Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

I mounted my antenna TO my roof rack. Works just dandy.

 

I love tech. Some guys talk about grounding, ground planes, bonding and rf returns until they are blue in the face. Then a normal guy bolts the fucking thing to the rack and actually enjoys using it. I’m in your camp, mine too is on the rack with no bonding and it rocks 35 miles.

 

Many V/U antennas are ground independent. If you read the specs before buying one, you can skip over all the grounding issues. No magic to it. I mounted a diamond SG7900 to the plastic luggage of my motorcycle.

HF is a different animal.

 

Here's my mobile rig.. Anytone AV778UV with Tram 38"

 

http://www.k0bg.com/
Has lots of info for mobile HF and VHF. Its like a bible for Mobile ops..

 

Ham Radio install is now fully complete. The radio itself was installed a few weeks ago, but this morning I was finally able to get the mic holder installed. I got Hondo's Un-holy mount ( dipped the screws black ), order a 6" RAM arm along with two 1" ball mounts. I initially made an adapter to hold the manufacture's mic mount to the ball mount, but the mic mount was too thick making it too hard to insert the mic to fit. So, I used a piece of aluminum roof flange I had laying around and made my own mic holder. It may mot be pretty, but it's functional and that's all that matters. Place the arm against the dash for daily driving and extend it out towards me when on the dirt. Just need to configure it for the Southwest frequencies.

 

I love my magnetic mic clip. Would that work for you?

 

Probably. Do you have a link to it?

 

$45 Magnetic Mic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0153KY2GY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_W7X7Cb84GW25E

 

Can you explain why two different positions are needed for the mic (dirt and no-dirt)? I tried to think this one through before posting and I got nothing. Seems like there's a lot of effort involved in the mic mounting here.

Also your dust cover on the mic wiring (bottom of mic) needs slid back on

 

Just throw the mic next to the Ebrake handle and call it a day....

 

$40 for a magnet?

 

Hi, me again. Still haven't pulled the trigger on a mobile unit. I was very interested in getting the Yaesu FTM-400DR and a friend suggested that I get the Kenwood TM-D710GA because it has a better APRS interface. I would like to hear some comparisons between these two units. I understand the Kenwood does not have the digital modes that the Yaesu has, but I'm not sure how often I'd use the Fusion but it does sound neat. Which unit would be easier to use an iPad or Galaxy tab to view APRS maps so I can stalk my friends? I plan to mount the head of the radio in the ceiling of my truck so I want to be sure I get the best radio for me since I'm cutting the headliner. I only want to do this once!

 

You are correct! If APRS is your interest, the Kenwood is the better choice. If digital is your interest the Yaesu is your choice. I have both. The Kenwood is in my Taco because of the APRS capabilities. I have it linked to a Mobilinkd TNC2 that is bluetooth to my android tablet (Apple doesn't allow the protocols for it to work, so iPad is useless). I make frequent drives from Huntsville, TX to Dallas, and can not only watch my track, but my tablet being on my cell connection acts as an iGate. Meaning that any APRS signal that pings my antenna also hits the APRS.fi web site. With that, anyone watching that site can see me, and anyone else that hits my antenna. That's APRS. With the Yaesu, it runs APRS native, or on the radio ONLY! It can output it's data to a tablet, but cannot be controlled by a tablet. There is zero input. That said, I can (with the Kenwood) tap a call sign on my tablet, and send them a text message, because of the level of "outside" APRS control that the Kenwood offers.

I hope that gives some insight. If you have further questions about the differences, or the operation of the Kenwood, or Yaesu for that metter, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

Thanks a lot for your feedback. It is starting to sound like I may be better off with the Kenwood because I think that APRS will be more useful than the digital modes. You mentioned about being able to send texts through APRS. Is that a common practice, or will I really care if my tablet has that capability? Also, do you have to have a data connection to view other APRS users on the tablet? I think it seems like it would be a good way to connect with a group on a trip in the mountains, providing you have the maps downloaded ahead of time and the APRS information is layered on top. If you have to have data and be connected to the APRS.fi website, that wouldn't make much sense for backcountry navigating.

