MLRC Forum - WTB: 2m band mobile radio

dtompsett Senior Member Offline Posts: 461 Ontario	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #15 - 10/26/4 at 10:39:34 i'm still radio-less...... college has a way of sucking you dry
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Dave Cotie

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #16 - 10/27/4 at 20:19:48

nhibbert wrote on 10/26/4 at 10:29:53:

There dosen't seem to be a lot of good used equipment available. No responses here and no luck at the Hamfests I went to. I think most of the last class just bit the bullet and got new. No group buy was arranged as we all seemed to want different things. I ended up with the Icomm V8000, which is probably overkill as far as power, but it was about the same price as many weaker 2m radios. It was under $300 (plus $100 for a Larsen magnetic mount antenna). www.eham.net has reviews of all the makes and models.

Thanks guys. I guess I will look new also. May have to wait until next year. My job at Tall Pines doesn't require a radio anyway. Would be nice just to keep track of what is up.

I was thinking the ICOM V8000 also. The cross band repeat sounds neat, but it is pricey.

DC

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Dave Cotie
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dtompsett

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #17 - 11/13/4 at 11:31:10

Well.. I took the plunge.... just returned from radio world with my new IC-V8000 and larson mag-mount antenna.

Ok.... no remote display option, and no dual band/crossband repeat. Thats something for down the road.... maybe after I have a 70cm handheld.

Now.... to cut the antenna to length, and wire in the radio.... this will definitely be in the car for Pines.... if anyone with some HAM experience is willing, i'd appreciate some hands-on instruction.... helping me se it up properly etc.

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C. Hamm Full Member Offline Will rally for free. Posts: 165	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #18 - 12/02/4 at 20:57:23 This might help: http://www.radialllarsen.com/docfiles/CuttingCharts.pdf But, I'd dig up somebody that's done it before, and uses a VSWR meter. Real hard to add length to those antennas after you cut it too short. Nice radio Doug. Craig
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dtompsett

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #19 - 12/03/4 at 00:49:53

Ya.... having the extra power output came in handy at Pines working stages a8/a10. During the break between stages, the solar powered repeater died on us (i think someone sat on their ptt, and in the process of timing it out, drained the battery).

I was parked on a hill... basically the highest point on the stage ( 101.5 in peterborough was clear on the car stereo..... never clear in bancroft). People started switching over to our secondary repeater, but because the other repeater was out, those simply waiting to hear something had no idea that we'd switched over. I turned back to the primary repeater, set to Tx to the repeater output, and cranked a 75w signal out over the stage..... all the slackers soon switched to the secondary.

I'd like to connect an SWR meter sometime to see just how well the antenna is performing on the 147 frequencies.

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C. Hamm

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #20 - 12/03/4 at 16:31:36

I would just tune for mid-band at 146. The band is not that wide in percentage terms: 4 in 146. So, cutting the antenna, as far as I know, will only FINE tune it, unless the length is wacky, and I doubt Larsen would sell a "wacky" length antenna. Cutting the antenna part of an inch is also just a few percent change in length. Fine tuning it may be worthwhile if you are always cranking out max power, as the reflections IN the antenna will stress the output stage of the amp.

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Dave Cotie God Member Offline Posts: 838 North Bay, Ontario	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #21 - 12/31/4 at 22:32:50 Well, I had to wait a while, a little longer than my wife had planned actually. But I received my shiny new ICOM V-8000 today in the mail. It was supposed to be a christmas gift. I convinced my wife that a HAM would make an excellent Christmas gift. She was also nice enough to get me a Larsen Mag-mount antenna too!
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RyanHuber God Member Offline Posts: 709 Ontario	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #22 - 01/01/5 at 01:55:12 Good stuff Dave! Wanna be chief radio for Bear? I look forward to working with you on the air, and no more spectator areas for you!
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Dave Cotie God Member Offline Posts: 838 North Bay, Ontario	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #23 - 01/01/5 at 22:38:07 Thanks Ryan, let me know how I can help out with Bear. I am looking forward to learning more about how rallies run, not just speccie points!
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dtompsett Senior Member Offline Posts: 461 Ontario	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #24 - 01/02/5 at 00:04:36 Hey Dave... I'm also running an Icom V8000. I like mine... very easy to use once you get things figured out.... let me know how you like yours.
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Dave Cotie God Member Offline Posts: 838 North Bay, Ontario	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #25 - 01/02/5 at 15:37:11 No problem. I have to get it all wired up and installed in the car over the next while. I am still trying to figure out where to install it in the Golf. I did cut the antenna, as Craig suggested for the middle (146 MHz) of the band.
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nhibbert

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #26 - 01/02/5 at 20:10:45

The V8000 seems to be a popular choice. I was suprized how easy it was to install. In my Subaru it fit in the space just above my CD/radio (i.e. it was the same height as the factory radio). The main problem was running the antenna cable through to the back. Make sure to keep it on low or mid power unless absolutely necessary. You normally don't need 75W.

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Norman
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C. Hamm

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #27 - 01/09/5 at 17:20:17

Dave Cotie wrote on 01/02/5 at 15:37:11:

No problem.

I have to get it all wired up and installed in the car over the next while. I am still trying to figure out where to install it in the Golf.

Yeah, in my A2 Golf (1992) I was lucky to find ONE spot my FT2600M would go, in the console in front of the gear shift. There is no other place for it, and it "just" fit. Any other place and I would be blocking a vent, a dial, or vent control, or on top of the dash (bad). It's actually wedged in, and bungee corded in. Go in and out in a jiffy, and has never come loose on the backroads.

Make sure your fan never croaks when you're pumping 75W. Yaesu models have gone to fanless cooling, which I prefer.

Have fun with the new toy Dave! Does it have a built in TNC?

C

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Dave Cotie

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Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio
Reply #28 - 01/10/5 at 00:28:11

C. Hamm wrote on 01/09/5 at 17:20:17:

Yeah, in my A2 Golf (1992) I was lucky to find ONE spot my FT2600M would go, in the console in front of the gear shift. There is no other place for it, and it "just" fit. Any other place and I would be blocking a vent, a dial, or vent control, or on top of the dash (bad). It's actually wedged in, and bungee corded in. Go in and out in a jiffy, and has never come loose on the backroads.

Make sure your fan never croaks when you're pumping 75W. Yaesu models have gone to fanless cooling, which I prefer.

Have fun with the new toy Dave! Does it have a built in TNC?

C

I am thinking of putting it in passenger footwell, on the console, mounted vertically.

Newbie question - What is TNC?

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Dave Cotie
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C. Hamm Full Member Offline Will rally for free. Posts: 165	Re: WTB: 2m band mobile radio Reply #29 - 01/10/5 at 23:18:27 Terminal Node Controller. I haven't got one or used one, but if it was built in you can do some APRS stuff with it using a GPS. http://www.canaprs.net/ This would be a very cool way for organisers to track course cars real-time. It allows you to send and receive data packets that have "real-time" positional information.
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