Hello from Wyoming

[307-Overland]

Ok thanks

Do you know of a Jeep trail south of Labonte canyon it is on the map . I have been in that area a lot and did not know about it

 

[472HemiGTX]

Hello from Central Oregon. Your state is on my list to come fly fish.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Do you know of a Jeep trail south of Labonte canyon it is on the map . I have been in that area a lot and did not know about it

Do you know of a Jeep trail south of Labonte canyon it is on the map . I have been in that area a lot and did not know about it

Can't say I do. The only time I spent in that area was the wind farm project I worked up there last year.

 

[M Rose]

Welcome from Oregon. You are in the Us Mountain West Region. @Cendee is your Regional Director. She can get you in touch with the nearest Member Representative

 

[307-Overland]

Can't say I do. The only time I spent in that area was the wind farm project I worked up there last year.

I guess I’ll just have to go find it might make a nice day trip

 

[RockyMountaineer]

I guess I’ll just have to go find it might make a nice day trip

I'm always looking for a new adventure. Give me a heads up and might go find it with you.

 

[307-Overland]

Vedauwoo isn't a bad spot to visit. Personally I spend more time in the Snowy Range.

As for radios. Personally I recommend either the FT-400XDR or TM-D710G. Both are excellent radios that are feature rich. It is more a matter of if you want digital voice or not.

Thanks for the radio suggestions I looked at FT-400XDR. Looks cool. How hard would this radio be to set up?

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Thanks for the radio suggestions I looked at FT-400XDR. Looks cool. How hard would this radio be to set up?

Setting up any radio is pretty simple in general. The trick to any electrical install is preparation work. For radio in particular you need to figure out your details before you drill the first hole or run the first wire. So my guide to mobile radio installs is this:

1) Sit down in the drivers seat and figure out where you want to mount the control head.
2) Then figure out how you are going to route the cable to said control head.
3) Then figure out where you are going to mount the radio body.
4) Now start figuring out your power distribution, grounding, and if you want the radio wired into a relay or switch.
5) And then comes the antenna. Figure out where you want this and how you are going to mount it. Also figure out how that wire is going to routed to the radio.
6) Now you are finally ready to make that trip to the hardware and/or auto parts store to grab your wire, connectors, fuses, relays, looms, and screws.
7) Finally start your install. Start by mounting all your hardware then start running all your wires and connect everything up.

As for setting up the radio it really isn't all that hard. Personally I will say that programming via computer is easier for the initial setup just because of the number of different frequencies you might be entering. Yaesu offers programming software that is free and the FTM-400XDR is designed to be programmed via a microSD card so no cables are required. Personally my preference for programming software is RT systems but this is just personal preference.

 

[307-Overland]

Setting up any radio is pretty simple in general. The trick to any electrical install is preparation work. For radio in particular you need to figure out your details before you drill the first hole or run the first wire. So my guide to mobile radio installs is this:

1) Sit down in the drivers seat and figure out where you want to mount the control head.
2) Then figure out how you are going to route the cable to said control head.
3) Then figure out where you are going to mount the radio body.
4) Now start figuring out your power distribution, grounding, and if you want the radio wired into a relay or switch.
5) And then comes the antenna. Figure out where you want this and how you are going to mount it. Also figure out how that wire is going to routed to the radio.
6) Now you are finally ready to make that trip to the hardware and/or auto parts store to grab your wire, connectors, fuses, relays, looms, and screws.
7) Finally start your install. Start by mounting all your hardware then start running all your wires and connect everything up.

As for setting up the radio it really isn't all that hard. Personally I will say that programming via computer is easier for the initial setup just because of the number of different frequencies you might be entering. Yaesu offers programming software that is free and the FTM-400XDR is designed to be programmed via a microSD card so no cables are required. Personally my preference for programming software is RT systems but this is just personal preference.

Is there a antenna that you would recommend?
Dose the fiberglass topper effect ham radio like cb radio

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Is there a antenna that you would recommend?
Dose the fiberglass topper effect ham radio like cb radio

I have always used Comet SBB5 antennas with good results. Fiberglass tops always effect antennas. This a question of antenna theory and RF propagation. The SBB5 is a ground independent antenna thus grounding isn't much of an issue. But no matter how you slice the pie you will need a ground plane and fiberglass doesn't provide one. But don't worry other solutions exist. The best solution in this case is mount the antenna on the hood, the radiation pattern won't be uniform but it is still an effective solution. Alternatively you can mount the antenna on the roof and then built you radials or a ground plane onto the underside of the fiberglass.

 

[307-Overland]

I have always used Comet SBB5 antennas with good results. Fiberglass tops always effect antennas. This a question of antenna theory and RF propagation. The SBB5 is a ground independent antenna thus grounding isn't much of an issue. But no matter how you slice the pie you will need a ground plane and fiberglass doesn't provide one. But don't worry other solutions exist. The best solution in this case is mount the antenna on the hood, the radiation pattern won't be uniform but it is still an effective solution. Alternatively you can mount the antenna on the roof and then built you radials or a ground plane onto the underside of the fiberglass.

dose the antenna have to be calibrated the radio

 

[RockyMountaineer]

dose the antenna have to be calibrated the radio

Tuning and testing an antenna is always a good idea. But as a general rule of thumb the antenna sold by diamond, comet, and nagoya will maintain their published SWRs. So is tuning necessary, most of the time no. Would I recommend it, yes. For me this really a question of if want to spend the money on an antenna analyzer or not.

 

[307-Overland]

Tuning and testing an antenna is always a good idea. But as a general rule of thumb the antenna sold by diamond, comet, and nagoya will maintain their published SWRs. So is tuning necessary, most of the time no. Would I recommend it, yes. For me this really a question of if want to spend the money on an antenna analyzer or not.

Will it harm the radio if it was not done right away?

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Will it harm the radio if it was not done right away?

That is question of severity. As a rule of thumb no, especially seeing as most antennas from reputable manufacturers needing little to no tuning. But in the event of high SWR it is possible to damage the internals of the radio. However such cases are uncommon.

 

[307-Overland]

That is question of severity. As a rule of thumb no, especially seeing as most antennas from reputable manufacturers needing little to no tuning. But in the event of high SWR it is possible to damage the internals of the radio. However such cases are uncommon.

Thanks for you time and help