Re: after market antennas
Ed Fong has designed a dual band roll up jpole and written an article about the design and performance.? One big feature is the additional tweaks to the basic design that make the 440 pattern much better: instead of being lobes that are +45 degrees and -45 to the horizontal typical with most jpoles, the tweaks result in the lobes being horizontal.
Note that a jpole in free air is built with a slightly different optimum SWR point than one intended to be inside PVC (or inside anything). Andy
?
I was looking for something I could roll up. ?
Thanks anyway, ? Rick
? ? ? I made this aluminum J-pole a few years ago and found it much more reliable (and professional looking) than a twin-lead J-pole.
You can buy nearly identical ones but I happened to have the 3/8" aluminum rod lying around from another project. ?
On Sun, Jun 22, 2014 at 1:51 PM, 'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60] <FT-60@...> wrote:
? At the moment I’m looking at a homemade twin lead based J pole antenna. At least some people claim it is much better than the rubber duckie. Any firsthand experience out there?
? I discovered this morning that I only need 0.5 watts to reach the repeaters up on the mountain next to me. J
? ?
Rick KG7MQL
? ? ? 30 miles is pretty good Rick!
? Today I tried to reach two repeaters that are 76 miles away with my rubber duckie. No surprises. Didn’t work. However, I do reach 30 miles just fine.
? Rick
KG7MQL ?
? ? I won't comment on replacement antenna for the radio, but I will comment on the tape measure yagi.? I have been using one for 6 months to communicate to a net that is about 40 miles away with scattered hills in the way. This antenna is the only thing that I have been able to make the net with using my hand held.? I think it is a great little performer.
B. Clive Souter
N6TTD/Amateur Extra Class
?
From: FT-60@...
To: FT-60@...
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:26:52 -0700
Subject: [FT-60] after market antennas
? ? As I read about various after market antennas for my FT-60, I find a few things that surprise me. The first is that some vendors will say “sma” connector but not mention if it is male or female. Then there is performance. For a given antenna, I will read that some people did an “A/B” comparison with the standard rubber duckie that comes with the FT-60 and say the new antenna is much better. Others will say it is slightly worse. The only consensus for an antenna seems to be how easily it can be broken.
? I would like to hear what people on this BBS use for an after market antenna and under what conditions they use it.
? I have also seen and read about the tape measure yagi that is very easy to build. Has anyone used one of these in order to communicate with a distant repeater?
? 73, ?
Rick KG7MQL
?
?
|
Re: after market antennas
(I was looking for something I could roll up.) ? Hey Rick,
Sounds like you have a lot of support there in the Valley. Peoria and Goodyear native, myself. Moved out here a year ago so my wife can look after here Mother who's started the dementia/Alzheimer thing...
Anyway, take a look at this antenna. I bought one for my wife and I for emergency COMMS out in the bush. I got it up in a tree about 15 feet and was able to ping a repeater that I wasn't able to hit on my rubber ducky.?
I'll be taking my test on the 28th. Congrats on your achievement.
Greg
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|
Re: after market antennas
Roger that, with good line of site she works really well!!
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On Jun 22, 2014, at 10:51 AM, "'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60]" < FT-60@...> wrote:
?
At the moment I’m looking at a homemade twin lead based J pole antenna. At least some people claim it is much better than the rubber duckie. Any firsthand experience out there? ? I discovered this morning that I only need 0.5 watts to reach the repeaters up on the mountain next to me. J ? ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? 30 miles is pretty good Rick! ? Today I tried to reach two repeaters that are 76 miles away with my rubber duckie. No surprises. Didn’t work. However, I do reach 30 miles just fine. ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? I won't comment on replacement antenna for the radio, but I will comment on the tape measure yagi.? I have been using one for 6 months to communicate to a net that is about 40 miles away with scattered hills in the way. This antenna is the only thing that I have been able to make the net with using my hand held.? I think it is a great little performer.
B. Clive Souter
N6TTD/Amateur Extra Class
?
From: FT-60@...
