Member III
It's been running around the $450 mark for probably a year now. Shortly after the sale first hit they were on back order, but things have leveled out now.
Ham radio?
- Thread starter Dr. Rock/Paper/Rumble
- Start date
Member III
The Kenwood TM-d710G and the Yaesu FTM-400XDR are about the only two mobile radios on the market right now that do APRS and voice at the same time.
At the time I starting purchasing mobile radios, almost 7 years ago... if the 400XDR would have been the price it is now, I would have gone that route.
I pieced my set up together over time as I could afford another radio so that is how/why I ended up with a separate APRS radio. I like it as I still have the dual band for voice on to monitor another frequency while the APRS radio does it's own thing but installing multiple ham radios really isn't the best option when you are short on space to mount the bodies, especially if you are also going to run a CB and GMRS.
For the average overlander that wants ham and APRS the TM-D710G or the FTM-400XDR is really the way to go for the easiest install.
If you already had a ham radio and wanted to add APRS after the fact I may advise differently but if you have NO radio and already know you want APRS those two radios are really the best option.
Some people do get by with using a cheap handheld for APRS, either having it wired directly to a phone or tablet or using a bluetooth TNC (Terminal Node Controller) which is wired to the radio but bluetooths to the phone/tablet.
I tried the cheap HT route at first but was not happy with it and went to a 2m mono band specifically to be used for APRS.
I love my Kenwood... Smaller form factor. I have never had any issues other than an old microphone giving a pinging sound but that was resolved with switching to a different mic. I have no experience with the 400.. Pretty colors but also a larger display. If you have room for that cool. My Kenwood sides above my rearview mirror out of the way.
???
Antennas are not the same. Firestik does make a ham antenna though. It’s also not that simple. Like any antenna location is everything. The higher the better. Some may argue the coax cable is different for HAM and CB but I have not had any issues with using the same mount with the different antennas.
2M4 - 48.2" Firestik 2 Meter Ham Radio Antenna
2M4 - Firestik 2 Meter Ham Radio Antenna. Knowledgeable VHF radio operators prefer the 2 meter 5/8 wave antenna from FireStik for its low impedance and low average SWR. A friendly 4 foot length and 400 watts make the 2M4 a powerful option for mobile VHF
www.wearecb.com
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Pathfinder III
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Can you be a bit more concise please.... :)
Member III
I am going to muddy the water a little bit.
Can you use a cb antenna for ham radio? Sure.. it's just not as easy as plug and play.
It's typically a 102" whip (really a 10m antenna but commonly used on CB) and requires an antenna tuner or loading coil and is used for HF frequencies.
But it won't necessarily improve the distance over any other mobile HF antenna.
Can you use a cb antenna for ham radio? Sure.. it's just not as easy as plug and play.
It's typically a 102" whip (really a 10m antenna but commonly used on CB) and requires an antenna tuner or loading coil and is used for HF frequencies.
But it won't necessarily improve the distance over any other mobile HF antenna.
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Enthusiast III
So Im pulling the trigger on a Yaesu 400xdr. Im going to get the "Diamond K400SNMO mount" for the hood of the JK and the "Diamond NR770HBNMO antenna". Will these suffice for most Overlanding situations?
Pioneer I
Antennas can be a whole topic on it's own, but yes, the above will work just fine for overlanding or any other general travel. Diamond makes good antennas from my understanding, and the hood is probably the best place on a Jeep for the antenna since you want as large a metal surface area as possible to act as the groundplane for the antenna. Normally the middle of the roof is best overall. But there is a conspicuous lack of sheetmetal on the roofs of Wranglers.
I suggest looking at KØBG.COM for information relating to mobile installations, you'll want to pay particular attention to the bonding section. You don't necessarily have to worry about it just right now, but it is something that will help immensely with reception and transmission. I still need to add good bonding to my rig once I get my Icom installed, which will hopefully be in the next month or two.
I suggest looking at KØBG.COM for information relating to mobile installations, you'll want to pay particular attention to the bonding section. You don't necessarily have to worry about it just right now, but it is something that will help immensely with reception and transmission. I still need to add good bonding to my rig once I get my Icom installed, which will hopefully be in the next month or two.
Both HAM and CB should use standard 50 ohm cable, often RG-58 in automotive applications.
Member III
Oh absolutely. I don't have personal experience with Diamond but they are a popular brand among hams.
However, if you wanted to save a little money... a flat fender mount (such as https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/mobile-antenna-mounts-264/fender-bracket-mounts-268/nmo-straight-brackets-1514/) works good as well.
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Member III
If you are looking for a tough little NMO antenna, the Tram dual band NMO is a tough little unit. Mine has been smashed into roofs in garages, bent back by limbs, and generally abused for about 3 years now. Not bad for a $20 antenna.
