What radio and antenna? (1 Viewer)

[chicago]

So NOW what do I do?
I look at these sites to ry and find a radio, and I have NO IDEA what the hell theyre talking about. This (IMO) is the short fall of the radio licensure...MOST people have NO hands on experience with this stuff!
Any books or sites you gents would recommend to help me out with this, or just TELL me a good radio/ antenna set up for referrence.

Thanks GEEKS!

K

 

[spressomon]

So NOW what do I do?
I look at these sites to ry and find a radio, and I have NO IDEA what the hell theyre talking about. This (IMO) is the short fall of the radio licensure...MOST people have NO hands on experience with this stuff!
Any books or sites you gents would recommend to help me out with this, or just TELL me a good radio/ antenna set up for referrence.

Thanks GEEKS!

K

Keith,

A radio with a fixed head unit will be less expensive (like the Yaesu 1802). However most will benefit from a radio that incorporates a removable/relocatable face (Icom 208H, Yaesu 7800/8800/8900). This allows you to mount the main radio unit in an area of your rig that offers more space than, at least in mine, the already too cluttered dash area and then tuck the small, thin and lightweight face unit on the headliner, dash or console area.

Dual band with dual display (8800) is nice so that you can monitor a repeater(s) while conversing on simplex (just one example of a dual band application). This would be handy when a group is gathering and you want to be able to talk to others that are beyond the range of simplex.

But for just reliable communications on the trail a single band radio will be just fine. Its easy to get caught up in all the extra features that might not get used apart of a more expensive radio!

I went with the Icom 208H because it features a very small compact face unit mainly. It is a dual bander but only can display one band at a time.

 

[locrwln1]

Keith,

Keep a look out on Craigslist. That is where I found my radio. It was used, but was used as a base station in the guys house, so other than some dust, it looked and worked like new. Saved about $200 on buying a new one.

Jack

 

[chicago]

Keith,

A radio with a fixed head unit will be less expensive (like the Yaesu 1802). However most will benefit from a radio that incorporates a removable/relocatable face (Icom 208H, Yaesu 7800/8800/8900). This allows you to mount the main radio unit in an area of your rig that offers more space than, at least in mine, the already too cluttered dash area and then tuck the small, thin and lightweight face unit on the headliner, dash or console area.

Dual band with dual display (8800) is nice so that you can monitor a repeater(s) while conversing on simplex (just one example of a dual band application). This would be handy when a group is gathering and you want to be able to talk to others that are beyond the range of simplex.

But for just reliable communications on the trail a single band radio will be just fine. Its easy to get caught up in all the extra features that might not get used apart of a more expensive radio!

I went with the Icom 208H because it features a very small compact face unit mainly. It is a dual bander but only can display one band at a time.

Thanks Dan,
That helps a little.
Do they have to be mouted in any special way, or would I be able to just use my CB location?
Why not use a hand held? Is it a range issue?
Its weird that Im now licensed to operate, but no NOTHING about this stuff. It seems backwards to me that its done this way, not that Id have a better solution for the regulations.

I start looking at the radios on ham city, and my eyes sort of gloss over...

Thanks,


K

 

[spressomon]

Thanks Dan,
That helps a little.
Do they have to be mouted in any special way, or would I be able to just use my CB location?
Why not use a hand held? Is it a range issue?
Its weird that Im now licensed to operate, but no NOTHING about this stuff. It seems backwards to me that its done this way, not that Id have a better solution for the regulations.

I start looking at the radios on ham city, and my eyes sort of gloss over...

Thanks,


K

You need to be a little more concerned about location because the radios can run hotter than a typical CB due to the increased power available. Other than that you can mount it anywhere that stays dry.

An HT is fine particularly when you are using your radio on the trail to converse with the gang; that's what RustyDan, and others run. If you decide to go this route I would encourage you to run a vehicle mounted antenna to extend the radio's range.

A larger in cab type radio will give you more power; better fidelity options (can use a remote speaker, etc) and generally easier use since you are just talking into a mike (not tethered for power, coax antenna cable)...but that's just my opinion. Ideally you want both a fixed radio in your rig and an HT for portable use.


Go to the Electronics forum on MUD and do a "ham" search. There are a bunch of threads on this very subject. Andy did a great job outlining radios, antennas and mounts a couple years ago...LOADS of info!