To: FT-60@...
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:26:52 -0700
Subject: [FT-60] after market antennas
? ? As I read about various after market antennas for my FT-60, I find a few things that surprise me. The first is that some vendors will say “sma” connector but not mention if it is male or female. Then there is performance. For a given antenna, I will read that some people did an “A/B” comparison with the standard rubber duckie that comes with the FT-60 and say the new antenna is much better. Others will say it is slightly worse. The only consensus for an antenna seems to be how easily it can be broken. ? I would like to hear what people on this BBS use for an after market antenna and under what conditions they use it. ? I have also seen and read about the tape measure yagi that is very easy to build. Has anyone used one of these in order to communicate with a distant repeater? ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL ?
|
My guess is that even in the best of conditions, 76 miles will be tough with just 5 watts, even with a better antenna. You may hit it, but I think it'll be pretty scratchy at that point.? Ron.?
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On Jun 22, 2014, at 3:32 PM, "'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60]" < FT-60@...> wrote:
?
Thanks Ron. If the twin lead J I plan to make doesn’t get me to those repeaters 76 miles away, I’ll be looking for an alternate design. ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? Rick, the radiator on my ground plane antenna is made of Piano wire and the four radials are made from standard coat hangers.? The Elmer friend that made it for me tuned it perfectly with his antenna analyzer.? ? Ron, ? It would be hard to find a simpler antenna. Can you point me to plans? ? Thanks, ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? [Attachment(s) from kg7dju included below] That's really close, boy you'll hit that repeater solid, you found yourself a good one. !! I'm not sure about the yagi, I'm just a rookie like you, but a good Elmer friend of mine made a portable ground plain antenna for me and it's much improved as compared to my rubber duck. I'm hitting a friend on simplex with the ground plane antenna and he's 23 miles from me, FT-60 set on 5 watts. I could probably get more distance but I've got the Tombstone Hills that are between myself and Hereford, Az.? Here's a pic of the homemade ground plane antenna. It's adjusted for a good SWR too.? ? The repeater is a mere 2.5 miles from my home up on a mountain. I can easily see it from my backyard. I have located two repeaters that are 76 miles away up on even higher mountains. I put their lat/lon in my GPS so know the exact heading. Any idea if a yagi could reach them? I can't wait to try :-) I just need to buy a rew parts and then can start construction. It would be used in my backyard, certainly not in my car.?
Rick ? Outstanding Rick! About how far are you from that repeater? ? I agree that the SMA is mechanically weak. The little rubber duckie that came with the FT-60 is a reasonable mechanical load. I'm thinking of making a tape measure yagi for occasional use. The SMA with matching thin coax should be ok as long as I don't trip on the wire ;-) If the center pin fails, I can replace the connector on the coax.? Last Thursday I was part of the Maricopa New Ham Net. It was excellent and I plan to attend next Thursday too. I wrote down all of the call signs and looked them up to get an idea of the range of this repeater. Rather impressive - roughly 30 mile radius.? ? The SMA, while electrically a good connector, is a bit delicate for applications where you’re frequently removing the antenna. I’ve heard of problems with the center pin coming loose. Many operators I know use an SMA to BNC adaptor (find one that seats firmly against the body of the radio). Then choose an aftermarket antenna with a BNC connector. My favorite antenna is the Pryme RD-98. The antenna is long, but thin and very flexible (you can tie it in a knot, although I don’t know why you’d want to). It performs very well on both VHF and UHF and sells for about $25 at HRO and other outlets. ? 73, Dan ? ?
