I thought about screwing it to the door of the sunglasses holder with it perpendicular to the door in the closed position so I could still use it for sunglasses but I wasn't sure the latch for the door would be strong enough to keep it closed, especially while driving. But with 3d printing maybe a beefer latch could be made.
Amateur Radio FAQ
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Winged Pig
Active Member
I was also looking for a spot to mount the control unit and while I don't think my sun glass compartment will hold it, I'll look again. With mobile units in mind, does anyone have any experience with through glass mounting antennas? Really don't want to drill into my truck body and I think going through the fire wall will just be too long of a run.
I have read that through the glass antennas do not work with tinted glass. I tried to find more info but I cannot verify that information.
I have used the glass thru antennas over and over both for receiving and transmitting. As long its not in tint but clear glass they work just find. One time i had a cb in a caddy but it had come with the old style cell phone with the headseat mounted to the floor and 2 cell type antenna mounted on the rear window. I just added a 3rd cell type antenna made for cb's and had no trouble transmitting at all. If you are not to far from monkey county i could give you a hand. send me a pm if you want...
I used a through the glass antenna for quite a while and it worked well. I had it mounted on the rear window of my truck. It has a not very aggressive factory tint. YMMV.
I'm not sure why you think running a cable through the firewall (I'm assuming for a hood mount) would make it too long unless you are using a pre-made cable.
I know people who use hood mounts and they work well enough but one member here who does installs for the police for a living cautioned me against that because of the radiation exposure potential. Handhelds are one thing but some mobile transceivers can put out 75W on VHF.
To test if window tinting is going to be a problem you could hold an HT up to the window and see if you could hit a repeater on low power (with the truck positioned so the window is facing the repeater). I've never heard of tinting being a problem except Maryland cautioning you not to put your sleazy pass over a hatched portion of the windshield but apparently you can buy tinting specifically for blocking RF. I would think that if tinting could block RF was common that there would be a lot of complaints from mobile phone users but it's a good thing to think about before you try a through the glass antenna.
fightinbluhen51
"Quack Pot Call Honker"
- Oct 31, 2008
- 8,974
So...a few things...
I've been busy over the last 2~3 years, and got quite bored w/ operating on V/UHF from the car. It was nice for a while, but low power HT wasn't really all that interesting after doing it a bit. Loved that fact that it taught me good protocols and I know how to get into repeaters.
I have XYL limited space to build a shack, and thus, I'm thinking of building a shack in a box. Something that basically sets up in my basement when I'm home, and something that if I needed to do field operations / disaster recovery volunteer work, I could close up the lid, transport, and setup. Does anyone else do their shack like this? Main objective would be all bands, all modes, moderate weight, AC / DC power, solar recharge, with field practical antenna at first, and then expand w/ SDR receiving down the road.
That also means, I'm targeting a test date in Oct and/or Dec to upgrade from tech to at least general, if not extra.
I've been busy over the last 2~3 years, and got quite bored w/ operating on V/UHF from the car. It was nice for a while, but low power HT wasn't really all that interesting after doing it a bit. Loved that fact that it taught me good protocols and I know how to get into repeaters.
I have XYL limited space to build a shack, and thus, I'm thinking of building a shack in a box. Something that basically sets up in my basement when I'm home, and something that if I needed to do field operations / disaster recovery volunteer work, I could close up the lid, transport, and setup. Does anyone else do their shack like this? Main objective would be all bands, all modes, moderate weight, AC / DC power, solar recharge, with field practical antenna at first, and then expand w/ SDR receiving down the road.
That also means, I'm targeting a test date in Oct and/or Dec to upgrade from tech to at least general, if not extra.
gamer_jim
Podcaster
This is my problem now too. Not the XYL problem, but where I am going to operate HF is temporary, maybe a year until I get my proper shack set up. Until them I really don't want to go crazy on electric, grounding and drilling holes through the walls.
