Car Camping / Trip Reports / Photos / Buildouts / “Overland” / Expedition Rigs Area (homeless?)

Is that another forum? If it is, it ain't me over there!

You don't want to bundle your antenna cables beccause if you bundle them in a counter-clockwise direction with just the right bundle diameter and you transmit a 2600Hz signal through your radio, you'll cause a small rift in the space-time continuum. Think "Don't cross the streams!" kind of bad... and you thought frame rust on your Taco was something to worry about.

Now, being serious: Ideally, instead of bundling you should cut the cable to the length you need and cimp on a new connector. Of course, most people don't have the specialized crimp tools for those connectors. With RF, it's all about optimizing. Sure, it'll probably work if you aren't doing things the right way but there are things you can do to make it work better.

 

a ground plane isnt always necessary.. a ground for the antenna itself is, as in a wired ground... i work on an all composite machine with RF antennas on it and no ground plane.. and they reach quite a ways. or... say a handheld. so... my spot on the bed rail should not be such an issue once i wire the ground properly. i realized i just drilled through some sheet metal and the contact i have is not sufficient to ground all 3.5W of raw power surging through my antenna. also... on my equipment we dont do everything as it should.. wiring should be grouped by emi classes... and its not... and we also do circular looping of the RF cabling with out issue.. ive actually never heard of figure-8s in coax for any reason.. its shielded right? why should a loop matter if youre pushing low power?

 

I'm considering removing the radio antenna, putting a CB antenna in its place on the fender and running a splitter so that my radio uses the CB antenna. Granted, I can't use both radios at the same time but I haven't turned my radio on in several months. In reality, I can almost remove the radio entirely and not miss it.

 

no it's just the angle

who the hell am I going to impale on the trail honestly I'm not the kind of person that leaves my stuff attached 24/7 the only time it will be on there is when I'm on the trail. It would take a lot of force to make it come off of the mounts

 

Total newb question.

I've got a little Baofeng handheld that I picked up cause I'm going on a 6 week road trip (San Diego to Portland and back). I'm taking the Technician's License Test this Saturday.

Will I actually have any hope of being able to make contact with anyone?

 

Simplexing with rubber ducky antenna, you have +/- a mile or so. With a counter point on the antenna, a bit further.

Reapters, I've hit 20-30 miles away on a good day.

You can buy a inexpensive mag mount antenna to really help increase your range.

 

Yeah get a mag mount antenna for your Bao Feng. Depending on the model it may be a pain to program repeaters but there should be plenty of help available.

 

Indeed, that is ugly. I much rather prefer a normal color matched shell. I really like my A.R.E. MX, it looks and performs great!

ANTENNAS
There are a lot of things that are wrong in this thread when it comes to antenna theory and operation, because this is a B.S. EXPO thread, I'll decline to comment on those posts directly. However, it should be said that when working with end-fed ground plane antennas, if you deny them a proper ground plane it does not mean that they will not work. It just means that something else takes its place. And in those instances, the feedline (coax shield, etc.) and everything it's connected to and surrounding (radio chassis), becomes part of the radiating system (bad). Now most of the comments in this thread are directed towards 4 watt CB radios, so it's not going to kill anybody, and the radio sort of works so people just go on...

Yes you should. Come over to the ham BS / tech thread over here: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/sp...643-amateur-ham-radio-bs-callsign-thread.html

here is a great mag mount antenna

http://www.amazon.com/Tram-1185-Ama...qid=1402610163&sr=8-1&keywords=tram+mag+mount

And you'll need an adapter like this:

$7 DHT Electronics Handheld Antenna Cable for Wouxun Baofeng Quasheng Linton - Adapter for UHF Base and Mobile Antennas - SMA Female to UHF SO-239 Female Connectors 6'' Pack of 2

http://www.amazon.com/Handheld-Ante...d_sim_e_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=09MHTJ2C5CYKKDZKH6KH

 

That's the antenna I'm running with my cobra 75wx on the roof about 8 inches forward of the 3rd brake light

 

Sub

 

Does anyone on here have experience with multiple brands or models of shells? I'm interested in firsthand experiences with running different shells offroad/Overlanding. Dust, water leaks, load carrying, etc

 

My Leer 100XQ is nice. No leaks from it. However, in the tacoma, the bed rails are not one continuous piece through the whole 3 sides. In the corners, I get water in. No matter how much additional foam I put in there. Next time I take it off I will have a serious look and resolve it

 

put tape on the front bed rail and then another layer that spans that and onto the bed cap

 

Leer 100XQ. Pricey, but well made. Mine, optioned to the hilt, set me back three grand. Have the factory install the Thule rack package so they can be responsible if anything goes wrong. I carry a 150# RTT on mine with no problems...yet. Off-roading with that kind of weight is highly likely to fatigue the fiberglass with time and then I will exercise my lifetime structural warranty.

My local dealer is a prick, or has issues with staying on his psych meds, so I anticipate dealing directly with the manufacturer if any issues arise. Just know that Leer avoids direct customer contact like we are lepers, so if your dealer sucks like mine, you'll be in for a tough ride.

That said, Leer beats ARE all day long.

 

Did already. I had my kids ride in the back and mark trouble spots when it rained last week.

I plan on removing the bed rails and apply it underneath. Then reinstall.

 

What kind of tape. Mine does the same thing

 

Got a couple of pics today and flipped the axle on my trailer and a B.A.M.F antenna mount

 

Beautiful truck man.

 

My A.R.E. MX shell has been excellent. The factory has also been excellent at warranty repair (windoor frames) and taking my calls and answering technical questions. Whatever brand you decide, I have the installers use bulb seal instead of cap tape if you plan on taking the shell off in the future.

 

Did you do any tune up? How many watts are you putting out?