Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Great to hear it's doable. My takeaway from what you're saying is I'll just have to be careful of more interference due to the longer coax line?

Thanks!

 

Without a "Ground Plane" there are many antennas that can work there. Adding RF grounding, i.e. braided ground straps in many locations around the vehicle can make a HUGE improvement in you radio comms, VHF, UHF, HF...Using a low loss (highly shielded) coax does help. It doesn't have to be the expensive LMR400. There are other less expensive low loss coax brands out there. It's the antenna system that matters. The Tacoma is one of the most RF noisy vehicles on the road. With a few ground straps, good coax, in what would normally be a questionable location, I had great results. Not a lot of $$$ but a bit of time and effort.

RF grounding is key in a Tacoma. You can buy pre-made braided ground straps from HRO, or wherever, or find a local source for 1" braided ground strap...go to your local automotive store and get some copper battery cable terminals, go home and measure lengths, go back to said automotive store, and have them clamp the terminals onto the braided strap for free. That's what I did. Grind down to bare metal where you want to attach the straps, use self tapping screws...then cover all of those locations with liquid electrical tape when done so you don't get corrosion. Regardless of what antenna or coax you use, this will make a huge improvement in your antenna system. It's an often overlooked part of vehicle comms.

So no, it's not just the length of coax. It's much more the effort you put into your comms system. Even truckstop coax will work better with a bit of RF grounding effort. You can put an antenna where you want to put it with a little work.

PM me if you would like a more clear explanation...I can work with ya on that.

 

Wow this is really great information. It sounds like it's a ton of work to get the antenna working well in that location.

I'd really love to have it there though! I'm going to spend some time learning about grounding RF before I hit you up with more questions

 

No problem... any HAM in your area will tell you the same thing. It's EASY! but takes a little effort. You can google it, or I can tell you what has worked tremendously well for me. It's all good. Do your research...learn for yourself...that's what we do. It puts in perspective for your own situation. Good luck!

 

Yes I'm just now realizing that antennas are the magic bit where everything happens, so takes a bit of finesse.

 

Mobilinkd is a KISS packet TNC only. It's not going to help you with winlink on HF. For that you need a sound card connection. If your rig doesn't have it's own USB interface, then the signalink is the most simple option. There are certainly less costly options that will require some degree of DIY.

I'm not sure if the Mobilinkd will go down to 300 baud required for HF Packet. I'm also not sure how much HF Packet is even left. The few people in HF APRS have been experimenting with other modes.

I love the mobilinkd for 2m APRS!! I don't know it has much value in HF. It's certainly not going to do SSTV, FT8, etc.

 

I want a dash cam, but I've not yet heard of any model that doesn't destroy 2m.

 

As long as it's grounded well, it will work satisfactory. Nothing beats a drilled NMO though..

 

I have a dash cam, and I don't think it causes interference*. But... it is plugged (along with my phone) BlueSea clean USB charger, not the one it came with.


*And now I'll have to test it out...

 

Sorry I realized I left out details. All mode radio with vhf and uhf. Was watching a video of the 7100 using the new Mobilelinkd v3 and winlink via Bluetooth dongle and it spiked my interest.

I guess one of the features upgraded from the 2.2 was that before you could hack it to kind of get packet to work , where the 3 is specific to aprs and general packet use.

 

Mine is hardwired in. Added a couple ferrite chokes last night and don’t get any interference anymore.

 

The 1.0 and the 2.2 function great on APRS without any hacks. I have one of each and have used them both with Android and Windows. They work with very little fuss.

My understanding of the 3.0 is that it works with iOS, where the earlier ones did not.

 

Correct . And the verdict is still out. I'll have to see if I can find the video I was watching yesterday. The second big change was it officially being for packet use as well.

From their page

"The TNC3 is our first TNC designed for both APRS and general packet use".


I love mine too. Let me know if you have any cool tips or tricks for us new guys. I think I might try to shake down an APRS satellite. Ive been reading one just came back online and is confirmed to be operational again. Have to make due with me tech license for now! Haha

 

My Anker C1 pro causes no issues with my radio setup that I know of. Even has a cheap AF chinese hardwire kit for it and I haven't had anyone comment on radio quality.

 

Anyone with APRs on right now?

 

I have APRS running with a Kenwood D710

 

Have you done any long distance messaging through RF? Actively troubleshooting how to do it

 

No, I have not... yet.

 

Haha. Gonna get this .I'm dwtermdete. I've received a message, but he hasn't gotten mine. Going from AL to NH.

If you're in your rig and you go into your GPS, does it show your lat long?

 

Yes, I have a good GPS fix when out in the truck running APRS. I have even pulled up the position fix info to view my speed and compare it to the odometer.