Thats cool. HAM's are amazing thats for sure. On simplex I've hit about 70 miles with my 2800M and my Diamond SG2000HD antenna. But there weren't any hills in the way.
On repeaters, shoot, i've used a NODE and pinged Antarctica from SoCal.
I sure agree with you on the antenna Alvaro. I have been looking around a bit at this stuff, self education you know and I found that a lot of HAMs recommend the Larsen for 4x4s.... Also, drilling a hole and solidly mounting it. Would like to hear your thoughts on this guys. I know the best spot is probably the roof, but that's vulnerable in heavy tree coverage. I was thinking on the bull bar out front. The australians seem to have luck on the bar.
I'll try and discourage you from this course of action. The bullbar is the worst possilble place to put your antenna from a radio perspective. It's a low spot, it's noisy electrically, there is no ground plane, and it's just the wrong spot to put an antenna. The Ham radios are so good, that of course it will work, but it won't be optimal.
If I did put it on the bullbar, I'd run a 1/2 wave antenna so it isn't as ground plane dependent.
On a wagon, the hatch mount is as good as it gets without drilling a hole in the roof. It has enough metal to be an OK ground plane, it's high (this is a big advantage), and if you set it at the right level, the body protects the base of the antenna, but most of the antenna is above the roof where you want it.
Bottom line, a Hatch mount is really nice if you don't want to drill holes in your roof. The Diamond K400 series is what you want.
Thanks for the advice on the antennas Drew. What about mounting it to a roof rack?
I had looked at those dual HAM radios, but they are about $300 more than the Icom V8000...... almost $600 or so. I still got a little time til I make up my mind.
I had looked at those dual HAM radios, but they are about $300 more than the Icom V8000...... almost $600 or so. I still got a little time til I make up my mind.
I keep seeing you guys talk about ground planes..... Couldn't you have an antenna with a conductor coming off it to just ground to the chassis of the vehicle? Wouldn't that solve a lot of issues?
Does anyone make an antenna like that? I know my old wilson cb antenna on my 40 used a set up like that. My newer K40 has it built in. I know, two different types of antennas (cb and HAM), but just thinking about that.
I keep seeing you guys talk about ground planes..... Couldn't you have an antenna with a conductor coming off it to just ground to the chassis of the vehicle? Wouldn't that solve a lot of issues?
Does anyone make an antenna like that? I know my old wilson cb antenna on my 40 used a set up like that. My newer K40 has it built in. I know, two different types of antennas (cb and HAM), but just thinking about that.
All mobile antennas are grounded, but grounding RF is not as simple a running a wire. In the case of a hatch mount, it grounds through the mount, and I ran additional braid to assure good RF grounding.
I keep seeing you guys talk about ground planes..... Couldn't you have an antenna with a conductor coming off it to just ground to the chassis of the vehicle? Wouldn't that solve a lot of issues?
Does anyone make an antenna like that? I know my old wilson cb antenna on my 40 used a set up like that. My newer K40 has it built in. I know, two different types of antennas (cb and HAM), but just thinking about that.
yup, in the case of the mag mount, the coupling is done through the mag. But you still need an effective ground plane as in a horizontal surface to mirror the antenna. So the bar up front is not great. And this is also why I have some questions about the liftgate mounting location. I know that when I put my antenna at the edge of the roof vs the center it made a big difference in SWR, and mine is a 1/2 wave.
In case anyone is wondering, I ran a Comet SBB-5 NMO on a mag mount for the trip Spressomon is referring to. I don't know if this helps but below are the specs. I don't have a SWR tuner for the HAM freq, so my system is untuned. If someone can bring their SWR to CM'08, that'd be great!
SBB-5NMO
DualBand 146/446MHz
Gain & Wave:
146MHz 3.0dBi 1⁄2 wave
446MHz 5.5dBi 5⁄8 wave x 2
VSWR: 1.5:1 or less
Max Power: 120W FM
Length: 38"
Connector: Gold-Plated
PL-259 or NMO Style
In case anyone is wondering, I ran a Comet SBB-5 NMO on a mag mount for the trip Spressomon is referring to. I don't know if this helps but below are the specs. I don't have a SWR tuner for the HAM freq, so my system is untuned. If someone can bring their SWR to CM'08, that'd be great!
SBB-5NMO
DualBand 146/446MHz
Gain & Wave:
146MHz 3.0dBi 1⁄2 wave
446MHz 5.5dBi 5⁄8 wave x 2
VSWR: 1.5:1 or less
Max Power: 120W FM
Length: 38"
Connector: Gold-Plated
PL-259 or NMO Style
that's one of those I use too. Glad to see it worked great for you. Been good to me as well. I ended up with a mag mount that was not a Comet. Larsen maybe? Cuz it was stronger IIRC.
yup, in the case of the mag mount, the coupling is done through the mag. But you still need an effective ground plane as in a horizontal surface to mirror the antenna. So the bar up front is not great. And this is also why I have some questions about the liftgate mounting location. I know that when I put my antenna at the edge of the roof vs the center it made a big difference in SWR, and mine is a 1/2 wave.
Ok I see what you are getting at. The flat surface of the roof works with the antenna to give it the best Tx/Rx ability.
Would it be ok to run an antenna with a spring between the antenna and a magnetic mount on the roof ....... I wish we were all in the same city to meet and talk about this. It would make things much easier to learn
If I remember correctly, my SBB5 is foldable near the mount, so you can lower it against the roof if there are branches. OTOH, it's just as easy for me to move the mag mount to the vertical front rail of the roof rack so the antenna is horizontal. Anyway, I also got an SBB1 which is flexible. (Both have been used and recommended by other people here IIRC. Andy maybe first?)
