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Need some help.

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gezafisch

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Messages
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Northeast Ohio
Hello,

Since I'm new here I might as well start by introducing myself. My name is Geza, I come from Akron, Ohio, and since it pertains to my question, I am a Ski Patroller at BMBW ski resort in Penninsula, Ohio.

Let me start this question by saying that I know next to nothing about radios. As I said before, I am a Ski Patroller at BMBW. I carry a Motorola Radius CP200 when I am on duty. The Patrol has a license to use these radios, and as a part of the organization, I am also authorized to transmit on the frequency the Patrol uses. Our resort is fairly small as ski resorts go, with only ~40 skiable acres and the farthest I would ever have to transmit would probably not be very much over 1/2 mile. We also have a repeater on the summit of the "mountain" so that we can talk to our sister resort about 2~3 miles away. The radios we carry are owned by the resort itself so I would like to buy my own radio to use while I am patrolling. I am looking at the Baofeng UV-5R (maybe the +?) that can be bought on Amazon for under $30. I already have an official programming cable that I also got from Amazon to program the radio when I get it. I also have Kali Linux installed on my PC with Chirp installed so i should be able to program the radio when I get it. My question is, will the UV-5R work with the current radios utilized by the resort, and is what I plan on doing legal (our Patrol Director encourages us to get our own radios, as the radios owned by the resort are limited in numbers, so the Patrol approves of it.)? Also, can someone explain what the difference between the channels on "walkie talkies" bought at Walmart, and a frequency? Also, a basic run down on how to program the UV-5R would be nice.

Thanks!
Geza
 

gezafisch

Member
Joined
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Messages
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Location
Northeast Ohio
Don't quite understand your request but from a newbie Welcome!!

Thanks!

In short, I want to know, is the UV-5R compatible with all the channels that the Motorola CP-200 can broadcast on and is it legal for me to set up radio to work with the patrol's channel if the Patrol approves and I own the radio?

Thanks,
gezafisch
 

jonwienke

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The first step is to see the frequency or frequencies your ski patrol is licensed to use, and any associated CTCSS tones. If your employer is licensed to use the frequencies for their business, then there isn't any legal issue with you having your own radio to use at work for work.

You don't need Linux to run CHIRP, it will run happily on Windows natively. That's probably your best option unless you're already a linux guru.

Before you do ANYTHING else, read your radio settings with CHIRP, and save those settings. Make a copy of that file, and put in your work channels in the copy.
 

gezafisch

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Messages
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Northeast Ohio
The first step is to see the frequency or frequencies your ski patrol is licensed to use, and any associated CTCSS tones. If your employer is licensed to tue the frequencies for their business, then there isn't any legal issue with you having your own radio to use at work for work.

You don't need Linux to run CHIRP, it will run happily on Windows natively. That's probably your best option unless you're already a linux guru.

Before you do ANYTHING else, read your radio settings with CHIRP, and save those settings. Make a copy of that file, and put in your work channels in the copy.

Ok, thanks for the info!

I am also interested in getting my technicians license, are there any online places where I can read about the basics of radio and what ham radio is all about?

Thanks!
gezafisch
 

teufler

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ST PETERS, MISSOURI
sECOND ON THE RECOMMENDATION TO READ and save the original radio state file. save and call it master. Then when you add to the file call it work. Hopefully you will never need to load the original file. Find out if work is a uhf or vhf frequency, then any sub tones they might be using. For monitoring purposes, there are other frequencies you might want to add. Radios at Walmart, channels and frequencies are pretty much the same. Walmat uses MURS radios, that can be programmed by switches on the radio but you select 4 or 5 frequencies or channels. They are hard coded to specific frequencies, while the Baofeng allows you far more flexibility. The uv5 is not as robust as the radios you have been using, but they are 5 watt, and you take care of it, it should last along time. Even if it breaks, you are not out alot of money. You can probably buy 5 uv5's for the price of the one Motorola radio you have been using. They are small and lighter weight, they can easily go inside you cold weather gear. The ear phone assy that comes with the radio, might be a nice feature for you. Boston Mills Ski is on uhf, so probably you too are on uhf, particularly with repeater access
 
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gezafisch

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Joined
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Messages
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Location
Northeast Ohio
sECOND ON THE RECOMMENDATION TO READ and save the original radio state file. save and call it master. Then when you add to the file call it work. Hopefully you will never need to load the original file. Find out if work is a uhf or vhf frequency, then any sub tones they might be using. For monitoring purposes, there are other frequencies you might want to add. Radios at Walmart, channels and frequencies are pretty much the same. Walmat uses MURS radios, that can be programmed by switches on the radio but you select 4 or 5 frequencies or channels. They are hard coded to specific frequencies, while the Baofeng allows you far more flexibility. The uv5 is not as robust as the radios you have been using, but they are 5 watt, and you take care of it, it should last along time. Even if it breaks, you are not out alot of money. You can probably buy 5 uv5's for the price of the one Motorola radio you have been using. They are small and lighter weight, they can easily go inside you cold weather gear. The ear phone assy that comes with the radio, might be a nice feature for you.
I looked at the FCC listing for our patrol. It has a part 90 certification. To legally transmit on the patrol's frequencies, do I need a part 90 radio? Also, how does the FCC tell if you are or are not using a part 90 certified radio? Can they tell remotely or would they have to inspect your radio to find out? Also, I was reading on some forums about people who use radios like the UV-5R on MURS and GMRS and FRS. If you were to do this, is there a way for the FCC to know if your radio is part 95 certified or not other than manually inspecting your radio?

