¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Date

Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

Folks,

You know when a website has dotted all the dots, when they have an article, (needed), that explains just keys.

??? ??? This is simply put, awesome!

To all of you, even though I've been in this hobby for 55 years, and put my first repeater on the air at the age of 18 (over five decades ago), I have learned so much from the folks on this site, and from the repeater builder web site. Yes, we should be thankful for our families, jobs and homes, but having a group like this gives me just that much more knowledge to help out my local amateur radio community.

This is a wonderful group of people, and I thank you you all.

Tom Bosscher K8TB

On 11/23/2022 10:56 PM, Kevin Custer wrote:

Corrected the last entry - and here's everything you'd want to know about radio locks and keys:



Kevin W3KKC





Re: Correct email address for N6CES

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Frank,

It looks like you figured it out on your own....

Let us know if you need further assistance.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Kevin W3KKC



On 11/23/2022 11:51 PM, Frank Perkins wrote:

Hi folks, the R-B group emails have been sent to both n6ces.r@... which is? correct, and an earlier address frank.jan1965@... which jointly goes also to my wife.
Could you possibly direct the group's email to me N6CES Frank Perkins to n6ces.r@...
Thanks


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

Thank you. I stand corrected. It's been too many years.
I believe we had both keys 2553 and CH751 on one key tag, hence my erroneous assumption it was one key, The key tag and keys were missing. Only the list/legend remained.
It does ring a bell that I've?seen the 2553 that, I believe, looked like the same style key as the 2135. I have MOT 1 keys and others as well. I haven't found my other collection of keys on a 6 inch diameter ring but likely have the 2553 as well. I do have many of the ubiquitous 2135.

73, Kimo KH7U


On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 5:57 PM Kevin Custer <kuggie@...> wrote:
On 11/23/2022 9:34 PM, Eric wrote:
>
> If I recall correctly, and I'd appreciate it if others could check
> me....2135 for Motorola mobiles and newer base gear, 2553 for the old
> indoor cabinets, 2141 and 2252 for various Motorola IMTS mobile radios
> and control head locks.? CH751 for the 4 foot outdoor base station
> cabinets.

Corrected the last entry - and here's everything you'd want to know
about radio locks and keys:



Kevin W3KKC







Re: Correct email address for N6CES

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

At the bottom of each email are a number of links including an unsubscribe link, along with the address that message was sent to.

On 11/23/2022 8:51 PM, Frank Perkins wrote:

Hi folks, the R-B group emails have been sent to both n6ces.r@... which is? correct, and an earlier address frank.jan1965@... which jointly goes also to my wife.
Could you possibly direct the group's email to me N6CES Frank Perkins to n6ces.r@...
Thanks


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

THANK YOU!!!!!? It turns out I have quite a few of the keys listed on that page.?

Eric
WB6TIX?


Correct email address for N6CES

 

Hi folks, the R-B group emails have been sent to both n6ces.r@... which is? correct, and an earlier address frank.jan1965@... which jointly goes also to my wife.
Could you possibly direct the group's email to me N6CES Frank Perkins to n6ces.r@...
Thanks


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

On 11/23/2022 9:34 PM, Eric wrote:

If I recall correctly, and I'd appreciate it if others could check me....2135 for Motorola mobiles and newer base gear, 2553 for the old indoor cabinets, 2141 and 2252 for various Motorola IMTS mobile radios and control head locks.? CH751 for the 4 foot outdoor base station cabinets.
Corrected the last entry - and here's everything you'd want to know about radio locks and keys:



Kevin W3KKC


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

Hi Jamie,

Though some of us used to call it the CH751 key, that was actually the key blank number!
I have an extra key or two. I've got a "Motorola Outdoor Cabinet" in my garage that uses that key. I imagine the 2553 may well be the correct moniker (and my key lock box legend chart appears to corroborate that) but mine don't say that on them.

I have what was known as the "Motorola Silver Book" which was a late 1970's hardbound parts book and it has the keys/part numbers, etc. listed. Unfortunately, it's packed away at the moment.

