HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

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UBZ
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby UBZ » Mon Sep 30, 2013 9:10 am

Yeah international feedback on Baofeng radios makes for some interesting reading .
The killer for me was no local support network.

I like the Look of the Icom IC-706 as a moblie HF rig , the Kenwood TS-50 and Yeasu FT-100D are similar older rigs .
What sort of moblie whip are you running for 80m :shock:
Most of the "High Q" , Multi-band , base coil loaded, HF mobile antennas available are extremely inefficient RF wise and certainly have a "snake oil" element to them .

I have gone with a "portable" buddiepole system which allows me to set up near full size antennas with minimal coil loading .
LR110 ..... LJ50 project :roll:
Chris.

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catalystracing
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby catalystracing » Mon Sep 30, 2013 9:21 am

Yup the 80m whip is a challenge :)
Probably run a long wire like a mountain radio and set it up at nights, still should get get plenty of action on 40 and 20 tho, simpler to set up.

We has a TS50 in our club rooms in Cambridge many years ago, was a great little unit, recommended.

Cheers

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby falcon5nz » Mon Sep 30, 2013 11:14 pm

I do like the 706. We have one in the AREC Truck. As for 80m whips we have an Icom F7000 that we have a long wire for but can and do tune it on the ZC-1 whip on the back of the truck.

Here's a photo of the old girl, a 1974 International D1310, still on it's original tyres! (And yes it is for sale!)

Image

My only issue with dual band (and this possibly is coming more from an AREC perspective than a straight out ham one) is that you lose one rig, you lose all comms. With a dedicated VHF & UHF you lose one, due to a fault, drowning, busted aerial, bullet hole etc you still have some form of radio. Same for having a 70cm rig that you can have PRS in, while it's handy and my Baofeng does have some programmed, I like having seperate radios to allow you to monitor 70cm as well. Obviously I feel a bit different about HF gear.

As for individual preference, I basically got the Baofeng cos I'm a poorly paid apprentice (damn training wage!) and it looked capable enough . Would I buy another if this one got destroyed? Absolutely. Would I love an Icom H/T with D-Star? Same answer!

Catalyst, awesome call!

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Cameron » Tue Oct 01, 2013 6:39 am

man that international is cool. any more pics?

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petefj40
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby petefj40 » Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:32 pm

Wondered if any of you fellas would be interested in this ICOM 144MHz model IC-25a unit in good working order before it goes on TradeMe. Transmitting from 1W up to 25W.

Image
Image
Image

Just PM me.

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UBZ
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby UBZ » Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:49 am

falcon5nz wrote:My only issue with dual band (and this possibly is coming more from an AREC perspective than a straight out ham one) is that you lose one rig, you lose all comms. With a dedicated VHF & UHF you lose one, due to a fault, drowning, busted aerial, bullet hole etc you still have some form of radio. Same for having a 70cm rig that you can have PRS in, while it's handy and my Baofeng does have some programmed, I like having seperate radios to allow you to monitor 70cm as well. Obviously I feel a bit different about HF gear.


I agree with you about having some redundancy . I would love to have a seperate rig for every band , but the practicality in a medium size 4wd is limited .
Image
As you can see , 40ch PRS / 26Mhz AM CB / Dual Band 144/440 HAM . Wouldn't really want to deal with any more Mic's , have a hard enough time getting the right one as it is .
The plan is to put the HF in the back , as it will be mainly used for Base camp antenna setups .

Love the international! Any more info , very interested in its electrical / Charging setup .
LR110 ..... LJ50 project :roll:
Chris.

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby falcon5nz » Wed Oct 02, 2013 11:35 pm

I have PRS mounted where my ash tray was, and a UBCT-8 scanner DIN mounted under the head unit. I have a VHF Tait 2020 about to arrive back from repair as well as a Realistic TRC-453 CB that I need to get back and install. And a 706 with remote head kit might be good for you. At the Jock White and similar we have put the 706 in the cab and used it to get some separation.
The truck has 2 plugs on it 240VAC and 12VDC. It is plugged into 12v in the shed at all times. There is a manual battery isolator that links batteries when driving or on charge,and seperates them so the starting batter isn't discharged while operating. The 249 VAC connection runs all the lghts power points and a PSU to charge batteries in the field. We also have an inverter for 240 stuff. In the back cabin we have 2 bunks, sink, gas cooker. Radio-wise, all Icom for some reason, no ones sure how it happened it just did. R7000 Receiver, Commercial VHF, UHF (IC-410) & HF (F7000), IC 2820 D-Star dual band, 2 Ham VHF, 706 HF & airband.

