Ham radio licensees listen up!

[Turkeypen]

Thanks All!

I have printed out all that you have advised, the Y-7800 has arrived and the ARB Winch Bumper is on its merry way. Based on your advice, the bumper locale may be nixed because (1) poor numbers and (2) target rich environment for breakage.

I will post up here with Pics as I do the install. Should begin next week!

 

[Turkeypen]

Install complete of y-7800 in 1989 FJ62:

Y-7800 unit installed in glove box. Ran wires through the glove box light hole, and the remote wire back through, behind the heater box, and through one of the two access panels to the right of the heater controls.

Placed remote head unit on the larger of the two access panels to the right of the heater control by using "industrial strength" Velcro. Looks good. The mike clip is on the front of the center console.

Antenna. Went with the Comet SST mounted on the ARB bumper, utilizing a PO mount (the kind you would use if you drilled a hole in the roof.) You guys were right about the bad SWR numbers, so I got up with a ham friend (Vietnam Vet radio operator friend, Marines rock!), who told me to run a ground wire from the base of the antenna to the frame. There are threaded holes in the front member perfect for this, secured with a junk pile metric bolt. The numbers are around 1/1.5 at 147. Good enough!

The problem with the ARB bumper is that it is powder coated, which is a pretty good insulator. Thus, no ground plane where the antenna meets metal. I sanded around the hole in the cross member to insure the bottom end of the ground met metal, not paint.

I will post pics soon. Overall, a job. No holes cut, no carpet pulled, no damage to the interior. And, best of all, I can simply pull the head unit off the dash panel and lock it away with the unit in the glove box!

 

[MYFJ6O]

KC0YEF

ft8900 & ft817, CB with several amps on several frequencies the 817 has been opened for Mars and Civil Air Patrol frequencies and is HF NTIA compliant with the TXCO-9. and a TK730 ntia rig as well in the back .
I am running a 102 whip with a auto tuner.

I am considering mounting them all in/on the front DASH as my dash pad is missing and Fabricating a cool console with laptop with hide away storage for APRS and being able to email while driving with navigator.

I also have a complete portable 440 repeater small tower with generator so I can set up a repeater on the highest peak where we are wheeling and have 440 coverage

2 ft411 vhf HT
2 Alinco pocket dual band radios to crossband with the 8900

Has anyone installed radios on the passenger side in the Dash or done a APRS laptop? With so much room I am overwhelmed with possibilities

73
J

 

[nuclearlemon]

guess i need to pay more attention. got my tech license a while back. kd0cxo.
i run an ft2800. i've put nmo mounts and extra harnesses in the pig, 80 and 40 so i can just move the radio and antenna rig to rig....too poor for each to have their own setups. location is denver metro area.

 

[rubirnr]

KI6OIF

I got my license early this year in time for Cruise Moab 2008. I have a Yaesu 8800R installed in my LX-450. The main unit is attached to the side of my cargo box with the remote panel cable, power leads, and data cable running under the carpet to the front. The power leads go to the front passenger seat to which is attached a Powerwerx fused panel. The data cable is long enough to reach the second row seat area where I can connect it to my laptop to program the radio.

The face plate is attached to its remote mounting bracket which is currently stuffed and duct-tapped to the pocket that is beneath my stereo. It is almost a good location because the visibility is not as good as I would like it. I'm considering Alvaro's solution where he mounted it to the rear view mirror bracket in his FZj80.

I am using a Comet CP-5M PL-259 lip-mount for a Comet SBB-7 for unobstructed terrain and a Comet SBB-1 for when things get tight. I hit the setup on the mark and even though I don't have any performance numbers, it's working great.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Hello everybody! I passed my Tech (no code) about a month ago. My call sign is KE7VSA and I'm in the Portland area. I'm trying to decide between the FT1800M or the FT2800M... Other than the size and an extra 15w, I can't find a thing different between them! I think I will run a Diamond K400 hatch mount with the Comet SBB1 on my 1997 FZJ80. I will also set it up to be able to move the radio from rig to rig and also use it as a base station... For now, I need to get some cars sold so I can buy my equiptment!

 

[alvarorb]

Chad,

Congrats on your license.
I would go with the FT1800. I've read on the forums that the 2800 made transmissions sound a little "metallic". I first I did not believe it, but when I've compared the TXs coming from 2800 to other radios, I was able to confirm the opinions of others on the subject. Is it horrible? Not at all. It's just not as crisp as the sound from other radios.