I ran into a modern industrial lock/key application of that exact key cut on NOVA transit buses. My job that I just retired from, after 25 years owning a Motorola dealership, was maintaining our city's buses comm and?electronic systems.

If you need me to send it to you let me know and provide an address.

73, Aloha,
Kimo Chun KH7U




On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 4:11 PM Jamie WW3S <ww3s@...> wrote:
I think we need #2553.....


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Eric:

I have two older 6 foot cabinets (Indoor and Outdoor Motrac) that use "CH751."? Those are? readily available since they are the same for RV compartments, Campers, Storage Cabinets, Trailers, etc.

Chicago Lock Blanks (CG1 DK-4 Key Blank) are available here. I have not purchased anything from them:



Ten or more for $1.97. They say they will cut them for any code listed, but I think that is more expensive.? You have to contact them.

73,

Micheal Salem N5MS


On 11/23/2022 8:34 PM, Eric wrote:

i have *one* 2553 key.? I can get a copy of it for you...if I can find a locksmith around here in Snowflake, AZ..? If you have a 2135 keys, you can that key to a locksmith for use as a "it needs to be cut on this blank" and have them cut the key by 2553 code.?

If I recall correctly, and I'd appreciate it if others could check me....2135 for Motorola mobiles and newer base gear, 2553 for the old indoor cabinets, 2141 and 2252 for various Motorola IMTS mobile radios and control head locks.? CF751 for the 4 foot outdoor base station cabinets

Eric
WB6TIX


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

Yes.? I meant CH751.?? i think that key was the default used for when a customer didn't specify a key to use for their lock.? I've seen it used for just about everything, including the door lock on RV black tanks.?


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

You typed CF...It was the CH751. ROLM CBX phone systems also used it...along with bins on Ford trucks, etc.

CWB?


On Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 8:34 PM Eric <vzwengr@...> wrote:
i have *one* 2553 key.? I can get a copy of it for you...if I can find a locksmith around here in Snowflake, AZ..? If you have a 2135 keys, you can that key to a locksmith for use as a "it needs to be cut on this blank" and have them cut the key by 2553 code.?

If I recall correctly, and I'd appreciate it if others could check me....2135 for Motorola mobiles and newer base gear, 2553 for the old indoor cabinets, 2141 and 2252 for various Motorola IMTS mobile radios and control head locks.? CF751 for the 4 foot outdoor base station cabinets

Eric
WB6TIX


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

i have *one* 2553 key.? I can get a copy of it for you...if I can find a locksmith around here in Snowflake, AZ..? If you have a 2135 keys, you can that key to a locksmith for use as a "it needs to be cut on this blank" and have them cut the key by 2553 code.?

If I recall correctly, and I'd appreciate it if others could check me....2135 for Motorola mobiles and newer base gear, 2553 for the old indoor cabinets, 2141 and 2252 for various Motorola IMTS mobile radios and control head locks.? CF751 for the 4 foot outdoor base station cabinets

Eric
WB6TIX


Re: any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

How many do you need?


On Wed, Nov 23, 2022, 8:11 PM Jamie WW3S <ww3s@...> wrote:
I think we need #2553.....


any motorola cabinet keys for sale?

 

I think we need #2553.....


Re: Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

Mike Langner
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Burt wrote:

The bottom line is, that a properly working circularly polarized antenna will make listening much more consistent and get into places that a linear antenna might not.? You have to drive it to really appreciate the difference.? It can more than make up for the loss of gain.

Burt, K6OQK



Burt¡¯s writing about multipath flutter (as compared with flutter caused by weak RF strength) is absolutely on track.

For years an FM station that I took care of (and later bought and operated) leased two subcarriers to the now-defunct MUZAK background music service.

Particularly in multipath-prone locations where there wasn¡¯t clear ¡°line of sight¡± so the signal was substantially either reflected, refracted, or both, use of CP antennas on my transmitter and on the receiver site made crosstalk-free MUZAK available at clients locations where conventional Yagi antennas left lots to be desired.

And yes, even when being received on a linear antenna, results improved.