|
Re: Memory Bank Recall Function
Sorry about that. Yes, I will curb my enthusiasm. ? 73, ? Rick ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 5:13 PM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] Memory Bank Recall Function? ? Might I suggest you try not to absorb everything in one day. ?By the end of today you will have a fuzzy mind. ?You have sent 25 emails with 25 questions so far. ?Did you ever think you could ask 2 questions per email ? ?Or even 3 or 4. ?I understand your enthusiasm but ease up a little. ?Please. ? ? ? Don, ? My manual also shows Memory Bank Scan on page 39 but the figures do not show the “b”. Not sure if you are saying that your copy of the manual shows the “b”. However, it is certainly doing a bank scan. ? It wasn’t that page 33’s Memory Bank Recall was wrong, just did not fully explain to me what to expect and what will happen if I do anything wrong. As a newbie, I like to avoid surprises while I try to learn something new. ? 73, ? Rick ? ? ? The "Memory Bank Recall" function works for me exactly as written in the manual. If you press and hold V/M in the manual's step 4, what you try to avoid in your step 4, you'll enter "Memory Bank Scan" mode (I guess the "b" is for "bank scan"). See page 39 (in my manual, anyway) for more info.
-Don, KE6DM
------?
Sent from my HP Touchpad running Android Jellybean! On June 22, 2014 7:47:57 AM PDT, "'Rick - yahoo'?rgsparber.ya@...?[FT-60]" <FT-60@...> wrote: ? I have found that the Memory Bank Recall Function does not work exactly as described in my book. Here is what works for me: ? Memory Bank Recall ? 1.?????If necessary, press V/M to get into memory mode 2.?????Press and hold BAND until display shows BAND # where # is the band number and SEL is flashing; you can also select NO BANK to exit the Memory Banks 3.?????Rotate DIAL to select desired bank 4.?????Press V/M for about 1 second; if too long, you will see MBLSCN and band won’t change. You will see “b” on top of BANK on the left side of the display. Press BAND to clear the “b” (what does the “b” mean?) ? ? I would appreciate others testing this procedure to see if it works for them. ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL ?
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Re: minor errors in FT-60 manual
Assigning memories to a bank is just like the manual describes but after you let off the FW key, it takes a moment for the display to respond. ?Kinda strange but it works.
|
Re: Memory Bank Recall Function
Might I suggest you try not to absorb everything in one day. ?By the end of today you will have a fuzzy mind. ?You have sent 25 emails with 25 questions so far. ?Did you ever think you could ask 2 questions per email ? ?Or even 3 or 4. ?I understand your enthusiasm but ease up a little. ?Please.
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Don, ? My manual also shows Memory Bank Scan on page 39 but the figures do not show the “b”. Not sure if you are saying that your copy of the manual shows the “b”. However, it is certainly doing a bank scan. ? It wasn’t that page 33’s Memory Bank Recall was wrong, just did not fully explain to me what to expect and what will happen if I do anything wrong. As a newbie, I like to avoid surprises while I try to learn something new. ? 73, ? Rick ? ? ? The "Memory Bank Recall" function works for me exactly as written in the manual. If you press and hold V/M in the manual's step 4, what you try to avoid in your step 4, you'll enter "Memory Bank Scan" mode (I guess the "b" is for "bank scan"). See page 39 (in my manual, anyway) for more info.
-Don, KE6DM
------?
Sent from my HP Touchpad running Android Jellybean! On June 22, 2014 7:47:57 AM PDT, "'Rick - yahoo'?rgsparber.ya@...?[FT-60]" <FT-60@...> wrote: ? I have found that the Memory Bank Recall Function does not work exactly as described in my book. Here is what works for me: ? Memory Bank Recall ? 1.?????If necessary, press V/M to get into memory mode 2.?????Press and hold BAND until display shows BAND # where # is the band number and SEL is flashing; you can also select NO BANK to exit the Memory Banks 3.?????Rotate DIAL to select desired bank 4.?????Press V/M for about 1 second; if too long, you will see MBLSCN and band won’t change. You will see “b” on top of BANK on the left side of the display. Press BAND to clear the “b” (what does the “b” mean?) ? ? I would appreciate others testing this procedure to see if it works for them. ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL
|
Re: yet another odd behavior
Jim, ? I’m not confused about this anymore. ? Thanks, ? Rick KG7MQL ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 1:56 PM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] yet another odd behavior? ? Press and release the F/W key, then press and release the 3(TX PO) key.
