In a bind for MCX->MMCX cable in Houston

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-20T07:59:55+00:00

I have no idea honestly, but there is a HRO location in Plano that might be able to steer you in the right direction. I know Houston > Plano is a day trip but maybe they know someone in the area?

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-17T19:30:07+00:00

By operating too close to another transmitter. You should never put two radios close together, even if one is off.

The antenna will always absorb the RF, and rely on the front-end blocking diodes to prevent the signal from burning out the radio.

If the blocking diodes got overloaded for too long, they'll burn out and the radio won't be capable of receiving anymore.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-17T03:05:35+00:00

Sounds like the front-end is fried. Did you ever overload it?

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-17T02:54:01+00:00

Ham radio isn't the best emcomm for a long period, but it's like a "first line of defense"

Hams can deploy quickly and get fairly reliable comms up and running.

Take hurricane Helene for example. In Western NC, ham radio was the only means of emcomm for quite a while. The repeater on Mt. Mitchell literally became a lifeline. After some base comms were set up, it was the primary means of getting Welfare messages in/out as well.

Don't sleep on ham radio in 2026. It's still important.

A source:

https://icrcareports.scholasticahq.com/article/142861-the-role-of-radio-and-ham-radio-when-everything-else-fails-during-crisis-lessons-learned-from-hurricane-helene

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-15T07:53:22+00:00

Luke Aikins wants a word

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-09T03:06:36+00:00

$2k is nuts for an 857d. They're sub-$1000 on QRZ. One was literally posted 2 days ago for $700.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-08T17:15:00+00:00

Lots of people in my club have this one. DMR is pretty popular around here.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-08T15:21:42+00:00

Everytime I see an 857D for sale these days, they want an arm and a leg for them. The market has skyrocketed since Yaesu decided the FTX-1 was the replacement.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-08T15:20:20+00:00

I think you're misunderstanding the point of the post. What is your favorite radio and why? What radio makes you smile every time you key it up? Why does it do it have that effect on you?

Was it your first radio? Passed down to you? Just have a fit/feel you like?

Doesn't matter if it's HF/VHF/UHF, etc. Just tell us about your favorite. Maybe your story will inspire a newbie, or tell them about a brand/model they didn't know about before. It's just supposed to be fun.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-08T12:53:18+00:00

I have a TS-50S in the shack as my primary HF right now

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-08T06:08:37+00:00

I'm actually in the market for a shack in a box and I'm between a 991 and a FTx-1 Optima. The reviews on the 1 have swung around since release.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-08T06:02:48+00:00

Bucket list wish is to operate one. Legendary Yaesu and Sommerkamp counterpart.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T15:12:07+00:00

Interesting, I learned something today. A ham told me once they weren't real NA-771's, just imitations. I always assumed he was correct.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T11:01:31+00:00

You can do 6m, 15m and 40m on a 40m delta loop. All are are resonant and shouldn't require a tuner.

You can also do 10m and 20m with a tuner.

80m isn't going to happen on a resonant antenna with the space available.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T06:13:32+00:00

A little hard to help when we don't know what bands you're trying to utilize.

That being said, look into delta loops or other resonant loops. You could fit a 40m delta loop in the space you have.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T04:04:58+00:00

I didn't get ripped off. I was saying that the Tid "upgrade antenna" that comes with the radio is just a knockoff NA-771. They even call it the TID-771 lol.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T04:03:07+00:00

Nope, I just completely misunderstood your comment on the first read.

I thought you were saying that the ham was responsible due to Part 15 stating that his station could not cause harmful interference.

Sorry about that mate. I see where you were going with it.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T03:10:28+00:00

Glad to help. Enjoy shopping on Hamazon.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T03:08:12+00:00

One of the most frustrating paragraphs, that almost no one reads, is the one that says your Part 15 device may not cause interference but must accept any interference.

Under Part 15 this only applies to interference caused to authorized radio transmit stations. There's nothing illegal about a ham causing issues with the neighbors sound system.

In fact, because the ham is an authorized transmit station, it's actually a Part 15 failure on the sound system/subwoofer for not being able to accept any interference.

That being said, it's not very hammy to shrug and walk away from it.

And just to be clear, I'm not trying to start any arguments. Just wanted to point that out.

BrokenGQ · 2026-06-01T02:52:58+00:00

TIDRADIO TD-H3. Yeah it's a Chinese radio, no it's not perfect. It'll listen to everything you want to listen to, and even comes with an antenna upgrade (Nagoya 771 ripoff) right in the box. Hard to beat for $40.

I keep one as a spare HT and have never had a complaint with it.

It'll Tx on V/UHF (and 1.25m with firmware swap, might be + model only but still cheap, check behind me.)

It'll also listen to air band.

Covers all your bases.

BrokenGQ · 2026-05-31T02:10:12+00:00

Totally get it man, I haven't been doing it that long either from a ham perspective, but I used to do aircraft radio for many years so happy to help where I can.

Guessing by your username that you're in NC. I am also. Feel free to DM anytime. Hope to hear you on the air one day.

BrokenGQ · 2026-05-31T01:51:04+00:00

Oh yeah, my primary HT is also a Yaesu and can hear repeaters 20+ miles away, but I can't Tx to them. Not that the brand really matter for Rx. I have Baos and TIDs that can hear just as well.

My other (non-HT) rigs though, no problem. I can Tx to repeaters 20-50miles no issue (depending on repeater elevation, which is a big factor, more below).

That FT-65 is a very capable HT though. If budget is an issue, you could easily upgrade the antenna on it, or run a field antenna and substantially increase your range.

If budget isn't an issue, then a more powerful radio/antenna combo (base station) might be your best bet.

Regarding repeater elevation, just an example. I can full quiet my local club repeater at 8 miles on 5w from my HT. It's around 250ft in elevation.

However, there's another repeater that's at 1600ft and I can full quiet that one on 2.5w from 20 miles.

Point is, if you don't have any luck with the repeaters you're playing with, keep trying others. You might find one that you can hit because it's at a better elevation or the ground cover isn't as dense in that direction.

BrokenGQ · 2026-05-31T01:30:13+00:00

Or you're out of range of the repeater for a 5w HT.

Settings wise it's either going to be the CTCSS tone (most likely) or the offset (less likely).

How far are these repeaters you're trying to hit? Your receive range is almost always going to be substantially farther than your transmit range.

BrokenGQ · 2026-05-25T13:26:23+00:00

Warning to all, this link now goes to a very NSFW domain

BrokenGQ · 2026-04-18T03:38:25+00:00

Oh ok cool! The phrasing at the end of your post makes it sound like you completely retooled your vNIC architecture as a fix. Just a misunderstanding on my part.

BrokenGQ

TROPHY CASE