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2m and 70cm base set up

M

Mac83

Member
Jun 10, 2011
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I am totally new to ham radio. Even though I have had my tech license for
about 8 years I have never gotten a radio or been on the air.

I live in NH and the local amateur radio club has 2 repeaters on 2m 145.33/ 100.00hz
and 70cm 443.550/ 136.5 hz

What does the 100 hz and 136.5 hz mean?

I'm looking into setting up a dual band radio as a base, but there seems to be so many radios out there I find my self lost in what I should get.
Then I'll need some type of antenna and I'm lost on it, if they even make a dual band antenna for 2m and 70cm.

Looking to spend about $200-250.

Any one have any suggestions on how to start looking and what type of radio and antenna might be best for me?
 

The frequencies shown in Hz are the audio tones you need to transmit in order to access the repeater. It can keep just anybody from being able to use the machine. A lot of repeaters have them. If you think you're in range of the repeater but can't access it, it can be as simple as trying different tones to see if one of them is the "magic key". Most VHF/UHF stuff built in the last 20 years will have tones built in - you'd just have to check the manual.

As far as what equipment you should get - that's YOUR decision. Check features, compare prices. There are several dual band antennas that should work quite well for you.

Finally, you say there's a local club? You should be a member and have one of them take a look at where your station will be. THEY should be glad to help with all of your questions.
 
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I agree with Beetle, there are lots of choices available. I would also suggest attending a local club meeting or two, or three, whatever. At the very least, it would be a source of used equipment. I'm afraid that with the limits you've put on spending, the used market would probably be your best source (with all the caveats(sp) that implies).
Good luck.
- Doc
 
Thanks for the reply's.
There just seems to be so many radios to choose from.
I'm gonna continue to research them.
Has any one here bought radios off of e-bay before?

I plan on attending the New England Amateur radio festival in a few weeks and
hoping I might be able to find some good used equipment there.
Are there any key things I should look for or ask when buying a dual band radio used?
 
The one thing that I can think of off hand is the 'tone's, PL tones that some radios don't have. Those tones are not an 'extra' anymore, they are almost an absolute requirement. They are used to access repeaters, sort of like a 'key' to turn the repeater on (won't 'hear' you unless the correct tones are there).
After that, it's about like buying a used car. It has to 'run', look fairly decent, and no obvious problems. The manual for any radio is VERY nice to have! So are any other things that usually come with a radio, such as the power cord. If a radio has been modified in some way then I'd be a bit 'leery' about it. Being familiar with the radios you look at is a very good idea. Also not always the easiest thing to do, there are lots of them.
Good luck.
- 'Doc
 
DUAL BAND RADIO/ANT

On the dual bander..your budget is limited,
Go to HAMSTATION..EVANSVILLE INDIANA..LOT of used vhf/uhf gear and a short warranty, EBAY is over priced, watch out for hamfests my junk is your junk and no warranty.

Antenna go to R AND L ELECTRONICS..Jet stream 2 mtr antenna..omni base vertical will work just fine...

Since your so limited..I would buy a 2 mtr xcvr...the jetstream antenna and you will need a pwr supply..35 amp..
that is your budget..125 radio 45 antenna plus rest for pwr supply.. No dual bander at this time..later on...

Hope this helps

DOCTOR/795
 
The dual bander rig might be a tad out of your price range with you also needing a power supply,antenna and coax...Might look at a 2 meter rig single band to begin with or save your dimes for a bit longer for the dual bander
I dont know about your area but the 70 CM band is pretty quiet around my area and for me wasnt worth getting a dual band rig ( might look into that before getting a dual band rig..some areas are pretty dead on 70 CM and some are pretty active)

I got a 15 amp Duracomm power supply for under 50$ new and it powers my 75 watt 2 meter rig with no trouble...run it for almost 2 years now without any problems

And I will agree with the Jetstream antenna,I have the small one they offer for about 50$ +/- works very well and easy to put together

I use RG 8x or mini 8 coax for my 2 meter rig and it works fine,about 25$ +/-

For a radio I am personally running a Yeasu FT 2900 2 meter radio...got it new out of the box for 129 $.... and it works great...I will be getting another one in a few months for my mobil set up

The only thing that I wish I had is a tower so I could get the antenna a bit higher in the air

But anyway....I do wish you all the best and with what you are looking at to spend you should be able to get on the air if you shop around a bit
 
Well I picked up a used Yaesu FT 7800R Hope I didn't pay to much for it. ($165)

I also got a arrow J-pole antenna for 2meter and 70cm.

I already have a 10 amp power supply that does 13.8 VDC.

Now I have to set every thing up.

A question I have is what size ground rod to use. 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch?

