Looking for a 26 MHz FM transmitter

[Bill, KD0HG]

I'm in need of a land mobile type of 100W FM transmitter that will operate at frequencies near 26 MHz...

No one seems to make an FM rig in that frequency range...
Anyone with a suggestion?

[WA1GFZ]

How about a low band motorola rig. mitrek They run 100 watts fm crystal controlled.

[Bill, KD0HG]

Thanks, but Motorola doesn't make the things any more.
I wonder if they're even interested in land mobile two-way radio these days..

I might have to find an old rig on ebay, problem is I need 100 watts continuous duty so a mobile won't do it, I need a real base station.

[Jim, W5JO]

Bill those Motorola transmitters will run continuously if coolled.  Needs about 100 CFM to accomplish the task.    Problem is they are hard to find.  If you will nose around some old Motorola shops, they might steer you to someone who has one they abandoned.

if you find one that was assembled for the low split (I forget exactly what that frequency range was, but I think it would be about 30-40 Mhz) then the manual will give the value of components needed to lower the frequency.  As I recall, the exciter will need the most modification.

[wb1aij]

There are a number of "Bootleg" C.B. radios that will go down into the low to mid 26 mhz range. I have heard CBers down there before.  They will go from 26 to 30 mhz on AM, FM, & upper & lower SSB. I even have one that I use on 10 meters.I suggest you check on some CB websites or talk to some CB enthusiasts. I have seen these before and one of our local Ham suppliers in the Hartford, Connecticut area used to sell them on the side. All you need to do is add an amplifier to get 100 watts.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I would think that some of the 2-way radio shops that service and support local fire, police, and public service type rigs might have some of these base rigs still floating around  or know where you might pick one up.

[wa2zdy]

Some cautions about Motorola gear.

The low band (25 or 30-50 MHz) gear does NOT cover the entire range.   The Syntor X and Syntor X9000 are the only ones that do and I believe the lower practical limit for them is 29MHz.

The other older rigs (and the few more recent low band rigs too; low band falling into disuse, fewer and fewer land mobile rigs are made for it)  cover the spectrum in pieces.   You need to ascertain through the model number what range (they call it "split") a particular rig covers.  They are nearly all divided into 30-36, 36-42, and 42-50 MHz splits.  A radio for one split will not move easily for outside of its split.

In the case of this fleapay auction, that Micor is crystalled for 39MHz frequencies.   It will thus be useless for this thread's needs.   And they couldn't even be tuned to 6 or 10m without serious reengineering and heavy modification.

Motorola did make Motrans designed down to 25 MHz back in the old days when hollow state was still used in land mobile equipment but most of what's left of those rigs are beyond reasonable restoration.

Good luck.

[wa2zdy]

True enough, the higher in frequency you go, the farther you can move with more ease.   This is why a half wave dipole will give you the whole 350 KHz on 20m but only 100 KHz, if you're lucky, on 80m.  The low band land mobile rigs don't move far at all.   

Newer equipment does better than older too.  I have some Motorola HTs here.  Newer ones, I'm thinking in particular of my HT1000 will cover the 403-470 split without retuning.  Take an MT1000, ten years older, and the design split is 438-470 and moving more 5 MHz or so requires retuning.

And no worried on trying to help, you did and that's what hamming is all about.  Motorola advertises there stuff as 30-50 so if you didn't already know otherwise . . .  well, there's no way to know!

Be well.

[Bill, KD0HG]

Thanks for the info, gents.
After even more research I do believe that no one manufactures land mobile FM rigs in that frequency range any more. It doesn't appear that Motorola is interested in land mobile radio
Frustrating.

[Ed-VA3ES]

Time to home-brew, or modify an existing rig.  You need FCC Type-Approval?  Hmmmm....