[Harc] Mobile (and antenna) ideas

[Rus Gustavson]

Jaye,

I'm curious with that Diamond antenna being directional, do you orient it in any particular direction, e.g. toward one of the repeaters?

I've got a diamond antenna on my car and it's great.

I've been using an Ed Fong J pole antenna. It seems to be fine, but I'm not certain how you guys are hearing me. At $30 it was pretty cheap. But then you're just down the street from me.

I was practicing/learning Fldigi from Phil Shaver this weekend and he couldn't hear me very well down at Humboldt Hill. So, I'm wondering… maybe I need a better antenna, hmm.

--
73,
Rus Gustavson, NQ6F
On Jul 5, 2020, 11:21 PM -0700, MJ Inabnit via Harc <harc at humboldt-arc.org>, wrote:
> Hi Cliff,
>
> Good questions. First, why limit your antenna gain to an x50? Do you
> want to make sure your signal is marginal?
>
> I'm on a very small lot, but I maximized my VHF/UHF signal by using a
> very high gain vertical. My point is, DON'T be afraid of gain! It's a
> little more money going in, but my god, the pay off is 10-20 years of
> really great signals. My antenna is a Diamond X510NJ.
>
> We recently shared in a money pool to help one of our Net Control
> stations get a better antenna up. This stations signals were night and
> day. The new antenna is a moderate gain antenna <Diamond ZDM-X300A>.
> Again, it was NIGHT and day difference from his old antenna to the new
> antenna.
>
> LMR400 is a good choice, however, a good RG213 or RG214 will also do
> well for you (30' is a very short run of coax and signal losses will be
> minimal.) https://www.dxengineering.com can probably supply any length
> of coax with factory connectors for you.
>
> I use solar here. I went through 3 power supplies the first year I was
> on HF. This made me angry, so I switched to an automotive battery, then
> to larger deep cycle type batteries. My entire radio shack is powered
> by the sun today. This is why my station and my UHF repeater were on
> the air during all the blackouts. But this is probably more than most
> hams are willing to invest in. So, I think a good LINEAR power supply
> would serve you well. If you buy a 30 amp supply, it will power both
> your VHF/UHF rig plus an HF rig. My advice here is to avoid the
> cheaper/smaller switching power supplies.
>
> I think your Kenwood suggestion is good. I think that radio will serve
> you well.
>
> Good work asking all these questions Cliff. Advice, once simmered, can
> yield a fine cup of ham chocolate!
>
> 73
>
>
> On 7/5/20 3:44 PM, Cliff VanCott via Harc wrote:
> > Hello again!
> >
> > Thanks to all for the great recommendations and personal insights.  The
> > experiences you've shared help me a lot and I've zeroed in on a Kenwood
> > TM-V71A and either a Comet GP-3, or (most likely) the Diamond x50...
> > mounted on the peak of the roof.
> >
> > What I'd like to follow up with is this... What Power Supplies do you
> > use?  I'm leaning towards something with power poles on the front (I do
> > intend to move the radio from my house to the car often enough to make
> > easy dis-re-connecting a consideration), and am not ready to build my
> > 'ammo can' go-box yet, so a 120vac to 13.8vdc 30-amp (peak) power supply
> > of some kind seems reasonable.  (vice the Bioenno with charger option)
> > (BTW... There are a couple of LARGE ammo cans listed on Craigslist today!)
> >
> > What power supply do you use and what do you like/dislike about it?
> > Where do you find that you shop for things like this the most?  Am I
> > missing something?... I encourage your input!
> >
> >
> > Also... I figure I'm gonna need a ~30 foot feed line, and am leaning
> > towards LMR 400.  Where do you find the best source for genuine coax
> > (with fittings already attached)?  I realize this is one thing that some
> > counterfeit poorly, so I don't want to substitute for a faulty product.
> > Any good ideas on how recognize the real thing... or what acceptable
> > substitutes you've found effective?  This will be installed once and
> > left in place, so I'm okay with a solid vice stranded core, not sure if
> > there's other considerations I need to think about.
> >
> >
> > So, thank you to all who have responded earlier, and to all who are
> > willing to share your experiences.  I feel like I'm starting down a path
> > MANY here have already traveled, and am always grateful for advice.
> >
> > Thank you... Cliff  KN6CEJ
> >
>
>
> --
>
> wishing you well
> Jaye, ke6sls--via the toshiba w/thunderchicken
>
> --
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