dreadlocks
Well-known member
can you lower the power output when its repeating? if your just relaying to your driveway for a repeater you could otherwise reach w/a HT, you could probably run it at low power.
Single band vs dual band value
- Thread starter ultraclyde
- Start date
ultraclyde
Observer
Fairly sure in both cases I was TX on low (5watts) on the 70cm side. The 2m TX was on 35 watts, but the only TX was my check in to the net.
Good thought to double check it though. I will probably set up all my channel parameters as memory channels for easy recall of the multiple settings, and include power in that.
EDIT: @dreadlocks good point, I should probably cut my 2m XT power down too, although I wasn't TX much. Still the responsible thing to do.
What radio were you using? I've used an Icom IC-2340, IC-2350, and IC-2720 for years in cross band operation. Sometimes they end up transmitting on low power for hours at a time when some of the old retired guys get to rag chewing on the repeater I'm monitoring. I've never had any problems out of them in probably 24 years.
When looking for a new radio I once considered a Kenwood TM-V71A until I learned it has a 3 minute time out timer in cross band mode. This would be unacceptable for my use. It also makes me wonder if Kenwood is worried about their finals.
When looking for a new radio I once considered a Kenwood TM-V71A until I learned it has a 3 minute time out timer in cross band mode. This would be unacceptable for my use. It also makes me wonder if Kenwood is worried about their finals.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Are you in the rag chew or just listening? If you're only monitoring the radio may have a pretty high duty cycle but it still gets some breaks when the repeater unkeys. If you jump in and talk when the repeater drops the radio is never not transmitting and never having a break is where the manufacturers are concerned. Junction temperature rise isn't linear with duty cycle and the failure rate between running semiconductors at 100% compared to even 75% or 80% is statistically very significant.
vtsoundman
OverAnalyzer
3 minute timer is for continuous transmission...and is very common even for big repeaters. It is also a nice failsafe in case your HT gets 'stuck' on in a backpack or whatever (it happened to me once). It is really not that big of an issue.
I agree that a 3 minute TOT shouldn't be a big issue if you are always around good operators. Unfortunately in my 26 years of being a ham I've had plenty of experiences with guys would would never allow the repeater to drop. I once tried to cross band thru a Kenwood TS-2000 base rig with the same TOT to my HT for an ARES net. I think in the 20 minutes or so the net was on the 3 minute timer timed out about 4 times. I was once locked out of a conversation by 2 stations who would never let the repeater's squelch tail drop. So, using the cross-band repeat I couldn't get back in. Eventually one of them realized I had disappeared and said "let me take a stand by and see what happened to Matt." And, I'm not making this up, before the squelch tail dropped he keyed back up and said "I still don't hear him, his battery must have died."
I'll be working a job in the next couple weeks that's about 20 miles from cell service so I'll be monitoring a repeater to listen for my wife. I'm going to try to actually time how long the retired guys keep my Icom keyed up in transmit. I can't really complain about them, I think one of them owns the repeater. I just like to have gear that will handle the situation.
I'll be working a job in the next couple weeks that's about 20 miles from cell service so I'll be monitoring a repeater to listen for my wife. I'm going to try to actually time how long the retired guys keep my Icom keyed up in transmit. I can't really complain about them, I think one of them owns the repeater. I just like to have gear that will handle the situation.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
It's a Catch-22 @wirenut. We constantly preach that we have to use our spectrum but when people do we scold them. I think we have to be careful not to scare people into not keying the mic for fear of doing something wrong, breaking some unwritten rule. You'll never be a perfect radio operator so as long as you remember to take a breath once in a while and share the airwaves there's no reason not to rag chew. Oh, and don't cuss, please leave the foul language to CB and for campfire stories.