CB RADIO'S

[jkH1+H2=H3]

Hey everyone, need your thoughts on the CB subject. I have been out of it for awhile cbs. Not sure if people still use them to chatter.
I would like to get one, but not sure if really needed, living in the modern world of cell phone, on star etc.
your thoughts.Thanks http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[jkH1+H2=H3]

Hey everyone, need your thoughts on the CB subject. I have been out of it for awhile cbs. Not sure if people still use them to chatter.
I would like to get one, but not sure if really needed, living in the modern world of cell phone, on star etc.
your thoughts.Thanks http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[BABHUMV]

If you are going to go wheelin with a group it is nice for inter Hummer communication. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Pukematrixx]

I just swooped up a cobra handheld off of ebay for 25 buck, and paired it up with an external antenna. It's a pretty solid set up for a little over $50.

I will also say that it does come in handy for on the minute weather...

[gc2488]

Besides CB radio and the low-power FRS handhelds
that are so common today, there are also
very cool and flexible radios in Amateur Radio
i.e. Ham Radio. I have an Amateur Radio license
(very easy and free to get) and the H3 looks
great with nice dual-band antennas on top.
Lots of mounting room up there on the roof.
See for yourself:

http://www.crum.ws/crum/H3/45135046.for_pbasea014_Hummer.jpg

There are lots of cool-looking 50-watt mobile transceivers to choose from,
and mountaintop repeaters and GPS beaconing and voice Internet linking and such to play with.

More links:
http://www.yaesu.com/
http://www.hamradio.com/kx2005.html
http://www.pbase.com/hummer2005a/ (more of my pics)
http://www.irlp.net/
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

Good for those with at least some interest
in RF engineering and transmitter details, anyway.

[jkH1+H2=H3]

http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gifThanks for Sharing, Im going to do some homework and go for it http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif Boys and there toys!!!!

[H3HUMVEE]

Hey gc2488 .. are you running 2-meter and 440? .. why didn't you just go with one dual band antenna? I'm getting ready to put my yeasu 857 in my H3 if I can make it fit somewhere .. any problems with your computer or onstar when "keying" up? my ft-857 will put out 100 watts so I'm a little worried about interference .. my 2001 GMC would shut off every time I keyed the mike when transmitting in the HF bands with over 50 watts of power http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif "73's"

[gc2488]

Hey h3humvee! Yes, 2-meter and 440, with two radios --
One for voice (Yaesu FT-8500 with microphone with many buttons)
and the other antenna for data (Kenwood D7 with built-in
computer interface, like for APRS position beaconing and messaging).

No, I haven't noticed any RF interference problems with the H3
although one 80-watt 2-meter amplifier I used in my Volkswagen
did mess up the car's ECU causing the check engine light to
come on while transmitting. Funny on the interference with the GMC too.


I would like to do other fun radio and mobile Internet related things
like mounting a laptop on a nice adjustable arm holder,
and installing a Wi-Fi access point that would get to the Internet
through a cell phone. Cell phones fail in remote mountain areas,
of course, and that's where the high-power Amateur Radio equipment
is really fun to use.

It's also pretty cool to see mobile satellite internet systems becoming
available (but still very expensive, like over $5000 for installation).
I heard of one guy installing one of these motorized satellite dishes
on an H2. Wonder if anyone has put one on an H3 yet...
Ref:
http://www.motosat.com/products/internet_f1/
http://www.internetanywhere.us/pages/883501/index.htm

[k9tim]

I am running 100watts (HF) in my H3. Using a IC706 mk2 and have no problems at all.
Remote mounting was cake, using a trunk lip mount on the bumper for my quad band antenna.

Nice to see another radio op here, and greetings to everyone else! Name is Tim http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[KenP]

We use FRS at Paragon, jkH1. CB's in Moab.

[MyxH3]

Out here Cb's are a mandatory requirement for trail use. FRS is for intercommunications between friends but with the maountains and sometimes the range needed they(FRS) dont work so well. i run the Uniden 510XL in my Jeep and a Midland in the H3.

[jkH1+H2=H3]

http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gifGot the 40channel cb tonight ready to fire it up tomorrow, let you know what happens. Thanks again for everyones advise. Very cool. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[2xtreme]

be sure to post pics of the install http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[gc2488]

Hi Tim and everyone, thanks for the note about seeing
no interference with the H3 when using 100 watts of power
on HF. Sounds good, maybe shielding is done well
like many things in the H3. My license is KK7DV,
in northern Utah most of the time and sometimes in
Bear Lake county Idaho.

