Ham Radio Advice Needed

[Mike Krzywonski]

I just received my Technician license & am in the market for my 1st radio. I need something that I can take w/ me as I travel & use in a rental car. Someone suggested a handheld w/ a connecting mountable antenna. Any recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Jesse Risley]

I just received my Technician license & am in the market for my 1st radio. I need something that I can take w/ me as I travel & use in a rental car. Someone suggested a handheld w/ a connecting mountable antenna. Any recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.

What bands do you plan to primarily operate on (i.e. 2 meter, 6 meter, 70 centimeter, etc.)?

While HTs are obviously very portable, their low power (less than 5 watts) will greatly limit your operating range on any frequency, even with the use of an external antenna. However, if an HT will do, any economical two-meter or 2m/70 cm HT will do.

If you want maximum range for storm chasing, I would suggest an economical two-meter radio with a magnetic mount 5/8 wave two-meter antenna. You can wire a cigarette plug on the end of the power cable for mobile use in any situation.
Something else to consider is the fact that many of the new HT and mobile radios have weather alert features that operate like a NWR, complete with alarm tones and weather alert scanning.

Mobiles - http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/fm_txvrs.html
HTs - http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht.html
HRO catalog - http://www.hamradio.com/

Several great 2 meter starter radios for chasers: Yaesu FT-2800 M, Icom IC-V8000 and the Kenwood TM-271A

 

[David Drummond]

You can wire a cigarette plug on the end of the power cable for mobile use in any situation.

I wouldn't recommend this with anything putting out over 5 watts. That cigarette plug is not a heavy enough gauge wire to properly handle that amount of current. Direct battery wire is the best thing if your buying a mobile unit (not HT).

 

[Jesse Risley]

I wouldn't recommend this with anything putting out over 5 watts. That cigarette plug is not a heavy enough gauge wire to properly handle that amount of current. Direct battery wire is the best thing if your buying a mobile unit (not HT).

True, a mobile radio can be damaged due to poor grounding in the cigarette lighter plug. I think the options are limited due to the use of a rental vehicle.

In that case, I would say either a) hardwire the radio to the battery if permissible according to rental contracts (this will get old every time) or b) just use either an HT or a mobile radio on the 5 watt low power setting.

 

[David Drummond]

You could put a couple of the small squeeze clamps on the end of the wire and clamp them right on the battery terminals. Doesn't have to be permanent to go directly to the battery.

If your planning on talking car to car, an HT with extended battery would work, or even FRS radios. You could probably even hit *most* repeaters on the plains.

Icom and Kenwood have some pretty impressive 5 and 6 watt HT's packed full of features.

 

[david diehl]

Looking at specifit radios,
I would recoment a Icom IC-2200

and as David Drummond Said, Ues the small clamps to hold the wires on the battery.

Antenna wise I recomend a Randall Larson 5/8 wave antenna

 

[Gerard Jebaily]

I would agree that a mobile dual band radio would be the best. One with dual receive would be even better so you can monitor two frequencies at once, even in the same band. A mag mount dual band antenna will be all you will need.

NOTE: The wire going out the doorjam to the roof of the car may lead to some water leak problems in the rain.

 

[Dustin Wilcox]

Looking at specifit radios,
I would recoment a Icom IC-2200

I just purchased and installed this radio (IC-2200H) along with a Hustler MX-2 Antenna. Icom has a $20 mail in rebate with this radio that ends in March.

 

[Jason Foster]

endorsement and recommendation

I would also recommend the alligator clamping system for a hardwire to the batter, be sure to use a gauge wire appropiate for the highest power your running.

Another recommendation is to take a medium sized Gel cell batter. If your flying, be careful of the weight in the luggage, but couple of those (one in each bag checked) should be enough power to last the day. They you charge them overnight in the hotel room.

Now, if your going to operate an HT....but want the mobile power (50 watts+/-), consider purchasing an amplifier. Some you can buy only need 1 or 2 watts in so you can use low power (save the battery) and then put out 35 - 100 watts.

I've used an amplifier that only requires 5 watts in and gets 200 watts out. You'll have to wire the amplifier to the battery (and be sure it's fused), but there's all kinds of amplifier options. Some come with a pre-amp, which helps you listen better too.