I plan on grounding the mast. Not sure on the best way to attach the ground wire to the mast. Thinking of using #6 or 8 awg wire.

Once I have the ground rod in I will attach the wire from the mast to the ground then run another wire from the ground rod to the ground rod for my home service panel.

I'm also wondering what I should use for a coax protector.
Once I have the coax protector do I need to run another ground wire from the protector to the ground rod?

I would really like some input on how to properly set up my station. Any advice would be great.

Also I passed my general exam this weekend. I just really want to get on the air and have things set up by winter. And hopefully have it all well protected from mother nature.
 
Mac83 said:
Well I picked up a used Yaesu FT 7800R Hope I didn't pay to much for it. ($165)

I also got a arrow J-pole antenna for 2meter and 70cm.

I already have a 10 amp power supply that does 13.8 VDC.

Now I have to set every thing up.

A question I have is what size ground rod to use. 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch?

I plan on grounding the mast. Not sure on the best way to attach the ground wire to the mast. Thinking of using #6 or 8 awg wire.

Once I have the ground rod in I will attach the wire from the mast to the ground then run another wire from the ground rod to the ground rod for my home service panel.

I'm also wondering what I should use for a coax protector.
Once I have the coax protector do I need to run another ground wire from the protector to the ground rod?

I would really like some input on how to properly set up my station. Any advice would be great.

Also I passed my general exam this weekend. I just really want to get on the air and have things set up by winter. And hopefully have it all well protected from mother nature.
Click to expand...


Ft7800 is a NICE radio ground rods don't care how big around but go at lests 6 foot deep and use a good thick wire to the pole lighting aresters WELL if you want the best go with POLYPHAISER OR ICE OR ALPHA DELTA AGAIN ground it well ....

Here is my 2 meter FM antenna a G7-144 Hustler it is 45 foot from the street to the top.
 

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I agree with Doctor the Jetstream JTB-2 is a very good base antenna. I put one up for a fellow Ham and with his 50 watt rig he can work repeaters over 100 miles away. Not bad for a $69 Dual Band antenna including shipping here. These antennas are really made by Diamond for Jetstream. And the Yaesu FT-2900 is a great low priced 75 watt rig. The Yaesu FT-7800/7900's are very good Dual band rigs. Also use some good coax and get the antenna as high up as possible.
 
Mac83 said:
What does the 100 hz and 136.5 hz mean?

I'm looking into setting up a dual band radio as a base, but there seems to be so many radios out there I find my self lost in what I should get.
Then I'll need some type of antenna and I'm lost on it, if they even make a dual band antenna for 2m and 70cm.

Looking to spend about $200-250.

Any one have any suggestions on how to start looking and what type of radio and antenna might be best for me?
Click to expand...

First off, you are probably going to spend more than your top price of $250 to get set up.

Mac83 said:
Has any one here bought radios off of e-bay before?
Click to expand...

I sure have....in fact when i got my tech ticket, I bought off ebay, a used Yaesu FT-7900R. It is a dual band radio that covers 2 meters and 70 cm. I paid almost $300 for it to include the remote separation kit.

Brand new they run around $300 and that's not with the kit.

For an antenna I'm running a Ringo Ranger II, which is a 2 m only antenna.... only because I got it for $30, but I was going to buy myself a Diamond X300A, because it's a base antenna designed for 2 meter and 70 cm....but also because I've heard nothing but praise on Diamond antennas.

kd-5-bgt said:
I dont know about your area but the 70 CM band is pretty quiet around my area and for me wasnt worth getting a dual band rig ( might look into that before getting a dual band rig..some areas are pretty dead on 70 CM and some are pretty active)
Click to expand...


Small world, I am north of you near Warrensburg. We have a 70 cm repeater, a 2 m repeater and we just did get a 1.25 m repeater.
 
As of right now here is what I have to do to be up and running.

1. Put ground rod into the ground and bond it to the ground rod for my house.

2. Set up antenna. I have a Arrow dual band J-pole (2M/ 70cm).

3. Run the coax. I'm wondering about lighting protection for the coax.

I was thinking about getting the MFJ-270 lighting surge protector for 50 ohm coax. Still not sure where the best place on the coax is for this. Maybe in the house where the coax first enters? Then where do I run the ground wire that is supposed to be attached to the lighting protector?

I'm very confused about how to set up the coax to be protected from a lighting strike.

Thanks to everyone for chiming in, I was beginning to wonder if my post was ever going to get answered.
 
Well I got some # 6 wire to run for my ground.

Still haven't figured out how to ground the coax. Still thinking about getting the MFJ-270 for it.

I will also need to get a SWR meter.

Where is a good place to buy these things from online?
 

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