On Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 09:47:36 PM EST, Shawn Donley via K3CAL <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Franklin and congratulations on getting your Technician license.

Getting into the 2M repeater from St Leonard with only a 5 watt Baofeng is going to be a bit of a challenge. A better antenna will help. Also, at 2M the polarization of the antenna makes a difference. The repeater antenna is vertically polarized so try your 2M dipole oriented vertically with the feedline running horizontal for 5 ft or so.

And it's also possible that no one was listening when you tried the repeater.

We also have a 70cm repeater south of you in Lusby. You might try that one too. Your GMRS antenna, while not perfect at that frequency, should work. That repeater has an output at 444.950 with the input (your TX frequency) of 449.950. The PL tone is the same as the 2M repeater, 156.7Hz.

There are other repeaters in the area too. Look at https://www.repeaterbook.com/

Shawn

N3AE

On 02/25/2026 9:25 PM EST Franklin Charity via K3CAL <[email protected]> wrote:

Good afternoon,

I recently earned my Technician license last week and am new to the amateur radio hobby. I’ve been involved in radio-adjacent interests for years, but only recently took the step into ham radio.

At the moment, most of my experience and equipment has been on the GMRS side. I’m currently running a Nagoya UT-72G mag-mount antenna outside with a budget 25W Radioddity mobile radio in my basement, along with a couple of GMRS HTs that my family and I primarily use for travel and hiking.

On the amateur side, I have the cliche starter radio, a Baofeng UV-5R paired with a home-brewed 2m dipole (not fully tuned yet; I’m waiting on a NanoVNA to arrive). I live in St. Leonard and have been trying to make contacts through the 2m repeater, but so far I haven’t received any responses. I do hear the repeater feedback when I key up, so I may be getting in, but it’s also possible no one is monitoring at the times I’ve tried.

I’ve had similar challenges reaching the GMRS repeater, so I recently ordered a better roof-mounted antenna in hopes of improving my overall reach. I’m saving up for a higher-quality amateur radio, but in the meantime, I’m hoping to make some progress with the repeaters.

Does anyone know of any WebSDRs in the area that I could use to verify whether my signal is making it out when I’m not hearing responses? I have searched websdr and kiwisdr, but do not see any that are on the 2m band in the area. I’d love to confirm whether it’s an equipment/antenna issue or simply a matter of timing and activity.

Thanks in advance, and I’m looking forward to learning more and getting involved with the club.

Best regards,

Franklin

KD3CQH | WSKR559

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