Hi Jim,
In response to letter “Re: Communications in Times of Crisis”, I am a communications specialist and an electronic engineer with nearly 30 years in communications. Here are a few corrections to a very good post – some minor, some not:
Typical UHF connectors will have approximately 0.5 dB loss, not 1.5dB (get rid of them if they do!). Many times it is preferable to buy your coax cable with installed connectors. There are a number of ham radio suppliers that will professionally install (and waterproof with sealant and heat shrink) good quality connectors to custom length cables. The RF Connection is a very good source and is well priced. Silver/Teflon connectors are much preferred over nickel plated ones. Many commercial base/repeater UHF antennas will use N connectors instead of UHF due to less loss and better water resistance. Custom cables can be made with a UHF connector on the radio end and N connector for the antenna end. (Be sure to use Coax Seal on all external connectors and wrap with good quality electrical tape.)
Next, he states “If someone holds a valid Ham license, and a GMRS license, they can use their UHF 440 rigs to operate within the GMRS and FRS services”. This is absolutely not allowed. Converted ham radios are not allowed on any other radio service. (But, commercial/business radios can be used on ham bands.) Also, contrary to what most people believe, any radio used in GMRS must be certified under Part 95 of the FCC rules, not just any commercial/business radio. Some older commercial equipment is “grandfathered in” but there are a few newer commercial radios that are not. This is especially important for repeaters, since repeater sites are visited more often by FCC field agents than anywhere else.
In his statement “GMRS is strictly a service designed to provide families and family-owned businesses a mode of communication”, a clarification is necessary. “Family-owned business” is irrelevant. All GMRS licensees must be individuals (not groups or corporations) to operate. A GMRS license does extend privileges to a large portion of your family and can be used for your family business if all employees are immediate family members. If non-family members are part of the business, they must obtain their own license to use GMRS. [Note: due to the high cost of frequency coordination fees for commercial frequencies, many small businesses will license their employees for $85 each rather than pay many hundreds for coordination.]
In conclusion, I’d like to add emphasis his and your recommendation that the antenna system (antenna and the coax) is a crucial part of any communication system. Spend the money on a good antenna system and you will have a good communications system. – Rob at Affordable Shortwaves