Ham Radio Install - talking with Brazil and New Zealand
CB is dead, mostly, until there is a highway pile-up, then comes alive with truckers. Ham radio is far more active for the overlanding and emergency response communities.
So, in addition to the CB, I got ham-licensed and just installed an ICOM ID-5100 ham radio, which is amazing. I'm now chatting with folks in Brazil, New Zealand, the UK and other places via D-Star, as well as locals using the VHF and UHF local repeaters. (Get your license!)
D-Star is "digital radio", where your local D-Star repeater can link via the internet to a repeater or a whole group of repeaters - referred to as a reflector - over the internet. I can sit in my T4R and chat around the world. It's super good fun, and the reflectors are quite active. To do this, you will need a ham radio technician license (you can do it in a weekend), a D-Star radio like the ID-5100, and a standard VHF/UHF mag-mount antenna for your car.
The radio itself is very interesting. It has both VHF and UHF band transmit/receive, air-band receive only for monitoring aircraft, and it has the D-Star digital radio feature built in, along with GPS. Finally, it is two radios in one, where you can monitor two separate channels of any sort at the same time. Pretty slick. It uses a remote-mount head (shown in the photo) connected to the radio under my driver's seat, a Mr. Potato Head mic, and a mag mount roof antenna. It puts out 5/15/50 watts depending on the power setting, and is good for line of sight for about 20-50 miles if you have no intervening dirt or rock.
The mount I did on the lower console is hinged using a spring-loaded cupboard cabinet hinge from Home Depot. I can flip it up to use (shown) or flip it down so that it is out of sight and doesn't scream steal-me. The mic clips to the knee-wall next to my right leg for easy access. Sweet and stealthy.
And because someone will ask, the iPhone is on a mag-mount as well, next to the ham radio, but unrelated in operation.
Cheers,
Erik
CB is dead, mostly, until there is a highway pile-up, then comes alive with truckers. Ham radio is far more active for the overlanding and emergency response communities.
So, in addition to the CB, I got ham-licensed and just installed an ICOM ID-5100 ham radio, which is amazing. I'm now chatting with folks in Brazil, New Zealand, the UK and other places via D-Star, as well as locals using the VHF and UHF local repeaters. (Get your license!)
D-Star is "digital radio", where your local D-Star repeater can link via the internet to a repeater or a whole group of repeaters - referred to as a reflector - over the internet. I can sit in my T4R and chat around the world. It's super good fun, and the reflectors are quite active. To do this, you will need a ham radio technician license (you can do it in a weekend), a D-Star radio like the ID-5100, and a standard VHF/UHF mag-mount antenna for your car.
The radio itself is very interesting. It has both VHF and UHF band transmit/receive, air-band receive only for monitoring aircraft, and it has the D-Star digital radio feature built in, along with GPS. Finally, it is two radios in one, where you can monitor two separate channels of any sort at the same time. Pretty slick. It uses a remote-mount head (shown in the photo) connected to the radio under my driver's seat, a Mr. Potato Head mic, and a mag mount roof antenna. It puts out 5/15/50 watts depending on the power setting, and is good for line of sight for about 20-50 miles if you have no intervening dirt or rock.
The mount I did on the lower console is hinged using a spring-loaded cupboard cabinet hinge from Home Depot. I can flip it up to use (shown) or flip it down so that it is out of sight and doesn't scream steal-me. The mic clips to the knee-wall next to my right leg for easy access. Sweet and stealthy.
And because someone will ask, the iPhone is on a mag-mount as well, next to the ham radio, but unrelated in operation.
Cheers,
Erik
