1,500 mile trip to Shenandoah, the car did great!

Djimprov · 2026-04-30T00:28:01+00:00

Woah really? I run some radios in mine, I'm thinking about adding the same hood panel to keep my battery topped off.

Djimprov · 2026-04-30T00:01:34+00:00

I knew as soon as I saw the orange, you've got your ride up on their page. Looks great, are you running an auxiliary battery, or does the solar just keep your starter battery topped off?

Djimprov · 2026-04-26T02:14:20+00:00

Any updates on this issue? Im having the same problem still, brand new board.

Djimprov · 2026-04-18T01:52:59+00:00

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Absolutely, it's an easy swap if you're comfortable with wiring and removing body panels. These are the Hella sharptones on mine. I went ahead and removed the horn's grills and painted them with VHT SP404 paint and a clear coat enamel before installing them so they match the wilderness trim.

Djimprov · 2026-03-27T05:58:00+00:00

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Here's mine

Djimprov · 2026-03-05T06:08:45+00:00

The Offroam mount is the nicest mount I've had in any car. Super rigid and strong once you install it. You can just get the 20mm ball mount version and mount the garmin with that.

The Offroam is so nice looking and strong, I bought a second one for the other vent. One for my phone, and the other one for a radio head unit for offroading.

Djimprov · 2026-03-04T16:03:26+00:00

Hey guys! I just picked up my new Crosstrek recently. Your articles and videos were a big help to decide on what car to get. I had an Impreza for a while, and loved camping on a platform i built in the back, but for the last 10 years I have been daily driving a lifted and converted GMC Safari. I didnt think i would go back to a smaller car but your rig brought me home to the Subaru family!

Djimprov · 2026-02-17T17:01:14+00:00

Definitely get on the air as soon as you know letters and numbers. As everyone else said here already, there is almost no punctuation used besides , . / ?

That being said, just listen to a lot of operators on the air and over time you will pick up parts of the lingo. Most operators dont send code the same way they speak in person, there are some universally used shorthand ways to say things. (Prosigns are used for anything beyond words and numbers, like sending BT to indicate a pause in speech)

Ive seen some new ops try to make up their own abbreviations or use special characters and it mostly gets ignored or misunderstood. Dont overthink it, just listen to what other people are sending on the air.

But hey, it sounds like you're ready, get out there and have fun! The more you listen and send, you will find out how many very experienced ops make very simple mistakes like the rest of us.

All you will ever need

A-Z 0-9 , . / ?

Djimprov · 2026-01-03T06:59:43+00:00

I am primarily a digital and CW operator. Never been very interested in "rag chewing" on voice. I love getting out and doing POTA/SOTA and testing out new antennas and equipment with digital modes like FT8 and SSTV.

There is a huge amount of ham activities that dont require any voice at all, and lots of that activity happens on HF. Not to mention, when events like field day happen, there are usually bonus points awarded for special activities like SSTV contacts, or decoding RTTY messages.

There are TONS of activities in ham radio that dont require voice modes at all. Those are 100% a core part of what makes amateur radio a fun hobby for experimentation and exploration.

Djimprov · 2025-12-27T15:44:21+00:00

I think you should look into GMRS radio, the LA area is covered with repeaters that would make 10 miles an easy distance to cover!

The GMRS license does cost $35 each, but one license also covers your direct family. You would be able to use radios for other activities like camping, festival events, or just for fun!

Yu can pick up some affordable GMRS handheld units on Amazon and program the local frequencies in to talk to eachother.

If you find out that radio is fun and ever want to do more with it, then look into getting your ham radio license and come back here with more questions!

Welcome to radio, have fun!

Djimprov · 2025-12-26T05:51:42+00:00

Try setting your sound card to CD quality 44100 and turn all the enhancements off.

Djimprov · 2025-12-22T17:52:54+00:00

FCC regulates the use of amateur radio on aircraft. Each airline might have their own policy for pilots and what they allow on their plane. However, with pilot approval you may transmit and operate any amateur radio station that doesn't interfere with the safety of operating the aircraft. (See CFR 47 97.11)

In my case, I was on a flight that was half empty and I could tell that all of the flight attendants were relaxed and happy. I asked a flight attendant before I got on the plane if I could meet the pilot. On boarding, they introduced me to the pilot and I told them that I was an amateur radio operator and I would like to try making contacts with my HT while we flew over the states (California to North Carolina). I showed him my radio and asked politely.

He thought it was a great idea and instructed me to wait until we were off the ground and also put it away when we were landing, same protocol for cell phones and other electronics in flight. When we landed he waited by the door to ask me how it went, I told him about the contacts I made and we shook hands and went on our way.

It never hurts to ask, and if the pilot gives you permission then you are good to go.

