VHF/UHF radio and antenna questions

[KY_Ham_64]

Thanks. I listened in on the local club's net last night and was able to hear it on my HT with a two foot whip. I tried checking in and they could hear something on the repeater, but too static-y. They kept telling me to crank up the power, but I already had it at max, but that's just 5W. So I'm sure a 50W unit would solve that problem. I told one of the club guys via a text that that was me trying to check in. Still pretty impressed that at 16 miles over lots of hills I can get a response from their repeater with my little HT.

 

[scanmanmi]

I got out the CA2X4 mobile antenna

My CA2X4 outperforms my Wilson 150, and it's just single band.

 

[KY_Ham_64]

I put together my new Diamond X200A last week and hooked it up to my HT. Reception was very good, was able to listen in on a repeater net about 35 miles away in a snow storm. And that was me walking around with little elevation obviously.

My wife thought it odd me going out into the snow walking around holding up an 8ft antenna attached to my little HT trying to listen in on a repeater net.

That's not too weird is it?? Is it?

 

[KY_Ham_64]

Wilson 150

I looked that up but can't find any info on it, I guess it's an antenna?

 

[K6GBW]

It's been a few weeks. How's the base antenna working out for you?

 

[KY_Ham_64]

I haven't installed it onto the mast yet. We have had some brutal weather since it came in, as in 15 inches of snow last month and very cold temps (got to -7 a couple weeks ago). So just waiting for some decent weather.

Have had other pressing matters going on as well, and still haven't got my higher power transceiver either. Still eyeballing the Yaesu FTM150R as my home base/mobile rig.

 

[K6GBW]

Brrr...yeah, you get a pass with that weather! Way down here in SoCal we consider anything under 60 degrees cold, so you have my sympathy! I have an Yaesu FTM-500 and it's an amazingly good radio, so I'm pretty sure you'd do well with the FTM150R. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

 

[KY_Ham_64]

Brrr...yeah, you get a pass with that weather! Way down here in SoCal we consider anything under 60 degrees cold, so you have my sympathy! I have an Yaesu FTM-500 and it's an amazingly good radio, so I'm pretty sure you'd do well with the FTM150R. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

Thanks. We actually got thunderstorms last night and this morning, lots of rain. Driving to work this morning was an adventure, several areas with washouts. It was very odd last night to see the thermometer at 32 degrees, but raining hard and it thundering at the same time. I bet we got 2-3" overnight. We're forecast to get another 3-5" of snow next Tuesday, I sure hope not, I'm tired of winter already.

I had considered one the Yaesu digital mode radios like the FTM-300, but I really don't need all that, although it does seem pretty cool, like with APRS and GPS, etc. Is it pretty easy to set up and use?

Can you still send text messages with it? I thought I read that you used to be able to, but that wasn't possible anymore because of the FCC shutting that down.

 

[AK9R]

The Yaesu FTM-300D may have been discontinued. None of the major online retailers have them in stock, though the radio is still listed on Yaesu's website. On social media, Yaesu reps have denied that the radio has been discontinued, but they haven't explained why the dealers don't have them. That leaves Yaesu with only one System Fusion digital voice mobile and only one APRS mobile, the FTM-500D. It's a little suspicious that Yaesu has gone from having several System Fusion and APRS mobiles in their catalog to only one. I'll let you jump to your own conclusions.

Kenwood is expected to release their new APRS dual-band (or tri-band, assuming it includes the 222 MHz band) mobile radio this year. They showed a non-functional mock-up at the Tokyo Ham Fair last August and may have more details at the Orlando Hamcation this weekend or the Dayton Hamvention in May (you have to go to Hamvention at least once in your ham career...it's an experience). This new radio would replace the TM-D710 that has been discontinued for several years. If you can find a good, clean TM-D710GA on the used market from a reputable seller, I think it's the best APRS mobile radio you can buy.

APRS messaging still works. These are messages from one APRS station to another APRS station. If the stations at both ends are in range of a 2-way I-gate, you can send APRS messages to distant APRS stations knowing that the message will go through the APRS Internet Service, aka APRS-IS.

Clever hams figured out several years ago how to redirect APRS messages from the APRS-IS to the public Internet email system. But, since APRS messages are, by definition, limited to about 60 characters, it's not practical to send War & Peace to someone via APRS. However, since most cell phone carriers have gateways that allow you to send an Internet email message to someone's cell phone and have that email appear as an SMS text messages, clever hams figured out that you could send APRS messages to anyone as an SMS text. The issue was authentication that the original sender was a licensed amateur radio operator and that's where the system ran into trouble. The clever hams who came up with the original APRS-to-email gateway took it down. However, other clever hams launched their own APRS-to-email gateway that has a little better authentication. I don't think the FCC was ever involved. This was hams trying to do the right thing under the existing rules.

 

[mrweather]

Candy store up here still has stock of the FTM-300DR.

 

[AK9R]

Candy store up here still has stock of the FTM-300DR.

Which store is that?

 

[KY_Ham_64]

It's a little suspicious that Yaesu has gone from having several System Fusion and APRS mobiles in their catalog to only one. I'll let you jump to your own conclusions.

Just a guess, but is it because these kind of radios (ie digital, fusion, etc) aren't as popular as they had hoped?

 

[alcahuete]

Just a guess, but is it because these kind of radios (ie digital, fusion, etc) aren't as popular as they had hoped?

Digital in general is very popular. Fusion...not so much. The proprietary systems like Fusion and D-Star just haven't caught on as much as DMR. You also have a myriad of companies that produce DMR radios and repeaters and such, including commercial manufacturers. With Fusion and D-Star, you're pretty much stuck with one brand. At one point, Yaesu was giving away their repeaters to get people to use Fusion, and it still didn't work.

 

[AK9R]

I don't know that Yaesu gave away their repeaters. Even at the very beginning of their repeater program, the price to clubs was $500. Many clubs bought them to replace their aging existing repeaters, but locked the repeater into analog mode. At least, that's what I see in my limited view of the repeater landscape.

Simultaneously, sales of Yaesu mobile and handheld radios with System Fusion appeared to be good. But, how many of those radios were purchased because they had other features that people wanted, such as dual-receive or APRS?

 

[alcahuete]

I don't know that Yaesu gave away their repeaters.

Oh they were! Our club "bought" one for $100 with a $100 rebate. We ended up getting the repeater for the tax. I saw other clubs get them for $200, $500, etc. A bunch of local clubs here in Socal got them for free or close to it. They weren't even that great on analog (not anywhere close to as hot on receive as our commercial gear), so we sold it later and made a decent profit, after they stopped offering the free/cheap repeaters.

 

[kayn1n32008]

They weren't even that great on analog (not anywhere close to as hot on receive as our commercial gear), so we sold it later and made a decent profit, after they stopped offering the free/cheap repeaters.

Yaesu Fusion repeaters are absolute junk. Especially using in analogue. 2 hammy junk radios in a box.

 

[mrweather]

Which store is that?

Radioworld.