How to cut and tune a Base Station Antenna - TRAM 1486 UHF antenna for a GMRS base station & SWR.
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- Опубліковано 27 січ 2024
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Your the 1st video I see tuning this type of antenna
It wasn't bad, and there's still room inside the connectors if you cut too much. Those measurements were perfect for my setup.
This is WRKL-886 Bryan, I subscribed after I heard you on the radio Sunday afternoon.
Hey Bryan! Nice to meet you. I had just finished a 10 mile test to my base in McQueeney. Was today the first hearing about the channel?
Very nice! Good video
Thanks so much! I'm learning as I go!
Thanks for the video!!!😃
Absolutely! I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous cutting that antenna, but slow and steady, measure 18 times, cut one, and a lot of fingers crossed!😂😂
Have you seen my handheld antenna comparison? The second was shot today. Part 2 will be uploaded tomorrow! Really good info for handhelds....
Well, I suspect your results will be very similar to what mine will be, since we use the same BTech radio for our base stations. And I have an SWR meter that looks just like the Surecom, compared mine side by side with a couple of the locals that have the Surecoms, the difference seems to be the label and which connectors are on the sides.
Gret video, looking to put this one on the roof mount, what did you use for lightning protection?
I'm sure you understand that can be a very tricky line to discuss for liability reasons. But, just for conversation, and not advice, I have a solid 12ga copper wire attached to the top of the metal pole (3 chain link fence top rails put together making it 30' high). That connection is bolted through the pole, just under where the antenna is attached way up there. It runs down and goes straight to an 8' grounding rod. The lightning arrestor (inline the coax), is where the 8' "jumper" from the base radio meets the 60' 400 coax. It's also grounded separately from the 8' ground rod at the pole. The arrestor is just to "attempt to prevent" damage to the base radio, but I believe it would still fry the radio if we get hit. As for the huge metal pole attached to my house, a solid copper wire and an 8' grounding rod from Lowes or Home Depot is what I use. Knock on wood! If anyone out there has a better solution, please let me know because we are getting into the storm season and there are gonna be storms after storms!
Thanks for the video. Any idea what the swr was before the trim?
@North49Radio, I didn't measure SWR before because the factory tune was so far off from GRMS freq's. I'm sure it would've been over 4 easy. I would need to go back and watch, but I think I cut at least an inch off the first section alone. There was an easy 2.5" total cut off, so that should give you an idea. I didn't want to take any chances, especially since that radio throws over 65W on 22 and repeater channels. That's a lot of backup with a non tuned antenna.
@diamondbackoutdoors Are you using for GMRS only or are you a ham? Just curious.
I am GMRS only.
When you trim the antenna, would it help to trim the fiberglass tube so it shorter also?
No. No pvc was not harmed during the making of this video! Lol. I just cut the actual antenna itself. Also keep in mind, "if" you cut off too much, there's still almost an inch of play in the connector. My cuts were exact to those measurements and I still pushed the antenna into the connector all the way. If I had cut a half inch too much, it would be fine because I still had an inch of play in the connector to slide it "more out", then tighten the screw. Does that answer your question?
How is working for gmrs? Thanks for your time!
@mrclovengarcia2883, this antenna for a base works better than perfect. There are cheaper models out there, but I've heard good things about TRAM. I'm new to the GMRS world (ran CB for 30 years), and I love it. The BTECH 50v2 runs more than enough power for me to hit 4 major repeaters around me and the sound is crystal clear. The antenna is mounted on (3) chain link fence top rails, reaching about 30' high. Do you have a base yet? What are you running?
You happy with that radio output wattage on high( 50 + watts) ?
Max GMRS is 50w, and yes it is more than enough for my area. I'm 30 miles outside of the city, and I can hit a network of repeaters 20 miles away. That repeater is connected to 3 others around San Antonio and I can talk as clear as a cell phone for over 50 miles with it. I also have one for a mobile as well. And honestly, I can hit that repeater 20 miles away in my yard with a HT and good antenna, and talk clear also. I'm not looking to talk across the country.
What frequency on the chart did you perform the cuts at? 465?
I was simply splitting 462 to 467, so a little less than 465. I've checked the SWRs on a TYT 9800, BTECH 50V2 and 3 handhelds. The readings are all in line with each other, which was a little surprising with the huge wattage swings. It worked almost perfect!
@GoldenAmmo so if you find an antenna tuned to 465, that's the common split between 462 and 467. The standard GMRS channels are only channels 1-22 (462) and channels 23-30 (467). Think of normal channels 15-22 for a second. (Part of those 1-22). Channel 23 is the channel 15 repeater channel, and they go up from there, so channel 30 is actually channel 22 repeater channel. The reason "we cut our antennas to 465" is because when talking on a repeater, you are transmitting on 467. I'm sure I'm making this more difficult than what it is. I've learned a lot just in a few months by watching Notarubicon videos. Once you have your GMRS call sign, register with MyGMRS.com, and it will show you (most) of the repeaters nationwide. From there, email the repeater owners in your area and introduce yourself. In my area, all of them were very glad to help and teach here and there. Those are your best bet on learning. 2nd, go watch Notarubicon videos about repeaters. He pretty much does a video on all the popular radios explaining how they work. I have 3 good handheld antenna videos also on my channel. The third one is the best, but watch the first one to see how I have my voice repeating back to me to check quality. Again, the 3rd video is the best, but it's only for handheld antennas. These are definitely not cub scout walkie talkies! We have 3 large repeaters all linked up around San Antonio and we can all talk 40 miles or so with a 5w handheld! Look on Facebook also for GMRS groups in your area and talk to them also. I've learned that all GMRS guys, like you and me, are all in it together and want the same outcome. We want a good communication source if digital goes down. They are always giving advice to someone new around here, and I'm sure your area also. Good luck! Subscribe to my channel because I'm trying to do a new video each week, and I do videos for the simple guy, and try to keep it as cost effective as possible. David Pierce, WRZU993
@GoldenAmmo I think my next video is going to be like a buyers guide for budget minded folks. Basically if the watcher is new, and they don't know what to buy, I will have different setups lined out based on their budget. If you have $50, this is what I would buy, 75, 150, 200, 250, etc... I think that's really gonna help the community!
How's the antenna holding up are you still using it.
Oh yeah. We've had some pretty rough springtime storms here also. No tornadoes or anything, but definitely some 50-60 mph gusts with steady 20-30.
I have it mounted to (3) 8' long chain link fence top rails, which is secured to the eave of my house about half way up.
Just at the base of the antenna there are 2 holes on the mount. I have 3 guide wires keeping the top tight.
It's still solid and still holding at 1:0 and 1:1 SWR on GMRS.
It also receives 2m/70cm excellent. About 6p Central time I can hear guys talking back and forth from North Carolina to California on 2m channel 5. Every now and then during a VHF scan I can hear people in Canada.
My "base" radio is a TYT-9800D Plus that's unlocked for GMRS also.
I get a lot of comments on other videos about my setup, which I will do an indepth video on everything I have at home and the accessories this summer.
What type of coax n how long is it?
60' long 400 type coax. It's not LMR, but it's a generic that's just as stiff. The link may be in the description.