Really great for point-to-point with CP antennas at each end.? Significant good, but not as much advantage for linear (think mobile whips) antennas.

In the case I dealt with, well worth it!

Might be useful for you, too!

Mike/
K5MGR
_________________________________________________

?

Mike Langner
929 Alameda Road NW
Albuquerque, NM 87114-1901

(505) 898-3212 home/home office
(505) 238-8810 cell
mlangner@...

?


Re: Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý


i plan on building this and reporting results back. similar to the fm broadcast ones i copied years ago in the pic attached.

jonny? kf6phx


From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Burt K6OQK <biwa@...>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 7:57 AM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?
?
John,

I will agree with everything chuck said with the the exception of the following:

But for amateur use where few if any are running horizontal polarity, there is no reason to employ CP. And yes, that reduced gain factor has a big impact on reception. I have used CP antennas for reception in emergency situations (because they were already at hand and mounted high) and the results are what you'd expect- not stellar. They worked, but only as a temporary solution.

Please remember, that when a signal bounces - off a building, or off a mountain, or other propagation anomalies, it usually changes polarization.? In other words, what may be transmitted as vertical may not arrive at your antenna as vertical polarization.? It can arrive at your antenna at any polarization other than how it was originally launched. A lot of the mobile flutter you may hear when driving, is not just fading, but polarization flopping about. FM broadcast is rarely if ever circular to circular.? It's almost always circular transmit to linear receive.? There's a good reason why FM broadcasters choose to go circular transmit.

I use the term, "Commutate," meaning that the signal's launched polarization is spinning, not just vertical and/or horizontal.? It's basically rotating at the speed of the frequency.? So for 2-Meters that's 146-million RPM.? The desirable effect of this is that the signal is essentially "launched" at all polarizations.? So as you drive or move about, or hold your handheld radio at some funny angle, the polarization of the received signal is pretty much matched to the polarization of your receiving antenna.? It can also screw its way into places that a linear signal might not be able to penetrate. It's important that the transmit signal "commutates," and is not just vertical and horizontal.? It needs to be all polarizations, and in all directions to really be effective.?

If you have a properly operating circular antenna, you can make interesting measurements by taking a linear dipole on the end of a pole, go out into the far field, even a few miles out.? You probably need to go to some high point, such as the roof of a parking structure, put the dipole out on a long horizontal pole, and with the dipole stuck out facing towards your circular transmit antenna, rotate the dipole through 360 degree.? The maximum to minimum signal you receive is known as the "Axial Ratio."? A good number is 2 dB. Axial Ratio is the secret ingredient.

In the case of the WA6TDD's circularly polarized antenna, the antenna was mounted on a 10' pole above the top of the tower - there was nothing within at least 10 wavelengths in any direction to the sides.

The bottom line is, that a properly working circularly polarized antenna will make listening much more consistent and get into places that a linear antenna might not.? You have to drive it to really appreciate the difference.? It can more than make up for the loss of gain.

Burt, K6OQK



Re: Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

 

John,

I will agree with everything chuck said with the the exception of the following:

But for amateur use where few if any are running horizontal polarity, there is no reason to employ CP. And yes, that reduced gain factor has a big impact on reception. I have used CP antennas for reception in emergency situations (because they were already at hand and mounted high) and the results are what you'd expect- not stellar. They worked, but only as a temporary solution.

Please remember, that when a signal bounces - off a building, or off a mountain, or other propagation anomalies, it usually changes polarization.? In other words, what may be transmitted as vertical may not arrive at your antenna as vertical polarization.? It can arrive at your antenna at any polarization other than how it was originally launched. A lot of the mobile flutter you may hear when driving, is not just fading, but polarization flopping about. FM broadcast is rarely if ever circular to circular.? It's almost always circular transmit to linear receive.? There's a good reason why FM broadcasters choose to go circular transmit.

