WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Hello brains trust!

This sounds like a preposterous idea, but here it is anyway...

Apart from the new amateur radio hobby, my principle use of radios is to listen to 6IP (aka 6AR) and other fire channels. I've usually got a scanner in my bag at work during the fire season, and now I'm often taking in the 2m handheld too. I'd also like to use both (better) in my car...

Looking at the specs of various amateur radios, it seems that some handhelds (but I haven't spotted a "mobile" unit) can also receive around 78mhz which is where the fire channels I'm interested in reside. So I was considering getting one of those and in the car having it plugged into an external antenna to do double duty.

So my question is - if I had an antenna on the car that was tuned for both 2m (144mhz) and 70cm (440ish?), would it also perform OK for RX on 78mhz?

I totally understand if this is a "suck it and see" question, but in case someone has already tried it out, just thought I'd ask

Thanks all!

Meg

meg wrote:Hello brains trust!

I think you have the wrong forum

meg wrote:Looking at the specs of various amateur radios, it seems that some handhelds (but I haven't spotted a "mobile" unit) can also receive around 78mhz which is where the fire channels I'm interested in reside. So I was considering getting one of those and in the car having it plugged into an external antenna to do double duty.

So my question is - if I had an antenna on the car that was tuned for both 2m (144mhz) and 70cm (440ish?), would it also perform OK for RX on 78mhz?

I totally understand if this is a "suck it and see" question, but in case someone has already tried it out, just thought I'd ask

I *think* it'd work reasonably well. I have a dual band antenna on the car - not sure if the Yaesu radio goes down as low as 78 megs though for receive. I'll give it a bash on the way home tonight.

The other option is my DSTAR handheld which I'm pretty sure *will* go down that low, I can connect that to the dual band base antenna on the roof of the house

I'll let you know.

Other option - with the new WAERN frequencies, could you use one of those instead I wonder???

Zebedee wrote:

meg wrote:Hello brains trust!

I think you have the wrong forum

Nah, I'm pretty sure "brains trust" is accurate for y'all!

Zebedee wrote: I *think* it'd work reasonably well. I have a dual band antenna on the car - not sure if the Yaesu radio goes down as low as 78 megs though for receive. I'll give it a bash on the way home tonight.

The other option is my DSTAR handheld which I'm pretty sure *will* go down that low, I can connect that to the dual band base antenna on the roof of the house

That would be great if you could give it a go Zebedee! I haven't spotted a "mobile" unit that goes lower than ~100mhz, but many of the handhelds seem to have a very wide range. OK, with the exception of my current handheld However, it would work out well (for me) for it to be a handheld unit in some ways.

Zebedee wrote: Other option - with the new WAERN frequencies, could you use one of those instead I wonder???

I confess I haven't actually looked into them at all. I don't know if they're rolling out the repeater network on WAERN (for example I usually tune into 34 which is in Wooroloo). Will go do some reading.

Cheers,
Meg

meg wrote:I don't know if they're rolling out the repeater network on WAERN (for example I usually tune into 34 which is in Wooroloo).

They are... 3 or 4 have been rolled out so far from memory.

WPXZBP wrote:

meg wrote:I don't know if they're rolling out the repeater network on WAERN (for example I usually tune into 34 which is in Wooroloo).

They are... 3 or 4 have been rolled out so far from memory.

Have they released the frequencies yet? I'll give them a try

Check the frequency list towards the end of the FESA Frequencies thread.

http://warsug.info/phpbb/viewtopic.php? ... c&start=15 has some current active frequencies listed.

Ah perfect - thankyou for not calling me blind

No probs

Hey Meg, I've been using a 2m three element yagi at work for a couple of weeks (vertically polarised, up about 7 metres) and it receives the Roleystone 6m repeater full scale on my handheld. That's 53.8 MHz. That might give you some idea anyway. Neither of my mobile rigs tune down to 78 MHz and neither does the FT7800

agreed meg, you should be ok, i can receive 78 mhz on a UHF 477MHZ antenna so you should be ok , put it this way, its better then having a rubber duckie antenna, they are hopeless for reciveing in bad areas

If I had a radio beside my bed right now I'd 100% confirm it but I believe both my radio's go down a lot lower and into frequency ranges that they can't transmit on, but are able to receive. Will double check on the handheld tomorrow.

Thanks all of you - sounds like it will work at least OK, and probably quite well

Right - back to the cunning plan!

Cheers
Meg

meg wrote:Thanks all of you - sounds like it will work at least OK, and probably quite well

Yeah - would be interested to see how it goes. Unfortunately my Yaesu radio in the car doesn't go down that low for receive, so I couldn't test it out while mobile.

But the antenna on the car does a reasonable job just for general reception that I've found. I've got a few different frequencies in there (e.g. air band stuff) and it seems to do OK with them.

My handheld goes lower down to 1MHz range even (receive only)...but conveniantly skips past the 78MHz range, so can't use mine as a scanner either.

Tyranus wrote:My handheld goes lower down to 1MHz range even (receive only)...but conveniantly skips past the 78MHz range, so can't use mine as a scanner either.

What? In the spec sheet your one does 78mhz - that was one of the units I was looking to get!

Cunning plan on hold...