Any hams out there?

[ctbailey]

I’m getting active in amateur radio... been inactive since before college!

I’m considering installing a 2m Mobile in the jayflight. Has anyone here mounted an antenna? The ground plane is really my concern; a sheet of aluminum would do a good job for RF, but I’m sorta gun shy of adhering a sheet on top of the roof membrane. It’s funny... cutting through the roof I’m ok with, it’s the corners of a sheet that I’m weirded out about.


Craig Bailey
New Hampshire
Jayflight 32 BHDS
Chevy 2500HD CC

[RoyBraddy]

Hey Craig,,, I have two 2m/440 antennas on the back roof of my OFF-ROAD POPUP. I mounted this to the side of the roof and run RG cable through and round rubber weather seal into the trailer.. I use the SBB-7 2M/440 Comet Antenna for one of the side mounts. The other side mount is for a Radio Scanner but since the whole world has now gone digital scanners I never had enough spare money to upgrade my Police scanner. I use the same SBB-7 on my truck where I have the same setup as i do in the OFF-ROAD POPUP. My Radio is the Kenwood TM-V708A and ICOM IC-706MKII HF-6meters...

Roy's image

I didn't worry about the ground plane for the 2M/440 antennas antenna and I don't have standing waves and get out just fine. Work the repeaters and local hams around me just fine at the camp grounds.

The side mounts were from Radio Shack for mounting CB Antennas to the truckers side mirrors. Bet you can get something from AMAZON now since there is no more Radios Shacks around.

I move the IC-706 between the Truck and the Trailer but I may purchase a second IC-706 control panel and just leave the 706 in the truck and plug in the control panel I need to use either the truck or the trailer.

I also have TARHEEL LITTLE TARHEEL Screwdriver antenna mounts on both the truck or the POPUP trailer. Here again I ignored any ground plane and all tunes up great... I am usually on 40M on the road and like 80M talking from the camp grounds.

My POPUP trailer also has capabilities to raise up a 80M-10M OFF-CENTER long wire. I have a fold up 3-inch triangle using 5-foot sections which get me to around 25 feet using a center PVC pipe section inside the the triangle section. Then I throw the end of the wire up into trees. This gets out much better than the Tarheel screwdriver antenna... I sometimes drive a ground rod into the ground and it grounds to the trailer frame. Especially if storms are present in the area.

This is a floor plane drawing for my OFF-ROAD POPUP showing where my radios an controls are located...

...
Roy's diagram

Here close to home I use my setup up behind Harrisonburg VA along the Virginia/West Virginia wooded state line near a place called FLAGPOLE RIDGE and run alot of Ham radio from for Emergency Comms exercises etc... Great to just get away too and make sure all is working good...

Can't say I run into many Hams along the way but there has been a few.

Roy Ken

[edatlanta]

I am a full timer and the only modes I use are digital. I haven't wanted to tackle the antenna issue (yet).

Most of my time I am on either C4FM (Fusion) with a Yaesu FT1DR or DStar with ICOM 51A+'s (I have 2). My connection is using a Verizon Jetpack, TPLink Router, Shark Open Spot. This arrangement works great for me.

Last night I was on a net on C4FM with check ins from literally all over the world. The sales manager for Yaesu USA was the guest last night and answered a lot of questions.

Mostly I monitor America Link (FCS3 Room 90 or FCS2 Room 90 on C4FM and on DStar reflector 30C.

[ctbailey]

Thanks for the replys guys.

I'm liking how Roy went through the sidewall of the roof section. Less is more when it comes to holes in the topside of a roof!

I'm wondering if the metal bracket acts as a tiny groundplane at VHF/UHF.

Ed: you are way ahead of me on the digital front. I've been dabbling with EchoLink for a bit, but that's only since I'm still un-mothballing all my RF gear.

My old Alinco HT needed a new battery pack, but since that radio is way out of production, I had to settle for an import/clone of the OEM battery, and it's not working out.

So... I've decided to buy a new (old stock) Yaseu VX-8DR quad band HT 70cm/1.25m/2m/6m with onboard APRS beacon. That radio I'm excited for delivery this week.

Into the Camper will be going my old 25W RadioShack HTX202 2m Mobile. And I have a nice 1/4 wave whip for that.