Last but not least, the antenna. I suggest a Larson with tip over option. This (along with the rest of the notes herewith) will come in very hand for the rest of the time your operating ham radio, not just chasing. I love doing public service events (like charity marathons) and all this can be very handy for those events too.

Good Luck, and glad to have you part of the ham radio world.

 

[mrobinett]

Congrats on the Technician license, Mike. I really cant offer too much else, Ive done the alligator clip on the battery terminals and ran the cable around the fender into the passenger compartment on many a rental car, works good!
Whats the new callsign?
Mike

 

[Paul Stofer]

I'm fairly satisfied with my Icom 2720. I can monitor 144/440, 144/144, 440/440. Receives a LOT of frequencies, up to 800mhz, and is totally modifiable and customizable. I am typically tuned to both NOAA and chaser simplex freq at the same time. Very versatile and I know many chasers that use this radio. A bit pricey, but definitely worth the money. Not so sure how easy it would be to move it from vehicle to vehicle unless you use power poles or something of the sort. If I need to move from vehicle to vehicle, I just connect a mag-mount antenna to my Yaesu VX7R.

 

[Mike Krzywonski]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I guess I'll go mobile. Are there clips & cables made specifically for connecting radios to the car battery, or do I just get some at Radio Shack? Any specific size?

Ive done the alligator clip on the battery terminals and ran the cable around the fender into the passenger compartment on many a rental car, works good!

Could you provide more details? Where exactly does your wire exit from underneath the hood? Do you feed it through the door jam?

Can anyone provide additional info. about how to utilize ham radio for chasing? Do ham chasers usually only communicate w/ those they know?

146.520 is the national calling frequency and 146.550 is the unofficial chaser frequency.

I don't know much beyond this. Thanks.

Mike Krzywonski
WH7LD

 

[Jesse Risley]

Can anyone provide additional info. about how to utilize ham radio for chasing? Do ham chasers usually only communicate w/ those they know?

Mike Krzywonski
WH7LD

Unless you know other chasers who are operating on a specific frequency in a given area, your best bet is just to throw your callsign out on those frequencies (146.520 MHz and 146.550 MHz) ever so often and see if anyone else in the field responds. Some chasers only talk with those they know, while others will strike up conversations with most anyone.

I always keep a current copy of the ARRL repeater directory handy, as it lists VHF and UHF repeaters by regions of each state. You can find a copy at http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9906
You might also take a look at http://k5ehx.net/repeaters/qrepeater.php if you have Internet access on the road. You just type in a location in the "Geo search" query and it will list all repeaters with x number of miles.

 

[John Erwin]

Are there clips & cables made specifically for connecting radios to the car battery, or do I just get some at Radio Shack? Any specific size?

Ones like these from Radio Shack will work: http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...attery+clip&kw=battery+clip&parentPage=search

Attach these to the ends of your power cables. Clamp them on the battery in such a way that you can open/close the hood without interference. You can usually route them from the battery to one of the corners in the engine compartment and then around the door post and into the drivers compartment. Make sure the wires don't get pinched! Also make sure the inline fuses are kept near the battery end.

I've used this setup many times in the past when I've rented cars and it's a breeze to install and remove. It might be tricky to sit the radio somewhere inside though that will not let it fly around, but usually you can fix that with some ingenuity.

Can anyone provide additional info. about how to utilize ham radio for chasing? Do ham chasers usually only communicate w/ those they know?

Besides the excellent info already mentioned I would recommend checking the "kBrews stormspotting frequencies" list. It will list all sorts of frequencies that can be monitored or used for a given area. Be aware that some repeaters for weather use are limited access, although monitoring them is sometimes useful too. Here's the link: http://www.caps.ou.edu/~kbrews/spotfreq/index.html

 

[Jason Foster]

Power Pole connectors

The way to go these days for power connections is power pole. These are very common amongst the Emergency Communicators (RACES) folks.

You do have to have the proper crimper tool, which you can find at West Mountain Radio which is a great source of other amateur radio related supplies.

I'm not sure where you might actually buy the connectors, as I always got them from a local cable/coax vendor nearby. I'm sure if you google the words " power pole connector ham radio" a few sites will come up.