Amateur Radio FAQ

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  • shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    Maybe you're in a low spot. I can hit it from 20mi away with an HT.
    Me and tech have a love hate relationship. Very few things work for me straight away. I'm pretty persistent though. I will get it sorted.

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk
     

    E.Shell

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 5, 2007
    10,243
    Mid-Merlind
    I think shootfishndorf should try the Brandywine repeater if you are in Waldorf as someone upstream suggested. 147.1500 +.6Mhz (147.7500) MD Brandywine Prince George W3SMR SMARC SOUTHERN MD PL 114.8
    Check your decimals.
     
    Last edited by a moderator:

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    Picked up a yaesu 8800r today for a song. Fired it up in the house, did a little reading and programmed in the Brandywine repeater, the La Plata and the Prince Frederick. I could hear the PF guys chatting, but still couldn't get a response. The La Plata and Brandywine were dead to me. I was able to receive the automated time message from the Brandywine repeater on the hand held last night...so at least I have the freq correct. The next project is mounting the radio in the Jeep....it is gonna be a PITA. Old days, getting through the firewall wasn't too bad....not on the Jeep. I will have to pull the right fender off. I think I will get started on that, run the power, and then leave a pull cord through for the antenna later...The antenna that came with the radio is a magnet mount, and the jeep has nothing magnetic on it...so I'm researching antenna options now. I have a bracket that bolts under the hood and sticks out...but it is pre-drilled for a CB antenna...and apparently that is different than what I need for the 144/440. Little more searching, planning and ordering.
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    I thought I was going to have to remove a fender well on my truck to run power from the battery but I found a YouTube video of a radio install a guy did in the same model and there was an unused grommet through the firewall. It was on the opposite side from the battery but was the best option.
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    I thought I was going to have to remove a fender well on my truck to run power from the battery but I found a YouTube video of a radio install a guy did in the same model and there was an unused grommet through the firewall. It was on the opposite side from the battery but was the best option.
    Yeah....the fender removal is the solution I've found. There is a grommet on the driver side if I didn't have a manual...I will get it sorted...just not as quickly as I had hoped...it's all part of the process.

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,499
    God's Country
    Picked up a yaesu 8800r today for a song. Fired it up in the house, did a little reading and programmed in the Brandywine repeater, the La Plata and the Prince Frederick. I could hear the PF guys chatting, but still couldn't get a response. The La Plata and Brandywine were dead to me. I was able to receive the automated time message from the Brandywine repeater on the hand held last night...so at least I have the freq correct. The next project is mounting the radio in the Jeep....it is gonna be a PITA. Old days, getting through the firewall wasn't too bad....not on the Jeep. I will have to pull the right fender off. I think I will get started on that, run the power, and then leave a pull cord through for the antenna later...The antenna that came with the radio is a magnet mount, and the jeep has nothing magnetic on it...so I'm researching antenna options now. I have a bracket that bolts under the hood and sticks out...but it is pre-drilled for a CB antenna...and apparently that is different than what I need for the 144/440. Little more searching, planning and ordering.


    Before you take that route what year is your jeep. I have a 2017 Ford Explorer and I was prepared to fish a line from the battery. However I took a good look at my interior fuse block and discovered that there were about 5-6 open circuits for options that I didn’t have on my specific model. The funny thing was that there were fuses in ever spot even if the accessory wasn’t there. So I grabbed the manual and pulled out the large fuses for the options I didn’t have to see if any other features were powered by those circuits. None were.

    So I just connected a fuse tap to the option for rear heated seats. It was a 25 amp circuit. The radio works great and I didn’t have to leave the cabin.

    Then for some extra coolness I placed the head unit into the ceiling console.
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    Before you take that route what year is your jeep. I have a 2017 Ford Explorer and I was prepared to fish a line from the battery. However I took a good look at my interior fuse block and discovered that there were about 5-6 open circuits for options that I didn’t have on my specific model. The funny thing was that there were fuses in ever spot even if the accessory wasn’t there. So I grabbed the manual and pulled out the large fuses for the options I didn’t have to see if any other features were powered by those circuits. None were.

    So I just connected a fuse tap to the option for rear heated seats. It was a 25 amp circuit. The radio works great and I didn’t have to leave the cabin.

    Then for some extra coolness I placed the head unit into the ceiling console.
    2018 JLU....the fuse box is under the hood...but I will do some searching for some wiring that may be in place, but unused....

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk
     

    ToolAA

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 17, 2016
    10,499
    God's Country
    2018 JLU....the fuse box is under the hood...but I will do some searching for some wiring that may be in place, but unused....

