new at this radio stuff, help programming?

Just to be clear, I'm not saying don't ask questions. I'm just saying you might get a lot of answers out of it. And answers to things you didn't know you didn't know. Plus it's clear to me you're way past the curiosity point.

I watch some of Josh's stuff and he's pretty good. I can't vouch for this, but a lot of people have used his crash course to help pass their test.


View: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1KAjn5rGhizrj2pYcQ-b3Ufcq53nZ7dj
 
Sorry, what's the 970 and 45 from?
146.970 vs 145.450 .

Sorry it's annoying slang I admit but if somebody in MA says to you "oh yeah I talked to so and so on the "64 Waltham machine " everyone knows you were on 146.640 lol. Mass is small enough that the state rarely shares too many repeater pairs.
 
Sorry, what's the 970 and 45 from?
Haha, if I didn't I meant to tell you before; people love referring to repeaters by the decimal. 970 is 146.970. It drives me crazy because if you don't know the first three numbers, it could be 145, 146, or 147.

I was driving once and calling CQ on 520 (see what I did there?). I had a long chat with a guy who knew I was driving, and rattled off a bunch of repeaters that are popular in that area. "So 91 is pretty popular during commute times, 110 is good in the evenings...". First of all I'm driving and can't write any of this down. I don't know the full frequency. I don't know the PL tone. I assume the offsets are standard. I appreciate he was trying to help, but it didn't help.
 
I was driving once and calling CQ on 520 (see what I did there?). I had a long chat with a guy who knew I was driving, and rattled off a bunch of repeaters that are popular in that area. "So 91 is pretty popular during commute times, 110 is good in the evenings...". First of all I'm driving and can't write any of this down. I don't know the full frequency. I don't know the PL tone. I assume the offsets are standard. I appreciate he was trying to help, but it didn't help.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I've been trying to listen to the ones close by me, and I find nothing "popular" on them at all. Not really anything at all. The only thing I've really heard on this thing is that George's Old Timers Network, which is pretty reliably every night at 7:30 on the CMARA one. I have a bunch of others programmed in, and it scans against those, but nothing. Listening to a bunch of 70+ year old's talk about colonoscopies is not hugely fun. Their trivia is slightly better. But, at least it is someone talking coming over the air, so I can confirm my side of the equipment is working.

Pretty much nothing else to listen to in central Mass?
 
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Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I've been trying to listen to the ones close by me, and I find nothing "popular" on them at all. Not really anything at all. The only thing I've really heard on this thing is that George's Old Timers Network, which is pretty reliably every night at 7:30 on the CMARA one. I have a bunch of others programmed in, and it scans against those, but nothing. Listening to a bunch of 70+ year old's talk about colonoscopies is not hugely fun. Their trivia is only slightly better. But, at least it is someone talking coming over the air. Pretty much nothing else in central Mass?
Honestly you're not going to hear a whole hell of a lot there's not a whole bunch of guys to get on but it's like one of those things like anything else you got to make something out of it to make it work one of these days we should have an NES meet up on some repeater or Network at least at a time that the machines aren't in use for some kind of traffic net or whatever there's a lot of machines that barely get used and most of the operators probably wouldn't care if we tied one up for a half an hour yabbering up about whatever. Morning drive time also typically has way more activity on most machines like you'll hear guys on 64 pretty much every weekday morning during the drive time. There's also the nightly? nut net on the 470 Danvers machine which is more geek type stuff but at least nobody's talking about colonoscopies usually. You're probably not going to hear Danvers without at least a good antenna though.

It's too bad the donut machine wasn't still running in leominster.... we could get on that one that thing actually had pretty decent coverage it was actually an uncoordinated 440 repeater.... I think the control operator had died or something and basically it was on a tower in Leominster... that repeater was on the same tower that Leominster PD used to be on.... so it actually had good coverage the only thing was is I think occasionally we would overheat the thing or time it out because it basically only had like a 40 second time out on it but as long as you kept the Transmissions reasonable it worked fine.... 🤣

A close friend of mine and myself almost took stewardship of the donut machine but I think MARA ended up inheriting it and they basically did nothing with it once it failed....

You're probably asking WTF is the donut machine but basically me and a couple of friends would get on there to coordinate our visit to dunks during the week. 🤣 back when the coffee was immeasurably less s***** than it is now.
 
@Coyote33 ages ago myself and a few other people would meet up like once every couple of weeks on some machine on the North Shore typically at night after the traffic net was done....
 
I tried hitting 97 from my my HT and living room yagi setup and no dice. I really hope to get my 2m yagi up on the house this spring. It'll be horizontal but it'll be better than what I have now. I'm just trying to get my hands on a rotator. The Hy-Gain AR-500 I want hasn't been in stock for a long ass time.

A guy I know has an Arrow OSJ not even above his roofline that seems to really perform. I don't know what he runs for power but he often just has an HT on it. It doesn't look that tall, but the longest element is almost 5'. I'm tempted to just buy one.
 
you'll hear guys on 64 pretty much every weekday morning during the drive time. There's also the nightly? nut net on the 470 Danvers machine
Gonna need the full numbers here. I guess location or some other identifying info too, so I can look them up.

