TL;DR, TL:DR. You've been warned.
So, I'll start with the issue, then the description of my rig as it sits, then what I have tried.

Please read the whole thing before, "Just unplug it" or something else just to reply.
I'll try to include anything relevant I can think of while trying to keep short as I can.  Too late, TL;DR, TL:DR. :)

Issue.
If I tune to our clubs repeater, I get a pretty loud, constant static.  Drives me nuts.
If I move up to the next repeater on my programed list, or any repeater on my list and monitor its quite and all good like normal.
If I scroll back to the repeater in question, I get the static/snow again. Move up, gone.

The interesting thing is, IF I key up (Kerchunking, I know) and let off, the repeater will open, come back and identify in Morse code as normal, as its set to, no noise or static at all during its TX.

When it closes and it, nor anyone else (that I know of) is transmitting, the static on my 991 comes back and is constant again.

If I log into our Echolink, I hear my echo link client log in and the announcement come across my 991 just fine.
Till the log in process drops as normal and I then  get the static back.  

While my phone/client is connected to the Echolink, I get no static from it, over my echo link client at all.
I listen to a net last night, a Tuesday night bible study net and everyone came though loud and clear,  and I heard no mention of static or any other issues.  Monday night's net which I participated in, went smooth, no static.
Today, Static.  I have not changed any settings, any programing or any physical configurations. No one else did either as the fam has been out of town for the last week.

My Setup.
991a on my Kitchen table as it has been for over a year. Programed with RT Systems, no changes to settings or configuration of the rig in this time.  
Short 2-3 foot at most premade jumper from Antenna port of 991a to input port of my SWR/Watt meter.
50' of LMR400 or maybe RG8x (can't recall) feed line from the output side of SWR/Watt Meter outside.
It connects to the connector of a vehicle Mag mount antenna mounted on my smoker, sitting on my patio as it has for a year.
The only outside connection is covered by the roof overhang and is in one of those connector case deals to protect connections from water and weather.

Things I've done.
Even though it seems to be a RX issues, I checked SWR on the radio and on the digital meter. Pretty much stays between 1.2-1.4.. When I TX in long or short cycles.

Went outside and removed the connection cover, took apart the connectors and made sure there was Zero moisture or corrosion, checked for cable pull out of the connector, no issues found. Reconnected it tightly, replaced the cover.

Went inside, did the same at the 3 connections (1 on the radio, 2in/out of the meter). All tight, no issues.
Checked again to see if the unhooking/rehooking made any improvements or made worse. No change, static RX static persists..

Then I removed the feed line that hangs off the far side of the SWR/Watt meter and plugged directly into the 991's antenna port. Same result.

I'm kinda at a loss.  Why am I getting this static on this repeater, but not others and no one else is.

I posted this to a FB group and all I got was A. Crank the Squelch up, B. you set your radio (that has worked just fine for a year and just fine the night before) wrong and C. try removing the SWR/Watt meter, even though I had already told them that was one of the already did things.

I'm supposed to host a net or do netcontrol next Thurs and am already nervous about it.  I'd love to get this issues resolved by then.

I don't have another antenna to try as this is my "Backup/Spare".
I lost my primary one due to 60+mph winds and a tornado passing though just a few miles North of my position.

Initial thoughts are either a birdie in the radio, or intermod.

Connect a dummy load and see if the noise goes away (intermod/external) or is still there (birdie/internal).  

If you've got a spec an, see if the noise persists on that, and walk around to see if it's a small signal that's close (pwm controller?).

it sounds like you are not getting static on the repeater because when receiving the repeater transmission you get no static.

You get static on the the channel the repeater is programmed on when not receiving anything


That sounds like you may have programmed that channel to have the squelch off or at a lower setting than the other channels. Manually adjust the squelch and see if the static goes away then key the repeater and see if you can hear the response.

then reprogram the channel  and change the squelch setting


since nothing has changed in years there is probably something causing noise on that frequency and it just needs a higher squelch setting

Well crap, I don't have a dummy load (I need one) or any type of analyzer.