I use the term, "Commutate," meaning that the signal's launched polarization is spinning, not just vertical and/or horizontal.? It's basically rotating at the speed of the frequency.? So for 2-Meters that's 146-million RPM.? The desirable effect of this is that the signal is essentially "launched" at all polarizations.? So as you drive or move about, or hold your handheld radio at some funny angle, the polarization of the received signal is pretty much matched to the polarization of your receiving antenna.? It can also screw its way into places that a linear signal might not be able to penetrate. It's important that the transmit signal "commutates," and is not just vertical and horizontal.? It needs to be all polarizations, and in all directions to really be effective.?

If you have a properly operating circular antenna, you can make interesting measurements by taking a linear dipole on the end of a pole, go out into the far field, even a few miles out.? You probably need to go to some high point, such as the roof of a parking structure, put the dipole out on a long horizontal pole, and with the dipole stuck out facing towards your circular transmit antenna, rotate the dipole through 360 degree.? The maximum to minimum signal you receive is known as the "Axial Ratio."? A good number is 2 dB. Axial Ratio is the secret ingredient.

In the case of the WA6TDD's circularly polarized antenna, the antenna was mounted on a 10' pole above the top of the tower - there was nothing within at least 10 wavelengths in any direction to the sides.

The bottom line is, that a properly working circularly polarized antenna will make listening much more consistent and get into places that a linear antenna might not.? You have to drive it to really appreciate the difference.? It can more than make up for the loss of gain.

Burt, K6OQK



Re: Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?-Correction by Chuck

 

?Other than the Jampro??? circular? turn style antenna? or Perpetrator? as some call it.? has anyone experimented?? with a? smaller? Circular bay? antenna? that? has? a Horizontal? and Vertical Component
?? SWR??? makes them?? and a? much cheaper Version by a company? called? OMB, in Fla.......?? I use the OMB antenna On most of my FM translators.????? simple antenna.? ? work great ? ? I usually? use them as ? single or 2 bay? and 3/4 wave spacing
?

? Neal KA2CAF
Inline image

On Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at 08:42:26 AM EST, John <jhaserick84@...> wrote:



---------- Original Message ----------
From: Charles Dube <cld@...>
To: JOHN HASERICK <jhaserick84@...>
Date: 11/23/2022 6:48 AM
Subject: Re: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?


Something didn't sit right with me re my response and here it is. My gain factors should be multipliers and NOT dB. Sorry. This was an informal conversation and I should have reread what I wrote before sending. So the single bay is TPO X 0.47 minus other system losses (ie transmission line losses, connector losses etc.) for instance.









"Some things are too important to be taken seriously." -Oscar Wilde



From: JOHN HASERICK <jhaserick84@...>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 2:10:44 PM
To: Charles Dube <cld@...>
Subject: Re: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

Very interesting, Chuck. I am surprised how little stacking adds. Is it OK with you if I forward your comments to the Repeater-Builder i0 discussion group, as few of us are familiar with circular polarization, and a number of the users are trying to learn more.???

John
On 11/22/2022 10:18 AM Charles Dube <cld@...> wrote:


Good morning John-

I'm quite familiar with these designs. We use a similar Jampro out at our Williamstown translator-

And I use single bay CP antennas at several other locations because of cost. More on that later.

Aside from height, which is probably the most important factor in FM antennas, gain is established through
varying bay distance (standardized to 1/2 and full wavelengths apart) and amount of bays.
We also have to factor in human exposure, so in the case of Williamstown we operate 2-bay, 1/2 wave spacing which gives us a 0.7 dB gain factor. If it were full wave spaced the gain would be 1.0 dB, BUT with more downward radiation, which on a building top was not permissible in this case. Regardless, we could only have one ERP factor, so it just means more transmitter power out into a less efficient antenna that alos has less downward radiation. Something broadcasters have to deal with that most repeater systems don't.

The single bay antenna has indeed a 0.46dB gain factor, so more TPO is needed.
CP does have the advantage in broadcasting in serving more receiver antenna styles, from vertical car whips to home T-dipoles (horizontal) to clock radio power cords which are random pol, if there is such a term LOL.
The pattern from a single bay CP antenna is theoretically a globe, so you waste energy up and down the tower- unless your reaching aircraft and illegal campers has any merit. But often it's a compromise in broadcasting because tower space rental is pricy, and often a single bay with more TPO is less expensive than a two or three bay (which could easily use 10-20' of towers space, which could run $1500-5000+ rental depending on market.) It just means you need a bigger transmitter, as long as the antenna is up high enough to pass radiation exposure restrictions.