The display should show the current power level. You change it by
rotating the channel select knob.
Exit power setting selection by pressing and releasing the F/W key.
Works every time for me.
Remember that the power setting is saved along with the frequency, tone,
etc., in each memory channel. So, if you change the power setting while
tuned to a saved memory channel, that new setting will be in effect only
as long as you remain on that channel. If you change to another channel
or to VFO, but return later, the previously saved power setting will be
in effect.
Hope this helps.
73, Jim K5JG
'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60] wrote:
>
>
> When I try to change transmit power levels as shown on page 15 of the
> user’s guide, the display only shows LOW or nothing (which indicates
> HIGH). I am unable to get display to show MID. Anyone else have this
> problem?
>
>
>
> Rick
>
> KG7MQL
>
>
>
>
|
Re: yet another odd behavior
Paul, ? Ah, now I see it in the book. I guess I’m just suffering from information overload here. ? Thanks, ? Rick ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 2:12 PM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] yet another odd behavior? ? The display will show "Low" if the power is set to Medium or Low setting.? That is normal. 73, Paul.
KJ6LDG
|
Re: Memory Bank Recall Function
Don, ? My manual also shows Memory Bank Scan on page 39 but the figures do not show the “b”. Not sure if you are saying that your copy of the manual shows the “b”. However, it is certainly doing a bank scan. ? It wasn’t that page 33’s Memory Bank Recall was wrong, just did not fully explain to me what to expect and what will happen if I do anything wrong. As a newbie, I like to avoid surprises while I try to learn something new. ? 73, ? Rick ?
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Show quoted text
From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 9:18 AM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] Memory Bank Recall Function? ? The "Memory Bank Recall" function works for me exactly as written in the manual. If you press and hold V/M in the manual's step 4, what you try to avoid in your step 4, you'll enter "Memory Bank Scan" mode (I guess the "b" is for "bank scan"). See page 39 (in my manual, anyway) for more info.
-Don, KE6DM
------
Sent from my HP Touchpad running Android Jellybean! On June 22, 2014 7:47:57 AM PDT, "'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60]" <FT-60@...> wrote: ? I have found that the Memory Bank Recall Function does not work exactly as described in my book. Here is what works for me: ? Memory Bank Recall ? 1.???? If necessary, press V/M to get into memory mode 2.???? Press and hold BAND until display shows BAND # where # is the band number and SEL is flashing; you can also select NO BANK to exit the Memory Banks 3.???? Rotate DIAL to select desired bank 4.???? Press V/M for about 1 second; if too long, you will see MBLSCN and band won’t change. You will see “b” on top of BANK on the left side of the display. Press BAND to clear the “b” (what does the “b” mean?) ? ? I would appreciate others testing this procedure to see if it works for them. ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL
|
Re: after market antennas
I was looking for something I could roll up. ? Thanks anyway, ? Rick ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 12:34 PM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] after market antennas? ? I made this aluminum J-pole a few years ago and found it much more reliable (and professional looking) than a twin-lead J-pole. You can buy nearly identical ones but I happened to have the 3/8" aluminum rod lying around from another project. ? On Sun, Jun 22, 2014 at 1:51 PM, 'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60] <FT-60@...> wrote: ? At the moment I’m looking at a homemade twin lead based J pole antenna. At least some people claim it is much better than the rubber duckie. Any firsthand experience out there? ? I discovered this morning that I only need 0.5 watts to reach the repeaters up on the mountain next to me. J ? ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? 30 miles is pretty good Rick! ? Today I tried to reach two repeaters that are 76 miles away with my rubber duckie. No surprises. Didn’t work. However, I do reach 30 miles just fine. ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? I won't comment on replacement antenna for the radio, but I will comment on the tape measure yagi.? I have been using one for 6 months to communicate to a net that is about 40 miles away with scattered hills in the way. This antenna is the only thing that I have been able to make the net with using my hand held.? I think it is a great little performer.
B. Clive Souter
N6TTD/Amateur Extra Class
?
