Got 'em. Now I just need to figure out what to do with them!

[Martinjmpr]

So I scored a couple of Ham radios last night off of CL. :wings: They're not new but they'll do for now. At the price I couldn't pass them up!

Now I just need to figure out how to get them working. :ylsmoke:

The mobile is a Kenwood TM261A, 2m. The mike is not 100% functional (the numeric keypad doesn't work but everything else does.) Nice thing about it is it came in the original box, with the manual, the mounting bracket and everything. Once I get it up and running I'll decide if I want to get a different mike (I've already found some on eBay that should work for around $30.)

The HT is a dual bander, Yaesu FT-50R.

Eventually I want to get a car charger and an external mike and antenna so I can use this one in my commuter car/DD.

I've already downloaded the manual for the Yaesu (Yaesu keeps their manuals on line, even for discontinued models, which is nice.) Getting the HT set up should be fairly easy, if I can figure out how to program repeaters into it. The Mobile will be a bit more difficult but I'm ready for a challenge.

I guess the first challenge is where to mount it in a 3rd gen 4runner? Any thoughts?

Also how are most of you hooking up the power to your mobiles? Are you running a wire directly to the battery or are you connecting to the fuse block, or adding an auxiliary fuse block? I have to say I am more and more liking the idea of an aux fuse block in case I want to add lights or a winch (assuming an aux fuse block can handle the amps a winch would pull, which I imagine would be a lot.)

Anyway, any advice or tips from the Hams here would be appreciated. :elkgrin:

 

[Hedge]

Nice find.

I power my mobile from a constant-hot circuit on an aux fuse block that has both constant and switched circuits (radio has auto-off timer feature) They are all grounded to the same factory grounding point in the cab. The 12V+ feed line to the fuse block runs directly from the battery (with a circuit breaker mounted to the battery box to prevent fires). No complaints about EMI on the transmission or reception.

I mounted the aux fuse block in a convenient spot in the cab as it isn't nearly the size needed for a winch...if you're thinking about going all out with the wiring, here is some interesting reading material:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/239766-how-power-distribution-part-1-aux-fuse-panel.html

 

[bj70_guy]

I have a 24V truck but have a dedicated 12V battery with it's own charger.
I run all my 12V electrics (ham and cb radios, stereo deck and amp, 12V power ports) off the 12V, powered through a Rigrunner. Anderson Powerpoles on everything, plug and play works great.

 

[evldave]

So I scored a couple of Ham radios last night off of CL. :wings: They're not new but they'll do for now. At the price I couldn't pass them up!

Now I just need to figure out how to get them working. :ylsmoke:

The mobile is a Kenwood TM261A, 2m. The mike is not 100% functional (the numeric keypad doesn't work but everything else does.) Nice thing about it is it came in the original box, with the manual, the mounting bracket and everything. Once I get it up and running I'll decide if I want to get a different mike (I've already found some on eBay that should work for around $30.)



The HT is a dual bander, Yaesu FT-50R.



Eventually I want to get a car charger and an external mike and antenna so I can use this one in my commuter car/DD.

I've already downloaded the manual for the Yaesu (Yaesu keeps their manuals on line, even for discontinued models, which is nice.) Getting the HT set up should be fairly easy, if I can figure out how to program repeaters into it. The Mobile will be a bit more difficult but I'm ready for a challenge.

I guess the first challenge is where to mount it in a 3rd gen 4runner? Any thoughts?

Also how are most of you hooking up the power to your mobiles? Are you running a wire directly to the battery or are you connecting to the fuse block, or adding an auxiliary fuse block? I have to say I am more and more liking the idea of an aux fuse block in case I want to add lights or a winch (assuming an aux fuse block can handle the amps a winch would pull, which I imagine would be a lot.)

Anyway, any advice or tips from the Hams here would be appreciated. :elkgrin:

Nice finds! I'm in the same boat (new license, looking for gear)...how did you confirm the units worked? Did you have the person you were buying them from hook them up and verify power on? How about Tx and Rx check? Just curious as I don't want to buy from CL and get home only to find out they don't work...

 

[Martinjmpr]

Nice finds! I'm in the same boat (new license, looking for gear)...how did you confirm the units worked? Did you have the person you were buying them from hook them up and verify power on? How about Tx and Rx check? Just curious as I don't want to buy from CL and get home only to find out they don't work...

The HT was hooked up when I showed up. The Mobile I'll have to take on faith (although I'll hook it up to the truck this weekend just to make sure it powers up.)

That, of course, is the risk you take with CL. eBay is a bit safer with some built-in guarantees and a dispute-settlement process but the prices are also higher.

 

[taugust]

Congrats on the find and the ticket.

There are better ways to buy used gear. Look at QRZ.com and QTH.com These are hams selling ham gear to hams, so it is less likely to be stolen. They ship insured, and if it is DOA, will usually take it back, since they can file a claim with the shipper. There are other sites as well, just search on used ham radio. It helps to know what you are looking for as far as make and model. There are review sites that have comment threads for lots of radios, to find out the opinions on a particular radio you are looking at. Shop on the new sites like Ham Radio Outlet or AES to find the features you want, then go looking for that model, or something one model version back. Read the ads to get a feel for the market value for a particular radio, then wait for a good deal. Most hams that buy and sell regularly seem to take very good care of their gear, since they want to keep the value up.

Hope this helps.

OP, the recommended way to power mobile radios is direct to the battery, to eliminate the possibility of noise entering the radio at extra connections. That said, many will connect to a fuse block or keyed source for power. I prefer to connect directly, and have the radio time out and turn off. I frequently use the radio without the key on, which saves power drain, since you don't have all the other circuits energized.