But for amateur use where few if any are running horizontal polarity, there is no reason to employ CP.
And yes, that reduced gain factor has a big impact on reception. I have used CP antennas for reception
in emergency situations (because they were already at hand and mounted high) and the results are what you'd expect- not stellar. They worked, but only as a temporary solution.

Chuck



From: JOHN HASERICK <jhaserick84@...>
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2022 5:13 PM
To: Charles Dube <cld@...>
Subject: Fwd: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

Thought you would be interested in this, Chuck, although you are probably using circular polarization and are well aware of the reasons, but new to me

John.


---------- Original Message ----------
From: Burt K6OQK <biwa@...>
Date: 11/21/2022 12:58 PM
Subject: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?


[Edited Message Follows]

Matt,

I used a circularly polarized antenna on the WA6TDD repeater back in the 70's and early 80's. The antenna was a single bay antenna made for the repeater by the JAMPRO antenna Company as a test for the 2-way world. It even has de-icers!? If you're familiar with the JAMPRO Penetrator antenna, this was the same antenna with the exception that it was center mounted; the mast was straight down below the white insulator at the feed point. This replaced a (linear) Phelps Dodge 4.8 dB gain Super-Duper Storm Master antenna.? The gain went from approximately +4.8 db to - 3 dB.? The ERP went from 100 watts to approximately 13 watts. Just to clarify, the repeater transmit was now circular and all of the users were linear; none of the users were circular.?

The difference in coverage of transmit was amazing. For example: at the time I worked in a 33 story building with 6 levels of underground parking. With the linear antenna I was able to copy the the repeater with its 100 watts ERP about 25 feet into the parking entrance and that was it. With the circular antenna on the repeater and a 19" spike on the top of my car I was able to copy the repeater solid down to the 2nd level and hear it spotty down to the 5th level.? At some places on the 5th level I could find spots that were almost full quieting.? People that listened to the repeater with radios like the old Patrolmen type receivers claimed that they no longer had to place their receivers near the window and fiddle with the antenna, they could now take the radio anywhere in their homes and hear the repeater with no problems. It was solid through areas like the Santa Ana Canyon and Sepulveda Pass. What was rather humorous and showed a lack of understanding by some users, who were upset that the repeater was no longer ""60 over S9," it was now only "20 over S9." The fact that it had better coverage and penetration was not the point!

Now for the bad news.? It didn't hear very well.? It simply had too small an aperture. While stations could hear the repeater better than ever, and had been solid into the repeater with the 4.8 dB gain linear antenna, they? were now not so solid.? Handhelds that had no problems now had problems.? We eventually went back to the Phelps Dodge Linear antenna.

What did we learn?? We learned that circular transmit to linear receive is a plus.? Yes, circular to circular is best, but not very practical. Think about putting a circularly polarized antenna on your car or handheld radio.

If you have a circularly polarized antenna that truly commutates, it will be optimally coupled to a linear receive antenna even when the polarization of the signal as received is "spun" due to bounces and other propagation anomalies. It really works!

You can read more about this at ? download and read the pdf file.

Hopefully attached is a picture of the Antenna that JAMPRO build for the WA6TDD Repeater.

Burt, K6OQK




Re: Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?-Correction by Chuck

 


---------- Original Message ----------
From: Charles Dube <cld@...>
To: JOHN HASERICK <jhaserick84@...>
Date: 11/23/2022 6:48 AM
Subject: Re: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?


Something didn't sit right with me re my response and here it is. My gain factors should be multipliers and NOT dB. Sorry. This was an informal conversation and I should have reread what I wrote before sending. So the single bay is TPO X 0.47 minus other system losses (ie transmission line losses, connector losses etc.) for instance.









