Need someone to test my radio. Portland area is dead.

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Dwitherspoon

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I’ve haven’t heard a soul after listening for about an hour and a half and need someone to verify my setup. I live in downtown Portland. Hopefully someone in the 10 to 15 mile range.

Best,
Dustin.
 

vagrant

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There is also your local Troutdale airport ATIS frequency that's always going on 135.625 MHz AM as well as APRS packets being sent on 144.390 MHz FM. With the ATIS signal, you know where they are and the signal would be steady.
 

Dwitherspoon

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oh, is this scanner or CB related ???

CB with SSB. I mean i didn’t even hear a long off voice with squelch turned down. I knew it was a dying from of communication, but I’m surprised. Especially considering I should be able to pick up 1-5, 1-84, 205 and so on. Not a peep after an hour and a half of searching and randomly keying up.

Yikes.
 

WB9YBM

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CB with SSB. I mean i didn’t even hear a long off voice with squelch turned down.

CB's been pretty quiet the last few years in the Chicago area (at least the west and the north) the last few years, too--although one friend of mine said he's on the air with a small group so there seem to be at least pockets of activity here and there...
 

sparklehorse

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Try channel 17 or 19 in AM mode. I'm not sure SSB gets used much around here. Maybe you're aware already, but you also need a proper antenna to receive much at those frequencies.
.
 

Dwitherspoon

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Try channel 17 or 19 in AM mode. I'm not sure SSB gets used much around here. Maybe you're aware already, but you also need a proper antenna to receive much at those frequencies.
.

I’m going to try again tonight, but I’m not terribly optimistic. Haha, my wife was watching television behind me all the while and was also in disbelief. I have a 7 foot top loaded fiberglass firestik on a mag mount, which is operating on the top floor of a four story building near 12th and Morrison. No obstructions and not a peep! I’m thinking about starting my own cb club at this point before the fcc pulls the spectrum and sells it to the highest bidder. Might as well have some fun before it all ends.
 

Oakland_Tower

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I often drive I5 from CA to the PDX and listen to CB along with CHP and OSP. It is pretty quiet except around some of the mill towns where you'll hear locals. Up in the PDX area I have heard activity in the afternoon and esp. when it is raining and truckers are reporting accidents, so hang in there! But there is like zero activity after normal work hours.
 

MDScanFan

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What are you using for an antenna, does it have a decent installation, and what type and length of coax are you using?
 

WB9YBM

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I often drive I5 from CA to the PDX and listen to CB along with CHP and OSP. It is pretty quiet except around some of the mill towns where you'll hear locals. Up in the PDX area I have heard activity in the afternoon and esp. when it is raining and truckers are reporting accidents, so hang in there! But there is like zero activity after normal work hours.

also a lot of truck traffic's moved to "company channels" on business band...
 

Dwitherspoon

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What are you using for an antenna, does it have a decent installation, and what type and length of coax are you using?

My entire setup is as follows.

Realistic TRC - 57
Galaxy DX 949
RM Italy KL 203 P
Pyramid 30 Amp AC to DC power supply.
Aries 5” Heavy Duty chrome mag mount with 18’ PL-259
Firestik 7’ fiberglass top loaded antenna.
2 x 3’ PL-259 patch cables
1 PL-259 T splitter
 

MDScanFan

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That sounds like a good setup. Be careful with the T splitter and two radios if you are transmitting. Also, for troubleshooting the reception issue I suggest disconnecting the T for now and using one radio.

Is the antenna mounted in a good spot? In others words, not under a roof that is foil lined, not within a concrete building, etc. Also, that type of mount expects a ground plane below it for best performance.

My entire setup is as follows.

