What do people typically use? Do folk use NFM or FM when doing simplex on 2m?

I’m good with a “just do this” answer, but would love to also understand the why too, if possible.

NMO antennas seem pretty simple, are there kits somewhere to build your own? I see SO-239 chassis mounts for that type of antenna, but I can't find anything to build one that fits on a NMO.

I feel like it's out there but it's so obvious searches aren't turning up results, the tram NMO antenna I bought looks insanely simple parts wise.

We use a trunked system.

https://www.radioreference.com/db/sid/7924

Our local dispatch sometimes when the weather/ceiling is bad, her transmissions are cut out. We use Motorola Apex 6000's. Is there an affordable option to boost her TX?

I originally asked this with a different radio and gave up on that one: https://www.reddit.com/r/lowsodiumhamradio/comments/1fuprj7/rt98v_squelch_tail_ste_frequency_confusion/

Now I have an anytone 778UV and that one also has the mystery STE type and STE frequency options. These options work for 3/4 scenarios, but it appears the STE type dropdown does nothing:

https://preview.redd.it/0qoa5hn18jyd1.png?width=965&format=png&auto=webp&s=dc7f816b0a9d2f596f08e7693de8a3991da8042f

I have determined STE frequency 55.2 will cause all squelch tails to be eliminated on TX & RX for a non CTCSS channel.

For a CTCSS channel, the STE works for RX, just not TX, thus 3/4 scenarios it works.

That lead me down a whole other rabbit hole, where I found this article, which seems to have different verbiage for the different settings: https://hamradiosouthernrepeaters.co.uk/anytone-dmr/2-uncategorised/17-ste.html

This calls them STE Type of CTCSS and STE when no signal.

I feel like this is a super simple fix, but I cannot combine the STE frequency and STE type in any way to have the kerchunk removed on TX on a CTCSS channel from the anyone. If anyone knows the solution to this, I am convinced that this will be the first time this is properly documented.

I have tried this on countless different radios which all have a STE option of simply on and off, but to name a few:

UV-82

UV-5R

UV-17 Pro GPS

Radioddity Mu-5

Retevis RT21v

There’s been some new radios released and I’m looking to update. I’d like to find one able to work on 11 meters (cb channels) In addition to VHF & UHF. Since space is limited and I really don’t like distracted driving especially when driving a 50 ton vehicle- simple is preferred.

I did search this sub and others. Doesn’t look like the question has ever been asked on this sub. Previous answers in other subs are mostly pre-Covid and reference defunct shows like The Doctor is In.

Question for the group. I am mounting a dual band j-pole on the peak of my roof. I will have about a 75ft run. My question is what cable would be best for this and can I use something other than LMR-400 (lol)? Thanks in advance.

Edit: This is for 2m/70cm.

Picked this up at a garage sale a few weeks ago , started messing with it and found it was pre programmed by the previous owner to hit most of the local repeaters. It does have the TU-7 tone chip installed and obviously the pre programmed channels have tones on them as well as the proper offsets. The problem is I cannot seem to program offset or tones into a new channel , following along the manual step by step and watching a few videos indicates an issue with the offset function and tone button where I can’t seem to set an offset on some channels (some will allow the offset to toggle between negative simplex and positive) however when I hit the tone button to set one it just keys up ? Watching a video showed the radio going into a mode where the tone frequency could be selected when hitting the “tone” button. I’ve checked the lithium backup battery and it reads 2.4v which is obviously too low right however memory is retained somehow ? Could that battery be sort of low enough to cause funky operation but not low enough to cause the channels to reset ? It seems to Tx and RX fine on the channels it’s been set to as it picks up the repeaters fine and I’ve checked simplex on a channel which I was able to set base freq on . Any help would be appreciated im planning on ordering a backup battery as a first step but wanted to get some thoughts from people who are more versed ? Thanks

I have a couple radios to fix and needed more than my cheap 2 channel scope. Picked up this artifact for a song.

It’s heavy, it takes five minutes to boot, and it’s almost as big as my microwave, but I finally have a real scope in the shack.

Hey all! I'm about halfway through studying the ham radio technician guide and I have a couple cheap crappy handhelds. I was hoping someone with more experience could point me in the right direction for after I'm licensed and ready to upgrade. I know the basics of transcievers but I'm not familiar with any brands or outlets that can hook me up. I'd appreciate any info this sub has.

I just picked up this 735 yesterday as partially an inspiration for licensing and also to use as a general coverage reciever. The only real problem is there's no RX on the AM broadcast band, there is static in the background but no carriers where any of my local stations would be. Do I just have it set wrong? It's hooked up to an antron 99 at the moment (eyeroll I know)

I have a GT-5R and one of the first things I did was "jailbreak" it to allow transmission on GMRS frequencies. This worked fine until I used chirp and programmed channels in. Now it won't allow transmission on those frequencies. I went through the process of jailbreaking again, and got the same "factory" message but still no luck. I factory reset the radio to remove the channels and it worked fine like before. Is there a way to program channels without undoing the jailbreak?

So for this repeater it should be set to 146.88 with -000.600 offset, and T-CTCSS set at 146.2?

New tech: https://spectrum.ieee.org/amp/wi-fi-lora-hybrid-2669283347

EDIT: The radio just has a flawed STE implementation if you use CTCSS. Most you can do is eliminate STE on RX, other side is broken. Confirmed by support loosely.

Which values do I set these to in order to eliminate squelch tails on transmission to things like a uv-5r? On that type of radio you simply turn on or off the tail elimination, you aren't choosing a frequency or weird things like 120 degrees vs silent.

