NX-320 & NX-820 questions

[TipRing]

I've got a couple of questions for you guys.

I work for one of the large phone companys in California. A few of us in my area perfer to use our radios over cell phones when working together.

Question 1
The range on the NX-320(portable to portable) is at best a mile, if were lucky. About a half mile when working in manholes. Is this what is to be expected?

Question 2
With the moble unit NX-820 the range is not much better the the NX-320. should it not be better?

Question 3
All radios are programed with 6 repeaters. I can't hit any of them. I have KPG-141DN so have the frequency's that are programed to the radio. But I have no idea if that is actaully what our repeaters are bulit for. The closest one to me is supposedly Blue Ridge in Tulare county. 30+- miles as the crow flys. shouldn't I be able to hit it with the NX-820?

Question 4
I have the drivers and cord for programing the nx-820 but when I try to read or write I get anb err to check model, screen, local settings(?). Every thing is correct but I still get that err. I just want to know what frequencys are programed into it?


Thanks,

ps if its hard to read, sorry. I've been up for 40 hrs on a pulp cable fail

 

[discombobulated]

Re: NX-320 & NX-820 questions

Short answer to the first three questions. You can debate theory and propogation but what it comes down to is if it works or doesn't. What matters is your terrain. So your handhelds are 5W radios. They may or may not be putting out that much power we just don't know. If you are a half mile away from each other in a tunnel you might not expect to get a signal that far. With all the metal and concrete it is bouncing off of it really attenuates the signal.

Now, dealing with the repeaters, we have no idea of the erp on those machines. Yes 30 miles with a mobile you could get coverage. Again it all depends on the terrain and if you can get your signal to the repeater.

With your mobile units you should expect more coverage because they put out more power, 45W. But we can not assume this is so.

You should research the FCC ULS system and search for your companies license information which will tell you what your repeater erp's are and what your mobile units are licensed for.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mmckenna]

I've got a couple of questions for you guys.

I work for one of the large phone companys in California. A few of us in my area perfer to use our radios over cell phones when working together.

Question 1
The range on the NX-320(portable to portable) is at best a mile, if were lucky. About a half mile when working in manholes. Is this what is to be expected?

Probably. I've used our 800MHz radios in manholes and can usually hit our repeater, but it's never more than a mile away. Surrounded by concrete, rebar, copper cable, splice enclosures, not to mention all that dirt, is going to severely attenuate your signal.

Also, the specific set up on your radios will play into this. If they are running low power in simplex mode, or are using stubby antennas, you are going to be reducing performance.

Question 2
With the moble unit NX-820 the range is not much better the the NX-320. should it not be better?

Should be, but again, too many variables. The exact settings of the radios will dictate things. The type of antenna will, too. Often the antenna is up on the roof surrounded by ladder racks, etc. and that can reduce performance.

Question 3
All radios are programed with 6 repeaters. I can't hit any of them. I have KPG-141DN so have the frequency's that are programed to the radio. But I have no idea if that is actaully what our repeaters are bulit for. The closest one to me is supposedly Blue Ridge in Tulare county. 30+- miles as the crow flys. shouldn't I be able to hit it with the NX-820?

But are they programmed correctly? Are these company provided radios, or have you guys installed your own? A digital signal isn't going to necessary play well with an analog repeater, if that is what you are trying to do. If you employer set this system up, then they need to know it isn't performing properly. Depending where you are, you -should- be able to get 30 miles between a mobile and a repeater, but as I said above, too many variables.
The local AT&T vans have the very low profiles antennas, look like a small can on the roof. They are traditionally very poor performers. I think they have been using those to prevent damage from ladders and the like, but I'm not sure.

Question 4
I have the drivers and cord for programing the nx-820 but when I try to read or write I get anb err to check model, screen, local settings(?). Every thing is correct but I still get that err. I just want to know what frequencys are programed into it?

Which version of the software are you using? Latest is 4.62. If you are using an older version of the software than what the radio is using, you can have issues. After market cables can cause issues, sometimes.
Again, sounds like you need to talk to whoever set up your radios. If they are not performing properly, there could be a bigger issue.

Thanks,

ps if its hard to read, sorry. I've been up for 40 hrs on a pulp cable fail

Understood. We just had a few thousand feet of that stuff pulled out of our campus. I never worked as a splicer, but I've got a 30+ year AT&T veteran that works with me that did many years as both a construction and a maintenance splicer. He's always got some great stories. I've learned so much from that guy.