What about if I hooked up my FT-2900 Mobile rig or my Beofeng BF-F8HP HT to the input of the SWR/Watt meter to see if the issue exists? Somehow, I have a feeling, it won't.

If the issue does not follow to the 2900 or the HT, does that mean, my 991 is hosed as far as that freq is concerned?

Any other thoughts or Ideas?  
So far I like that you read what I posted and did not tell me to check the thing I have already checked or tried... :)

If I knew what "static" was possibly we could help you. Since I cannot hear what you hear, any suggestions would just be arbitrary. Make a you tube video of your problem and give us a link so we can get some Idea of what you are hearing/complaining about. "static" means MANY different things to different people. Judging by the comments you have already received, you can see that it means "open squelch" to some, it means an intermod mixing product to others. and It means nothing to me, as I don't have a clue to what you are hearing. Give us something to work with and we may be able to help.

I have one of these, small enough to toss in a bag (it lives with my sitemaster, I should get one or two more and keep one in the case with my bird):
You can get these with UHF connectors as well, usually better suited for ham stuff if most of what you have uses those instead of N's.


Personally I wouldn't trust the baofeng for much of anything when it comes to troubleshooting.  The receivers are pretty terrible.  The FT2900 is what I'd use to confirm it's not in the 991 itself.

Also, how's the setup powered?  Are you going through a jerry-rigged PC power supply or a cheap UPS, or using a decent smps or xfmr-based power supply designed for radio equipment?  Or a battery?

Time to spend money on test equiment.

Thanks for the suggestion.
Its been awhile, but using RT system I programed them all pretty much the same way. RX/TX Freq, Offset +/-, Input tone, Name and Power level.  I know its there, but don't remember even seeing the Squelch variable. But I wasn't looking for it either.

One question I have about the Squelch, I don't know what the range is, but lets say its 1-20 and default is 3 or 4.
When  change one, does that change it for everyone one them or just the one?

I will try messing with the squelch if I can get to it tonight.  The wife is back in town and I'm sure I'll have 20+ honey dos, aside from doing going out to dinner...

https://powerwerx.com/variable-power-supply-digital-meters-30amp

I've been using one of these.

Working on it.  
I haven't uploaded anything to Youtube in about 15 years. Never had the need too.

Last night I did get a short 23 second video me scrolling though a few repeaters on my list, stopping on each one for a few seconds, the problem one is 147.030, but you'll be able to hear what I'm hearing and complaining about.

Here it is...  Pay no attention to the sounds of my over weight Lab in the background seeing just how fast she can slup her water bowl empty while I'm recording this.

174.030?
I think I found your problem.

Typo.  147.030, as seen in the video.

Squelch is set too low.

Go to menu, when on your repeater channel and see what the squelch value is.

Switch to quiet channel, go back to menu and see if the squelch setting is different.

Squelch might be a channel programmable value???

Do this on the radio, not software.

Not arguing, I'm gonna try either tonight or tomorrow night (soon as I get get a chance)  but why has it worked over a year and why the rest of them are good, just this one over night changed to need more/higher squelch?

Just trying to learn.

Will do.

As others have said this is a simple "squelch break"..

Now as to why the squelch "opened" and did not before.  

Answer: It sounds like to me there is a very low level "signal" on that frequency. This could be a "birdie" in the receiver itself or an external to the radio small weak little signal. But enough to open the squelch. Remove the antenna, if the problem persists it is likely INSIDE the radio in the form of a "birdie" or spurious response generated inside the radio itself. IF the problem goes away then the source of the "signal" is likely outside of the radio, which could be inside of your house or a neighbors. Some new wall wart, some damn new thing that emits RF or some new leakage from a cable TV system, or anything. Of course tightening the squelch just a little would likely close the squelch and not cause much if any problem. So problem likely solved with nothing more than changing the squelch setting. Depending on how much it is tightened it may effect nothing else.

OR, you can find the source of the signal and kill it. Not as easy to do as it is to say. Like anything else you start by turning off all power to your house by flipping the main breaker while powering radio on a battery supply.