From: FT-60@...
To: FT-60@...
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:26:52 -0700
Subject: [FT-60] after market antennas
? ? As I read about various after market antennas for my FT-60, I find a few things that surprise me. The first is that some vendors will say “sma” connector but not mention if it is male or female. Then there is performance. For a given antenna, I will read that some people did an “A/B” comparison with the standard rubber duckie that comes with the FT-60 and say the new antenna is much better. Others will say it is slightly worse. The only consensus for an antenna seems to be how easily it can be broken. ? I would like to hear what people on this BBS use for an after market antenna and under what conditions they use it. ? I have also seen and read about the tape measure yagi that is very easy to build. Has anyone used one of these in order to communicate with a distant repeater? ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL ?
?
|
Re: The Assigning Memory Entry function
Don, ? The reason I wanted to start at NO BANK is because if I am in any other bank, I am limited to the memory locations stored in that bank. What am I missing here? ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 9:04 AM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] The Assigning Memory Entry function? ? The procedure as written in the manual works for me. As long as you're in memory mode, the memory slot currently selected is the one that will be assigned to (another?) bank. Your step 1 shouldn't be there, and the others repeat (with embellishment ;-) ) what's documented.
-Don, KE6DM
------
Sent from my HP Touchpad running Android Jellybean! On June 22, 2014 7:42:11 AM PDT, "'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60]" <FT-60@...> wrote: ? I have found a few steps missing from what is in the book. This works for me. However, since it was trial and error, it is possible that some of it is unnecessary: ? Assigning Memory Entry (page 33) ? 1.???? Start at NO BANK 2.???? Recall the desired memory channel 3.???? Press and hold BAND until SEL starts flashing and BAND # shows where # is the band number 4.???? If necessary, rotate the dial to select the desired Memory Bank within 3 seconds 5.???? Press and hold F/W till you hear a beep and then press V/M momentarily ? ? ? I would appreciate it if others would test this out. ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL
|
Thanks Ron. If the twin lead J I plan to make doesn’t get me to those repeaters 76 miles away, I’ll be looking for an alternate design. ? Rick KG7MQL ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 11:01 AM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: Re: [FT-60] Re: my first contact!? ? Rick, the radiator on my ground plane antenna is made of Piano wire and the four radials are made from standard coat hangers.? The Elmer friend that made it for me tuned it perfectly with his antenna analyzer.? ? Ron, ? It would be hard to find a simpler antenna. Can you point me to plans? ? Thanks, ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? [Attachment(s) from kg7dju included below] That's really close, boy you'll hit that repeater solid, you found yourself a good one. !! I'm not sure about the yagi, I'm just a rookie like you, but a good Elmer friend of mine made a portable ground plain antenna for me and it's much improved as compared to my rubber duck. I'm hitting a friend on simplex with the ground plane antenna and he's 23 miles from me, FT-60 set on 5 watts. I could probably get more distance but I've got the Tombstone Hills that are between myself and Hereford, Az.? Here's a pic of the homemade ground plane antenna. It's adjusted for a good SWR too.? ? The repeater is a mere 2.5 miles from my home up on a mountain. I can easily see it from my backyard. I have located two repeaters that are 76 miles away up on even higher mountains. I put their lat/lon in my GPS so know the exact heading. Any idea if a yagi could reach them? I can't wait to try :-) I just need to buy a rew parts and then can start construction. It would be used in my backyard, certainly not in my car.?