"Some things are too important to be taken seriously." -Oscar Wilde



From: JOHN HASERICK <jhaserick84@...>
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 2:10:44 PM
To: Charles Dube <cld@...>
Subject: Re: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

Very interesting, Chuck. I am surprised how little stacking adds. Is it OK with you if I forward your comments to the Repeater-Builder i0 discussion group, as few of us are familiar with circular polarization, and a number of the users are trying to learn more.???

John
On 11/22/2022 10:18 AM Charles Dube <cld@...> wrote:


Good morning John-

I'm quite familiar with these designs. We use a similar Jampro out at our Williamstown translator-

And I use single bay CP antennas at several other locations because of cost. More on that later.

Aside from height, which is probably the most important factor in FM antennas, gain is established through
varying bay distance (standardized to 1/2 and full wavelengths apart) and amount of bays.
We also have to factor in human exposure, so in the case of Williamstown we operate 2-bay, 1/2 wave spacing which gives us a 0.7 dB gain factor. If it were full wave spaced the gain would be 1.0 dB, BUT with more downward radiation, which on a building top was not permissible in this case. Regardless, we could only have one ERP factor, so it just means more transmitter power out into a less efficient antenna that alos has less downward radiation. Something broadcasters have to deal with that most repeater systems don't.

The single bay antenna has indeed a 0.46dB gain factor, so more TPO is needed.
CP does have the advantage in broadcasting in serving more receiver antenna styles, from vertical car whips to home T-dipoles (horizontal) to clock radio power cords which are random pol, if there is such a term LOL.
The pattern from a single bay CP antenna is theoretically a globe, so you waste energy up and down the tower- unless your reaching aircraft and illegal campers has any merit. But often it's a compromise in broadcasting because tower space rental is pricy, and often a single bay with more TPO is less expensive than a two or three bay (which could easily use 10-20' of towers space, which could run $1500-5000+ rental depending on market.) It just means you need a bigger transmitter, as long as the antenna is up high enough to pass radiation exposure restrictions.

But for amateur use where few if any are running horizontal polarity, there is no reason to employ CP.
And yes, that reduced gain factor has a big impact on reception. I have used CP antennas for reception
in emergency situations (because they were already at hand and mounted high) and the results are what you'd expect- not stellar. They worked, but only as a temporary solution.

Chuck



From: JOHN HASERICK <jhaserick84@...>
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2022 5:13 PM
To: Charles Dube <cld@...>
Subject: Fwd: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?

Thought you would be interested in this, Chuck, although you are probably using circular polarization and are well aware of the reasons, but new to me

John.


---------- Original Message ----------
From: Burt K6OQK <biwa@...>
Date: 11/21/2022 12:58 PM
Subject: Re: [repeater-builder] Circularly-polarized antennas for two-way?


[Edited Message Follows]

Matt,

I used a circularly polarized antenna on the WA6TDD repeater back in the 70's and early 80's. The antenna was a single bay antenna made for the repeater by the JAMPRO antenna Company as a test for the 2-way world. It even has de-icers!? If you're familiar with the JAMPRO Penetrator antenna, this was the same antenna with the exception that it was center mounted; the mast was straight down below the white insulator at the feed point. This replaced a (linear) Phelps Dodge 4.8 dB gain Super-Duper Storm Master antenna.? The gain went from approximately +4.8 db to - 3 dB.? The ERP went from 100 watts to approximately 13 watts. Just to clarify, the repeater transmit was now circular and all of the users were linear; none of the users were circular.?

The difference in coverage of transmit was amazing. For example: at the time I worked in a 33 story building with 6 levels of underground parking. With the linear antenna I was able to copy the the repeater with its 100 watts ERP about 25 feet into the parking entrance and that was it. With the circular antenna on the repeater and a 19" spike on the top of my car I was able to copy the repeater solid down to the 2nd level and hear it spotty down to the 5th level.? At some places on the 5th level I could find spots that were almost full quieting.? People that listened to the repeater with radios like the old Patrolmen type receivers claimed that they no longer had to place their receivers near the window and fiddle with the antenna, they could now take the radio anywhere in their homes and hear the repeater with no problems. It was solid through areas like the Santa Ana Canyon and Sepulveda Pass. What was rather humorous and showed a lack of understanding by some users, who were upset that the repeater was no longer ""60 over S9," it was now only "20 over S9." The fact that it had better coverage and penetration was not the point!

