Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Is it attached to the back edge of the door then? Does it clear the rear of the cab when you open the door all the way?
I've got an RS-840 mount that I modified a lot for use on my truck, but I like the idea of getting the antenna up higher, and not having it interact with the bed. If/When I build my bed rack what I've got is going to get in the way.

 

Yes it is on the back edge and clears fine

 

Awesome, Thanks!

 

what am I looking at here? Is this the right TVS diode that I need?

 

@MonkeyProof that is a different part number/company than the one I posted and the voltage looks low. Here's the website that talks about the repair I found earlier, and a quick google search of where you can buy them.

 

Awesome! Thanks for the link...I didn't want to pay 8 bucks for a 50 cent diode so I chanced my luck at Frys..

 

I miss the convenience of Radio shack

 

Still have a few Radio Shacks (or correctly "The Shack") around here. However, they aren't what they use to be. And the people working there only know about selling cell phones and little rc cars/helicopters.

 

I visited 2 local radio shacks that are still open, but no luck in finding that particular type of diode that is needed.

 

Just got my call sign...KM4PAO. My CEO got me to finally make the plunge and get into Ham. I just have a Baofeng UV-5RA right now but looking to pick up a dual band for the truck, probably something simple to pick up 2 meter and 70 meter. My CEO does a lot with Dstar and his local group is getting into DMR more and more.

 

Congrats.

If the people you know are running dstar and DMR, than I would look into spending the extra to get a radio with those options. That way you can have more fun participating with them. You are limited in your options with dstar and DMR, but they are still good radios.

 

Picked up a Yaesu FT-450D this week. Now I need an HF antenna, I have a fishing line over a branch about 30-40 ft up ready to pull up whatever I decide to put up there....Thinking maybe a multi-band dipole. For the time being though I have 10 and 20 meter hamsticks I screw into a mag mount and throw that on top of the truck when I feel like doing any HF. It's better than nothing.

KG4NRS

 

These guys seem to run multiple radios. I want to get the best bang for my buck and if I can find a radio that would do most of what everyone I know is running then that would be great. I found out very early on there is a lot of different things you can do with HAM radio. So many options for radios. I do really like the digital stuff too, the clarity on it is amazing. We apparently have a pretty good network of DMR repeaters here in East TN.

 

That's awesome, we only have one DMR repeater in Phoenix. I hear mixed reviews on the digital radios. The one downside is that if the signal is weak, nobody hears anything, it just drops the signal. But in analog, if you hear a weak signal you might be able to make what they are saying or you know they are trying and you or they can adjust to improve the signal. I think time will improve them all. If I had the money, I would have a DMR radio.

Look into APRS, that is one of my favorite things.

Good luck deciding on one radio! DO you have an HRO near you?

 

These are the DMR radios that everyone local is using. You can find the mid level handle one for like $130 on ebay. My CEO had the high level hand held and reception in our area is really good. We are lucky enough to be around a lot of mountains so plenty of places to stick a repeater.

I assume HRO means Ham Radio Outlet? I believe the closest one is Atlanta, which is like 4 1/2 hours for us. I think most of the guys around here shop online. We have a pretty good local club so the guys are always trading around radios and doing group orders. They are fixing to order a bunch of the MD380's soon.

This is my CEO's website, he is always adding more stuff to his shack and has at least 10 projects going on at once.

http://www.n4fnb.com/

 

@MonkeyProof, electrically your NTE4926 diode will replace a P6KE18A with no problem. The voltage ratings are exactly the same. But the NTE part is a little longer, a little larger in diameter, and the leads are a little thicker. It looks like the body will fit, but I wonder if the leads are too thick for the holes in the board.

https://www.fairchildsemi.com/datasheets/P6/P6KE18A.pdf
http://www.nteinc.com/specs/4900to4999/pdf/nte4902_98.pdf

 

Only one way to find out..

The length of the NTE4926 will fit without any interference but the leads like you mentioned will be close. I'm going to try it out and if it doesn't fit then I'll order the PKE18A.

 

So I picked up a Yaesu FT-2600 used and I'm trying to figure out how to wire it into my truck. would one of the cigarette lighter adapters work? Or do I need hard wire it into the truck directly to the battery? Radio is already pre-wired with quick disconnects (trying to figure out what kind). Any help would be appreciated guys.

 

DO NOT WIRE IT TO THE CIGARETTE PLUG!!

Those are probably Anderson pole disconnects. Very popular in ham radio.

Wire directly to the battery with proper fuse. I have mine on a blue sea fuse block and a breaker. I can trip the breaker before jump starting mine or someone else's and protect my radio (and other stuff). Read back a few pages to see what can happen if you don't.