Rick ? Outstanding Rick! About how far are you from that repeater? ? I agree that the SMA is mechanically weak. The little rubber duckie that came with the FT-60 is a reasonable mechanical load. I'm thinking of making a tape measure yagi for occasional use. The SMA with matching thin coax should be ok as long as I don't trip on the wire ;-) If the center pin fails, I can replace the connector on the coax.? Last Thursday I was part of the Maricopa New Ham Net. It was excellent and I plan to attend next Thursday too. I wrote down all of the call signs and looked them up to get an idea of the range of this repeater. Rather impressive - roughly 30 mile radius.? ? The SMA, while electrically a good connector, is a bit delicate for applications where you’re frequently removing the antenna. I’ve heard of problems with the center pin coming loose. Many operators I know use an SMA to BNC adaptor (find one that seats firmly against the body of the radio). Then choose an aftermarket antenna with a BNC connector. My favorite antenna is the Pryme RD-98. The antenna is long, but thin and very flexible (you can tie it in a knot, although I don’t know why you’d want to). It performs very well on both VHF and UHF and sells for about $25 at HRO and other outlets. ? 73, Dan ? ?
|
Re: after market antennas
Rick, ? ‘some people’ (who ever they are) are right. The twin lead J-pole antenna is good, as compared to the rubber duck antenna of any HT. All the ARES groups here in Colorado are advised to make one and keep it in their go bags as an alternative to the rubber duck (even compared to the Diamond SRH77CA). If you can get the twin lead J pole up in the air as high as possible (a tree branch, a roof eve, even stick inside a PVC pipe and mounted atop a mast of some sort), that would be cheaper than a commercial antenna and work just as well.? Just my opinion. ? ? 73 de KC?JPO/AFA8JP?
John Murphy, B.S. C.J.; B.S. BusMgmt; MBA Marketing GMRS Licensee WQOW801 PopComm Monitoring Station KPC0JPO
"When all else fails...Amateur Radio" PIO Adams County (CO) ARES ARES/RACES/AFMARS Nothwest Area, Region 8 USAF Security Police, 1973-84 Owner, Oil Country Radio’s 701-421-1134 Business Email: ocr58763@... Personal Email: jmurphy7411@... ? ?
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From: FT-60@... [mailto:FT-60@...]
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 11:51 AM
To: FT-60@...
Subject: RE: [FT-60] after market antennas? ? At the moment I’m looking at a homemade twin lead based J pole antenna. At least some people claim it is much better than the rubber duckie. Any firsthand experience out there? ? I discovered this morning that I only need 0.5 watts to reach the repeaters up on the mountain next to me. J ? ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? 30 miles is pretty good Rick! ? Today I tried to reach two repeaters that are 76 miles away with my rubber duckie. No surprises. Didn’t work. However, I do reach 30 miles just fine. ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? I won't comment on replacement antenna for the radio, but I will comment on the tape measure yagi.? I have been using one for 6 months to communicate to a net that is about 40 miles away with scattered hills in the way. This antenna is the only thing that I have been able to make the net with using my hand held.? I think it is a great little performer.
B. Clive Souter
N6TTD/Amateur Extra Class
?
From: FT-60@...
To: FT-60@...
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:26:52 -0700
Subject: [FT-60] after market antennas
? ? As I read about various after market antennas for my FT-60, I find a few things that surprise me. The first is that some vendors will say “sma” connector but not mention if it is male or female. Then there is performance. For a given antenna, I will read that some people did an “A/B” comparison with the standard rubber duckie that comes with the FT-60 and say the new antenna is much better. Others will say it is slightly worse. The only consensus for an antenna seems to be how easily it can be broken. ? I would like to hear what people on this BBS use for an after market antenna and under what conditions they use it. ? I have also seen and read about the tape measure yagi that is very easy to build. Has anyone used one of these in order to communicate with a distant repeater? ? 73, ? Rick KG7MQL ?
|
Re: yet another odd behavior
The display will show "Low" if the power is set to Medium or Low setting.? That is normal.
73,
Paul.
KJ6LDG
?
When I try to change transmit power levels as shown on page 15 of the user’s guide, the display only shows LOW or nothing (which indicates HIGH). I am unable to get display to show MID. Anyone else have this problem?
? Rick
KG7MQL
|
Re: yet another odd behavior
Press and release the F/W key, then press and release the 3(TX PO) key.
The display should show the current power level. You change it by rotating the channel select knob.
Exit power setting selection by pressing and releasing the F/W key.
Works every time for me.
