Hi Everyone, this is my first post. Everyone here seems pretty nice and after reading around a bit, I have what i think might be an odd, multifaceted question...
I bought a slew of PR860's from a police auction some time back, they were commonly used in the early 2000's and i assume late 90's, they are HF with the longer more rigid antenna (~14") and i have programmed them for an LMRS (29.x mhz) frequency for which i am pursuing a license.
my question is this...... the range, even on 6 watt high power mode, seems to be limited to less than a mile with trees on flat ground, and about 2.5 miles on water, BASED on this experience, how were these ever useful for police operating in a 20 mile radius? how could they even hit a (i presume) repeater if it is located more than a mile or two away?
did their cruiser radios act as repeaters? if so, is anyone familiar with a vehicle based repeater radio model that was commonly used with LE in the USA?
I am really trying to understand what hardware piece of the puzzle i am missing, these radios are indestructible, easily programmable, and i would like to buy the accompanying unit for the vehicle if that is the missing piece that adds some range. I'd like 10-15 miles range if I am within 1 mile of the vehicle while using one of these handhelds. I understand that the other person would need the same vehicle setup to be able to reach back to me.
I bought a slew of PR860's from a police auction some time back, they were commonly used in the early 2000's and i assume late 90's, they are HF with the longer more rigid antenna (~14") and i have programmed them for an LMRS (29.x mhz) frequency for which i am pursuing a license.
my question is this...... the range, even on 6 watt high power mode, seems to be limited to less than a mile with trees on flat ground, and about 2.5 miles on water, BASED on this experience, how were these ever useful for police operating in a 20 mile radius? how could they even hit a (i presume) repeater if it is located more than a mile or two away?
did their cruiser radios act as repeaters? if so, is anyone familiar with a vehicle based repeater radio model that was commonly used with LE in the USA?
I am really trying to understand what hardware piece of the puzzle i am missing, these radios are indestructible, easily programmable, and i would like to buy the accompanying unit for the vehicle if that is the missing piece that adds some range. I'd like 10-15 miles range if I am within 1 mile of the vehicle while using one of these handhelds. I understand that the other person would need the same vehicle setup to be able to reach back to me.