I find it very funny when you are talking on FM mode and you give a report of full quiet but low audio and the station says " I will increase power ". If 5 watts is full quiet, 1500 is not going to increase audio levels. Some think FM and SSB act the same.
@@SevenFortyOne yes Rob thank you and I am CB and Ham radio license operator to ! All video you do very good information! I been on Cb since September 5 1985 as base then 1992 mobile setups and April 30 2008 be Ham radio license base and not mobile much only Hand Held ones!
Question.. brand new on my journey of learning, on some repeaters when I transmit I'm told I have a low almost robotic hum kind of like what you had when you were using the repeater. Even when I key up just to make sure I'm hitting it it gets keyed back with this digital sounding "waooow waooow waooow" like some1's making Frankenstein in the distance.. lol rps 30 power supply btech 25x4, not all repeaters give me this but they keep saying maybe rf bleed back and im commin in low? Wouldn't that happen all the time though if that were the case? W/N didn't change a thing. 😒
you would use narrow if the ham repeater you are connecting to used narrow for some reason. Most ham repeaters, however, are set to wide. Having said that, most other radio services that still operate analog VHF/UHF like fire, EMS, and businesses use narrow mode. Ham Radio is really the only holdout still using wide.
Hey rob, kind of off topic. I see you have a couple of border collies. I don't own one but my sister did and she was one of the most incredible dogs I've ever known. She lived from 2010 to 2022. So 12 1/2 years is pretty good for any dog but I think she got cheated a a bit. Because there's been a lot of border Collies who have lived to 17, 18 or 20. What happened to her was she got a virus from raccoon urine. Probably from her sniffing around garbage cans etcetera. It took a few years but it finally caused a shutdown of her kidneys and therefore the rest of her organs. I know you live in a rural area so there's probably raccoons so be very careful of your dogs around raccoons.
Thanks for the tip! My boys are rescue dogs and not pure border Collie but just the same we try to keep them out of trouble, healthy and happy. In fact, I've got to go take them for a walk now!
Great demo! I've played with that between two radios to see how dramatic it would be, but the repeater demo really shows how much audio you can lose with a mismatch.
I'm of the new hams, but this is something I am a stickler about. The big thing is that this isn't 1966 anymore. The FCC should Narrowband the Ham Bands above 50mhz. The FCC mandated in 2013 that there shall be no more Wideband in all of the rest of the spectrum except for Hams, Weather, and Marine Bands. You get a better Signal to noise ratio, your signal travels further and it helps free up the spectrum and allows for additional repeaters/traffic. I will love the day when wideband is no more. It is time the hams get with the times and we push this hobby forward.
You make excellent points. However, to play devil's advocate I'd rather the FCC NOT mandate NFM for hams. Ham radio is for tinkering and experimenting; regulations would restrict that ability. Thanks for your thoughts!
@@SevenFortyOne I "discovered" this a few years ago when I was reading about MURS frequencies. I owned a pair of radios for this service, and they were setup for the 2 channels which allow wideband FM. I was surprised that other channels in this service used narrowband. This made me wonder if any hams used narrowband. I was surprised to find discussions by hams using narrowband below 29 MHz. I didn't think this was legal, but they claim that if their bandwidth isn't wider than an AM signal, it's permitted. However narrowband FM has issues with phase on the lower frequencies which can render it useless. So I guess that SSB is still the "best" mode for phone on HF. Anyway, several years ago I tried the same experiment that you did in your video with the same results. Narrowband is compatible with wideband, even through repeaters, but since the deviation is narrow, so is the volume.
The most important setting on a Boafang should be one that directs you to a website that sells Yaesu, Icom or Kenwood!! But I don't think they have that setting. You get what you pay for, don't ever forget that.
I think we both know that these Chinese radios are here to stay. My goal here is to help people use them the best way they can and also to point out the flaws they have. I find it more effective to show people why "ham" radios are better than the cheap Chinese radios and encourage them to upgrade their equipment when they can. Outright telling someone their radio is a piece of junk is going to discourage them from getting on the air, being active, and then eventually upgrading their ticket.
Nice test and great to see/hear the differences.
so how to adjust?
Menu item 5 on the baofeng...but it's different for others
Good info, I didn't know this when I was programming my first radio. Thanks for the real world demo test.
I'm glad you liked this!
Excellent video Rob, I was not aware of this issue. Thank you for sharing.
I'm glad you liked it!
I find it very funny when you are talking on FM mode and you give a report of full quiet but low audio and the station says " I will increase power ". If 5 watts is full quiet, 1500 is not going to increase audio levels. Some think FM and SSB act the same.
This video rocks! I have been a ham for a number of years, but I guess I am not to old to learn. Thanks so much for this video!
You're welcome! Thanks for letting me know you liked it
I see what you did there with the frequency. Nice.
Good eye!