I really enjoyed a few weeks ago operating from my porch. My problem there was setting up the HF antenna. I need a couple portable masts to string 130 foot wire. If I can do this and get a system where I can set up in a few minutes then I'd be pretty happy with a transient shack for now. I would have access to utility A/C power on the porch (and cold beer) but everything else would need to be able to pack nicely in a box and deploy easily.
Congrats!
What really helped me pass my general was setting a test date. Otherwise I just kept putting it off.
hamstudy.org was a big help to me.
CrazySanMan
2013'er
I have a good FJ Cruiser-driving friend here in Colorado who enjoys getting as high as he can in the mountains, setting up a camp, and working contests with his solar powered mobile shack each weekend. He uses a slingshot to put a dipole up in the top of the two tallest pine trees he can find and gets great results.
What are your goals as far as size/weight? Do you want something that can be transported by vehicle? Something yo can schlep up your back up a mountain?
Been getting active on a repeater in Ashton and one in Frederick occasionally while on the road. Have an Icom 5100 mounted on the passenger seat carriage in the truck. Still need to mount the head and external speaker.
Spent the weekend at the squad making a 49:1 transformer for an EFHW. Have two trees in the yard approximately 100' apart and the XYL will only allow a single wire for the moment. Just need to get the cable strung and tested, along with getting space in the office cleaned out for the shack gear. Going to use a Diamond flat cable SO-239 to SO-239 to bypass a window rather than drilling at this point.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Spent the weekend at the squad making a 49:1 transformer for an EFHW. Have two trees in the yard approximately 100' apart and the XYL will only allow a single wire for the moment. Just need to get the cable strung and tested, along with getting space in the office cleaned out for the shack gear. Going to use a Diamond flat cable SO-239 to SO-239 to bypass a window rather than drilling at this point.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
fightinbluhen51
"Quack Pot Call Honker"
- Oct 31, 2008
- 8,974
Good question, and I didn't even address that.
Vehicle transported, not ManPack. If I were going backpackable, this would be easily addressed w/ an HT / QRP setup. I'm not ready for that yet.
Size: Something in a decent sized breadbox. Think good pelican dry case to hold HF radio, and a dedicated 2m/70cm, with power supply, and maybe an external speaker for HF, and a tuner. Assume whatever power the dedicated V/UHF radio puts out and the same for the HF radio.
Would like something that I could also potentially comm port to a computer for digital modes / tuning / software / etc.
fightinbluhen51
"Quack Pot Call Honker"
- Oct 31, 2008
- 8,974
I have a good FJ Cruiser-driving friend here in Colorado who enjoys getting as high as he can in the mountains, setting up a camp, and working contests with his solar powered mobile shack each weekend. He uses a slingshot to put a dipole up in the top of the two tallest pine trees he can find and gets great results.
You mountain folk sure do know how to live.
A lot of people seem to use these or something like them for the case:
https://gatorcases.com/pro-series-roto-molded-rack-cases/
Since they open front and back you can run power, antenna, etc. into the rear without drilling holes.
If you plan on ever going QRP you might consider something like the KX3. It can do 100W with an external amp (or of coarse more with more amp but to make it equal to a regular HF rig you can get the vendor amp or a knock off of it) and is still not much larger in scale than a shack-in-a-box. It has limited VHF/UHF capability. ICOM seems to have just come out with a competing rig but I haven't read the specs.
One club seems to swear by the Yaesu 857D for their shack-in-a-box. It will do HF,VHF/UHF all mode but it's a mobile rig so the controls are a bit on the cramped side.
The Kenwood 2000 is an older shack-in-a-box still in production. It's a heavy so it's not the greatest for field work but will do HF, VHF/UHF all mode and has dual receive so you can do satellite work if you want to without buying a second radio.
There is also the ICOM 9100 that is HF, UHF/VHF and dual receive. Many of these are being sold used now by people who are looking to buy ICOM 9700s and ICOM 7300/7610.
