วีดีโอ

It will receive the 2m band, but it can only transmit on GMRS frequencies (UHF). The only handheld that I'm aware of that can be made to do CW is Quansheng....but only with aftermarket firmware flashed to it.

@@EvanK2EJT OK. I just like the look of a GMRS radio, that Yaesu is slick. Merry Christmas to you and yours. 73 Paul KE9BHN

That is correct. In order to send or receive current GPS info, you need to put the radio in GPS mode and hit the PTT. It doesn't actively track the radio. The thing is, GPS is passive, so it only *receives* data. It doesn't transmit. In order to transmit your location, you need to actively do so. The radio is pulling GPS data about its own location when the GPS is active, but it's not sending data to the other radio(s) unless you actively hit the PTT and transmit that data. Hope that helps.

I didn't know that! I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks for the info!

It works on UHF as well. It's about a 5/8 wave on UHF

Take a look at the rest of my radio for preparedness playlist. It's aimed at exactly the type of person who has no knowledge of how radio works. Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for watching!

Thanks for the feedback! There's a lot to learn, but it's well worth the effort.

That's the case with any radio.... Or any method of communication for that matter

Very true! But you more than likely to fine someone on ham before GMRS. You’re still better off with cellular. You may be lacking enough signal to make a call. But most likely have enough to make a txt to someone you know will be on the other end.

@@corykroeger2231 That's area dependent. Some places GMRS is busy as all get out. Where I live, you're right....ham radio is a better option. As for phones, they're great when the network is up. After what we saw with Helene, anyone who relies solely on cell service for comms after a disaster is in for a rude awakening.

Agreed!

I don't have any that I can tear apart, but in short the good ones are generally either mono band antennas that are tuned to the correct portion of the band, or are dual band antennas that are both physically and electrically the correct length. Most of the cheap antennas are too short (to keep them compact) to radiate well. They use loading coils to get the electrical length correct, but the radiating element is short. They're generally also not very efficient.

Thank you for the reply. As a ham, how can we confirm this experimentally? If someone has a bad antenna can we do something to fix it?

@@shabbarvejlani Well, you can measure signal strength. That's probably the best indicator. That being said, there's a lot that goes into making an antenna work as you want it to. Gain, polarization, directionality, length, etc. All antennas are a compromise of some sort. Really the only thing you can do with a bad antenna is replace it with a good antenna.

​@@EvanK2EJTthanks again for your feedback!

Niestety nie mówię po polsku. Nie jestem pewien, czy dostępne są przetłumaczone napisy do tego filmu.

Yeah, I want to get the 300hz roofing filter too. Definitely worth the money from what I've heard.

It broke the squelch on the repeater, so it definitely got in. You can hear me on the 705, and the S meter on the radio went to S9

@@EvanK2EJT thx

@@EvanK2EJT Sorry. Not helpful. As a "101" course, I thought it would be for real beginners. But I don't know what a " IC 705" is. I guess the camera is looking at it. I saw nothing change on the machine. I watched it 3 times. It "broke the squelch on the repeater" means nothing to me. I hope you apologized to the repeater people for breaking their squelch. I don't know what an "s meter" is or where it is or what it does. I saw no movement. Most new people won't have one. "As you can see, this repeater is 7 miles away ..." I can't see that. I will be seeking something more basic for beginners. Again, I do not mean to be critical, only to explain my situation so it may help other newbies. thx

@@stevejette2329 I apologize, but I can only do so much in a video like this. There is going to be a basic level of understanding that you're going to need if you want to follow any of this. That's on you to learn, and part of why you need to study for the tests. I'm not trying to be pedantic, but if you need that level of instruction, an actual ham radio study course is what you need, an not a TH-cam video on how to set up a radio. Nobody taught me anything I know (aside from Morse Code). I learned 100% of it on my own, but it took time, work, and dedication to really begin to understand this stuff.

@@EvanK2EJT Yes, no apology needed. Unless someone tells you how to get that "basic level of understanding", YT might be the default. I did a one day "here are the answers" and passed the test, but... so what. No real understanding. I actually had a "1st phone" back in 1970. But again, more theory and test answers than understanding. I don't know where to find "an actual ham radio study course", so I am heading to Ham Radio Outlet in Sacramento today. I bought the wrong antenna from Amazon. Like you, I am "on my own, taking time and dedication" but I feel there must be a better way ... with guidance ... even pro athletes have coaches, trainers, etc. My real hope is that lots of beginners read this and gain something. The word "overwhelming" comes up repeatedly. It shouldn't.

I'm not running anything special. Just a Palomar 9:1 with a 71' wire. The 7300 is a great radio too!

