Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Good to know… ya I’m looking to add this for the antenna to mount to..

 

That will be okay. Not great, but okay. I aim for the absolute best I can do and just do it once but I understand a lot of people don't like the idea of a hole in the top of their cab. If I ever sell this truck (which I don't plan to), I will just put a little rain cap on it and send it away.

Make sure your bracket is bonded to the steel it bolts to. Paint --> Paint will give you poor efficiency and propagation (no ground plane). Bare metal --> bare metal is best and then seal it so it doesn't rust. I'm sure someone will hop on here and suggest an antenna that doesn't need a ground plane but I haven't played that game.

Good luck with the install! Show us how it looks when you are done and good luck on the test.

 

Here are some photos. Antenna installed, NMO mount without antenna, and rain cover.

 

Will do and thank you!!!

 

Here's a vid on installing the FTM-400XDR... https://youtu.be/LjA46Mhwwwg

 

This is exactly what I wanna do!!! Thanks for this!!!

 

Where are you? I have a driver side one which I recommend over the passenger side for low bridges and trees and shenanigans like that.

If you're trying to get the best the roof can't be beat. But if you're trying to just be on the air then the tail light tag offs are good.

 

I’m in Sacramento Ca the roof Isn’t going to hit on everything? Figured I’d lower my profile

 

After being thoroughly Baofunged, I got this

$124 AnyTone AT-778UV Dual Band Transceiver Mobile Radio VHF/UHF Ham Radio for Vehicle Car Radio

AnyTone AT-778UV.



So far, pretty nice. With a Nagoya UT-72 mag mount on the roof, I think it gets about 15-18 miles, maybe a little more. Easy programming with CHIRP, manual kind of sucks.
This entry level Chinese radio market is pretty sketchy. I look at this as no warranty, no customer service after 30 days.



KK7DTK

 

Yeppie passed my tech exam!!!!!! Time to celebrate the little things!

 

Congrats!

73 de KA1TTG

 

Question I will be getting a Yaesu FTM-400XDR for my truck.. I was looking at this antenna any one have input on it or a better option?
Tram 1180 Pre-Tuned 144MHz-148MHz Vhf/430MHz-450MHz Uhf Amateur Dual-Band Nmo Antenna, 36.50in. x 1.50in. x 1.50in.

$34 Tram 1180 150-Watt Pretuned Dual-Band 144 MHz to 148 MHz VHF/430 MHz to 450 MHz UHF Amateur Radio Antenna with NMO Mounting

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KK4FQ8X?_encoding=UTF8
thanks in advance!

 

I have never used Tram antennas, I've always used Larsen and I now have three of them, all different models. I would suggest the NMO2/70C; it has a closed center coil. The NMO270B has an open coil that "sings" in the wind. I just looked up the prices and they increased up to 70%!

Looking through reviews, you will get every form of mixed messages you can think of. Will the Tram work? Yes. Will you notice it works better or worse than another? No, not if you never try another antenna. Haha. I would guess the biggest difference between manufacturers is build quality.

But as the old ham says... if you want to improve you station, spend your money on antennas.

 

I’ll check it out thanks!

 

Anyone used this before?

Retevis HK008 Shoulder Speaker Mic, Volume Adjustable Handheld Mic for Retevis RT22 RT21 RT19 H-777 H-777S RT15 RT22S RT68 RB18 RT27 RB35 RT21V Baofeng UV-5R Arcshell AR-5 Walkie Talkies (1 Pack)

$25 Retevis HK008 Shoulder Speaker Mic, Volume Adjustable Walkie Talkie Mic Compatible RT68 RT85 RT81 RT86 RT19 H-777S RB26 RB28 RB29 RB89 RA89 Baofeng UV-5R BF-F8hp 5RM Walkie Talkie(1 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085LZRZNL

My HT is terrible on the road. Road noise and wind noise make it useless without the ear piece. Hoping this does the trick.

 

Open it up, Stuff with cotton balls. Done it with any Hand mic I've had. Results every time

 

Hi all, longtime ham, DMR newbie. I was considering Anytone, but I stumbled across this, CS-800D. It's a Chinese radio, apparently supported fairly well with a USA dealer. I was most interested because of the removable faceplate, would make it a nicer clean install for mobile, put the radio elsewhere. Reviews on eham are 3.9

It's VHF/UHF, and also has available a larger touch screen, that could be handy in the shack, at least.

Of course there are a lot of crappy cheap radios, but this is at least FCC Part 90 certified. The dealer says they will repair for free, for a year.

 

My Abbree speaker mic does quite well in the Utah desert wind surrounded by v8 race trucks:

$10 ABBREE AR-780 Radio Microphone Speaker Mic Ham Radio Accessories, Remote Shoulder Mic for Baofeng BF-F8HP Pro UV-5R 5RM UV-21R K5PLUS GM-15 Pro UV-5G Plus GM-5RH Quansheng UV-K5 8

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GC7DF9S?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Here's another cheap/useful accessory, for Baofeng/Anytone HTs. A military surplus grenade pouch fits them just fine. You have to cut a little notch in the flap for the antenna. A snap on the flap keeps it secured.

They're certainly not waterproof, but perhaps splash-resistant, and will turn dust and dirt. Molle on the back lets it easily attach to many types of packs, or also works well to just run your belt through it. 4 x 2 x 3 inches, get several.

 

Sweet! Thanks for the idea and link!