Regards

Alvaro

Hello everybody! I passed my Tech (no code) about a month ago. My call sign is KE7VSA and I'm in the Portland area. I'm trying to decide between the FT1800M or the FT2800M... Other than the size and an extra 15w, I can't find a thing different between them! I think I will run a Diamond K400 hatch mount with the Comet SBB1 on my 1997 FZJ80. I will also set it up to be able to move the radio from rig to rig and also use it as a base station... For now, I need to get some cars sold so I can buy my equiptment!

 

[Beowulf]

I think I will run a Diamond K400 hatch mount with the Comet SBB1 on my 1997 FZJ80.

The SBB-1 is a good trail antenna. You will want a second antenna with more gain if you plan to reach out to distant repeaters.
-B-

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Chad,

Congrats on your license.
I would go with the FT1800. I've read on the forums that the 2800 made transmissions sound a little "metallic". I first I did not believe it, but when I've compared the TXs coming from 2800 to other radios, I was able to confirm the opinions of others on the subject. Is it horrible? Not at all. It's just not as crisp as the sound from other radios.

Regards

Alvaro

Interesting... I have not heard that. Something to look into for sure. Is there any other differences in the radio itself?

The SBB-1 is a good trail antenna. You will want a second antenna with more gain if you plan to reach out to distant repeaters.
-B-

I've thought about that, but most of the repeaters I would need are pretty close (I can hit them on 2 watts with a HT) and the trails that I run would destroy anything else!

 

[TrickyT]

The SBB-1 is a good trail antenna. You will want a second antenna with more gain if you plan to reach out to distant repeaters.
-B-

I've thought about that, but most of the repeaters I would need are pretty close (I can hit them on 2 watts with a HT) and the trails that I run would destroy anything else!

I find the SBB-1 does a surprising good job in most all conditions, given a good mounting location such as the hatch mount you propose. I've also got a Comet CA-2x4SR, a highly rated antenna with 3.8dBi gain on 2m compared to the SBB-1's 1.5dBi, but I've been hard pressed to find a situation where the CA-2x4SR significantly outperforms the SBB-1. I had expected to find a bigger difference, especially since the 2x4SR is a 5/8 wave antenna and the SBB-1 is a 1/4 wave, but whether on the trail or on the road the SBB-1 does a great job. Of course it's always nice to have a second antenna for backup and experimenting, but the SBB-1 is a fine all-around 2m/70cm antenna.

 

[gsdog2]

Murrieta, CA.

KI6TUE

Yaesu VX-6R Handheld,,,mobile set-up.

 

[pappy]

I find the SBB-1 does a surprising good job in most all conditions, given a good mounting location such as the hatch mount you propose. I've also got a Comet CA-2x4SR, a highly rated antenna with 3.8dBi gain on 2m compared to the SBB-1's 1.5dBi, but I've been hard pressed to find a situation where the CA-2x4SR significantly outperforms the SBB-1.

My CA-2x4SR spanks my SBB-1. Unless I know I'll be in trees the SBB-1 stays inside the truck. The SBB-1 is also my urban antenna since I can fit the truck in the garage with it. Yes, the CA-2x4SR will fold over, but sometimes I don't feel like getting out of the truck. I also have a SBB-7 which is not much different than the CA-2x4SR.

There were times on a recent Utah trip when I could not hit a repeater with the SBB-1, but had no problem with the SBB-7. Same goes for a recent trip to the mountains with Beowulf. Here in NM, with our terrain, we need all the help we can get. We have a great repeater system, but sometimes our mountains get in the way.

I've never been on the listening side of my FT-2800, so I'll need to let Beo comment on that.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I like the 2800 for several reasons and have 2 of them. First, it's cheap. Like $100 and change cheap for a full featured radio. Second, it's tough. The whole radio is its own heat sink. Third, it has a large display and is very uncluttered and easy to read. Forth, the memory system is fairly logical and easy to program even without the software.-I was programming the Moab area repeaters while driving with Beno from Valley of the Gods, and that included alpha numeric tags. Fifth, it is fairly high powered for a mobile.

What it isn't, is an advanced radio. It's single band, and the "dual watch" is hard to use. For a trail radio it is nearly ideal. For a first radio, it's nearly ideal.

It also seems like 99.9% of radio coms are on 2m, but it would be really nice to have a dual interface radio like the 8800. Leave your base simplex on one side, and set up a local repeater on the other side. This has been very handy on trips into Death Valley, Rubicon etc. Interestingly both sides of the radio are set to 2m band in most cases. That's where the action is for mobile use. The 8800 is roughly 3 times the price of a 2800 but is a better radio for an advanced user.

Regarding the sound thing-I've listened to a lot of 2800s and don't notice it but some do. It has to do with a dust shield over the microphone pick up inside the mic. Some people on the radio forums take it out, but they don't operate in the dust/sand/wet conditions that 4 wheelers do. I'd leave it, and have your friend talk to you on your radio and see what you think. Not really a big deal in my book.