Any ideas for routing coax from roof antennas is of interest.
I just used temporary magnetic mounts stuck to the roof
and closing the door on the coax cable.
Of course many permanent installations involve drilling holes
through the roof and routing cable after removing "headliner" cloth.
For temporary, changing antenna requirements I wonder if
it would work well to have a special larger hole with waterproof
fixture, and a cable routing tray. Fun.

[KenP]

Can't you run the cable through a marker light?

[jkH1+H2=H3]

stupid question, frs hand radios, do they communicate with CBs or is that a different frequency... Thanks for the help.

[BABHUMV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jkH1+H2=H3:
stupid question, frs hand radios, do they communicate with CBs or is that a different frequency... Thanks for the help. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
They have their own frequencies

[DRTYFN]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BABHUMV:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jkH1+H2=H3:
stupid question, frs hand radios, do they communicate with CBs or is that a different frequency... Thanks for the help. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
They have their own frequencies </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Talking about broadcasting... Do you really feel that it's a necessity to let everyone know your sexual orientation? Maybe you just crave attention.

[Sewie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gc2488:
Any ideas for routing coax from roof antennas is of interest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You can run it down the A-pillar molding and in through the grommet in the DS door.

[k9tim]

the pillar idea sounds good to me. I absolutely hate to drill into a new vehicle- inside or out!
Any installs I have done in the past years have nearly all been "no-drill".
The radio itself is under the drivers seat. I sealed off the heat duct with aluminum duct tape (real metal duct tape, not the fix-all stuff) and to keep the radio from sliding I popped a piece of velcro on the bottom. Used the harder loop side of the velcro.

For a mic hangar I used one of the command adhesive hooks from 3m. Radio head mount was done with a special swivel bracket I picked up at HRO.

This H3 is actually the first vehicle I have been able to NOT install a line filter on. I have had no alternator whine or ground loops at all....

I can post a pic if you want to peek sometime.

[2xtreme]

I'm waiting for the pics http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[gc2488]

Yes, that's a very good question about FRS actually. Here is a little more info as I understand it.

FRS (Family Radio System) radios use FM modulation just like popular VHF/UHF Amateur Radio transceivers (Ham Radio). This generally sounds a lot better than the SSB modulation used by CB (and some other Amateur and Government) radios, although SSB is more efficient and can go farther on its on (without use of repeaters).

Technically, one can at least receive and even transmit on FRS frequencies with Amateur Radio equipment, although the transmitting part would be illegal except in the case of emergencies.

Here are the specific FM frequencies used by FRS radios:

Channel No. (MHz)

1................... 462.5625
2................... 462.5875
3................... 462.6125
4................... 462.6375
5................... 462.6625
6................... 462.6875
7................... 462.7125
8................... 467.5625
9................... 467.5875
10.................. 467.6125
11.................. 467.6375
12.................. 467.6625
13.................. 467.6875
14.................. 467.7125

That was easy to find using Google and was from:
http://www.panix.com/~clay/scanning/frequencies/frs.shtml

By comparison, on of the many Amateur Radio bands goes all the way from 420 to 450 MHz, just below those. Amateur Radio transceivers (including home-made equipment) can transmit in that range using a huge amount of power and antenna combinations -- up to 1500 watts out of the transmitter even before antenna gain is applied. The rules allow that much power but typically 30 watts or less is used (and adequate for line-of-site purposes).

That same web page says the maximum power (ERP, Effective Radiated Power) for FRS radios is just 0.5 watts. So, they're pretty limited in range because of that and because repeaters and linking is not available.

Fun...

That's regarding the previous posting:
stupid question, frs hand radios, do they communicate with CBs or is that a different frequency... Thanks for the help.


Thanks for the comments about running coax and installation on the H3!

[jkH1+H2=H3]

What is the recommended CB for the most output,
I noticed that alot of Truckers seem to be running high power. I can pick up on Them from a distance, but they can't read me if I respond.
Yes, I bought a Radio Shack 40 channel, Trc-521. I still have 25 days to return.
thanks.

[nmikes]

I believe 4 watts is the max power for Close Band. Its been awhile since I got my ham (KD7SNA) You might be recieving them because their antennae is alot higher than you are off the ground, and much longer as well. Probaby you wont get that much better performance from a diffrent rig.

[wannabeH3]

i bought a radio shack special several years ago, and attatched a cig adapter power thing to it so its portable, and bought a magnetic antenna... the cb works great but mounting the antenna on the roof makes it hit all the trees and fall over... so i finnally just took it out of my rig during the last trail ride..

[k9tim]

ok lets give this a try:

http://www.k9tim.com/DSC_5107.JPG

http://www.k9tim.com/DSC_5108.JPG

sorry for crappy pic quality....