Thanks
Gezafisch
 

jeepsandradios

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So why not go online and buy a used CP200 ? I am sure you didn't spend $30 on your skis and gear, so why cheap out on a radio that will be used to get help for someone injured ? I have seen CP200's online for under $100. I have seen others try this same scenario and half way thru the season they go out and buy a real radio.
 

gezafisch

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Location
Northeast Ohio
So why not go online and buy a used CP200 ? I am sure you didn't spend $30 on your skis and gear, so why cheap out on a radio that will be used to get help for someone injured ? I have seen CP200's online for under $100. I have seen others try this same scenario and half way thru the season they go out and buy a real radio.

One, a radio isn't necessary in my situation, as there are alternative methods of calling for help, though a radio makes it more convenient. Two, if the radio were to go down, I could always just ski inside and pick up a Patrol owned radio. Three, I have seen those CP-200's go down more times than I can count, so I don't see the justification in spending the extra money on a used radio with no warranty and less ease of reprogramming so I can use the radio on a different frequency on my own time. Four, according to reviews, the UV-5R's are fairly durable and should hold up if treated well. I'm also getting a UV-5R+ variant, so it has a (supposedly) more durable case than the original UV-5R.

Also, I spent more on my uniform than on my skis and boots :)

Thanks
gezafisch
 

gezafisch

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Also, I've been reading that the stock antenna on the UV-5R is pretty terrible.So I looked at replacements. The only problem is, I cant seem to find an antenna that can transmit on 466.98750, the frequency that the patrol uses. The highest that seems to be available is 450Mhz. Does anyone know of a good antenna, that can transmit on 466.98750, is short enough to be portable, and is not overly expensive?

Thanks
gezafisch
 

toastycookies

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the far east
Also, I've been reading that the stock antenna on the UV-5R is pretty terrible.So I looked at replacements. The only problem is, I cant seem to find an antenna that can transmit on 466.98750, the frequency that the patrol uses. The highest that seems to be available is 450Mhz. Does anyone know of a good antenna, that can transmit on 466.98750, is short enough to be portable, and is not overly expensive?

Thanks
gezafisch

These are great super flexible antennas, MADE IN THE USA, and the proceeds go to fund hamstudy.org


https://signalstuff.com/product/super-elastic-signal-stick/
 

jonwienke

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Antennas tuned specifically for the ham band aren't going to work any better than stock for you.

Nagoya 771 is one of the best general purpose antennas for the Baofeng, it cover ham and business bands pretty well.
 

toastycookies

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Antennas tuned specifically for the ham band aren't going to work any better than stock for you.

Nagoya 771 is one of the best general purpose antennas for the Baofeng, it cover ham and business bands pretty well.


My Nagoya 771 says it IS tuned specifically for the ham bands and RX only on the business bands...

I'll try to see if I have the right adapters to get it on the antenna analyzer and give it a scan later on.

dhpx9ib.jpg
 

jonwienke

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I have 771s on most of my Baofengs, and it works great on GMRS frequencies, which are above and below the OPs work frequency.
 

N4GIX

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Hot Springs, AR
My Nagoya 771 says it IS tuned specifically for the ham bands and RX only on the business bands...

I'll try to see if I have the right adapters to get it on the antenna analyzer and give it a scan later on.

Here is my analysis of a NA-771 with the center tuned to 466.9875. As is clearly shown, the VSWR at that frequency is infinity... :roll:

In fact, at the actual lowest VSWR of ~3.8:1 is 422.187!!! :eek:
uOSSB.jpg
 

jonwienke

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Something is wrong with your analyzer or that antenna, or your adapter. I've used enough NA-771 antennas in that frequency range to know that a SWR of "infinity" is pretty atypical.
 

N4GIX

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Something is wrong with your analyzer or that antenna, or your adapter. I've used enough NA-771 antennas in that frequency range to know that a SWR of "infinity" is pretty atypical.
Okay, I double-checked results with a second known good NA-771 and found nearly identical results. Both antennas provide "good enough" VSWR in the 2m/.70cm ham bands, but miserable results at the 466.9875 MHz.

The actual VSWR is ~19.9:1 (not infinity, but may as well be!).

The adapter is unlikely to be an issue since it is part of my Rigol Spectrum Analyzer's accessory set.

I also ran a sanity check on my outdoor antennas and compared current with archival measurements. They are close enough to be considered identical.
 
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