This is for a retevis rt98v, reddit keeps glitching when I try and type more in the title

I've had my tech license 5 months and received my general maybe a month ago. After lots of research I'll be buying the IC-7300. What other accessories do I need with the 7300? Battery, wires, cords, headset? Obviously an antenna.

What are some basic things I'll need to get up and running on day one?

Also, are there specific ham friendly online businesses I should order from?

Sorry if this has been asked before and I appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

If someone is starting from scratch, what do you suggest them buying, or doing, to get started on the best footing to enjoy the hobby?

And about how much is an initial investment to get completely set up for the first time?

Thank you!!

hey all got my hands on this receiver recently and some of the lamps are out. Im not sure what kind it is or what to replace it with, any help or info is appreciated

https://preview.redd.it/rt3git7rbuod1.jpg?width=2294&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9a1e8b62734debbabdade9454d2f7c0c4e9e875

https://preview.redd.it/xnlnj4rrbuod1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8a178bdb6a43c1051d81ac3192a21ade806a72f

Since theres no zello channel guides, putting this out there for hams and gmrs folks looking for a zello channel to hang on that isnt full of "radio police" types.

Everglades 550

Bunch of gmrs and ham folks on there. Some politics but not all the time. Some prepper and gun talk. Knowledge base varies from entry level gmrs to an RF engineer thats on their regularly.

To be clear, I’m aiming to progress into the HAM radio world, and can already pass the practice tests for the initial “ technician” tier license. 🪪

I’m wanting to begin with AM radio however, building a receiver first, a transmitter second, a transceiver third, then finally each a ADC and DAC respectively within this Amplitude Modulation context.

Then, do essentially the same thing with FM, before finally taking the exam/s I feel prepared for at that time, and beginning into HAM radio operation, circuit design, etc.

(To one day hold an Amateur Extra! 🪪✨)

Alas…

I cannot for the life of me figure out an accessible way to discern the real world values of caps anticipated to have values within the pF range (as low as 0.88pF), or inductors anticipated to have values in the uH range (as low as 0.88uH), as it seems I need to be able to do in order to predict the actual resonant frequency of resultant LC circuits with sufficient precision/accuracy to receive broadcasts broadcast upon the AM frequency I was shooting for…

Well, I can’t figure out a way that doesn’t involve my spending money I don’t have that is… and the tools/theory that I have access to already should be well beyond what I’d need!

At least it really seems that way to me.

Here are just a few of the tools I have:

• RIGOL DS1054Z • UNI-T UT61E+ • YIHUA 862BD+ • KORAD KA3005P • KeeYees Logic Analyzer • TL866II +

and a fair bit more…

I’d really rather not explain, as it’s fairly private, but for reasons - it is exceptionally difficult for me to come up with any funding to “just buy more stuff” right now in my life.

Plus, shouldn’t there be some way to easily hurdle this incessant obstacle of tiny L/C measurements anyway?! 😫

I’ve gone down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, attempting to build RC circuits with known resistors to then plot the discharge curve of a small (1pF) capacitor on my oscilloscope, to then mathematically determine its capacitance formulaically - ultimately to no avail.

I’ve attempted to use larger capacitors that my multimeter can actually measure accurately, to form LC circuits to which I apply a step voltage in attempts to witness the resonant frequency of via my scope, allowing for the inductor value to be formulaically derived - ultimately to no avail.

I’ve tried finding online calculators and Python libraries for calculating every single variable that holds any immediate relevance to inductors, attempting to count turns and use calipers for accurate measurements of various dimensions of the wire used and the forms used, etc… - NADA….

I’ve tried making my own inductors, variable inductors and variable capacitors so that there’s room to be off and then correct for that by adjusting them accordingly! - NOTHING… 😢

I know amplification circuits I have built to amplify small signals and drive speakers I have attached work just fine, as I have inserted low level pre-amplification stage control signals into them to great success! But… suddenly, when I feed any AM radio reception circuity I have built into the rest of the amp and speaker circuit instead of the control signals - it’s just RADIO SILENCE 😭

I’ve looked up the AM broadcasts in my area. I’ve used a working (store bought) radio receiver to tune into various AM stations and CHECK for myself which frequencies are coming in loud and clear, and AIMED my LC circuits for reception at those frequencies…

Nothing is working…

It seems to all be boiling down to two things:

1. I can’t measure inductance at all (basically)

2. I’m limited in my measurement abilities to the insufficient bottom end of capacitance measurements that my multimeter is capable of….

So, I’m just fumbling around with LC combinations BLIND…. and no matter how much I “wipe”, I just can’t see 💩…

I’m beginning to feel like performing an experiment to test my body’s maximum current dissipation before total thermal breakdown is more appealing… 🪦🥀

#S.O.S.

Is there a way? Some Amazon reviews claim one thing and some claim another. E.g. uv-17pro GPS some people talk about not having any TX lock and then some people claim the plain 17r is just unlocked.

I see this... https://www.reddit.com/r/lowsodiumhamradio/s/t5choH073b

My questions

1. Which model number can/is unlock(ed)? Just pro?
2. Does custom firmware allow this such as the revised firmware available?

I think this is a valuable question to have documentated for emergency scenarios. I of course encourage legal operation of radios, let's follow the law! MURS radios are my personal favorite for licensed by rule radios, and I find the radioddity MU-5 an excellent option for my needs of short range simplex.

EDIT: link above works.