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk


    On most modern vehicles there are two fuse boxes. One in the engine compartment for things like
    Headlights, Ignition, ABS, Fuel Pump. And one under the dash for all of the internal components like power windows, doors, heated seats, ect.

    Unless you have to top of the line model with every possible option I suspect you will find several circuits. For example many cars have powered passenger seat in their top tier trim and things like rear entertainment systems or power sun roof are all items that usually have 10-30 amp fuses.
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    Yea, it has only the one under the hood...but according to the specs of the radio...at full TX power, it draws only 8.5 amps...I'd have thought more...but with this info, I should be able to find a suitable power source without over taxing the circuit. The rear cargo power outlet is looking better by the minute...that will leave me with routing the antenna cable. I'm leaning towards a rear mount, as that will be the easiest. The frigging mounts cost as much as an antenna. Worth it in the long run I suppose. If I factor in all the fiddling I'd have to do if I wanted to mock one up myself.
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    Any recommendations for a mobile dual band nmo antenna? I've found several on Amazon that appear to be the same, other than price....36 inches will get me above the roof of the jeep (soft top). I found a 38 inch one (Tram). More importantly, are there any I should avoid?

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,172
    Outside the Gates
    Diamond, Comet or Browning - you can't go wrong with a name brand. I have a Tram that I've never used, but the others have never failed me.
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    Any recommendations for a mobile dual band nmo antenna? I've found several on Amazon that appear to be the same, other than price....36 inches will get me above the roof of the jeep (soft top). I found a 38 inch one (Tram). More importantly, are there any I should avoid?

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk

    Larsen is the brand used in commercial applications such as LEOs vehicles.

    Pricier than ChiCom antennas but proven.

    You may want to look at amateur-specific companies vs. Amazon for your gear. I've found that a lot of the gear sold on Amazon (with exception perhaps of ChiCom HTs) is over-priced by resellers there. Not always but I'm saying don't just assume Amazon is the cheapest.
     

    E.Shell

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 5, 2007
    10,243
    Mid-Merlind
    Larsen is the brand used in commercial applications such as LEOs vehicles.
    I'm running a Larsen on the top of my truck roof right now. I've broken off so many 2m elements on my NMO base (parking garages, trees, loading lumber...), that last time I bought a replacement, I bought two. Those were Larsens and two years later, the spare is still in the shipping tube in my truck toolbox.
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    Ended up going with a 41" Diamond from Walcott Radio. I measured from where the bracket will go (Jeep door mount from Cooltechllc) to the top of the antennae...that is 82" or so, which is the same height as the wife's F150 radio antennae, which I know fits in any garages I've driven through. That height puts me almost 12 inches over the top of the jeep. Now it is all just a waiting game of the parts to trickle in. I made my own brackets for the yaesu unit to mount in the rear of the jeep "trunk" last night. I should get the adapter in today that will allow me to attach the magnetic antennae to the baofeng...I will then give it a test drive to see if I can hit any repeaters with it. I will probably have to take a short drive down the road, because I'm able to RX with the 15" antennae that it currently has, but unable to TX to the repeaters from my house...
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I ran a Diamond dual band for many years with a mag mount on the roof of a Cherokee.

    I whacked many things in parking garages, but never had any issues.

    It did have the ability to fold, so I would fold it down in really low garages.
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    I ran a Diamond dual band for many years with a mag mount on the roof of a Cherokee.

    I whacked many things in parking garages, but never had any issues.

    It did have the ability to fold, so I would fold it down in really low garages.
    Good to know. I opted for a name brand as opposed to the cheapest I found. The mag mount would be so much easier...but the new jeeps have nothing magnetic...even the rear tailgate is a magnesium compound....aluminum everywhere else...i think I got the height just right...over the top, but not too tall to whack things....When I was playing around with the radio and the mag mount antenna that came in the package....I realized quickly that separation from the antenna and my body is important...LOL....developed a headache and decided to stop playing around indoors.

    Sent from my Armor 8 using Tapatalk
     

    shootnfishndorf

    Active Member
    Mar 17, 2016
    338
    Waldorf
    SUCCESS!!! Made my first contact today using the handheld. My RC Club is in Brandywine. So, off of the Brandywine repeater, I had my first chat. Very nice retired pilot and ex Navy. I interrupted his grocery run, but he was very cordial and said it had been quite sometime since he was somebody's first. LOL. Nice to know I programmed the dang baofeng correctly finally.
     

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