- Jan 31, 2009
- 3,284
It's common in some countries. We used to have to do it here too until the 70's sometime.
What purpose does it serve? In less free countries, way of checking up on you.
If you get a wire antenna that can be configured as an inverted-vee you'll only need one support. The ends (with rope attached so the conductors only come within 8' of the ground) slope down and are tied to stakes, or existing structures, trees, etc.
I got my homemade J-Pole moved up into my attic and connected with some Low Loss AX400 cable. I’m surprised that I’m getting 1.5 SWR with just a few scrap sections of 1/2” copper pipe.
I’m also now hitting several repeaters I couldn’t pick up with the previous SMA Coax.
K3PZN Westminster 20mi
N3KZS In Manchester 25mi
K3ERM in Frederick 34mi
K3VOA in DC 29mi (Lots of static)
I’m really thinking about getting a good quality antenna to mount on my chimney but it’s at least 40’ above my deck. Any idea who to hire to install an antenna in Columbia. I just don’t have the balls to climb up on my roof anymore.
I’m also now hitting several repeaters I couldn’t pick up with the previous SMA Coax.
K3PZN Westminster 20mi
N3KZS In Manchester 25mi
K3ERM in Frederick 34mi
K3VOA in DC 29mi (Lots of static)
I’m really thinking about getting a good quality antenna to mount on my chimney but it’s at least 40’ above my deck. Any idea who to hire to install an antenna in Columbia. I just don’t have the balls to climb up on my roof anymore.
Winged Pig
Active Member
Thanks for the responses regarding the through the glass antenna. I have read that as long as the tint is not metallic it should work. There is a code and it should be on the glass to indicate if it is passivated, i.e. "solar-cool", "solar-coat" or "instal-clear". I believe that code is on my windshield, but not on the back window, so theoretically it should work. How well it will work I have no idea.
I don't want to run a fender mount, and while I do have access through the firewall I don't want to have to run the coax through the it then the engine compartment, then under the vehicle to the rear where I plan on mounting the antenna. Although Im realizing that might be the best option if the through the glass thing doest work. Trying to not have to use an HT while in the truck.
Anyway, thanks for the responses and I may give it a shot.
I don't want to run a fender mount, and while I do have access through the firewall I don't want to have to run the coax through the it then the engine compartment, then under the vehicle to the rear where I plan on mounting the antenna. Although Im realizing that might be the best option if the through the glass thing doest work. Trying to not have to use an HT while in the truck.
Anyway, thanks for the responses and I may give it a shot.
gamer_jim
Podcaster
Thanks, I'll give this a try.
edited to add:
actually it's an EFHW.
I'm not sure if I could do it as an inverted V. I have the antenna book from the ARRL, so I need to go back and read it.
It's a myantennas.com if that matters.
kazan182
Active Member
- Aug 3, 2011
- 510
I have an EndFed EFHW 10-80 and often run it as an inverted V, topper and just strung up inside tree limbs about 12-15' off the ground. They are very forgiving antennas. I use that and a quad band linked (sometimes called serial) dipole now (20, 30, 40, 80m) for my EmComm gear with most setup for NVIS work. I use them 12-15x a year when deploying, camping, exercises, drills, etc. I have a front mounted 2" receiver on my F350 Super Duty. In it is a harbor freight folding storage rack. On it is mounted three mast mounts. Two with just PVC pipe and one is a rotating mast holder made from a trailer rotating tongue jack. These are, most of the time, my mounting point for my HF antennas and my UHF/VHF antennas as well.
If folks are interested in learning about EmComm I recommended joining a local ARES group as that is their bread and butter.
Kazan182 / Steven, KC3DSO
PG-ARES, AEC - Operations
Maryland DC Section Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator
gamer_jim
Podcaster
VHF contest this weekend
http://www.arrl.org/september-vhf
Ill be operating from qth if its raining tomorrow.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk
http://www.arrl.org/september-vhf
Ill be operating from qth if its raining tomorrow.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk
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