Topic: Ham Radio Test

[Goldfish]

I took the Technician test today and I passed. I am now in the market for a mobile unit. Any sugestions on brands, models, etc. I have no clue what to look for . Is Ham Radio Outlet a good place to buy from?
Don

[Paul]

HRO are good people. I buy most of my stuff from UniversalRadio.com as they have a very good web site. Gigaparts and Texas Towers are also pretty popular sites.

The big three: Icom, Yaseu, and Kenwood make good stuff. Alinco is considered a bit cheaper in quality from the others. The Kenwood line is small and getting smaller, they might be out of the radio business in a few years if this keeps up. I sold Yaseu radios as an 18 year old kid back in 1978 so decades later when I got my license I sort of gravitated towards them.

If you're looking for something for the truck might I recommend looking at the Yaesu FT-2800M for a 2M only radio - pretty simple (relatively speaking!), rugged, and puts out 65 watts. I've got one in the garage for base station use.

If you're looking for a 2M/440 MHz I have the Yaesu FT-8800R which is a "dual" watch radio - a two sided radio which with you can monitor two channels at once and talk on either one with a push of a button. I use it to monitor FRS and to chat on 2M with the other amateurs in the club. The receiver is very sensitive and picks up a wide range of frequencies.

The ICOM IC-2200H and IC-2820H are similar in function with some different features - the 2820 allows for dual antennas selecting the strongest automatically for receive.

I've got a Kenwood Handie-Talkie (HT) and a Yaseu HF base station and I've been looking long and hard at the ICOM IC-7000 and IC-706 Mk IIG mobile HF radios ... I'm manufacturer agnostic. 

[Paul]

PS: don't go cheap on the antenna whatever you do.

I have a Diamond K400S ($75) NMO mount antenna on the rear hatch and use two different NMO (New MOtorola) antennas on it depending on requirements. I have a shorty antenna which is just about 18" long that will grind into the garage without damaging too much. That thing is my back-up emergency antenna and plenty big enough to hit the repeaters around town. For off road I have the biggest/most powerful antenna I could find in an NMO mount, the Coment SBB-7 ($70) which is 55 inches tall and has 4.5 dB gain on 2M and 7.2 dB on 440 MHz.

Ham Radio Test

Ham Radio Test

[AV Xterra]

Goodness Paul, that is a large and powerful antenna you have there.

[Bobby B.]

I'm also partial to the Yaesu radios.  I've bought everything from HRO (both in-store and online) and had no problems.

I've got the 2800 2m unit Paul mentioned and like it.  I'm using a Larsen whip, which I've found to be pretty indestructible and cheap.  Also have used the Diamond dual band and liked it alot as well.

[chad]

Congratulations on the licence
I also wnt to HRO
I like them a lot very nice people and good custemer service
 

[Goldfish]

Thanks for the info guys. I really want to keep it simple. Paul, does the antenna in the picture clip onto the rear hatch. I would like to have something that could be easily removed. If anyone is going to HRO anytime soon and wound'nt mind me tagging along let me know.

[Bobby B.]

Another good thing to grab while you're there is the repeater guide. 

While Arrl makes a book listing repeaters across the country, there's a small paperbound one that has repeater listings (for all frequencies) across the state.  It's only about $6 and is a must have.  They come out every year; the one I bought a few months ago had a pink cover.  This will help you tremendously when programming your radio and looking for repeaters in area you want to travel.

What I did was go through it looking for various ones I wanted to program (I started with the ones in San Diego, Big Bear, LA and the I395 corridor), highlighted them, and then input them.

You can also obtain software to make this a bit easier.

[Paul]

Thanks for the info guys. I really want to keep it simple. Paul, does the antenna in the picture clip onto the rear hatch. I would like to have something that could be easily removed. If anyone is going to HRO anytime soon and wound'nt mind me tagging along let me know.

Yes, the antenna mounts to the hatch with hex screws. The antenna unscrews at the base leaving just a stub sitting there. I have to remove the antenna to fit into the garage. There are three types of bases: NMO, UHF also known as SO, and 3/8th screw stud. I went with the NMO for ham and 3/8th for CB and HF.

[Goldfish]

Thanks Paul, My licence was in the mail when I returned from a New Years trip to Big Bear. My call sign is
KI6UXM. Now I just need to get some equipment.

[Paul]

Whoo hoo!

BTW since your a ham - anyone with your call sign can look up your home address so if that's a problem don't publish it unless you were smarter than me and had your mail sent to a PO box. If you're needing to save some bucks do a Craig's List/E-bay/E-Ham check for a used radio. Go with a 2M radio at a minimum to be certain.

I normally give my call sign on the Internet as KG6xxx ... which would be a cool call sign if available. 

[Bobby B.]

Congrats!   

[Blackx]

This is great info.  I just passed my test last weekend.  I like the antenna on the rear hatch too.  I need something that is easily removed to get in the garage.

My step dad gave me his old handheld Kenwood TH-22AT.  I'm thinking if I want to go really bargain basement on this I could use this radio and just attach it to the antenna.  I'd probably also need to get the DC adapter for the cigarette lighter so i don't have to run it on the batteries.

I know this isn't the ideal set up but what are your thoughts on this?  Since I have to buy a new battery(s) and DC charger for the TH can i just get a cheap mobile unit for the truck for a similar price?

[Blackx]

Oh, and do you guys do anything for field day?  A couple friends and I who are also ham's are thinking of putting together a run up in Big Bear that w/e.  Set up a base camp and do some local trails.  Any interest?

[Bobby B.]

Before I put in the mobile unit, I used a Yaesu handheld and a rooftop antenna.  Worked well.  Not as much range with only 5 watts, mind you.  Though once in Death Valley, I was able to hail Randy from approx 15 miles out on the open space near badwater.  The Diamond dual band antenna offers something like 5db of gain, which helped out a lot.

I threw the handheld in the oh-shit handle on the driver's side, then ran the dc power wire and antenna cable up the rubber insulation.  Tucked in clean and easy.

Ham Radio Test

The mobile is on the back of the center console.  I modded the bracket to still be able to use the cupholder and power socket if the radio was off.  If you tune the radio around alot, this isn't the best location, but the 2800 has a keypad on the handset, so I'm okay with it.

Ham Radio Test

Ham Radio Test