No other pictures at the moment but I'll try and get some. Anything in particular?

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby curly12 » Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:50 am

falcon5nz wrote:I have PRS mounted where my ash tray was, and a UBCT-8 scanner DIN mounted under the head unit. I have a VHF Tait 2020 about to arrive back from repair as well as a Realistic TRC-453 CB that I need to get back and install. And a 706 with remote head kit might be good for you. At the Jock White and similar we have put the 706 in the cab and used it to get some separation.
The truck has 2 plugs on it 240VAC and 12VDC. It is plugged into 12v in the shed at all times. There is a manual battery isolator that links batteries when driving or on charge,and seperates them so the starting batter isn't discharged while operating. The 249 VAC connection runs all the lghts power points and a PSU to charge batteries in the field. We also have an inverter for 240 stuff. In the back cabin we have 2 bunks, sink, gas cooker. Radio-wise, all Icom for some reason, no ones sure how it happened it just did. R7000 Receiver, Commercial VHF, UHF (IC-410) & HF (F7000), IC 2820 D-Star dual band, 2 Ham VHF, 706 HF & airband.

No other pictures at the moment but I'll try and get some. Anything in particular?


Sale price?? :shock: :shock:
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Gyxx
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Gyxx » Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:28 pm

Looks like there's a few nice mobile shacks out there. I've had set-ups with a few different rigs going and it's all good when you're monitoring all your favorite frequencies and repeaters but once you start trying to use them you quickly become limited by the hand to ear to microphone ratio...
I think I'd limit myself to just two mics these days - I think that's about as many conversations as my befuddled brain could handle at once...
Doing AREC work's a different story of course and in those circumstances I'd agree with having as many different rigs and antennas and power options as you can - redundancy, redundancy, redundancy...
I wasn't really thinking about HF for the wagon but if a few other people are running HF mobile I might look at it. Best thing about running an HF rig mobile in a 4WD??? Having a good excuse to need to get to the highest terrain feature with the best view possible ;-) ...

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Pedro
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Pedro » Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:26 pm

Been looking at a radio that has recieve and transmit in the 400-500mhz (i think) covers the prs range . And is fairly powerful. Ie up to 45 watt. How legal is this one??? Has 10w 25w and 45w transmit levels.
Looked at the radio communication site and confused the shit out of myself. What are the rule and or penalties if one were to purchase and ust it?
Pedro

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MikeL200
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby MikeL200 » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:18 pm

You must have the appropriate licence to operate, depending which frequencies you use. If your equipment is only capable of the PRS freqs and the power output is below 9.2 watts then you do not need a licence.

http://www.rsm.govt.nz/cms/licensees/types-of-licence/general-user-licences/citizen-band-radio

http://www.rsm.govt.nz/cms/licensees/types-of-licence/general-user-licences/amateur-radio-operators
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby KIWI_TERRANO » Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:48 pm

What's on 27 MHz

I have a 26/27 gme in my truck and on 27mhz I pick up something on Chanel 11but can't figure out what it is

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Gyxx
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Gyxx » Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:28 pm

Channel 11 on 27Mhz CB is the truckies CB channel in NZ. Back in the day it was very busy and is still worth a listen if you're heading on up the highway. Probably the only AM CB channel still in regular use.

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Gyxx
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Gyxx » Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:31 pm

Or am I mixing it up with Aus CB frequency? Been so long I can't remember if 27's us or Aus...

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby KIWI_TERRANO » Sun Oct 13, 2013 3:02 pm

Gyxx wrote:Channel 11 on 27Mhz CB is the truckies CB channel in NZ. Back in the day it was very busy and is still worth a listen if you're heading on up the highway. Probably the only AM CB channel still in regular use.