Antennas-if you have a single band radio, you can use a single band antenna. (Duh, right?) First choice there is a simple whip antenna like a Larsen 150. For dual band use, the SBB-1 mentioned by Tom works surprisingly well for such a small unit, and it had crazy good SWR out of the box, like 1:1.2. It's not as good at distance, but it is good enough for most uses. In my truck at any given time I have 3 antennas and use what seems best at the time, but the strongest argument for sticking with a single band radio, is the excellent and durable Larsen 150 series whip antennas.

In the end, antennas are the most important of your radio components, and one that doesn't get damaged on the trail is essential for 4x4 usage. So, choose wisely, and remember that getting out to constantly fold and unfold an antenna will make you crazy.

 

[Brentbba]

Andy - nice comments on antennas - learning the SBB-1 is just OK around town and looking to upgrade to something much better for urban driving. They are so simple to change out on the K400C hatch mount...why not.

What other antennas are you carrying?

I agree withe versatility of the 8800 - I've currently got 8 of the memory banks programmed with repeaters by county down in SoCal. One of the bands does have Kern, Inyo and others combined as there aren't that many repeaters in less populated counties. Two banks open to program repeaters along a trip route if I choose to do so. I use the 6 hyperkeys to get to the banks I want quickly. Like Andy, I use the right side to scan local repeaters and typically leave the left side on national simplex, or will put it on our adopted Landcruiser frequency if I choose.

Pappy - who makes the CA-2x4SR? I'm running the Yaesu FT-8800R so it's got to be dual band.

 

[Beowulf]

I've read on the forums that the 2800 made transmissions sound a little "metallic".

I've never been on the listening side of my FT-2800, so I'll need to let Beo comment on that.

The old guy is just happy to have a remote mounted speaker 3" from the back of his head so he can hear the other radios and I wouldn't know a "metallic" sound from a "rich and savory, full roast" sound.

Seriously, I have never considered trying to critique sound quality so I have nothing to offer other than I can hear Pappy's FT-2800 just as well as other radios.

-B-

 

[pappy]

Pappy - who makes the CA-2x4SR? I'm running the Yaesu FT-8800R so it's got to be dual band.

SBB-1, SBB-7, and CA-2x4SR are all Comet antennas. My next mobile radio will be the FT-8800, so my investment is in dual-band antennas.

 

[Brentbba]

SBB-1, SBB-7, and CA-2x4SR are all Comet antennas. My next mobile radio will be the FT-8800, so my investment is in dual-band antennas.

Thanks - Don't know which Larsen it was, but HRO had recommeded one of their antennas a well. Taller and an open coil in the antenna than the SBB-1. Went with the SBB-1 for an initial antenna because of recommendations here. Looking for a second, higher gain antenna for 'on road' use.

 

[TrickyT]

My CA-2x4SR spanks my SBB-1. Unless I know I'll be in trees the SBB-1 stays inside the truck. The SBB-1 is also my urban antenna since I can fit the truck in the garage with it. Yes, the CA-2x4SR will fold over, but sometimes I don't feel like getting out of the truck. I also have a SBB-7 which is not much different than the CA-2x4SR.

There were times on a recent Utah trip when I could not hit a repeater with the SBB-1, but had no problem with the SBB-7. Same goes for a recent trip to the mountains with Beowulf. Here in NM, with our terrain, we need all the help we can get. We have a great repeater system, but sometimes our mountains get in the way...

Great to know! Guess I need to do more testing. Everything on paper told me the CA-2x4SR should outperform the SBB-1, it's just when there's been a repeater or simplex contact I couldn't reach, switching to the 2x4 hasn't helped. I've got a trip coming up where I'll be running the 2x4 from a handheld inside my truck - 5 watts max. Last year I easily hit repeaters along the route from 50 miles away, so I'll see how 2x4 and the reduced power do with those same repeaters this time around.

 

[DarioCarrera]

Adding to the list:


Dario Carrera - YY5DCV
Caracas, Venezuela
Icom V8000 for VHF, changing to a dual band IC 2820.
Yaesu 857d for my HF QSO`s

73`s

 

[Kofoed]

.

Regarding the sound thing-I've listened to a lot of 2800s and don't notice it but some do. It has to do with a dust shield over the microphone pick up inside the mic. Some people on the radio forums take it out, but they don't operate in the dust/sand/wet conditions that 4 wheelers do. I'd leave it, and have your friend talk to you on your radio and see what you think. Not really a big deal in my book.
.

This is a typical comment regarding the "48" series mics. The little baffle behind the hole in the mic can be removed.

Also, the mic gain/deviation should be verified as to be in Wide mode to help with the audio..