Here's a scenario...If I found myself on a solo trip in the mountains, would I be able to send a GPS coordinates to search and rescue by means of APRS?

 

You CAN download offline maps to work with the APRS app, so you don't need to have a cell connection. If you're in the sticks it will still work. (outside cell reception) In your scenario, having an offline map available to give emergency services more than just your GPS location, such as "I'm on the south ridge if this hill" or something can help guide them towards you. Once they have reached your GPS location and are communicating with you on the APRS Talk frequency. Or however you happen to alert them. Emergency Operations Centers usually have HAM operators on staff. Not as a rule, but because that's the nature of HAM folks. Our Walker County EOC is run by a HAM. APRS is absolutely something that they can look for and see. As for the texting, that depends on the group you're with. It, BTW, can be done from the Kenwood or Yaesu radio from the face of the radio. It's just easier with the kenwood/tablet.

 

Yes

 

Cool. As I sit right now, I don't think the texting feature is a big seller for me. Aside from the texting, what other "outside" features are useful on the tablet with the Kenwood that you can't do with the native nature of the Yaesu? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume the Yaesu can still display all the APRS signals you pick up on a map (either downloaded or cellular) just the same as the Kenwood as kind of a "view only" format if you will. Also, what does it take to show up on that APRS.fi website? Would the tablet need to be connected to data or is that handled by APRS repeaters/ground stations?

Edit: Will both radios allow you to leave APRS breadcrums in the background while you use the other comm for voice?

 

You are correct. The Yaesu can output data to a tablet. With the benefit of having the C4FM digital mode available to you. I don't have any Yaesu repeaters in my area so not such a big deal here. When I go to Dallas (frequently) there are a few I've talked on when the Yaesu was in the truck rather than at home. If the Tablet is on your cellular data it can act as an iGate sending to aprs.fi along with any signal that hits your antenna, but if not it will still show your progress on the map. Otherwise, your signal would have to hit an iGate externally. I may have sounded like a Kenwood Fanboy, but I really like the Yaesu as well. Using it at home I have just applied for an ID to use it as a Wires-X node with the new firmware. It's a great high quality radio! You really can't go wrong with either one. If you have Yaesu repeaters in your area I'd go with it for the added digital comms. The 2 are comparable in features, less the digital on the Yaesu, and the outside control on the Kenwood. It's a tough enough choice that I own both, and can offer info on them.

The Yaesu has the C4FM Yaesu System Fusion digital mode for Wires-X use, or YSF repeaters. The Kenwood has Echolink capabilities. Mine is a backup for our repeater. In that, I mean that I can set it up at home instead of the truck, with our repeater frequencies, and folks around the world can connect and talk through our repeater via echolink when our primary link is down. The primary being the repeater owner's Kenwood at home. They are both highly capable, and outstanding radios. It's about what features you want. Kenwood - APRS that can be externally controlled and Echolink capability. Yaesu - APRS native with output and Wires-X capabilities.

 

If you're planning to use the tablet as your primary display, there's not much point to paying to have the TNC in the radio. You might consider the TM-V71A combined with a mobilinkd and your android tablet. I'd suggest purchasing APRSdroid from the Google app store to support the author. Then go to his website, where you can download other versions for free. You'll want the OSM version. Next step is to download OSM map files to local storage. You can use any OSM map, such as topo maps. The only downside to this is that you must use the tablet to APRS. With the TM-D710G, the tablet is optional.

I'm starting to experiment with a win8 tablet running APRSIS32. It's a terrible mobile interface when compared to APRSdroid. But you can do some neat stuff. Such as create objects that dont move. If you're wheeling, you could create a Basecamp object that never moves. Or possibly a trail hazard. Or any point of interest. That gets displayed on everyone else's map display.