26mhz channel 11 is trickies

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Gyxx » Mon Oct 14, 2013 12:14 am

Right you are 26 MHz for NZ...

Not that I have the CB on very often these days. It's been so long since I've had an AM contact that whenever I do put it on I just leave it on 11 and catch the odd truck coming down the Haywards or on SH2.

Like so many I cut my teeth on AM CB and then moved onto SSB rigs before getting my Ham ticket. I hope we don't lose the HF CB band it's still quite a handy wee band in it's own right.

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby MikeL200 » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:05 am

These bands do get monitored for usage and if there isn't much or any activity some little beauracrat will be looking to sell off the rights to use them. Sadly technology and the internet will cause this to happen. Why go the harder way when IRLP, All-Star or Echo-link means you can talk to the world from your vehicle or on a handheld?
Mike
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby DieselBoy » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:57 am

Gyxx wrote:Right you are 26 MHz for NZ...

Not that I have the CB on very often these days. It's been so long since I've had an AM contact that whenever I do put it on I just leave it on 11 and catch the odd truck coming down the Haywards or on SH2.

Like so many I cut my teeth on AM CB and then moved onto SSB rigs before getting my Ham ticket. I hope we don't lose the HF CB band it's still quite a handy wee band in it's own right.


The little group of us that go cruising regularly all run CB's, the range beats the PRS hands down. People are missing out just using the PRS. We can chat from Taupo to just about Turangi on the CB.

I feel the urge to get my license building :lol: :lol:
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby tgaguy1 » Mon Oct 14, 2013 4:42 pm

I have a question for those that run an AM CB.
When I have my AM CB radio on (with aerial mounted on front bullbar) and I use my Garmin Nuvi GPS; the GPS has trouble staying locked onto satellites. When I turn the radio off, the GPS has no problem staying locked on.
Has anyone else come across this and if so, is it a function of aerial location or will the AM signal interfere regardless?
I find UHF radio has no interference at all with the GPS.

Cheers

Jase.
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby MikeL200 » Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:20 pm

I have my AM CB mounted on the dash and I have a Garmin Nuvi 760. My aerial is on the drivers-side front guard and I have never had any problems like yours. My LED lightbar however kicks up a shitload of interference with the CB. The frequency difference between CB and GPS is way too big to be a problem, 27mhz v 1250 mhz.
Mike
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Gyxx » Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:20 pm

A little bit of loose RF (especially HF) can find it's way into the most unlikely places and do the most unusual things. It finds every little bit of inductance or capacitance it can and pops up where you least expect it.
When I was saying about making the neons at the servo flicker before I was only half joking. Apparently when my old antenna was pointed a certain way my neighbors TV would get interference bars that would modulate in sympathy to my RF power output on SSB...
That would make sense if your problem only occurred when you're transmitting. If it's happening when you set's only receiving - buggered if I know...
In the absence of any definitive fault, I've always found going through all the connections (supply, earth, RF etc...) and making sure they're all fully sound has a magic way of making problems disappear. An earth for the chassis of the transceiver sometimes works wonders too...
LED lights are notorious for causing RFI. Some of the less well-made brands can splatter most of a band for a little way. A lot of boaties are fitting LED light strips then finding they're having to take them back out or move them or suppress the RFI from them somehow because they screwing up their communication with all their splatter...
I'm still a big fan of HF CB. On a good day and using legal power I've worked some surprisingly distant stations - funny speaking people and all ;-) ... You can't do that with UHF.
OK Yeah I know these days you can do it all on IRLP but... I'm old school... I still have to wait for the valves to warm up before I can transmit and I like the soft yellow glow they put out when they finally do... My frequency stability takes a good five minutes to settle down... Good time to make a cuppa...And check the E-mail on the Android ;-) .

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby UBZ » Tue Oct 15, 2013 8:38 am

tgaguy1 wrote:I have a question for those that run an AM CB.
When I have my AM CB radio on (with aerial mounted on front bullbar) and I use my Garmin Nuvi GPS; the GPS has trouble staying locked onto satellites. When I turn the radio off, the GPS has no problem staying locked on.
Has anyone else come across this and if so, is it a function of aerial location or will the AM signal interfere regardless?
I find UHF radio has no interference at all with the GPS.

