Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

If you go to Wilson page and look at pic the 3/8 stud is longer than standard nmo. When I have seen them in use, they are used on fiberglass body applications. Smaller hole for larger surface area. I have never tried them on sheet metal. I don't think it would work very well as the center stud would be to long. Just my.02

 

Works fine in sheet metal for me... You have a LOT of leeway

I would be afraid of an NMO in a fiberglass body without some sort of backer plate.

 

I haven't used a 3/8 mount and probably wouldn't. You can't get a SO259 through a 3/8 hole so it would mean another connection or a soldering job. If you have a thick surface they make a longer NMO for surfaces up to 1/2". A 3/8 stud antenna mount limits you to a small band of VHF/UHF antennas and are generally not used for VHF up. I have used the disks out of an old hard drive as a backup for the 3/4" hole they are a little larger than the hole but seem to work pretty well better than nothing on a thin roof. I'll stick with not using a large antenna on the roof of something that spends a lot of time in the woods the structure of a dual band antenna with the loading coil in the base is pretty rugged and strong enough to damage the truck if it gets tangled with trees. When you start to get into complex dual band antennas it presents around 1000 ohms at the feed point of the antenna so a large coil is need to have the radio look at a 50 ohm load. Even a 5/8 wave with no coils is flexible enough to just bend back without doing any damage I would rather lose a $30 antenna than repair $500 worth of damage to my roof.

 

It's an NMO that uses a 3/8" hole.

 

Yes that's why I said you can't get a

$43 PL259 USA Made PL-259 Improved Double Shielded RG-58u for FireStik Antenna K-8A 18-Foot Single CB/Ham Coax Cable

PL259 through a 3/8" hole but it will fit through a 3/4" hole that's why Motorola decided to make the NMO that way. A 3/8 24 stud is most often used to mount CB/HF antennas two different things.

 

So is that 3/8" not going to work for what I want? Also, what's the standard inside depth of these mounts? Plenty of room to fit between the head liner and roof I assume?

 

If you can't operate a soldering iron, Amateur Radio shouldn't be for you.

#DEATHTOTHEBAOFENG

 

It's all about ease of the install it was aimed at the radio install industry cop cars, fire truck etc. It really does not matter much how big the hole is it's still a hole in the roof the 3/4" just makes it easier as the majority of the NMO's come complete.

 

Yes there is room. The NMO is the flattest.

 

The rise of the Mini UHF.... and the pain of using an adapter on every commercial radio I have.

 

You know N and BNC connectors are compatible?

If we went with something different, I'd like something smaller and threaded. The TNC would be lovely. I like SMA too... (I use tiny tiny tiny coax mobile)

 

Well sort of it's the same ideal they will plug into one another to some extent but it's only a friction fit. A BNC is not a real good connector for use where there is vibration it was intended for patch cords or something that needs to be connected/disconnected like test equipment they were used for 10 base T computer links years ago. HT's used to come with BNC antennas and after awhile they would just ware out. It is a good high frequency connection certainly good to 4GHZ or better. The N is threaded like a

$43 PL259 USA Made PL-259 Improved Double Shielded RG-58u for FireStik Antenna K-8A 18-Foot Single CB/Ham Coax Cable

PL259 the BNC is bayonet. SMA are being used more and more now because of the higher frequencies a lot of the P.S. stuff is going to the new 700 MHZ and beyond it also helps make the radios even smaller. SMA connections are for young people us old guys can’t see the damn things! I pretty well stop at type N on nice big Heliax or LMR 400!

 

10BASE2

 

You could use 7/16 Din fittings. They do make an adapter you could use with your HT:

http://www.fairviewmicrowave.com/low-pim-sma-male-7-16-female-adapter-sm4695-p.aspx

 

Here is my ideal of a proper connector I can see this one!

 

Most important part of installing those is a ruler.

 

I run a Larsen NMO style through the roof on my Tacoma. And depending on type of wheeling I do I'll either have a 19" 1/4 wave or the longer 5/8 wave antenna. I also run a NMO mount through the roof on my crawler with just a 1/4 wave antenna. I believe that the 1/4 wave propogates better in box canyons that I'm normally in with the crawler when on the trail.

I soldered everything myself for the crawler, ended up being a lot easier then I thought it would be. I also Google that crap out of how to solder connectors before my first attempt.

 

Thanks! Planning on ditching this mag mount before Moab.

 

Just got my technician license last week. I'm excited to learn and I am enjoying it already. I have a ft-60, and I'm looking to get a mobile soon.

 

i had a FT60 once...for about a week. before i lost it at King of The Hammers a few years ago. nice radio for sure.