 

[rusty_tlc]

The Yaesu FT-2800M can usually be found for under $120.
I would get the same antenna set up CruiserDrew has, he beat the bejebesus out of it on Fordyce with no damage.
Hopefuly he will post up with the model #'s.

My guess is you can get set up for around $200 to $250.

FWIW I don't think I would go the HT route again. When funds allow I will put the above set up in the FJ40.

 

[chicago]

For a starting point, how about this one?

Hamcity.com - Detail

Do I need more, less? Anything to recommend?

K

 

[chicago]

HA...
Just noticed that its the same one Rusty Dan had listed above!

Go figure.

K

 

[spressomon]

For a starting point, how about this one?

Hamcity.com - Detail

Do I need more, less? Anything to recommend?

K

Nothing not to like about it Keith: Go for it!

Find out what antenna and mount Andy is running and replicate it!

You're more than 1/2 way there .

 

[chicago]

First code bule!

Got called into the hospital yesterday for a relatively routine surgery on a healthy 22 year old guy. About half way through the case, he TANKED. Went into cardiac arrest on the table and we had to initiate a "code blue" and start CPR.
I had never been so scared in my life!
We got him back and he SHOULD be okay! I called to check on him last night...couldnt stop thinking about it...he's not out of the woods, but everything is looking...OKAY. Well know more tonight.
No apparent reason for it...healthy kid, no medical history (That he stated). It could have been a number of things.
Just goes to show how fragile life is.
I had never been in that situation before...you prepare for it with training, youre aware of the possibilites, but until youre actually IN IT...you can never be prepared ENOUGH for it.

Anyway...just wanted to vent about it.

Thanks for listening!

K

 

[rusty_tlc]

Got called into the hospital yesterday for a relatively routine surgery on a healthy 22 year old guy. About half way through the case, he TANKED. Went into cardiac arrest on the table and we had to initiate a "code blue" and start CPR.
I had never been so scared in my life!
We got him back and he SHOULD be okay! I called to check on him last night...couldnt stop thinking about it...he's not out of the woods, but everything is looking...OKAY. Well know more tonight.
No apparent reason for it...healthy kid, no medical history (That he stated). It could have been a number of things.
Just goes to show how fragile life is.
I had never been in that situation before...you prepare for it with training, youre aware of the possibilites, but until youre actually IN IT...you can never be prepared ENOUGH for it.

Anyway...just wanted to vent about it.

Thanks for listening!

K

I hope you or somebody like you is around if I ever end up in that situation. Glad everything worked out.

 

[krokarthecrooked]

Well First off Grats Keith i knew you could be a Geek to ROFL and secong look at ham radio outlet and Aes radio i like HRO have dealt with them before and very helpfull soon as i find link ill post. anyway as far as radio the one Rusty suggested is a decent radio i like Yeasu but that is my prefference had real good luck with them just find a decent radio and antenna and you should do ok bud

Dan

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Just saw this thread.

Kieth-I strongly recommend a mounted unit ( a "mobile" unit as opposed to a hand held also call HT) for your first radio. It's better in every way, but especially in transmit power and listening fidelity. The best part though is the real tuning, squelch, and volume knobs. It's much easier to use. Programming a HT without the software will be an exercise in frustration, but on a mounted mobile radio, it's still a pain, but doable

The FT2800 is a great radio. It has the added advantage of not having a cooling fan, so it's quiet. I own 2 of them, and got the last one for $104 or some such. It was a great deal. The whole radio is a heat sink, and that's why it has no fan. It does get warm when transmitting on high power.

I have become a big fan of the Larsen antennas. if you are willing to drill a hole in the roof of your truck, an NMO mount, and a larsen 150 series antenna will serve you well. They make a 1/2 wave and 5/8 wave version of the same thing. If you are willing to drill a hole, get the 5/8 wave. What I like about the Larsen is that it's just a stainless steel whip, and so practically indestructable. The whole antenna is like $35 and the whip can be replaced for $12. What makes mine bash proof on the 40 is that Larsen makes a base spring for the whip-that's an extra $5. Then you trim the whip down about the length of the spring, and tune the antenna with an SWR meter. Rusty Dan can help with that since he's the electronics wiz. The spring lets if fold over when it hits a tree or an overhead without damage.

If you are not willing to drill a hole in your roof, then a lip mount is an excellent compromise. I used a Diamond K400 mount on my 80. In retrospect, I wish I had used the K400NMO just to standardize my antenna bases across 3 trucks. In my 60, I'm just going to drill a hole, but I could not bring myself to do that in the 80.