The kids are starting to like using their "Walkie Talkies," so I recently applied for a GMRS license, which covers the entire family under one callsign, and when the kids are interested we can expand them into amateur.

My first homebrew project will be an Arduino based remote temperature sensor, using a kit APRS and kit 2m radio... to stay in the camper at winter camp, and I'll be able to monitor temperatures and rain from home 2 hours away.

OK - sorry to blab so long, but honestly I'm excited to finally meld my two hobbies of CamperRV and Ham!

[edatlanta]

Originally Posted by ctbailey

Thanks for the replys guys.

I'm liking how Roy went through the sidewall of the roof section. Less is more when it comes to holes in the topside of a roof!

I'm wondering if the metal bracket acts as a tiny groundplane at VHF/UHF.

Ed: you are way ahead of me on the digital front. I've been dabbling with EchoLink for a bit, but that's only since I'm still un-mothballing all my RF gear.

My old Alinco HT needed a new battery pack, but since that radio is way out of production, I had to settle for an import/clone of the OEM battery, and it's not working out.

So... I've decided to buy a new (old stock) Yaseu VX-8DR quad band HT 70cm/1.25m/2m/6m with onboard APRS beacon. That radio I'm excited for delivery this week.

Into the Camper will be going my old 25W RadioShack HTX202 2m Mobile. And I have a nice 1/4 wave whip for that.

The kids are starting to like using their "Walkie Talkies," so I recently applied for a GMRS license, which covers the entire family under one callsign, and when the kids are interested we can expand them into amateur.

My first homebrew project will be an Arduino based remote temperature sensor, using a kit APRS and kit 2m radio... to stay in the camper at winter camp, and I'll be able to monitor temperatures and rain from home 2 hours away.

OK - sorry to blab so long, but honestly I'm excited to finally meld my two hobbies of CamperRV and Ham!

I was first licensed as a novice in approx 1973 and then the job and new family got in the way and I wasn't able to continue. Then in early 2016 I got fired up again and am now a general which is what I wanted 45 years ago. You have to be patient I guess.


I will be chatting with a ham friend from Maryland in a couple of yours this morning. We chat on his 1 hour commute to work most every morning. We will be using C4FM FCS 3 Room 98. I will be operating today with call sign KM4STL/VY2 since I am currently on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Traveling with digital is so easy especially since this trip is by car. An HT, Open Spot, TP Link, and Jetpack.

[RAurand]

Greetings from N3KYP

[Ruth]

My husband jury rigged a mast on a piece of. Plywood that had large nails in it then mounted whichever whip antenna he needed for the different bands. That worked pretty well, then I bought him a buddy pole to put in the trailer. Sets up in minutes and stores quite well.


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[vcbice]

Our neighbor here at Weston Lake on Ft Jackson is a ham (as is his wife). They run 2m a lot but also do 20m and 160m. Don't know their call signs.

Wife's father and grandfather were hams. They both built their own gear. Her grandfather had a 4 figure call sign.

[Iraqvet05]

You might try asking these questions on QRZ.com or another ham forum. There is a local ham that that has a HF and a UHF/VHF rig in his motor home but don't know how he ran his antennas. He's a winter Texan and down south for the season.
Good luck
KE0DWG

[Dustdevil]

So far, I have my license and call sign, and just a cheap Chinese handheld 2m/440 radio for emergencies. Not using them for idle chatting, although it's informative to listen in and learn how some handle their communication. I do expect at some point to have a mobile on a quick-release mount in the Jeep, so I can move it to the RV when I want. I've learned it's hard to reach very far on Tx with the handheld on just 1 watt or 5 watts. I can hear distant repeaters, but can't reach them very well. Hence, the desire for more wattage and a better antenna set up on the Jeep. I'll get around to it one of these days. It's just not on the top of the list yet.

[ctbailey]

Originally Posted by Iraqvet05

You might try asking these questions on QRZ.com or another ham forum. There is a local ham that that has a HF and a UHF/VHF rig in his motor home but don't know how he ran his antennas. He's a winter Texan and down south for the season.
Good luck
KE0DWG

Thanks everyone! Its good to hear there are so many out there.

the ham forums are ok - but I find the jaycoowners forum to be so much more enjoyable. I was really just starting a conversation - no real burning questions. Plus the folks on the "just" radio forums are not nearly as competent with RV-specific needs.

