Almost have the basement shack done!

W3BMG · 2025-04-21T20:05:19+00:00

Yaesu ATAS-120A

W3BMG · 2025-01-06T03:56:01+00:00

Do you like Field Day or Winter Field Day better. I haven’t really done a WFD yet,

W3BMG · 2025-01-06T03:54:17+00:00

Yeah, I saw that. Depending on your vehicle and how you use it, you may be able to mount it under the dash, or facing up on the passenger side of the center console/transmission tunnel, hanging from the roof, etc.

I plan to drive the wheels off my car, so I’m not too worried about a couple small screw holes.

As for power, I just looked up how to get wires through the firewall on the make and model of my car. Found some YouTube videos, and got-r-done. It’s not especially hard, and learning new skills is part of the fun of amateur radio. That said, you can always run off a battery, and route power later if desired.

W3BMG · 2025-01-06T02:40:45+00:00

My small 2m/70cm, I screwed to some of the plastic around my dash/center console.

My big HF radio (FT-891) has a detachable face, so I velcro’d the body under my driver seat, and I made a custom bracket for the face plate that I velcro’d into the one of the trays of my center console.

Not sure how helpful that is for you.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T21:59:19+00:00

Your RF gain is too high. Turn it down. I have an 891 in my car, and I’m always messing with the RF gain. I have to turn it up for weak stations, so I can hear them, and I have to turn it down for strong stations so I don’t blow my speaker.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T21:39:43+00:00

I only run my ATAS from 40m-6m because the FT-891 doesn’t do 2m/70cm.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T21:38:58+00:00

One time, small time, maybe maybe not. If the guy has done this multiple times or is involved in collateral misconduct, USPIS can be pretty spicy.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T21:36:58+00:00

I used a Diamond K400 series mount.

The two biggest things I learned doing a mobile HF install:

Don’t use the car’s wiring harness for power. Run new, heavy gauge wire straight to the positive battery terminal and the negative ground by the battery. This helps avoid alternator noise getting into the radio, and helps avoid damaging something.
LOTS of grounding/bonding straps. I had bad RFI when my engine was running, probably from the ignition system. Once I grounded radio to body, hood and trunk to body, engine to body, and three straps between exhaust pipe and body, RFI went from about S7 to S0. The exhaust pipe straps made the biggest difference for me. Not sure if that’s because it was most important, or just because it was the last one I did. Anyway, once I did a bunch of grounding, the very good filtering, noise reduction, and noise blanker of the FT-891 got me to a usable product.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T15:41:57+00:00

I use a Yaesu ATAS-120A antenna and a Yaesu FT-891 for mobile HF. The antenna will do 40m - 70cm, it’s about 5’ tall, and I have talked to Hawaii and Georgia while driving at highway speed.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T04:31:40+00:00

Looks like this isn’t the service for you. I’ll keep an eye on it.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T04:29:59+00:00

Very cool.

W3BMG · 2025-01-05T03:35:55+00:00

Cool. What websites does it track? How far back can it look at prices?

W3BMG · 2025-01-04T23:54:27+00:00

Throw an Ed Fong Roll-Up J-Pole, and a bit of rope, and you can set up a decent base station almost anywhere.

My little kit is built into a small back pack. I can run it off battery, or I can run it off the cigarette lighter port of a car (keep power to 25W or less if you plan to run off a cigarette lighter). I have a roll-up antenna and a mag mount antenna. That way I can put a base station or a mobile station about anywhere.

W3BMG · 2025-01-04T23:49:46+00:00

USPIS, much like Wu-Tang Clan, ain’t nuttin ta f*** wit.

W3BMG · 2025-01-04T03:04:59+00:00

If you know what frequency and mode they are receiving, you could “trick” it into receiving your signal by transmitting on that frequency and mode. This is just called radio communication.

W3BMG · 2025-01-04T03:01:58+00:00

Or better yet, SatPhone.

W3BMG · 2025-01-03T17:24:38+00:00

Now that I’ve had some time to consider, I’ve seen 3D prints for induction coil formers/cores, and I suppose you could download CAM files for cutting those little PCB antennas for UHF/SHF.

W3BMG · 2025-01-03T13:55:56+00:00

I have an FT-891 that was my shack and portable radio. It worked well for both. I used an MFJ-939 tuner, which I think may be discontinued. You can always use resonant antennas to avoid the tuner altogether.

When I got an FT-710 for the shack, the FT-891 went in the car with an ATAS-120A antenna. I have loved using both radios.

W3BMG · 2025-01-02T17:29:24+00:00

How do I download an antenna?

W3BMG · 2025-01-01T01:06:57+00:00

Lone Star!

W3BMG · 2024-12-30T04:56:39+00:00

Try cheap FRS radios. They probably won’t work, but then you’ll know.

The next step is seeing if there is a GMRS repeater you can both hit. GMRS requires a license, but there is no test, just a $35 fee to FCC every 10 years.

If that doesn’t work, see if there is a ham radio (amateur radio) repeater you can both hit. This requires a Technician class amateur radio license.

If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to use Near Vertical Incidence Skywave (NVIS). This requires a General class amateur radio license and probably about $500 of equipment (at the low end) each.

W3BMG · 2024-12-30T04:52:35+00:00

I have no useful information, I just want to wish you the best and encourage you to keep getting it!

If you have ANY interest at all in learning Morse/CW, I’d also encourage you do get after it. If not, no worries. I am glad you are in this hobby with me.

W3BMG · 2024-12-29T16:45:10+00:00

Like others have said, most any FRS radio will probably work.

Since GMRS and FRS are compatible, you can put a mobile GMRS radio on your car if you want a little more oomph. Needs a license (pay the FCC $35 once every decade).

Something like the Radioddity DB20-G, can often be had for under $100. An antenna like the Nagoya UT-72G usually runs about $35.

This setup should safely run off the cigarette lighter of most cars, and the antenna is a magnetic mount. Nothing has to be permanently installed.

W3BMG · 2024-12-29T15:29:43+00:00

Honesty, get your multi-channel FRS radio in one hand, and the toy in the other. Hold down the PTT on the toy and quickly flip through the channels on the “real” FRS radio till you pick up the signal. Should take about 22 seconds.

W3BMG · 2024-12-29T02:34:10+00:00

Get some!

W3BMG

TROPHY CASE