[MRIC] Appendix A - VHF/UHF Voice

[brettham at aol.com]

Maryland ROs:

Here is the proposed part of Appendix A that deals with VHF/UHF voice 
equipment. The last part of Appendix A is HF voice and will be sent 
shortly.

If you have limited time, please focus on the HF Winlink part sent 
earlier today. This VHF/UHF part is much less technical and will be 
much easier to review and change during the meeting Saturday.

Thank you.

Brett Hammond
Chairman, MRIC
410-829-6749 (cell)

------------------------------

Equipment for Local VHF Voice Net

Total Estimated Cost for a UHF/VHF Voice station: $1450 (assuming 
100-feet of feedline) excluding installation labor.

1. VHF/UHF Tranceiver

Tranceiver capable to operating on all VHF and UHF amateur radio 
frequencies, support repeater operation including programmable TX/RX 
frequency offsets and CTCSS tone, support being programmed via the 
front panel to provide flexibility during an emergency, and provide VHF 
output power of 40 watts or more and UHF output power of 25 watts or 
more.

MRIC recommends one of the following:

Kenwood TM-D710A – This is a 50 watt dual band (UHF and VHF) mobile 
transceiver with two simultaneous receive channels so you can monitor 
two frequencies at the same time on the same band or on different 
bands. For those that may want to use the national standard Automatic 
Position Reporting System (APRS) for tracking GPS location of 
operators, or cross-band repeating for using por
tables in a shelter now 
or in the future this is a good choice. It has a built-in TNC, APRS 
software, digi-peater and is packet capable without requiring an 
external TNC.
Approximate price: $600

or

????

2. VHF/UHF Tranceiver Power Supply

Power supply with proven track record capable of providing a minimum of 
15 Amps at nominal 12 VDC from standard 115 VAC wall outlet without 
emitting RF interference.

MRIC recommends the Alinco DM-330MVT Switching Power Supply. It is 
small, light weight, and provides 30 amps continuous 12VDC from 
standard 115VAC wall outlet. Output is adjustable from 5 to 15 VDC with 
preset for 13.8 VDC and includes Volt/Amp meter, rear bannana screw 
terminals, front panel cigarette lighter plug and 5 amp accessory 
terminals for low power bare wire connections.
Approximate price: $150

3. VHF/UHF Dual Band Antenna

Vertically polarized VHF/UHF dual band high gain antenna tuned to 
transmit and receive all amateur radio UHF and VHF frequencies that can 
withstand winds in excess of 50 knots.

MRIC recommends one of the following:

Comet GP-3 UHF/VHF 6-foot vertcal basestation antenna. It has a gain of 
4.5 and 7.2 dB on UHF and VHF respectively and can withstand wind 
speeds of 112 MPH. It comes with an integral UHF female (SO-239) 
connector and mount that can be used on verticle mast pipe up to 2.5 
inches in outside diameter.
Approximate price: $100

or
=0
D
Diamond X-50A UHF/VHF6-foot vertcal basestation antenna. It has a gain 
of 4.5 and 7.2 dB on UHF and VHF respectively and can withstand wind 
speeds of 135 MPH. It comes with a UHF female (SO-239) connector and 
mount.
Approximate price: $110

4. VHF/UHF Feedline Lightening Protection

A device to be mounted on the feedline within 2 feet of the feedline 
building entry point to prevent antenna lightening surges from entering 
the EOC building.

MRIC recommends the PolyPhaser IS-B50LN-C2 Bulkhead Mount Lightening 
Suppressor with N-connectors for 125 to 1000 MHz operation directly 
mounted on the bulkhead cable entry master ground bus (MGB), or 
grounded using 6 AWG copper strand wire with green jacket. MGB should 
be grounded to several 10-foot ground rods 20 feet apart as a minimum, 
using 2 AWG stranded copper wire with green jacket. The IS-B50LN-C2 has 
N female connectors on both sides and supports up to 375 Watts VHF, or 
125 Watts UHF power out.
Approximate price for PolyPhaser alone: $65

5. Feedline and Connectors

The feedline and connectors will vary from site to site and depends on 
the specific installation.

MRIC recommends Andrew LDF4-50 half-inch hardline and the appropriate 
Andrew connectors for low power loss at VHF and UHF frequencies. 
Attenuation per 100 feet is 0.82 dB at 150 MHz (VHF), and 1.45 dB at 
450 MHz (UHF). When using one of the MRIC recommended tranceivers and 
recommended PolyPhaser,
 you will need the following connectors:
1 UHF male (PL-259) for the tranceiver
2 N- male connectors for both sides of PolyPhaser
1 UHF male (PL-259) for the antenna if required
Approximate price for connectors and feedline: $120 plus $4 per foot.

Equipment for MEMA VHF Voice Net

MRIC recommends the same equipment purchased for local VHF Voice 
communications, also be purchased to support MEMA VHF Voice Net 
operations to create a second VHF/UHF operator station at the EOC.