Nut net?

I tried hitting 97 from my my HT and living room yagi setup and no dice.
This one too. 145.97? 146? Using what radio and power?


after the traffic net was done
Silly question here. I've heard this term a bunch of times. Is it talking about vehicular traffic (actual traffic), or radio traffic?

Again, I'm not hearing much of anything anywhere, so I'm not sure if it is me, or my expectations were off. I thought it was going to be a lot more people talking to other people, like the CB's in the 70's/80's, only more formal and at longer distances. I'm just hearing a bunch of blank air. At least I have some police and the weather on there to know the radio isn't completely broken and not working. Well, those and George's colonoscopy and grocery list network.
 
FWIW, I can look out from my porch roof and see Worcester airport lights maybe 4 miles away. The Paxton repeater is just beyond that maybe a 3 miles in a straight line.
 
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Oh of course as soon as I say that they're all signing off now WTF. 🤣 there's still a few there for a minute or two but I think they're all going
 
Gonna need the full numbers here. I guess location or some other identifying info too, so I can look them up.

Nut net?


This one too. 145.97? 146? Using what radio and power?



Silly question here. I've heard this term a bunch of times. Is it talking about vehicular traffic (actual traffic), or radio traffic?

Again, I'm not hearing much of anything anywhere, so I'm not sure if it is me, or my expectations were off. I thought it was going to be a lot more people talking to other people, like the CB's in the 70's/80's, only more formal and at longer distances. I'm just hearing a bunch of blank air. At least I have some police and the weather on there to know the radio isn't completely broken and not working. Well, those and George's colonoscopy and grocery list network.
146.970. This was an HT on 5w into a yagi pointed through the chimney into the refrigerator in the next room. I had low expectations and they were met.

Traffic nets are radio traffic, sending messages to people via radio. I think the idea is messages are passed along until they get "close" to the recipient, then handled locally. You can send a radiogram to anyone. I listened to the traffic nets for a while, even went so far as to print out the forms to try an follow along, but people didn't seem to pass the messages per the form and it was hard to follow. A lot of codes, shorthand, jargon from what I heard. I should really listen more and get the hang of it.
 
What's your squelch set at? On my 'feng it's menu item 1 (SQL). The lower the number, the lower the signal strength it takes to open the squelch (i.e. easier). I almost always use the lowest unless I have some signal coming in that is just too poor and it annoys me.

You can also hold the MON button on the side. That opens the squelch and lets you hear what the radio is hearing. It's useful for trying to hear weak signals.
 
What's your squelch set at? On my 'feng it's menu item 1 (SQL). The lower the number, the lower the signal strength it takes to open the squelch (i.e. easier). I almost always use the lowest unless I have some signal coming in that is just too poor and it annoys me.
2

You can also hold the MON button on the side. That opens the squelch and lets you hear what the radio is hearing. It's useful for trying to hear weak signals.
I see that now. Thank you. Still, to Danvers is a bit much at around 54 miles. I thought someone said these handhelds can only reach a couple miles tops.
 
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I see that now. Thank you. Still, to Danvers is a bit much at around 54 miles. I thought someone said these only can reach a couple miles tops.
How far you can transmit and how far you can receive can be very different. But yeah, 54 miles is a real stretch if you're not on a bald mountaintop with a directional antenna listening to someone on another bald mountaintop with a directional antenna with no other mountains in the way.
 
I just found out today that a digital only (Fusion) repeater I've been trying to get anyone to even come back to me on is sitting in a box somewhere. I guess it got taken down and they don't have a new place for it.
How about Paxton? ;-)

Better than sitting in a box, waiting for a mouse nest and the resultant mouse pee ruining it. Maybe they can donate it to CMARA, as long as they get a mention every time CMARA officials use it.
 
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you got to make something out of it to make it work one of these days we should have an NES meet up on some repeater or Network at least at a time that the machines aren't in use for some kind of traffic net or whatever there's a lot of machines that barely get used and most of the operators probably wouldn't care if we tied one up for a half an hour yabbering up about whatever. Morning drive time also typically has way more activity on most machines like you'll hear guys on 64 pretty much every weekday morning during the drive time. There's also the nightly? nut net on the 470 Danvers machine which is more geek type stuff but at least nobody's talking about colonoscopies usually. You're probably not going to hear Danvers without at least a good antenna though.

@Coyote33 ages ago myself and a few other people would meet up like once every couple of weeks on some machine on the North Shore typically at night after the traffic net was done....










@Coyote33 Waltham is 146.640 .... Danvers I think is 145.470 .. actually there's guys on Danvers /right/ now.....
Thanks! Too far for me, but maybe it will help someone else.
 
How about Paxton? ;-)
Better than sitting in a box, waiting for a mouse nest and the resultant mouse pee ruining it. Maybe they can donate it to CMARA, as long as they get a mention every time CMARA officials use it.
Do you have access to this? You should shop it around. Maybe another club would put it up.

Seems there is a "proprietary war" in the digital stuff between a few vendors. Too bad they can't just standardize. Maybe it will shake out some day.
 