Realistic TRC - 57
Galaxy DX 949
RM Italy KL 203 P
Pyramid 30 Amp AC to DC power supply.
Aries 5” Heavy Duty chrome mag mount with 18’ PL-259
Firestik 7’ fiberglass top loaded antenna.
2 x 3’ PL-259 patch cables
1 PL-259 T splitter
 
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Dwitherspoon

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That sounds like a good setup. Be careful with the T splitter and two radios if you are transmitting. Also, for troubleshooting the reception issue I suggest disconnecting the T for now and using one radio.

Is the antenna mounted in a good spot? In others words, not under a roof that is foil lined, not within a concrete building, etc. Also, that type of mount expects a ground plane below it for bat performance.

I only keep one on at a time so it shouldn’t be a problem. I only use the old girl sparingly until I replace all the caps. The galaxy I’ve had for a quite some time and is the primary.

Honestly, I don’t believe it’s a reception issue. Both units aren’t hearing a soul over the past 2 days. Everything worse seems to check.

My mag mount is on the back deck on the fourth floor. No glass, no concrete, no anything to obstruct it. Not even other buildings until to reach the skyscrapers of down town Portland. The only real blockage is the west hills.

I just don’t think there is another person in the Portland metro area who’s working a radio at the time I’m on. I’m going to keep trying and hopefully I can meet some contacts and start a small group in the area. Obviously we would have free reign of any channel at any time of day and small amplifiers should go completely unnoticed. 100 watts AM 200 watts SSB.

What a fine time it would be to get steady contacts in Canby, Vancouver, Salem and so on.
 

hill

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If you are using a mag mount on the your back deck it needs to be placed on some metal to work. When using a this type of mount on a car or truck it has a lot of metal to use as it's ground plane. Not going work very well if at all just sitting there with no ground plane, since this is part of the antenna system. For the CB frequencies you are going to have a sizable metal ground plane under it.

You could try sticking it on some metal.
 

Dwitherspoon

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If you are using a mag mount on the your back deck it needs to be placed on some metal to work. When using a this type of mount on a car or truck it has a lot of metal to use as it's ground plane. Not going work very well if at all just sitting there with no ground plane, since this is part of the antenna system. For the CB frequencies you are going to have a sizable metal ground plane under it.

You could try sticking it on some metal.

Come on guys! Of course I’m using a ground plane! That’s CB 101. My SWR’s would be blowing up my machine.

I have a mild steel “a36” disc 6” diameter and 1” thick. You can find them on ebay and for cheap. The magnetic attraction was so great it tore some skin off my finger as it slammed together. It’s really quite impressive. Buy one!

1" Steel Plate Round Circle Disc 6" Diameter A36 Steel | eBay
 

cmjonesinc

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I would be concerned with that t. Even only using one radio at a time isn't going to isolate them. A switch would be better. I would be curious what your swr is with them t'd together.
 

jonwienke

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Come on guys! Of course I’m using a ground plane! That’s CB 101. My SWR’s would be blowing up my machine.

I have a mild steel “a36” disc 6” diameter and 1” thick. You can find them on ebay and for cheap. The magnetic attraction was so great it tore some skin off my finger as it slammed together. It’s really quite impressive. Buy one!

1" Steel Plate Round Circle Disc 6" Diameter A36 Steel | eBay
LOL.

A ground plane should ideally have at least a 1/4-wave radius. 6 FEET is still undersized. Most vehicles aren't even large enough to be a proper ground plane, although they are big enough to work reasonably well. A 6" plate isn't big enough for anything but maybe 800MHz and above.
 

Dwitherspoon

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I would be concerned with that t. Even only using one radio at a time isn't going to isolate them. A switch would be better. I would be curious what your swr is with them t'd together.

Haha, I’ve been doing this way since I was 19! I’m now in my mid 30’s. I’ve never had a problem. Granted, the other unit was always powered off, but I’ve never blown up a radio with the t split setup or had one die.

swr’s on my t setup now are 1.1the needle is leveled out.

Good call though. Better safe than sorry. I will add a in the near future as it seems every one and their mother on the net says you must do that and I don’t want to tempt fate now that I’m aware!
 
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