cruiseroutfit
Well-known member
Congrats on passing, and with 100% to boot!
Should I get an HF transceiver as a first radio?
- Thread starter AKRover
- Start date
gary in ohio
Explorer
Congrats on the passing.
Ham radio doesnt need to be expensive, but like any hobby has cost associated with it. From the outside it looks confusing, You can get a new ham radio for $100 or $15000. Pretty big range and a large jump in bands/functions. Being up in AK makes hamfest rare but there are online options for radios to purchase. Used radios are an option but your best bet is to find someone with experience to review the radio with. ebay has some good deals on HF radio but often the 2m and dual band radio's go for more than there worth. In fact most of the "NEW" dual band radio on ebay sell for more than you get them for at a ham radio store.
Antennas can be easy, a little more complex for a mobile stations but for home a hunk of wire hung in the tree's will work.
I do recommend you find a local club and/or local ham to work with you. Ham radio is more than just getting a radio and talking and there is a lot of helpful knowledge that comes by just listening in to ham's both on the air and off.
My neighbor across the street has a large yagi on a tower on the roof of his house. I've be waiting to catch him and chat with him for a bit. He's a nice guy and conveniently located. 
I think I have talked myself into (with a little help from others) the Yaesu-857D. Now I'm trying to decide on an antenna. The ATAS-120A seems like a great solution but the online reviews of the thing are 50/50. Some people hate the thing while others really think it's great. One concern I have with it is it's performance in extremely cold weather conditions. I haven't heard it mentioned too much but I would think the cold combined with ice and dirty slush might destroy this thing in no time.
I think it might be safe to just get an antenna for the 144/440 MHz bands for now until I learn more about antennas. There seem to be so many options an configurations that it's a little overwhelming.
I have a few questions about antenna mounting too. My Range Rover has a sunroof in the forward part of the roof with about 12" - 14" between the front of the sunroof and the top of the windshield. Is this a large enough area to provide a proper ground plane? The rear half of the roof will be covered with the roof tent. Other mounting options include the ARB front or rear bumper, the hood, or off to the side of the roof tent attached to the rack bars.
I think I have talked myself into (with a little help from others) the Yaesu-857D. Now I'm trying to decide on an antenna. The ATAS-120A seems like a great solution but the online reviews of the thing are 50/50. Some people hate the thing while others really think it's great. One concern I have with it is it's performance in extremely cold weather conditions. I haven't heard it mentioned too much but I would think the cold combined with ice and dirty slush might destroy this thing in no time.
I think it might be safe to just get an antenna for the 144/440 MHz bands for now until I learn more about antennas. There seem to be so many options an configurations that it's a little overwhelming.
I have a few questions about antenna mounting too. My Range Rover has a sunroof in the forward part of the roof with about 12" - 14" between the front of the sunroof and the top of the windshield. Is this a large enough area to provide a proper ground plane? The rear half of the roof will be covered with the roof tent. Other mounting options include the ARB front or rear bumper, the hood, or off to the side of the roof tent attached to the rack bars.
fetus
Observer
For 2m/440, I have a Comet SBB-5 with a UHF mount that seems to be a little more sturdy for offroad use. The antenna will fold over for putting it in my garage or low trees.
I then use a Diamond K400C mount on the trunk lid of my 05 Nissan Xterra. It gives it some height vs a bumper mount. I may also look at getting a Comet SBB-1 antenna for a spare or for forest use, as its more flexible.
I broke an expensive Diamond antenna on the washboards of Death Valley and failed to bring a spare.
I have used the Comet antenna on a lot of rugged roads on trips to Death Valley, the Panamints, and the roads and hills outside Groom Lake without any problems (so far).
Good choice on the 857d. It gives you a lot of options. I have a Yaesu 897D which is the portable version of that radio.
I'm running a Kenwood D710 with APRS in my truck and haven't jumped into mobile HF yet. I'm sure others have better ideas on setup.
I then use a Diamond K400C mount on the trunk lid of my 05 Nissan Xterra. It gives it some height vs a bumper mount. I may also look at getting a Comet SBB-1 antenna for a spare or for forest use, as its more flexible.
I broke an expensive Diamond antenna on the washboards of Death Valley and failed to bring a spare.
I have used the Comet antenna on a lot of rugged roads on trips to Death Valley, the Panamints, and the roads and hills outside Groom Lake without any problems (so far).
Good choice on the 857d. It gives you a lot of options. I have a Yaesu 897D which is the portable version of that radio.