I've set the camper up at my winter site, and I was disappointed to find my HandHeld wasn't making it into a close by APRS Digipeater. So - the first on my agenda will be an external 2m antenna!

I've been toying with an idea of some form of fold-down mast connected to the A-Frame, but laying down on the roof for transport; sort of like the way WineGard manufactures television antennas.

Can you imagine a 32 foot mast sitting on an 8 foot base?! (I'd actually run dual purpose flagpole and mast.)

[JesseS]

Greetings from N5CRK

[AFDon]

Greetings from KI4ZQL.
If you have a ladder on the back, mount an antenna to it and bond the ladder to the trailer frame with a good grounding strap. If you have a slideout, run coax out before you completely open it.

[namusmc65]

Greetings also from KF4SRO. Like Ed, I was licensed way back when. Was involved with Civil Air Patrol for almost 40 years and used their equipment. Recently retired from their so had to buy my own equipment. Wanted to upgrade so went on QRZ and started studying. Upgraded to General and then Extra in a couple months. Purchased an Icom 880H which is a 2m 44o machine with Digital D-star. Also running an icom 718 for HF. Running a 14 element beam antenna for 2m and a 2 band dipole for Georgia ARES operation. Have not done anything in the rig yet or the truck. I do have the ladder on the back which is the living room area with two side windows around a fireplace so that is a possibility. My wife is one big roadblock however! LOL

[kh7ax]

Hello from KH7AX. I used a Larson Kulglass 2m/440 antenna to avoid putting holes in our new Precept 36T. Have it connected to the top driver side tinted glass in the front cab area. Guess the tint isn't metallic cause it performs ok.
For HF I'll be utilizing an an SG-230 smart tuner and the SGC 24' Shakespeare loaded marine vertical. Might get restricted to just using my K-1 on CW and a wire if my Gator box "ham-cube" takes up too much space. Not much room in an RV.


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[stevenl]

Another option, if you don’t want to drill holes in the TT is to do an install in your truck with a dual band 2/440 and use an HT in the TT and cross band. It’s easy to walk around with a hand held and monitor the local bands. Good Luck! N8GQ

[ctbailey]

Originally Posted by stevenl

Another option, if you don’t want to drill holes in the TT is to do an install in your truck with a dual band 2/440 and use an HT in the TT and cross band. It’s easy to walk around with a hand held and monitor the local bands. Good Luck! N8GQ

I’ve been drooling over a Yaesu that will do cross band repeat... great idea!


Craig Bailey
New Hampshire
Jayflight 32 BHDS
Chevy 2500HD CC

[tjbroussard]

Ham since 1990.

Been working of late to develop ham station area in our 37FS. I use two ladder mounts: one has a dual band antenna, the other has the ATAS 100 for my Yaesu FT-857. I ran two 50 foot RG8X coax runs in black loom from under the front seat to the rear ladder.

Ive also developed a Jackite Fiberglass pole with a long wire in the tube for 80 meters. So far in the driveway, works OK.

Will post antenna pics this weekend in the day light.


I always enjoy seeing others installations.

73's
Terry
N5QWA

[edatlanta]

Originally Posted by edatlanta

I am a full timer and the only modes I use are digital. I haven't wanted to tackle the antenna issue (yet).

Most of my time I am on either C4FM (Fusion) with a Yaesu FT1DR or DStar with ICOM 51A+'s (I have 2). My connection is using a Verizon Jetpack, TPLink Router, Shark Open Spot. This arrangement works great for me.

Last night I was on a net on C4FM with check ins from literally all over the world. The sales manager for Yaesu USA was the guest last night and answered a lot of questions.

Mostly I monitor America Link (FCS3 Room 90 or FCS2 Room 90 on C4FM and on DStar reflector 30C.

Update: 1-25-2018

I have added an FT1XDR to my list of radios as well as a Yaesu FTM-100 and HRI-200. These last two items were used to set up my Wires-X node.

[John from Central Florida]

Originally Posted by ctbailey

... been inactive since before college!

Craig, I've been thinking of getting back involved again myself. Good luck!
(Former KD4POQ)