Hitchhikers guide?
That's one of them
Excellent video Rob :) also very good information about narrow and wide for sure !
That's, I'm glad you found some value in this video.
@@SevenFortyOne yes Rob thank you and I am CB and Ham radio license operator to ! All video you do very good information! I been on Cb since September 5 1985 as base then 1992 mobile setups and April 30 2008 be Ham radio license base and not mobile much only Hand Held ones!
Great job Rob! Very informative.
Thanks for your help with the video!
Question.. brand new on my journey of learning, on some repeaters when I transmit I'm told I have a low almost robotic hum kind of like what you had when you were using the repeater. Even when I key up just to make sure I'm hitting it it gets keyed back with this digital sounding "waooow waooow waooow" like some1's making Frankenstein in the distance.. lol rps 30 power supply btech 25x4, not all repeaters give me this but they keep saying maybe rf bleed back and im commin in low? Wouldn't that happen all the time though if that were the case? W/N didn't change a thing. 😒
I'm really not sure... I'd have to hear it in person. I've never heard what you are describing.
I identified Hitchhikers Guide, and The Fellowship of tge Rings
That's 2 of the three
Great Video Rob.
You've just shown you can teach an old Dog new Tricks 😄
Thanks Buddy
Great test! Its good to see the differences. 73
Thanks!
This may explain why a certain two guys on one of the local repeaters always sound low. Thanks, Rob!
When would narrow band be utilized?
you would use narrow if the ham repeater you are connecting to used narrow for some reason. Most ham repeaters, however, are set to wide. Having said that, most other radio services that still operate analog VHF/UHF like fire, EMS, and businesses use narrow mode. Ham Radio is really the only holdout still using wide.
The third quote was from Lord of the Rings when Bilbo had his Eleventy First birthday party .................. one of my favourite books also
Yes - that's the quote
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
Hey rob, kind of off topic. I see you have a couple of border collies. I don't own one but my sister did and she was one of the most incredible dogs I've ever known. She lived from 2010 to 2022. So 12 1/2 years is pretty good for any dog but I think she got cheated a a bit. Because there's been a lot of border Collies who have lived to 17, 18 or 20. What happened to her was she got a virus from raccoon urine. Probably from her sniffing around garbage cans etcetera. It took a few years but it finally caused a shutdown of her kidneys and therefore the rest of her organs. I know you live in a rural area so there's probably raccoons so be very careful of your dogs around raccoons.
Thanks for the tip! My boys are rescue dogs and not pure border Collie but just the same we try to keep them out of trouble, healthy and happy. In fact, I've got to go take them for a walk now!
Great demo! I've played with that between two radios to see how dramatic it would be, but the repeater demo really shows how much audio you can lose with a mismatch.
Thanks!
I'm of the new hams, but this is something I am a stickler about. The big thing is that this isn't 1966 anymore. The FCC should Narrowband the Ham Bands above 50mhz. The FCC mandated in 2013 that there shall be no more Wideband in all of the rest of the spectrum except for Hams, Weather, and Marine Bands.
You get a better Signal to noise ratio, your signal travels further and it helps free up the spectrum and allows for additional repeaters/traffic. I will love the day when wideband is no more. It is time the hams get with the times and we push this hobby forward.
You make excellent points. However, to play devil's advocate I'd rather the FCC NOT mandate NFM for hams. Ham radio is for tinkering and experimenting; regulations would restrict that ability. Thanks for your thoughts!
Hams use wideband FM.
Right...that's what the video is about...
@@SevenFortyOne I "discovered" this a few years ago when I was reading about MURS frequencies. I owned a pair of radios for this service, and they were setup for the 2 channels which allow wideband FM.
I was surprised that other channels in this service used narrowband. This made me wonder if any hams used narrowband.
I was surprised to find discussions by hams using narrowband below 29 MHz. I didn't think this was legal, but they claim that if their bandwidth isn't wider than an AM signal, it's permitted.
However narrowband FM has issues with phase on the lower frequencies which can render it useless. So I guess that SSB is still the "best" mode for phone on HF.
Anyway, several years ago I tried the same experiment that you did in your video with the same results. Narrowband is compatible with wideband, even through repeaters, but since the deviation is narrow, so is the volume.
When one first gets into this hobby and knows NOTHING, listening to videos like this may as well be in Chinese 😅
The most important setting on a Boafang should be one that directs you to a website that sells Yaesu, Icom or Kenwood!! But I don't think they have that setting. You get what you pay for, don't ever forget that.
I think we both know that these Chinese radios are here to stay. My goal here is to help people use them the best way they can and also to point out the flaws they have. I find it more effective to show people why "ham" radios are better than the cheap Chinese radios and encourage them to upgrade their equipment when they can. Outright telling someone their radio is a piece of junk is going to discourage them from getting on the air, being active, and then eventually upgrading their ticket.