Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Yeah I get bad radio reception when my retros are turned on.

 

It looks like your driving lights are bolted to the Fiberglass/Plastic fairing. Try adding a ground wire down to the frame on each side. I had similar problems with cheap LED lights on my truck when they were bolted only to the plastic bumper shell. Grounding the cases helped contain the RF generated by the PWM.

 

some good vids i ran into
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaBtYooQdmNzq63eID8RaLQ/videos?feature=hovercard

 

The lights are mounted to a metal bracket that is mounted to the front subframe. I will check the ground on it when I get home.

I reached out to KC and they want to get together on the phone next week and work through this. They say it shouldn't be doing this and they want to make it right. So I won't do much in the way of troubleshooting until I get with them.

 

LED drivers use a switching power supply, and is very common for them to be very RF noisy because lack of filtering and shielding.

@Chipskip I had the same problem with USB chargers in my rig. I solved my problem by evaluating different vendors products. I found that the Anker product line works and does not emit wideband RF noise.

Here is a visual demonstration of how much noise the switching power supplies can produce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvz4uu5opLg

This is one of the best resources I found to educate myself on RFI and how to solve it: A Ham's Guide to RFI, Ferrites, Baluns, and Audio Interfacing

 

I went back in time and looked at my RFI troubles from USB chargers.

The Devil was in this Griffin USB charger. The design has no shielding or filtering.

I pulled it apart to see what was making the noise. It turns out it's a ACT4060A microchip. The product datasheet states that is switches at 400 kHz frequency. It made 20 dB noise and 2-meter and VHF unusable.





The chip on the right is the ACT4060A noise maker!


Here is one ham to added filtering circuity to his USB charger

http://ka7oei.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-usb-power-adapters-can-ruin-your-2.html

And this guy succesfully filtered his noisy USB charger.

 

Here are some details about the FTM-100DR I have learned after much reading and talking to Yaesu.

The radio does not support tone search at all.
Modulation mode is not stored in memory. <----This especially sucks.
The radio does not support a "Reverse" function. <--- I use this on my Kenwood all the time to listen to repeater input freqs to see if a transmitting station is within simplex range.
Radio includes separation kit for head, but not for mic, which plugs into the radio body. You can build yourself an extension cable if you want as it uses RJ-12 6-pin connector, so not too bad.
Also noteworthy is the radio supports "Half Deviation" mode. Which I had to ask, is 2.5 kHz, but only affects transmitting and not RX. This is weird to me, should be both RX, and TX... In Kenwood world they call this "narrow mode" and I use it to program gov. freq into my TM-V71a memory as I do monitor them and it's the proper mode.

 

if it's using a switching power supply, get a linear power regular between the load and the power supply, it should help soak up some of the emi.

 

I need some help with ideas for getting feed line into my cab. My long terms plans are to add 3-4 antennas, and maybe route power to the roof rack.

Normally I'd drill thru the roof, but roof rack makes that impossible.



I'm thinking of enlarging one of the factory holes in the back of the double cab and using a "Thru the Hole" marine fitting.



Factory hole on the drivers side. I'm thinking, enlarge this and use marine fitting.



Thoughts? Comments? Feedback appreciated.

 

@Crom I used fed my RG58 antenna line underneath my cab through an existing run. I took the electrical tape off the wiring harness, added my CB line in on the passenger side underneath the seat and ran it in. Taped up everything again using the existing wiring grommet.

If it works, it works.

 

Thanks.

I did that too for the unused grommet that is under the drivers seat. On that one I ran (2) 10 AWG and RG58.

Another alternative would be Blue Sea Cable Clam. It makes a really nice wather tight seal. But that solution is not as flexible when it comes to removals. Additions are no problem though...

https://www.google.com/search?q=blu...xtfMAhVD5mMKHSsZA2sQ_AUIBygB&biw=1920&bih=965

Bluse Sea Cable Clam

 

Clean install.

http://www.qsl.net/k5lxp/mobile/QSTarticle/QSTarticle.html

 

for a split second I thought the white one was a 1st Gen Nintendo LOL

 

haha It does look like that.

Original NES... I think I have one aging in a box in my garage... Worth about $75-100+ on auction sites. lol

 

Im going to use these if i ever get to put HF into mobile
http://www.daystarweb.com/productdetail.php?productID=1130

 

Another good suggestion.
http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/rack-build-update-pix.155089/#post-2193591

 

Heyco Grommet & Liquid Tight cordgrip.

Thanks Ben! Nice to see different options.

 

No Problem... i do alot of research before i do a complete build... And i still dont have a Mobile HF station.... You should have seen me when i was serious about building a Overland/Rockcrawler to drive cross country and wheel the wee out of and drive home....

 

Ham Radio Technician Class


When: 3 consecutive Saturdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, June 4th, June 11th, and June 18th.


Where: Daisy Mountain Fire Department, 43814 N New River Road, New River, AZ 85087 (map)


Description: Presented in partnership with Daisy Mountain Fire Department Citizen Corps, and the Arizona Repeater Association, this class will familiarize students with Ham radios and help prepare them to pass the FCC Technician Class License exam. NOTE: Morse code is no longer a requirement. This is the ideal class if you are interested in learning more about Amateur (Ham) Radio, becoming a licensed operator, or if Ham radio is part of your disaster preparedness communication plan.


Cost: The course is FREE, however there is one required book and one recommended book. The books may be purchased online or locally at Ham Radio Outlet http://www.hamradio.com/locations.cfm?storeid=6.


Required Book

ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 3rd Edition (Level 1 – Technician) - approximately $30

http://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual-3rd-Edition/

NOTE: Read chapters 1-3 prior to the start of class.


Recommended Book

ARRL's Tech Q&A 6th Edition - approximately $18

http://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-s-Tech-Q-and-A-6th-Edition/


Students should download these two files prior to the start of class:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzpy6BrO8gP5WW9IMEU4WWo3LUU/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzpy6BrO8gP5YW5OamZXbEtUZHc/view?usp=sharing


The customary $15 fee charged by the FCC authorized Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) to administer the exam will be waived for students who attend all the classes. The FCC Technician Class License Exam will be given the last day of class.


Register: Copy and paste this link into your browser:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1s3xUCwdCmMuY66GfBI4MS_qPTNs96phWrcn1fvCfW1c/viewform


Contacts: Jim Pierce, Lead Instructor - Jim@n7qvw.net

Paul Schickel, Daisy Mountain Fire Department - 623-695-1424 or Paul.Schickel@dmfd.org

 

random question, how come nobody uses springs anymore on their ham mounts? seems like a great way to defend against brush.