[jkH1+H2=H3]

So, I guess to solve this question, Size is really everything, I mean antenna highth/length that is. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gifNow I'm getting the Picture.

[H3HUMVEE]

Hey k9tim ... how do you have the 706 mounted? looks a little tight with the ex. speaker does your leg hit it at all? icom makes a great rig and I had one of the first 706"s when they came out years ago ... tnx, kf4fjf

[k9tim]

Well, height and length does mean everything (for the most part). Best case scenario would have my antenna on the top of the truck, but then I would have to get out and fold it over to pull into my garage.
The basic rule of thumb is the longer it is the better it is provided it is a length that is 1/4 wavelength, 1/2 wavelength, blah blah blah.
Gets a little complicated.

@h3humvee- I used a lo boy mount that I bought at HRO. here is a link to the manu: http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/loboy/

They have a bunch of different options, all using adhesive tapes for easy removal later. My knee can hit the rigs face at times but I can actually move it over more towards the center of the console by another 2 or 3 inches, I just havent got around to it yet. The speaker is totally out of the way and the rig body is under my drivers seat.
It looks kinda tight (and it is) but its also hard to see from the outside of the truck http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

The only bad part about it is that I wear polarized sunglasses so if I dont look at the display at the right angle, it vanishes. A lil annoying sometimes.

Yep the 706 is a sweet rig- Kinda cool cruising around and talking to places like South Africa when conditions are good http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Anyone intersted in Amateur Radio should visit http://www.arrl.org. That will get ya started!

[k9tim]

Hey H3humvee-

You just renewed your ticket- saw it is Adv class- thought that wasnt around anymore? Did it just renew with the old class?

I'm a lil rusty on classes & op privledges and I know things changed a few years back..Fill me in if you would...you can always mail me at:
my name @ my call . com
73
k9tim

[gc2488]

My Amateur Radio license KK7DV is Advanced class too!
(Use http://www.qrz.com to lookup call signs.)

It was back from when I had to pass a more code
reception test at 13 words per minute. Pretty fun,
kind of like learning to play "Dance Dance Revolution"
which I have done recently with the Mario Mix
GameCube game -- That's good exercise by the way.
This is really getting off-topic, sorry!

Excellent on the contact with South Africa, K7TIM...
For the info of others, this HF communication we're talking about
involves signals that go right from K9TIM's radio in his Hummer,
bounce off the ionosphere once or twice and around the world
without the help of any repeater or Internet linking system.
(But, it's also fun to use Internet links to talk to
countries like South Africa and Australia with super clear
quality and always-available reliability, at no cost.)

[H3HUMVEE]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by k9tim:
Hey H3humvee-

You just renewed your ticket- saw it is Adv class- thought that wasnt around anymore? Did it just renew with the old class?

I'm a lil rusty on classes & op privledges and I know things changed a few years back..Fill me in if you would...you can always mail me at:
my name @ my call . com
73
k9tim </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

yeah, I'm a little rusty to ..I started out getting my technician license which was a written test then after passing the 5 word per minute code I upgraded to a tech plus ... when I got my general operating license you had to pass a written test as well as receiving 13 words per minute and when I went for my advance license it was a written test and receiving 20 words per minute ... I have forgot most of the code because I never use it but in a pinch I could communicate using it if I had to.

[jkH1+H2=H3]

http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gifYes, one more Question, in Regards to the Happy Jack Video H2- Ken p/h2- co That H2 has 2 antennas, will 2 antennas strengthen my imput/ output. Pictures to be posted soon, After I finalize, so far so good.

[k9tim]

You will need to google it unless someone here has the numbers but if he has 2 cb antennas, that means they are phased.
It will affect your receive and transmit BUT they need to be spaced apart at the right distance otherwise they will do more harm than good.

If memory serves me right (and it usually doesnt) the gap between phased CB antennas should be around 9 feet.
One of the other radio guys may have the formula handy and can figure it out for 27mHz.

If it is around 9 feet then obviously you would be talking about mounting one at the front and one near the back of the truck.. kinda lame looking.
Personally I would stick with one and just buy a higher quality antenna. Something with a little higher gain than a cheapy whip.
Hope that helps!

[Sewie]

jkH1+H2=H3 -

I found some good tech info on Firestik's site when I was installing mine.

Firestik Tech Library (http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm)

[k9tim]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Sewie:
jkH1+H2=H3 -

I found some good tech info on Firestik's site when I was installing mine.

Firestik Tech Library (http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats a really good link- lots of info there!