Where are you located, you're just regular central ma?
Lol you're not going to get that kinda coverage without at least a J pole up on your house unless you live on a mountain. With a rubber duck you'll be lucky to pull 146.970 / paxton, maybe 146.955 (westford) And a couple of the Worcester boxes... 146.925 and whatever the w1wpi one is, can't remember offhand.
Fitchburg has two machines 145.450 and 147.315. 315 is exponentially better but has less people on it. 450 is linked to the 390? Gardner repeater full time.
I've been trying to reach ANYONE at both Fitchburg repeaters for weeks now, and nothing! Are they even working?


You seem to have the bug. Get that license so you can key the radio.
Done.

There are plenty of repeaters. Some are better than others.
And it seems a lot are a lot worse than most.


Not to mention most of them could be off and nobody would notice.
Seems that way. I thought these would be busy as heck. What does everyone do with all those dang Baofengs?


Hey @drgrant , if you don't mind, could you listen in on the Fitchburg, Gardner, Clinton, Orange repeaters? Will try them a bit tonight again.
 
It's too bad the donut machine wasn't still running in leominster.... we could get on that one that thing actually had pretty decent coverage it was actually an uncoordinated 440 repeater.... I think the control operator had died or something and basically it was on a tower in Leominster... that repeater was on the same tower that Leominster PD used to be on.... so it actually had good coverage the only thing was is I think occasionally we would overheat the thing or time it out because it basically only had like a 40 second time out on it but as long as you kept the Transmissions reasonable it worked fine.... 🤣

A close friend of mine and myself almost took stewardship of the donut machine but I think MARA ended up inheriting it and they basically did nothing with it once it failed....
Interesting info.

Boy, things have changed since February last year. Now have a better radio than an HT, and a couple good antennas besides the "rubber duck".

Also, I finally was able to communicate with N1WW repeater in Gardner. Also reached K1QVR Warren repeater, W1XOJ Wilbraham, W1TOM Mt. Tom, W1MRA Marlborough, K1KWP Mendon, WB1GOF Westford, WE1CT & W1WPI, W1YK, all in Worcester, and think I heard N1KJB in Clinton, but barely. Still trying for WB1EWS and W1GZ in Fitchburg.


@ToddDubya , did you ever find that Fusion repeater?
 
The ones I listen to are Waltham 2 and 440, Paxton, Billerica - 147.12, Vernon CT (145.41) (which gets trashed by Harvard, but Harvard isn't very busy), anything Minuteman, and Saddleback Mt (147.00).
 
It's too bad the donut machine wasn't still running in leominster.... we could get on that one that thing actually had pretty decent coverage it was actually an uncoordinated 440 repeater.... I think the control operator had died or something and basically it was on a tower in Leominster... that repeater was on the same tower that Leominster PD used to be on.... so it actually had good coverage the only thing was is I think occasionally we would overheat the thing or time it out because it basically only had like a 40 second time out on it but as long as you kept the Transmissions reasonable it worked fine.... 🤣
A close friend of mine and myself almost took stewardship of the donut machine but I think MARA ended up inheriting it and they basically did nothing with it once it failed....
You're probably asking WTF is the donut machine but basically me and a couple of friends would get on there to coordinate our visit to dunks during the week. 🤣 back when the coffee was immeasurably less s***** than it is now.
I was going to ask what the "donut machine" is, but saw your explanation.

Here you go, maybe you can get "MARA" to spring for a new(er) one:
For sale is my Motorola XPR-8400 UHF (DMR) Repeater. It’s currently programmed using CPS 16.0. This repeater was working as expected until I replaced it with a 5700.
I'll take $950 plus shipping, CONUS only with signature required. Payment via Zelle or Paypal.
Model: AAM27QPR9JA7BN
403-470 mhz.
20-40 watts output
 
I was going to ask what the "donut machine" is, but saw your explanation.

Here you go, maybe you can get "MARA" to spring for a new(er) one:

I wish, most of the issues with repeaters is getting manpower, time and such to maintain the stuff. Close as I think I'd ever get to that was maybe running a GMRS repeater out of my
basement or something.
 
Interesting info.

Boy, things have changed since February last year. Now have a better radio than an HT, and a couple good antennas besides the "rubber duck".

Also, I finally was able to communicate with N1WW repeater in Gardner. Also reached K1QVR Warren repeater, W1XOJ Wilbraham, W1TOM Mt. Tom, W1MRA Marlborough, K1KWP Mendon, WB1GOF Westford, WE1CT & W1WPI, W1YK, all in Worcester, and think I heard N1KJB in Clinton, but barely. Still trying for WB1EWS and W1GZ in Fitchburg.


@ToddDubya , did you ever find that Fusion repeater?

WB1EWS actually appears to be down, or at least I can't bring it up with my HT from home here, which was usually trivially easy.

W1GZ I think actually at one time was somehow crosslinked to one of the gardner repeaters. Honestly I wouldnt bother, that machine is deaf as a stump and barely works locally (it's always been this way, although in the 90s and early 2000s it was better, if you can believe that. )
 
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