URGENT HELP Re: GME TX3800

Mark, Nope...definitely 25Watts. GME website confirmed this.

Guy claims to have a reciept for it. He says he paid $699 and by all accounts, that seems the going rate.

Can it be programmed to the normal 40 UHF channels. I understand these channels are throttled back to 5watts, but even then, it seems like a cheap radio.

Who in Adelaide can do it and do you have any idea roughly how many $$$$?

Cheers Steve.

Fab.

Stephen

thats the point i was making about the power output.......5 w is maximum for public use on private radio......cheers mate.

Stephen/Mark,
OK...just spoke to Electric Bug in Adelaide.

5W is the max they will progam the radio to for the amatuer 40 channels.

It is capable of running upto 25Watts, but they will not do it for legal reasons.

$26 for the program (sounds very cheap).

Internet search has found free downloadable boot leg programs that will overide the 5Watt limit on all the amatuer 40 channels....but that's illegal of course :) I would never dream of doing that.

Hi Fab
I honestly could not give you a price on who much it would be to have the standard 40 legal channels fitted. Give Standard Communications a ring on Monday and ask for Damien or Peter(Peter is the State Manager)

They will be able to give you all the information that you require and will be able to advise the Commercial dealers in Adelaide.

Have a Great Weekend

Cheers

Stephen

I'm not sure of the current standards for LMRS radios. However in my time, if those radios had the capability of transmitting on the CB channels the maximum power controller in the set had to run the transmitter at a maximum of 5 W when operating on the CB channels. Most of the radios I used were fitted with the CB channels as a matter of course.

"In Australia the maximum usable power output for private non Commercial use is 5w" I'm not sure of what you are getting at. You are either authorised (by the licensee of the channel) to operate on that channel as part of the network or you use the CB channels for your private communications. If you are authorised to operate on a particular channel then your maximum power is set to that permitted under the licence you are operating under.

PeterD

Hi Fab, I'd be interested to hear how you get on with the "programming" bit, I have had the same set in my Troopy for a couple of years and wondered if you could have a switch put into it to boost the wattage up to 25 Watts on the standard 40 channels if you were in trouble or a long way from people travelling with you, and then turn it back to 5 Watts for around towns or close proximity to others travelling with you. Keep us informed on how you go with it. Cheers, Kanga.

The way that the power increase on the CB channels is achieved is to disable the power control of the TX. This makes the output run at considerably more than 25 W. This could stress the TX output amplifier.

As I see it, the only purpose in increasing the output of your CB TX is so you can blast others out. You will increase your power budget in one direction. However as you have can not increase the sensitivity of your RX you will not improve your communication as you still will not heat the other party any better.

PeterD

Thanks Peter, I remember years ago with CB radios you could buy an (illegal) Linear Amplifier (foot warmer) that had the ability to be switched on or off, and supposedly made a big difference on RX and TX? I thought the same may apply to these Commercial UHF sets. Cheers, Kanga.

NN - pretty right in what your saying - no point in transmitting with extra power when you cant hear the distant station anyway, but I've found a situation where the extra TX power comes in handy.

I've had occasion where I could hear traffic through a distant repeater - but a friends 5W radio couldn't get back to the repeater. However a 25W radio could get into the repeater.

Means the difference of could/could not get the message through.

BTW - we both use Icom IC-400Pro radios - easy to re-program for extra power - and the coming 76 channels proposed by ACMA.

Kanga,
Was talking to a radio nut on the weekend. Not only did he confirm my great purchase but he also told me that the output wattage setting is as easy as checking a tick box on the programming file before you transfer the data from your PC across to the radio.

There is no physical bypass switch or setting, it's just a software download.

As for the switch. No. But you can program all 40 (1-40) at 5watt, then reprogram the same frequencies again (say, as 41-80) at 25watts.

Great radio for telemetry too. I'm thinking of programming my roller doors at 25 watts so I can trigger them to be open before I get to them.

I'll let you know how I get on Kanga.

Fab.

Please do send me an email to let me know how you get on with I' d be really interested to tweak mine to 25w on 41-80 that'd be just the ticket I look forward to hearing from you Fab. Cheers, Kanga

G'Day Kanga,
Just put it in the car today. In the end, I got Electric Bug in Adelaide to program it for me ($21.40). Just using a 2.5 - 3 foot antenna mounted on the roof racks, with no groundplane I was pushing 9's from Campbelltown to Gillman (suburbs of Adelaide) on simplex.

I ended up with 1-40 at 5watt simplex and 41-48 at 25watt duplex. I'm yet to try out 41-48.

I'm thinking a decent antenna with a groundplane will be my next investment.

Thanks for the reply Fab, I would have member messaged you about this but it looks like you aren't a member, anyhow, I really appreciate you getting back to me about this, I will make some phone calls in WA to see if I can get the same thing done here, somewhere. Goodonyer, Kanga.