SkiPatrolRadio
Member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2018
- Messages
- 12
Greetings everyone. I am one of the people responsible for communications for our local volunteer first response agencies. We pay for a dispatch service which provides us with repeater service and site maintenance. Over the last few years, the quality of our transmissions from all of our field radios (the lower power portables especially) has degraded across all agencies. Our dispatch provides points the finger back at us saying it is our radios - that we need to replace batteries and that all the tests they do are fine. It is not perfect from the mobiles either but better given their higher power output. I want to approach this methodically and gather the appropriate data to get to the root of the issues. I am buying a simple tester to test the output of our portables. However, anything else anyone things would be good to gather the appropriate data.
It's a very simple analog VHF system in the 154 mhx range. We do operate in a fairly mountainous area so terrain and line of site are issues but, as I said, it did work fine and has degraded over time. I maintain there is an issue with the Rx antenna, cabling, etc but dispatch maintains they've tested it and it's fine. I really don't care where the issue lies I just want to find it and remedy it. Thanks.
I also have a USB SDR if anyone has any suggestions on test / monitoring programs and setups. Thanks.
It's a very simple analog VHF system in the 154 mhx range. We do operate in a fairly mountainous area so terrain and line of site are issues but, as I said, it did work fine and has degraded over time. I maintain there is an issue with the Rx antenna, cabling, etc but dispatch maintains they've tested it and it's fine. I really don't care where the issue lies I just want to find it and remedy it. Thanks.
I also have a USB SDR if anyone has any suggestions on test / monitoring programs and setups. Thanks.