Also remember that gain numbers don't always make the antenna. Depending on terrain, a standard 1/4W can be much more useful even though it doesn't post the high gain numbers of some of the other antennas out there. Some times higher radiating angles are needed to make contact in deep valleys and foot hills.
Also remember that gain numbers don't always make the antenna. Depending on terrain, a standard 1/4W can be much more useful even though it doesn't post the high gain numbers of some of the other antennas out there. Some times higher radiating angles are needed to make contact in deep valleys and foot hills.
Enthusiast III
I have a GOBI Ranger Rack on order...10 weeks to go :( ... in my ignorance I do not know if I should mount the antenna on the hood of my jeep (drivers side close to the a-pillar), fender, or the Gobi cage... I will keep reading and researching and asking questions as I move forward. Its funny that I have talked on radios my whole adult life (Air Traffic Control) and do not know boo about Bonding, what MARS CAP does or doesn't do as an upgrade, how to program a $500 radio that I feel should come programed for $500 :) , if I should connect straight to the battery or is connecting to the Spod okay....and on and on ....
Member III
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Just because the cable and connector is the same does not mean the antenna will "work" If you learn the info in the test instead of doing a cram session, you will learn that antennas are very frequency specific. CB antennas are designed for 27mhz normally. While that is close to the 10 meter band and can be tuned, it will not work for 2 meters and .7 meters and the mismatch can damage your radio.
Member III
Well, there's a lot to all that. So let's break some of it down.
Bonding/Grounding: Things like the Gobi rack don't make bare metal to bare metal contact. They attach over painted surfaces and while they may show a DC current short, at RF frequencies you may have several thousand to a few million ohms of impedance. To keep any spare current you develop on the rack from grounding through the shield of your coax back to your radio (and possibly causing damage to the radio) you should use straps (1/4" to 1/2" wide is good start) from each leg with the paint removed between the contact points, and painted over to prevent corrosion after final install to the body and preferably the frame as well. Make sure you use flat strap and not just wire as the higher surface area of the strap lowers the impedance of the connection and makes it the more desirable path for stray RF.
I have my radio wired straight to the battery with a 40A circuit breaker, 40A solid state relay, and 4 position fuse block for future add ons. The relay is triggered by a 12V switched signal from one of my accessory ports in the Xterra. This has worked very well and could easily be set up to be triggered by your SPOD if you choose. But I run my radio 24/7/365 when driving. The only time it doesn't get used is when the wife drives the X for some reason and cuts it off. (is off when key off)
MARS/CAP is not legal unless you are a registered MARS member. So don't worry much about it right now.
As for the radio coming pre-programmed, that's understandable from someone coming from radio services with established channels and frequencies such as CB, FRS/GMRS or business licenses. However there's so much more to Ham and being able to program your radio on the fly and make changes in order to make contact are key to getting the most out of your radio. Buy a Nifty manual for your radio and spend some time getting used to using it. It's hard to help a radio user who's having trouble on the air if they don't know how to operate their radio.
I always recommend getting at least lightly involved in a local radio club if for nothing else than to have good help available when you have issues with gear or procedures. They can be a huge help and I've made lots of good friends in my local club as well as having a blast operating during events like Field Day and local QSO parties.
Member III
Antenna height is key, but you may have to compromise depending on your height requirements. I don't have any real height requirements so my antennas are on the roof, just keeps me from going through drivethrus.... probably better that way.
Bonding helps tie all the large metal parts of the body together, it makes a better "ground plane" and may also help reduce RFI. Straps are commonly run from body to frame, hood to body, and exhaust to frame/body.
MARS/CAP mod opens up the transmit frequency of the radio to frequencies outside of ham radio. Most people that do it aren't MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System) members and do it to use their ham radio on frequencies that the radio is not certified to be used.
Member III
I've cut down a 102" whip for a 6m antenna before. It worked good but 6m isn't useful mobile (at least in this area).
Now, to further confuse this issue, it's possible to build a matching circuit to get the antenna to "look" like it's tuned. It's hard to say how it'd work though. Probably some odd radiation angles coming of that sucker. The little coil type dummy loads for 11m (Looking at you Firestik) would be a nighmare of reactance and might even serve to short themselves out or appear as an open circuit depending on the inductance in those coils at those frequencies.
Let's say for the sake of simplicity, DON'T DO THIS. Can it be done? Probably. Is it going to be anything other than a convoluted mess of circuitry that only serves to lower your ERP and turn your output power into a heater in the back of your rig? Probably not....
Member III
He wasn't saying the antennas would work, just that the coax would work for either.
It was in response to 1Louder's comment that some may say the coax is different.