On another note, you dog is noisy as hell when he drinks. :)

The new mysterious traffic light antenna things in my town open the squelch on 146.52 within 100 yards of the intersection. Its pretty awesome.

You said nothing has changed and that you lost your antenna to a storm.

Has this antenna been in use with no issues until now, or were there no issues with other antenna and now this antenna has one?

You got me...  Sorry for the inconsistencies...

I had Comet vertical,  seems like almost a year ago.

The wind decided to move it and my unsecured tripod to the other side of the house and smashed the antenna into several pieces...

Since then I have had a mag mount, taken off my F150.  

Before this issue, i have never had any issues with it and it's been stuck on my smoker out on the patio ever since and ive used at least weekly on the repeater in question every Monday, including this past one, then a simplex net on Thursday...

I noticed the issue for the 1st time Tuesday, the day after I used it (just fine) on the Monday net...

lol, about the Dog....
She drinks and farts loud, the other big dog just sighs really loud...

On the radio. I had a few mins too mess with it before the wife demanded time.

It looks like the default squelch setting level was 14 on all freqs.  
I had to turn it up to at least 25, to "lock out" the static, back down, it comes back.

Somethin else I found was if I unhooked the antenna jumper from the back of the 991, the static went dead silent, same when I unhooked it at the input of the swr/watt meter, or the output of the meter to the feed line going to the antenna.

I did not get a chance to go unhook at the end of the feedline/input to the antenna and listen.

Fricken puzzling...

Does the repeater TX a CTCSS code?  Is your receiver set up for this on RX or wide open?

No,has input tones only...

I can trip and get into repeater just fine, when some else gets ino it and TXs I get them just fine...

My receiver has no tones on any rx channels or freqs..

The radios I have programmed it is a setting per channel. Each channel can be different

but each frequency may need a different setting. There could be something at your house or down the road making noise on that freq, that is why it is a variable setting

ETA. you disconnected the antenna and the noise goes away. Nothing us wrong with your radio. Just turn the squelch up to kill the noise and key the repeater. If the repeater breaks squelch you are done. problem solved unless you want to find out what is causing noise on that freq.

Tommorow after work I will try seeing if I turn my squlch up to 25(like mentioned earlier) if when the repeater trips, if it'll get past my squelch...

May try a common mode choke at the antenna.

I had a thought to build a kind of faraday cage to see if the signal goes away. Then open one side and rotate it around to see where the signal is coming from.  I'm not sure if that would give you useful information though, other than confirming it's a signal problem and not an equipment problem.

Have you seen any signal indication on harmonic frequencies to 147.030?

You have a local noise source on that frequency. If you tune around you should be able to see it on the spectrum scope. Do you hear it on an HT in the house?

It could be something in your house, or a neighbors house, or cable TV leakage from anywhere nearby, new computer somewhere, new video display board, endless possibilities.

Local business put up a video display board outdoors and it opens the squelch on a local repeater channel every time I drive by.

You are getting interference on the repeater output frequency, likely from something in/near your house.  This is occurring because you have a magmount antenna mounted nearby.  You can solve this by fining the noise source, moving the antenna, getting an antenna up and away from the house, putting CTCSS on (if the repeater has it on the output), or cranking up the squelch.

I did not get to try it on the HT but right before I went to bed, I unhooked the Antenna from the radio, at the radio and it went away till I hooked it back.

Also, I did dig out my old FT-2900 and connected it to the same spot as the 991 and it gets the same thing.
To answer you other question, the noise does show up on the S-Meter for sure...

If I turn the squelch up high enough to kill the static, when I key up, the repeater doesn't come back loud enough to break the squelch.


Between two jobs, I don't always have a ton of time.
I may try moving the mag mount around outside.

Its just so strange, the mag mount has been there all this time and never an issue, then a few nights ago bam.
I've not turned on anything new at our house, but it could still be here (something acting up) or could be the neighbor or something close.  
We only have the one neighbor in visual distance, but there are a few within 2m range for sure.

I'm going to try the HT and see if I walk around the house, does it do it, does it get stronger or weaker, then try it outside if it does it.