Cheers

Jase.


Firstly are you using an external antenna for the GPS?
the inbuilt antennas have the their gain cranked right up, to make up for the fact that the antenna is not that good . therefore making them very susceptible to being washed out by "any" RFI.

Secondly - The AM transceiver needs to be wired properly . It should have a Negative power connection direct to the battery and to the body . The battery should be connected to the body and the chassis as well.
Run the antenna coax feed line as far away as possible from ignition wiring / alternators etc . Cut the feed line as short as possible ( fixed length feed-lines for mobile applications are a 4wd Myth) don't bunch up excess in the engine bay or behind the dash .
make sure you use quality RG58/U cable and connectors .

Thirdly - The Antenna .... a bullbar is probably the worst place you can mount an antenna , as it is separated from the main body of the vechile RF wise .
The antenna base should have an electrical negative , ideally direct back to the battery .
Just because a the antenna has a negative connection does not mean that it has a good RF ground
A 5cm metal disc under the base will help simulate a ground plane on the bullbar but needs to be connected to the body of the vechile with a good wide (1-2cm) braided copper ground strap . the body of the vechile also need a ground strap to the chassis .
The more RF continuous your vechile is the better the "RF Ground" will be. this can be done by using ground straps on the bonnet , doors , exhaust , basically any major item that is bolted to the vechile. All connections should be sanded back to bare metal and a electrical jointing compound used .

Basically if the Antenna does not have a good "RF" ground it will reflect a large portion of transmitted power back down the Coax cable to the radio . This results in poor radio performance , in-cab interference and can potentially damage the radio .

The proper way to check is with a VSWR meter . this will let you see how much power is being reflected and the VSWR ratio .

On a side note , alot of "pre-tuned" antennas are not actually tuned that well or are affected by mounting location . using a VSWR meter you can lengthen/shorten the antenna to tune it properly .

there is ton of info on the Net about Mobile Antenna tuning / grounding / bonding , if you are prepared to wade .

DieselBoy wrote:I feel the urge to get my license building :lol: :lol:


Do it !
I found out the other day I can arrange for the test when ever you feel you are ready for it ..... no need to wait for a club run course .
LR110 ..... LJ50 project :roll:
Chris.

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tgaguy1
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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby tgaguy1 » Tue Oct 15, 2013 5:02 pm

Thanks for the replies. I will have to check all connections and modify the wiring a little I think. My have to re-think ariel placement as well. Some very good knowledge on this forum.

Thanks.
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They grow old because they quit playing.

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby Flip » Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:31 pm

I mostly use a simple Wouxun UVD-1P dual band hand held with a 6db dual band external automotive antenna in my landrover. I find it works well enough in most places. I keep thinking about a dual band base set but the hand held is cheap, works on the PRS frequencies and just does 99% of anything I have ever asked it to do. If I flood the truck I have only buggered a $100 hand held, also I have not found a base set that will do VHF,UHF and PRS.

I also have a 25-30 mHz export free band, multi mode, Optima 50W CB, on a 1.6m whip, and a uniden 5w PRS base set on a short whip all hard mounted in the landy.

When I need to get serious I have a Yaesu 857D all band HAM transciever in a water proof box and throw up a par-end fed on a 30' squid pole. I regually talk to a friend in France when I on hunting trips. This draws 23A on transmit so you have to be carefull not to flatern the battery.

The little cheap Wouxun kicks ass when I compared it against friends expensive name brand PRS handheld. It was only 1/3rd the cost also. But you do have to know how to program them.

The old landy was a army radio truck and every bit of the coach work is bonded so it makes a good ground plain. When I set up a station I'm in the habit of checking the SWR on an antenna tuner as getting this right is important as the antenna won't work and the radio won't drive an antenna unless it has the right reactance.


IMG_0584.JPG

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Re: HAM Radio (Amateur Radio)

Postby petefj40 » Thu Mar 27, 2014 1:20 pm

Thought I'd throw this link up in the thread.
I'm selling my ICOM IC-25A compact 2 meter FM mobile transceiver.
$1 Reserve.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =711054638

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