PLACE GROUP LP - Locations Summary

 

[dave3825]

Google Earth Pro has features where you can draw a line (ruler) from your home to the mall and then look at the terrain between to see what is stopping the signal.

That also works on Earth.Google.com. Does Google Earth Pro software let you set elevation heights on each point?

 

[ur20v]

Unless you have a nice line-of-site (los) to the mall, you are out of luck

ULS License - Industrial/Business Pool, Conventional License - WPPB739 - PROVIDENCE PLACE GROUP LP - Locations Summary

If he were trying to reach the repeater, yes, I'd agree with you. But just hearing the repeater from 25-30 miles away really shouldn't be too problematic, assuming the repeater is at least 50w and the antenna is at a reasonable height...

 

[wtp]

Site Elevation (AMSL)​	30.0m​	Height w/o Appurtenances​	40.0m​
ASR #/File #​	N/A​	Height w/ Appurtenances​	40.0m​

 

[ecps92]

If he were trying to reach the repeater, yes, I'd agree with you. But just hearing the repeater from 25-30 miles away really shouldn't be too problematic, assuming the repeater is at least 50w and the antenna is at a reasonable height...

Those would be ideal conditions, but as many of us know a mall repeater being heard even 10 mi away maybe problematic

 

[WRQI583]

I used to live in Eastern CT. As long as you are EAST of any of the hills that run north to south in that area (i.e.- Ekonk hill) and you are preferably north of Voluntown, with a good antenna up high enough you may be able to. Those hills will knock out any signals from RI that above VHF. I know that from experience on Ham Radio.

UHF has characteristics of microwave frequencies where as long as the antennas are up high enough and line of sight so to speak, you will hear the signal.

Check out that tool that dave3825 placed up on this thread. It works well for UHF frequencies. I use it all the time.