I lost the plot with this mobile ham radio setup
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- Опубліковано 9 кві 2023
- I have to be honest and say I can find better ways to pass a few hours than to try and get a Land Rover to perform well on HF radio. I've got issues with RF affecting the old Icom 706 mk1 radio (which is also a poorly radio).
I am getting RF into the vehicle which is affecting the performance of the Icom and affecting the transmission. It may also be affecting the ability to tune in the Tarheel antenna on 20m.
I really need to bond the vehicle to get a good ground without making the car look like Dougal from the magic roundabout with the radials draped over it. I also should wire the radio into the vehicle properly with ground to stand a chance.
I'm also thinking the 2/70 antenna on the roof may also be bringing in RF on it's outer shield.
I'm a licensed amateur radio operator from the United Kingdom. My UA-cam channel features videos focusing on operating portable radio from various locations plus how to videos, tutorials, insights and conversations in the hobby.
Opening line with the beeped out F bomb had me creased! Always enjoy your content Carl. Good luck!
Nice work Carl. Hope family life is heading a better direction. At least you was messing about keeps the mind busy. It's like me that everything I want to do radio there is always something that gets in the way.
When I used to work out of the car, I set up a tripod with a 17.5' MFJ telescopic and half a dozen radials. Worked well. And less painful than turning the car into a cat's cradle.
Take courage Carl. It wasn't a waste of time. You've learned what doesn't work. Every failure illuminates an alternate path that might lead to success.
Carl, I really like that you did some on the job soldering, you always have the tools to fix anything that needs to fixed or to try out a new antenna or what ever comes your way to make it work, great job it certainly gave me alot more insentive, can't wait until your next video!
Hi Carl, congratulations for your entertaining and informative videos. Tests I made have demonstrated that the best place for an HF antenna on a vehicle is on a 5mm aluminium plate bolted under the front bumper. Not sure, but ground proximity and a slightly longer distance between radio and TRX could make the difference. The intensity of the near HF field is often underestimated. Even better results have been obtained as you suggested with a tripod at about 10m of the vehicle. Chameleon or equivalent, EFHW's on fishing poles or an inverted V will work nicely. Can be fixed on a spike or against a fence near your parking space. All this is OK if you are operating /P from your LR. While driving I mostly use VHF / UHF so no problems with mag mounts or window antennas. Hope this helps!
Love the honesty Carl 🤣🤣hope you'll be back soon 73
Ham radio can be used mobile in the UK, perfectly legal.
Remember Carl, it's good to make mistakes even if only to learn why you shouldnt make them!
Just recently tried mounting a whip on a mag mount on the roof. Luckily no wind. 17 feet of whip on a single mag mount. Like you said and often do, a tripod is the better and safer bet. Or a spike. Chameleon's ground spike and micro unit and whip work well, too.
I would connect those aligator clips to the bolt in stead. they are insulated from the ground plate by the paint/coating.
You need to match the impedance at the feedpoint, if you can't do this with some sort of matching technique such as capacitor (if it needs more), or stub matching etc. then you should try to add or subtract lengths of coax. This will at least match what the radio sees. The RF issues should go away. Try to borrow an analyser and see what the impedence is at the feedpoint, try to avoid odd quarter wavelengths (or harmonics of that) of feedline. Another thing you can try with that magmount is to put some thin rubber material between the car and the mount, you could also try other materials. The easiest fast fix is coax length, assuming everything else is in good order. I'm trying to see where you attached the radials. Try attaching them to the vehicle rather than to the mag-mount. Mag-mounts and stainless steel whips work in mysterious ways!
We all have crappy days Carl, you'll get it sorted soon enough. Good to see you being a little cheeky though! LOL! It's all good my friend!
Over the years I have found the most common RF mobile problem is RF pickup on the DC feed. I always add a ferrite choke close to the DC input. 73 Peter.
Callum is such a Chad.
Nice video as always - whatever the results ! Keele is such a nice campus , I train at the conference centre several times a year, latest is July 2023. Mark, 2E0MSR
Agree, we have all had these experiences, and if not you aren't trying hard enough. For a quick deploy on the Land Rover, try to fashion a mount that can be bolted to the spare tire (carrier) then 12 radials in a semi circle behind the Rover. Also, I think the RF choke should closer to the radio. This allows the shield of the coax to operate as a radial, yet chokes the rf in the shield before the radio. I use a homebrew feedline choke with 5 snap on chokes at the radio connection.
I remember I used to bring my tri-magmount out to the park with a simple hamstick and stick it on an unused BBQ grill and get fairly decent results running QRP. One time the ground connection broke and separated so I had to settle for running cheap telephone wire from my bag as a long wire and that day was an absolute FLOP! I went back home and drank two ice cold beers and everything was okay again. Magic!
ITS THE GROUND! JUST LIKE THE ATAS FROM YAESU. THE INSTRUCTIONS EXPLICITLY SAY DO NOT USE A MAG MOUNT. YOU MUST USE A LIP MOUNT ON THE DOOR AND MAKE SURE THE DOOR IS GROUNDED TO THE BODY. TRUST ME CARL
I’ve had the same with the Atas for all the same reasons.