Remember that the power setting is saved along with the frequency, tone, etc., in each memory channel. So, if you change the power setting while tuned to a saved memory channel, that new setting will be in effect only as long as you remain on that channel. If you change to another channel or to VFO, but return later, the previously saved power setting will be in effect.
Hope this helps.
73, Jim K5JG
'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60] wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
When I try to change transmit power levels as shown on page 15 of the user’s guide, the display only shows LOW or nothing (which indicates HIGH). I am unable to get display to show MID. Anyone else have this problem?
Rick
KG7MQL
|
Re: after market antennas
I made this aluminum J-pole a few years ago and found it much more reliable (and professional looking) than a twin-lead J-pole.
You can buy nearly identical ones but I happened to have the 3/8" aluminum rod lying around from another project.
On Sun, Jun 22, 2014 at 1:51 PM, 'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60] <FT-60@...> wrote:
?
At the moment I’m looking at a homemade twin lead based J pole antenna. At least some people claim it is much better than the rubber duckie. Any firsthand experience out there?
? I discovered this morning that I only need 0.5 watts to reach the repeaters up on the mountain next to me. J
? ? Rick
KG7MQL ? ? ? 30 miles is pretty good Rick!
? Today I tried to reach two repeaters that are 76 miles away with my rubber duckie. No surprises. Didn’t work. However, I do reach 30 miles just fine.
? Rick KG7MQL
? ? ? I won't comment on replacement antenna for the radio, but I will comment on the tape measure yagi.? I have been using one for 6 months to communicate to a net that is about 40 miles away with scattered hills in the way. This antenna is the only thing that I have been able to make the net with using my hand held.? I think it is a great little performer.
B. Clive Souter
N6TTD/Amateur Extra Class
?
From: FT-60@...
To: FT-60@...
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:26:52 -0700
Subject: [FT-60] after market antennas
? ? As I read about various after market antennas for my FT-60, I find a few things that surprise me. The first is that some vendors will say “sma” connector but not mention if it is male or female. Then there is performance. For a given antenna, I will read that some people did an “A/B” comparison with the standard rubber duckie that comes with the FT-60 and say the new antenna is much better. Others will say it is slightly worse. The only consensus for an antenna seems to be how easily it can be broken.
? I would like to hear what people on this BBS use for an after market antenna and under what conditions they use it.
? I have also seen and read about the tape measure yagi that is very easy to build. Has anyone used one of these in order to communicate with a distant repeater?
? 73, ? Rick
KG7MQL ?
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Re: confused about display
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Jardy, ? OK, now I understand. ? Thanks, ? Rick ? ? ? I believe it is Memory Tune, where you can fine tune to another nearby freq. ?i just use the vfo and number keys. Sent by the Underground Railroad,? ? This one has me stumped. ? When in memory mode and briefly press BAND and the display shows “tun” in the upper left hand corner. The tuning knob changes the frequency. What is this mode? I can get out of it by holding down the BAND button until I see VFO IN. The page in the user’s manual showing all display areas does not show “tun”. ? Thanks, ? Rick KG7MQL
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Rick, the radiator on my ground plane antenna is made of Piano wire and the four radials are made from standard coat hangers.? The Elmer friend that made it for me tuned it perfectly with his antenna analyzer.? Ron
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On Jun 21, 2014, at 5:23 PM, "'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60]" < FT-60@...> wrote:
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Ron, ? It would be hard to find a simpler antenna. Can you point me to plans? ? Thanks, ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? [Attachment(s) from kg7dju included below] That's really close, boy you'll hit that repeater solid, you found yourself a good one. !! I'm not sure about the yagi, I'm just a rookie like you, but a good Elmer friend of mine made a portable ground plain antenna for me and it's much improved as compared to my rubber duck. I'm hitting a friend on simplex with the ground plane antenna and he's 23 miles from me, FT-60 set on 5 watts. I could probably get more distance but I've got the Tombstone Hills that are between myself and Hereford, Az.? Here's a pic of the homemade ground plane antenna. It's adjusted for a good SWR too.? ? The repeater is a mere 2.5 miles from my home up on a mountain. I can easily see it from my backyard. I have located two repeaters that are 76 miles away up on even higher mountains. I put their lat/lon in my GPS so know the exact heading. Any idea if a yagi could reach them? I can't wait to try :-) I just need to buy a rew parts and then can start construction. It would be used in my backyard, certainly not in my car.?