I'm running a Kenwood D710 with APRS in my truck and haven't jumped into mobile HF yet. I'm sure others have better ideas on setup.
gary in ohio
Explorer
For UHF and VHF the roof will be fine, For HF you have enough vehicle under it, the issue will be how to mount it securely. IF your going with the little ATAS then roof mount will work, most of HF antenna's the roof will not physically support it.
So I ordered my radio last night. I ended up getting a dual band 144/440 Diamond antenna. Hopefully I can find a suitable mounting location for it once it gets here. I think I may have ordered the wrong base connection for it though because at first I was thinking of mounting it through a steel bracket on the hood and then I was thinking about mounting it through the roof in front of the sunroof. I got the one with the UHF connector because it looked like it would be more suited to mounting through a thinker piece of material than a body panel which the NMO mount is designed to do. I'm sure I'll figure something out when it gets here.
As for a HF antenna I have been looking more at the portable set-ups that I could deploy when stopped at camp or as needed in an emergency. I figure most of my communications around town and on the trail would be simplex and/or repeater on 2M anyway. So far I have looked at the Buddie Pole which looks to be a very compact and adaptable antenna.
Anyone use a portable or have a recommendation?
As for a HF antenna I have been looking more at the portable set-ups that I could deploy when stopped at camp or as needed in an emergency. I figure most of my communications around town and on the trail would be simplex and/or repeater on 2M anyway. So far I have looked at the Buddie Pole which looks to be a very compact and adaptable antenna.
Anyone use a portable or have a recommendation?
gary in ohio
Explorer
The NMO connector is the best option. If your looking at a through the roof mounting, NMO is a must. The hood mount will support both. I would recommend re-ordering with the NMO mount.
For your HF communications, a simple portable "state wide" antenna would be a NVIS wire antenna. Its basically a wire just a few feed of the ground. stretch it as far as location permits.
gary in ohio
Explorer
The best antenna is the one that works. An antenna 2x the cost of another antenna most likely isnt 2x as good. A simple 1/4 vertical can outperform a 5/8 antenna if its poorly constructed.
I wish I had caught that before it shipped but unfortunately I'm stuck with it now. The price of shipping it back would cost as much as a new one. I'll figure something out I suppose or I'll order another antenna. Couldn't hurt to have more than one.
gary in ohio
Explorer
fetus
Observer
I use the Buddipole with some success. I'm sure you have access to trees, so a good multiband wire dipole should work out for you, too. They can be made or bought relatively cheaply. I use a G5RV Lite Jr at my home and it cost about 40 bucks, compared to more expensive Buddipole.
The Buddipole is a decent antenna. I haven't had too much success using it in a dipole configuration. It needs to be higher than 8' off the ground to work well. It does work well, in a 40m or 20m vertical configuration with the appropriate counterpoise. It can get expensive too when adding on accessories.
To switch bands you have to pull the antenna up and down to change coils, taps, and whip lengths which can be a pain, especially in high winds. It also has to be guyed in high winds, too. I also use a MFJ antenna analyzer to make final adjustments.
Here is the Buddipole with the 16' mast at Powerline Overlook near Rachel, NV. It is setup for 40m in an L configuration. For me it works well, as in the desert, there aren't many trees to hang dipoles from. I made contacts to the SF Bay on 40m and to South Carolina on 20m.
I did end up getting the 857D with a dual band 144/440 antenna. That should at least get me started with plenty of room to expand and experiment.
The Buddie Pole was appealing to me because it looks like it's fairly quick to deploy and packs away relatively small.
I like the idea of the NVIS and I could easily build it myself. I understand that I will be able to get a message out to people that would otherwise be in the skip zone of a conventional antenna but will I be able to receive a signal from them? If they aren't using the same kind of antenna their signal would basically skip over me right? In an emergency it's comforting to know that help is on the way but if there were no other options at least I could get the mayday out and hope that I was heard.
I have some more reading material in the mail as well so hopefully I can learn a few things and figure out what I want to do.
I can't wait for the guy in the little brown shorts to show up at my house.
The Buddie Pole was appealing to me because it looks like it's fairly quick to deploy and packs away relatively small.
I like the idea of the NVIS and I could easily build it myself. I understand that I will be able to get a message out to people that would otherwise be in the skip zone of a conventional antenna but will I be able to receive a signal from them? If they aren't using the same kind of antenna their signal would basically skip over me right? In an emergency it's comforting to know that help is on the way but if there were no other options at least I could get the mayday out and hope that I was heard.
I have some more reading material in the mail as well so hopefully I can learn a few things and figure out what I want to do.
I can't wait for the guy in the little brown shorts to show up at my house.