 

[chicago]

AWESOME info there Andy.
That gives me a good referrence as to what I should be looking for.
I like BASH proof.
Looks like Ill be going with the radio that Rusty Dan recommended. The price is reasonable, and if its a good rig for what Im gonna do with it, all the better!

Thanks for the help. Ill post up when I order it!

K

 

[rusty_tlc]

Andy: Thanks for posting up. I know a couple of us were interested in your antenna set-up.
I hear what you are saying about drilling a hole, I don't know if I can bring myself to do it on the 100. I'm looking for a Greenlee punch the right size for NMO mounts. They make a much nicer hole than a drill or hole saw. Even so I'm on the fence.

 

[spressomon]

Andy: Thanks for posting up. I know a couple of us were interested in your antenna set-up.
I hear what you are saying about drilling a hole, I don't know if I can bring myself to do it on the 100. I'm looking for a Greenlee punch the right size for NMO mounts. They make a much nicer hole than a drill or hole saw. Even so I'm on the fence.

I was just going back and forth on this regarding a permanent antenna mount on my hundy. One of my issues has to do with the relatively thin sheet metal. And being in the middle it would be subjected to flexing due to what seems like a never ending desire to go down overgrown trails . I can see the sheet metal getting stressed over time even with a spring base. Maybe this isn't a real world issue. But in any event I decided to just go with a HD magnet mount (in addition to my upper deck lid mount).

I went with the same mount and antenna as Ali has. Judging from how well he is able to transmit and receive I just decided to copy his...

 

[chicago]

Looking at the antennas of Hamcity.com, Im not really diggin the idea of drilling a hole in the truck at this time. I tend to agree with espressodan that after a while it will fatigue the sheet metal. Im actaully still liking the lip/ hatch style base.
However, what length requirements are needed. They had a rubber coated one. Does anyone know about those? I remember that the "rubber duck" antennas are not very good for the Hand helds, but if its a mounted base with a mobile unit, is it any better? I dont really WANT a whip, but if its better over all...

Thanks,

K

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Kieth:

Everything else being equal, size matters. The short rubber coated antennas work OK at short range and when signals are strong. For weak signal work, you will be happier with a better antenna. They are nice for overheads because they are extremely flexible.

Not to beat a dead horse, but a Diamond K400NMO mount on the hatch and a Larson 150 antenna with an NMO base Would be a nice set up. I also have a Comet Sbb25 which has great radio performance, but because it's fairly rigid, you have to fold it down when you have overhead environments.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Looking at the antennas of Hamcity.com, Im not really diggin the idea of drilling a hole in the truck at this time. I tend to agree with espressodan that after a while it will fatigue the sheet metal. Im actaully still liking the lip/ hatch style base.
However, what length requirements are needed. They had a rubber coated one. Does anyone know about those? I remember that the "rubber duck" antennas are not very good for the Hand helds, but if its a mounted base with a mobile unit, is it any better? I dont really WANT a whip, but if its better over all...

Thanks,

K

Like CDrew said size matters.
You want the antenna to be a fractional length of the wave length you are using.
Adding an inductor (coil) in the base can make the electrical length look longer than the physical length this is how the rubber duck antennas work. The sacrifice is Gain. Lower gain means incoming signals will be weaker, you may not hear distant stations at all. And you will have to brodcast at a higher power level to be heard.

 

[alia176]

Keith,

Jack and Dan S. are referring to this setup when we communicated at DV '07 last year:

Comet SBB-5 antenna - It has a neat fold down feature for over head obstructions and it can take a beating. This antenna sat on a simple mag mount on the middle of the roof. We were using wife's 80 on that trip so it had no permanent antenna mount of any kind.

Honestly the reason they heard me so well is because of the "ideal" antenna location in the smack center of the roof using the mag mount.

On my 80, I use a a Diamond K400SNMO with 13.5' of coax cable already attached. This is mounted on the upper hatch lip on the driver side.

My radio is an older Yaesu FT1500 55 watts max. I never tuned the whole setup during installation but Tom Ferrin from SFO checked it during CM'08 and it had pretty damn awesome SWR.

I have a Comet SBB-1 NMO for short, and I mean SHORT, range comm where overhead obstructions are everywhere.

Let me know if I can muddy the water any further!