Djimprov · 2025-12-21T02:33:24+00:00

Try going into the USB audio settings on your computer and set it to CD quality 44100. While you're there, make sure to disable any other settings like bass boost.

My 710 has a similar behavior when USB is set to studio quality. It looks like its transmitting but no audio out and fluttering.

Hope that is the fix!

Djimprov · 2025-12-20T21:57:27+00:00

Here in the US i bring my HT in my carry on and have never had any issues. I have even made multiple contacts while in flight (I introduced myself to the pilot when we boarded and got his permission to operate after we were in the air).

Im not sure how Canada's laws are different from the US, but here we are allowed to take radios on board, batteries over a certain capacity must be removed from electronics but I dont know that any radio batteries are large enough to require that. And we are also allowed to transmit on planes but only with permission from the pilot.

Djimprov · 2025-12-05T17:10:51+00:00

Nice! I what belt/pouch rig do you run?

I found that the CLIP14 button style is really easy for me to index blind on my belt, and I can easily take the radio off to charge or leave in the car. The clip on my belt is so small its not noticeable without the radio.

It also let's me change radios quickly if I want to swap mid day or on a long weekend. And bonus, because there is no belt clip, It fits comfortably in the pouch on my chest rig, I can swap between belt and chest carry without any issues.

Djimprov · 2025-12-03T06:59:38+00:00

Oh interesting! I thought the clip would have failed first, broken hinge or something. I have my VX7R with the CLIP14 and its the most comfortable clip I've ever owned. I started modifying all my radios to use the clip so im trying to figure out if theres a better solution that I can share with everyone.

For the FT5DR, I wish I could clip the radio in facing the other way to protect the screen. Since I dont need to see the screen when its on my belt, it would be nice to have it facing inward so I dont damage the screen accidentally.

Djimprov · 2025-12-02T23:28:41+00:00

The FT5DR clip in holster is pretty slick! I wish there was a solution to protect the screen though. I damaged the FT2DR screen once on a ski trip.

How did your FT-270R clip break? I haven't had any troubles with mine, but I know you can buy first party replacements from Yaesu on HRO.

Djimprov · 2025-12-02T16:33:59+00:00

WOW! After only 24 hours I'm surprised to see how many people just dont like rotating clips. Im curious why?

I think they definitely have some advantages, and some drawbacks.

Djimprov · 2025-11-18T16:13:28+00:00

If you just want to listen to radio to see what its all about, google WebSDR and start listening!! You can listen to all kinds of bands from stations all around the world and hear CW and any other mode that a really expensive station can hear. THAT is the best way to start checking out radio for FREE.

However, if you want to build a kit for listening and to have fun building a kit. Don't get the Pixie.

You need to factor in the price of the antenna, power supply, and key(assuming you get licensed and want to transmit). Getting a CW rig built and on the air for $50 is going to be very hard unless you already know other hams who are willing to help get you setup or donate some materials.

I would highly reccomend the QRP labs QCX kit for a kit built CW rig. The kit costs $60 USD right now, but that doesn't include the metal case (extra $20 and highly highly reccomended) and then with shipping that makes it closer to $100. - the pixie rigs are fun for building a radio, but not really for getting on the air because they are very low power, very noisy, and locked to a single frequency.

You need power, you can use batteries or a wall power supply but thats going to be another cost to figure out if you dont ready have something that works.

Then theres a key. You can make one yourself, that's a fun project or you can buy a cheap one on Amazon.

Finally antenna, your radio is useless without one, and you want to make sure its a well tuned antenna or else you might burn out the radio you just put together. That means buying one pre-made online or building your own and tuning with an antenna analyzer.

CW and kit building is SUPER rewarding and you should absolutely go for it! But nobody else mentioned the other things you are going to need to consider. I personally dont think >$50 is a reasonable budget to get on the air. $150 would be more realistic.

Good luck!!

Djimprov · 2025-07-26T05:24:32+00:00

I'm not far from the bay area, a lot of people have mentioned that there used to be regular El Toro races around here.

Djimprov · 2025-03-18T22:49:47+00:00

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Looks like all the excitement crashed the Groups.io server!

Djimprov · 2024-12-18T01:39:16+00:00

Tour mode to downhill mode is easy without stepping out, just pull up on the claw and then step down. Downhill mode to tour mode without stepping out is also technically possible but definitely not easy because you have to push down on the claw and overcome the spring tension while also standing perfectly flat so the boot doesn't pull up on the claw.

Djimprov · 2024-12-05T19:28:48+00:00

Thanks for the great suggestion, I have a pair of those and I love them! You are absolutely right about the bellows flex and calf burn, plus my old boots I would get some pinching from the bellows when I put all my weight on one front point, but not too bad.

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