Rick ? Outstanding Rick! About how far are you from that repeater? ? I agree that the SMA is mechanically weak. The little rubber duckie that came with the FT-60 is a reasonable mechanical load. I'm thinking of making a tape measure yagi for occasional use. The SMA with matching thin coax should be ok as long as I don't trip on the wire ;-) If the center pin fails, I can replace the connector on the coax.? Last Thursday I was part of the Maricopa New Ham Net. It was excellent and I plan to attend next Thursday too. I wrote down all of the call signs and looked them up to get an idea of the range of this repeater. Rather impressive - roughly 30 mile radius.? ? The SMA, while electrically a good connector, is a bit delicate for applications where you’re frequently removing the antenna. I’ve heard of problems with the center pin coming loose. Many operators I know use an SMA to BNC adaptor (find one that seats firmly against the body of the radio). Then choose an aftermarket antenna with a BNC connector. My favorite antenna is the Pryme RD-98. The antenna is long, but thin and very flexible (you can tie it in a knot, although I don’t know why you’d want to). It performs very well on both VHF and UHF and sells for about $25 at HRO and other outlets. ? 73, Dan ? ?
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Rick some links ref ground plane antennas
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On Jun 21, 2014, at 5:23 PM, "'Rick - yahoo' rgsparber.ya@... [FT-60]" < FT-60@...> wrote:
?
Ron, ? It would be hard to find a simpler antenna. Can you point me to plans? ? Thanks, ? Rick KG7MQL ? ? ? [Attachment(s) from kg7dju included below] That's really close, boy you'll hit that repeater solid, you found yourself a good one. !! I'm not sure about the yagi, I'm just a rookie like you, but a good Elmer friend of mine made a portable ground plain antenna for me and it's much improved as compared to my rubber duck. I'm hitting a friend on simplex with the ground plane antenna and he's 23 miles from me, FT-60 set on 5 watts. I could probably get more distance but I've got the Tombstone Hills that are between myself and Hereford, Az.? Here's a pic of the homemade ground plane antenna. It's adjusted for a good SWR too.? ? The repeater is a mere 2.5 miles from my home up on a mountain. I can easily see it from my backyard. I have located two repeaters that are 76 miles away up on even higher mountains. I put their lat/lon in my GPS so know the exact heading. Any idea if a yagi could reach them? I can't wait to try :-) I just need to buy a rew parts and then can start construction. It would be used in my backyard, certainly not in my car.?
Rick ? Outstanding Rick! About how far are you from that repeater? ? I agree that the SMA is mechanically weak. The little rubber duckie that came with the FT-60 is a reasonable mechanical load. I'm thinking of making a tape measure yagi for occasional use. The SMA with matching thin coax should be ok as long as I don't trip on the wire ;-) If the center pin fails, I can replace the connector on the coax.? Last Thursday I was part of the Maricopa New Ham Net. It was excellent and I plan to attend next Thursday too. I wrote down all of the call signs and looked them up to get an idea of the range of this repeater. Rather impressive - roughly 30 mile radius.? ? The SMA, while electrically a good connector, is a bit delicate for applications where you’re frequently removing the antenna. I’ve heard of problems with the center pin coming loose. Many operators I know use an SMA to BNC adaptor (find one that seats firmly against the body of the radio). Then choose an aftermarket antenna with a BNC connector. My favorite antenna is the Pryme RD-98. The antenna is long, but thin and very flexible (you can tie it in a knot, although I don’t know why you’d want to). It performs very well on both VHF and UHF and sells for about $25 at HRO and other outlets. ? 73, Dan ? ?
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