Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

1-unlicensed. As mentioned, I use this strictly for desert races (Mexico SCORE mainly)
2-Antenna is a VHF 1/2w NGP cut to operate on 154mhz (39.8”) and coax is RG58/U
3-Antenna is mounted above the roof, off the front edge of my GFC camper (I can get pictures)
4-Freq’s used are in the 151-156 range ONLY
5-This is purely simplex, I have no repeaters programmed

It is currently powered through a SwitchPros with a 20A max fuse.

As an update to my previous post, I disconnected antenna and coax connections and checked everything for continuity, from antenna tip to the end of the coax and my results were 0.
Another SWR test conducted within the 151-156 band and I am now in the 4.0 SWR range and power output in the ~40w range.
There are some urban environment factors that may be playing a role here but I do not want to rule out equipment issues.

 

Run power direct to battery for clean 12V power.
That's my only input

 

Don’t key up the radio with very high SWRs as you’ll blow the finals in the radio. Get yourself licensed. It’s easy and makes you legal.

 

151-156 is business band, not amateur, FWIW.

 

Yes, he’d know that if he had a license.

 

MURS bands - wide open, no operator license needed (with a MURS radio) in the US.

 

But in Mexico?

 

Mexico Inventory of Frequency bands classified as free spectrum. I guess that means unlicensed, but they do list stipulations
What are free-to-use frequencies and how are they used? – Tecnosinergia Help Center - Tecnosinergia S. de R.L. de C.V. All Rights Reserved. © 2023

Bandas de frecuencias del espectro radioeléctrico de uso libre | Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones - IFT

 

While I agree that getting a license is preferable, passing the test doesn't really instill that much practical knowledge.

I was very disappointed when I passed my test and asked the local club for some help with some stuff I was trying

"Oh you need to take the next test"

And thats how you get pirate radio

 

Thank you to everyone who has provided help. I did not mean to offend anyone or start arguments about being unlicensed and owning a vhf radio that seldom gets used a few weekends a year in a different country. Here is the FCC license agreement being a PCI customer (https://www.pciraceradios.com/pages/pci-race-radios-fcc-license-agreement) under this (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-90/subpart-H/section-90.179), which I have renewed for 5 years since purchasing the radio from them.

 

I’m going to add a picture of how my antenna/mount is setup to give those who are able to help an idea. Pictured is my NGP ‘low profile’ vhf antenna (tuned for 150-158) however I also have the whip as stated earlier.
I am unable to move the antenna mount much due to the 40” coax length (it is threaded at the 3rd brake light). A new 10’ coax will arrive tomorrow and I will test the new cable to rule out the current coax.
Are there any issues with my current antenna location VS mounting it on the driver side of my GFC or even the ditch light locations?

 

You might start by adding a ground strap going between that mount, and the frame of the truck. A camper, with a rubber seal on the bed rails, not to mention all the painted surfaces don't conduct very well, and having the a good ground should help.

 

Could you explain in detail where/how the ground strap/loop would attach to the nmo mount?
Might answer my own question here but would moving the mount to the roof rack (which is bolted to the roof) be an option? Currently the antenna is mounted to an aluminum bracket but can be changed.

 

The NMO mount should ground/connect to the bracket by design, so a ground wire/strap connected from one of those bracket mounting screws should work well.
The rack bolted to the roof might offer some improvement, but also could have some of the same problems with rubber seals and paint blocking the electrical path, and might end up still needing a ground wire/strap also.

 

Copy that. The aluminum bracket is not going to work even with a ground wire.
Though I have spent some hours diving into my setup. I might have found a 40” ‘jumper’ cable that may be faulty. At first I thought it was antenna placement. I’m going to replace that section of cable tomorrow and test my theory. For whatever reason, I put a new 10’ coax in place of the ‘bad’ 40” jumper and was getting SWR readings down to 1.1-2.0 and power from 40-55w (50w radio) no matter where the antenna was placed. As soon as I put the 40” jumper back in, SWR was 4+.

 

I had my antenna mounted similarly on the front of my GFC aluminum extrusion and had no issues without a grounding strap.

 

Did you ever test the ground/continuity?

 

I did not, solely seat of the pants if you will. Long distance radio direct to radio and off repeaters with reports of clear transmission quality was good enough for me. It was a Kenwood 710G with a Comet SBB7.

 

My base station radio died. It was an TYT TH7900. Pretty common problem, they all of the sudden lose audio mid transmit. It was 2 years old and has been kept on my radio desk inside. With an Ed Fong antenna up on the roof, I'm running it at 5 watts. I say that to say this - The radio has lived an easy life and died young.

So I pulled the Ham Radio out of the truck. I was pulling it out because Toyota failed to honor my warranty due to the presence of a Ham Radio. Long Story, lots of BS. Still fighting this. But to prove my point I pulled the radio out all together and the truck still Malf'd. So I'm moving the TYT TH9800 from the truck (like 10 years old and abused) into the base station.

Means I need a new truck radio, right? I liked the functionality of the Vero VGC NR-76 that I bought the mobile radio version - the Vero VGN NR-7500. It's basically an N-76 with two main differences:

• Does up to 50 watts
• Does NOT have a front face plate - you use your App for EVERYTHING.

My early review is that I wouldn't buy it again. But the N-7600 is coming out soon and it does have a small face plate in the hand mic. I'm hoping that mic is backwards compatible. With the addition of that face plate in the hand mic this would be a good radio. I got the N-7500 with the anticipation of getting an N-76 in the near future too. Wanted to have same / similar manual of arms between the two radios and the ability to use the mapping feature.

 

If you are wondering about the Malf-Issue, it's located here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/died-and-limped-home-2023-trd-or-4x4-w-15k-odo.847500/

But in a nut shell.... Using a Fuse Tap voids your warranty on anything electrical.

I was even told at one point, "any time you put anything electrical in the truck, it voids the warranty."

I asked to clarify, "Ham Radios? Off Road Lights? Winches? Dash Cams? Dual Battery set ups? Dometic Fridges? How does hooking up a trailer work? What about the Phone Charger?"

The answer - "Yes... Anything electric voids the warranty."

I asked about the Fleet Vehicles that they sell. "How many Tacomas are out there as fleet vehicles, with radios and battery chargers for equipment?"

Then I get this, "Oh well uh you know you have to ask our fleet sales guy he knows about all of that, but I would assume those are professionally installed."

Eventually I get them pinned down to admitting that you can put electronics on the truck - they just have to pull directly from the battery via a separate fuse block.