Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: dickreid1 on October 06, 2017, 09:04:17 pm
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I see call signs. Jim is KB9OMH. Stuart is WA6BTK.
It would be interesting to from fellow hams about your operating position, power connections, antennas used, what bands, advice, difficulties, clubs, etc.
Dick, KK4OBI
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We have often been mistaken for the "radio hams" but we are the 'actor hams". Hope your search brings results. :)(:
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Hi Dick. I'm N6QX.
I have spent some time fretting about how best to put a 2-meter/70-cm antenna on the 2552 we have on order. I finally decided to mount it from the luggage rail near the top of the ladder in the rear, so I asked Earl to have a coax cable run from there down to the console between the driver and passenger seats. I'll give him 50 feet of LMR-200-DB for this.
This location has the disadvantage of requiring a longer cable, but the benefit of easier access without the need to climb on the roof.
I'm still not quite sure what antenna to mount there. Commercial mobile antennas mostly need a ground plane to work properly, and the fiberglass and plywood roof of the Cruiser won't form much of a ground plane. I have a dandy dual-band J-pole antenna which needs no ground plane, but it's 5 feet tall and I don't want to add that much height to the Cruiser. I'm thinking I may just fabricate a coat-hanger ground-plane 19" vertical out of an SO-239 connector and fasten it to the rail with some sort of spring mount. When I forget and whack it off with a low hanging tree branch I can repair or replace it without too much trouble.
How have other folks put antennas on a PC?
John, N6QX
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This is Denny, k9aeg
is a picture of where my Yaesu FT-857/(sometimes FT-817 below it) is located just behind passenger seat. So from top to bottom, the hanging cluster is Clock, ft-856, Winlink Modem, with sometimes ft815 hanging below that. Just use valcro for modem and 817.
Antenna's Yaesu ATAS HF screwdriver mounted on Left Mirror, and 2m/440 on right mirror.
Kenwood D-700 remotely mounted passenger side under dash. Control head dash mounted drivers side.
hope this help a bit. 73's
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Hi Denny,
Thanks for all the details and the photo.
I'm curious how you route coax to your mirror-mounted antennas. How much does the coax flex when the doors open and close? If you have time, I'd love to see a photo showing the coax routing through the door.
Thanks,
John
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John here, KF7VEI
Currently mobile only with a little Wouxun.
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John, I simply ran coax's to the dash wherever I could hide them the best. Once under dash , went towards door leaving a bit of slack and exited the cables through the door where mirror is mounted to door. I will try a pic for ya.
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Hi Dick,
I run with Icom 7100 for all bands and modes, I also have a setup for FRS radio when traveling in a caravan. I run an Outbacker antenna for HF, 2m/440 antenna for those bands. I will try and add a couple of pictures on where I have the antennas. The Outbacker is installed on the Drivers Side Mirror, The 2m/440 antenna is installed on the right side of the Hood of the PC, right in front of the radio antenna. On the left mirror I have a home made FRS antenna. All the wiring for the antennas run under the hood, across the front and along the right finder well to a hole in the panel on the
right side right before the door. I also run the power the same way from the truck battery. I also have a run of coax ran under the PC from the front all the way to the back with a connector at the trailer hitch to run a long wire HF antenna when parked. I installed the radio and antenna tuner under the right front seat, with the control head on a cup holder.
Sorry Dick, I could not remember how to insert the pictures