Now for the bad news.? It didn't hear very well.? It simply had too small an aperture. While stations could hear the repeater better than ever, and had been solid into the repeater with the 4.8 dB gain linear antenna, they? were now not so solid.? Handhelds that had no problems now had problems.? We eventually went back to the Phelps Dodge Linear antenna.

What did we learn?? We learned that circular transmit to linear receive is a plus.? Yes, circular to circular is best, but not very practical. Think about putting a circularly polarized antenna on your car or handheld radio.

If you have a circularly polarized antenna that truly commutates, it will be optimally coupled to a linear receive antenna even when the polarization of the signal as received is "spun" due to bounces and other propagation anomalies. It really works!

You can read more about this at ? download and read the pdf file.

Hopefully attached is a picture of the Antenna that JAMPRO build for the WA6TDD Repeater.

Burt, K6OQK




Re: 2022 Update - Favorite hardware/SIM option for data/telemetry?

 

If you're looking at cellular, and using, or thinking about using, Cradlepoint, another option to consider is OpenGear (full disclosure, I work for a company that sells both of these products). OpenGear is designed for out of band management at datacenters or offices where there is IT gear, but no IT people. You may find OpenGear easier to work with, especially on a ham's budget (it runs Linux, albeit not a stock distribution, but you get root access and basic tools, and you can even spin your own firmware if you're motivated enough) since there's no subscription or anything to pay on the device itself. As an added bonus you get a bunch more serial ports, in addition to several ethernet ports. I have a webcam at a remote cabin in Canada, connected via an OpenGear ACM7008-2-LMV box with a SIM (obviously not live video, one pic per hour during the day, plus a couple more pics timed to the sunset). Not all OpenGear boxes have cellular, and there are regional variations for network compatibility, so check the model numbers on their website. But... You can find these boxes on ebay (mine were missing parts like the PSU or antennas) for a few hundred bucks if you're patient. The boxes are solidly built, and even have some GPIO's on the side for your "telemetry", as well as DC input pins that will accept 9-30V (check docs to make sure on that range).

That brings me to the SIM. I spent hours. HOURS... looking for a SIM provider that suited my needs. Very low bandwidth, and secure remote device over cellular, for cheap. In my previous life as a network engineer at a global company, we would get a regular Verizon SIM (or other carriers outside the US), pay for a public IP address, and regularly chew through 50-100 megabytes per month of port-scans and other internet crap, even though the boxes were completely locked down to only accept a VPN, nothing else. On my own dime, that wasn't going to work. I wondered aloud one day, why isn't there a SIM that gets a private IP just like a regular phone, BUT lets me VPN to their network where I can then access my SIM. Apparently Google heard me, because it turns out there are a few of those providers out there. My choice, for the last couple years, has been Olivia Wireless. For coverage in the US and a good chunk of western Europe (but not Canada or Mexico), you can pay $2.75 (not a typo - under three dollars) a month for 100 megabytes -- which is probably enough for your telemetry and remote management. Even 1 gigabyte per month is only 8 bucks. If you need the rest of the world (including Canada), the rates are *slightly* higher (eg, $4/mo for 100 meg). But here's the Killer App, at least for my needs -- for another $1.10 (yep, one dollar-ten cents) per month, you get a VPN account. Connect to the VPN, and you can connect right to your cellular device, no public IP's needed, and its completely secure on a private IP only you can get to. These SIM's are data only, won't work in a phone (or at least won't make calls). They do have SMS, but it's private with API's, you can't send a text to/from your site to your personal cell phone, but you could have the box send an email instead. The only real downside is Olivia Wireless is based out of The Netherlands, so email support is slow, but for the price I'm good with that.

Hope this helps.

73 de

-Matt KB0KZR-