Yeah, conditions have been odd. Good to get you in the log as well!

Every time LOL

Yeah, that one threw me until I figured out what was going on. Thanks for watching!

Wolf River Coils 213" whip.

Agreed

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback!

The build quality can't even be compared. The TX-500 is miles ahead of any other field radio in that regard. The receiver, filtering, and signal processing are leaps and bounds better as well. The G90 is a more well rounded radio for most people, but for me personally the TX-500 is a better RADIO, and that's the most important part to me.

Yeah, speed has increased drastically. Sometimes people prioritize speed over accuracy though, and that's a mistake.

Yeah, if you're only going to do a few channels, it's probably quicker by hand. If you're doing a pile of them, CHIRP is the way to go.

@@EvanK2EJT AND you reply quickly !!

​@@stevejette2329 I try to. A lot of channels ignore comments. That's not particularly helpful, especially for people who are trying to learn.

I have a LOT more than seven LOL. I absolutely don't *need* them all. I could get away with one or two ham HTs and a handful of GMRS radios.

@@EvanK2EJT "What were once hobbies have become addictions." ??

Right! It's crazy what elevation will do. I've made satellite contacts on 1w before. As long as the antennas can see each other, you can talk. Crazy stuff.

@@EvanK2EJT Right. Hight is might. Even though I had a dinky little antenna, I could have heard anything. You know what's interesting? I couldn't hear the airport tower. VHF sucks from inside a metal hull. UHF rocks.

I didn't know that about the Quansheng radios. Interesting!

@@EvanK2EJT One reason I think the Quansheng UV-K5 (5/8 or 6, or whatever they are called) should be in everyone's collection is because of its tone scanning. The radio itself is not expensive. About 30 bucks. I installed the Egzumer 21 (spelling?) firmware. I used the Vivaldi browser to do that. Then you go to whatever frequency or channel. Press F and *. This will activate tone scanning. Unlike with most radios, there doesn't have to be any activity at this point. You don't have to specify whether the tone is CTCSS or DCS. You just leave the radio alone. Once the radio gets a signal, it will display the tone to you, and it will be on the screen until you press the exit button.

This is how I know the tones of a bunch of repeaters in WI, IL, IN, and MI (when propagation is good). It is fun to check into a net or have a chat with someone a hundred miles away. And do so on UHF.

Correct. You can't actually name the frequency without CHIRP though.

Well, if you're looking for something that won't break the bank and is a fantastic radio, take a look at the Yaesu 891. 100W, small enough to carry around, amazing receiver. The menu structure is a little archaic, and there's no antenna tuner so you'll need to use resonant antennas.........but that'd be my recommendation.

@@EvanK2EJT thank you for the reply. between my question and your answer, another video made me realize that if the grid goes down, my base station radio will be dependent on solar power and a 100W radio can use quite alot. can a 100W radio be adjusted so as not to require full power, both transmitting and receiving, if i am only doing so in short distances?

@@zakkrueck2362 It can. You can turn the power down to 5w on a 100w radio. You do need to keep in mind that the receive current draw will be MUCH higher than a low power radio though. The 891 draws about 1 watt on receive, regardless of power output. Many of the low power radios (10w or there abouts) draw as low as 100 mw on receive.

Very interesting! Thanks for the education!

The TX-500 was right up there in the running. It just didn't see as much time as the other radios did.

It's an FTDX10, but the settings should be the same. First, I find the 3D waterfall hard to read, so I turned that off with the 3DSS button on the bottom of the screen. Next, I found a color palate that I liked under function, and then color. Lastly, set the level so that the "grass" just goes away. That's function, level. You'll need to change that level day to day and band to band as the noise on the band changes. Hopefully that helps.

Absolutely, assuming you have a repeater in range.

Yeah, I've sped up, and the pileups have gotten bigger. That's how it goes sometimes.

@@EvanK2EJT Hey you're doing a good job and next year I'll hear you at 30 WPM🙂

As far as I know, MFJ went out of business, so the antenna is hard to find. The next best thing is this Smiley: www.smileyantenna.com/shop/p/regular-duck-aircraft-band-132-136-mhz-89tzw-d8z33-c6nc2-3p5g6-cx8cl-mz59h-lsfpn-57rgs-tnccz-mwcp4-785de-lzttn-yynk8-ftewn-yycr9-g4naa-8cblz-awjjf-zmspr

Yeah, it's an awesome spot to activate for sure!

Yeah, I figured it out after the fact lol

I wouldn't have known that one either. Well this wknd Dec 14-15 is ARRL 10M contest, but the exchange is just ur state. Thanks for the fall themed video. It feels like full-fledged winter here now.