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Updates: Oct 2004: finishing up the mobile antenna shootout July 2004: Added antenna testing and more photos June 2004: |
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[Mobile Station] [Fixed] [Walkabout] [Other Hobbies] [Links] |
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There is no such thing as a perfect mobile setup. What works for me might not work for you. It is a combination of operator preferences, the vehicle, operating modes, interests and what I like to call “external influences”. Examples include vehicle security concerns, the opinion of the “significant other”, affordability, visual appeal and so on. Over the years this is what I have ended up with. (Well: “ended up” might just be temporary!) Share your experiences so we all can learn from each other. (HF Equipment, VHF Equipment , a Final Word on Safety. I have alot of fun playing with antennas. ) |
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Mounting: I am lucky. The main reason to buy the new truck was to get a full back seat for the growing family. This TS-B2000 radio is installed behind the driver’s seat surrounded by a wood box to protect it (on 4 sides) The top is hinged for easy access. (I put my EMS jump kit ontop) I gave up 1/2 the back seat for this and wish there was another place to put it, but I dont want it in the tool kit in the bed.. so ?.. |
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TS-B2000: This is the “main” radio: Excellent radio with lots of features. |
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TS-B2000 Operation: It meets all my needs (almost!) High performance receiver with wonderful array of DSP options. Supports HF, 6, 2 and 440. (I would have liked 220M too: but nothing is perfect!) I have the RC-2000 on it (here shown with the D700A) I mounted this to a piece of wood that is held in place by the middleseat folded down. (Not ideal, but safe and works) Problem is that the tune button is really small and when the truck heats up in the sun, the display clouds up. Nothing is perfect! |
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Noise Noise Noise: The F250 is a noisy truck. RF radiation covers all bands. I did alot of bypassing and filtering (details) I finally decided to install the Timewave ANC-4. This device takes energy from a “sense” antenna and adds to the the incoming signal before going to the TS-B2000. Changing the phase and amplitude of signal (hopefully mostly noise) allows you to cancel out noise from the main antenna. This system works, but sometimes the 3db loss on incoming signals is a bit too much. It takes some adjusting so this has to be mounted in an easy place to get to. The trick is placing the sense antenna well |
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You might ask: why the ADSP with all the DSP options in the TS-B2000? I experimented with this quite a bit and ends up the combination is better than the TS-B2000 alone due to performance and operator convience... (maybe I will write more on this another day) |
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The Truck already has two batteries but these are way up front away from my radio. So I decided to install a third battery behind the rear seat. (There is enough room!) The SGC Battery Separator monitors the main battery and the “radio” battery potentials. It will charge the radio battery and isolate it with almost no voltage drop. (unlike a diode) Also it can be switched to assist in charging. It is expensive, but a valuable device! (Also makes my truck ready for an HF amp: if only I had a place to install it!) ) SGC has a nice site with lots of hints for mobile operations. (Go mobile at 500Watts) (by the way: really nice people to work with!) |
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Mobile HF Antenna: deserves a set of pages of its own! |
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The TS-B2000 already had 2m and 440, so I am all set. But I am on a first aid squad and the TS-B2000 does not have capability for those frequencies. (And it would be illegal to use them there.) In addition it is very nice to have a seperate radio so I can listen to the local repeaters and the ems/fire frequencies. So I installed: |
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It might seem silly but the features I really like include great audio volume, microphone that feels solid in the hand, and able to program the array of buttons so to allow easy operation. I typically while in command on a scene need to handle two frequencies (Vendors: wake up!!!) with the scanner and this radio I can tackle the job easily. |
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Safety Safety Safety: It is really important to make sure you installation is safe. This means radios have to be securely installed so that in the event of crash or sudden stop, they do not become projectiles. Radios need to be properly fused and powered so that electric lines are not overloaded (dont use the lighter socket!) Use heavy gauge wires. Finally make the system easy to maintain. If you dont make it easy, you probably wont maintain it and take shortcuts later. (Dangerous idea) |
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[WB2EWB Ham Radio] [Mobile Station] [Fixed] [Walkabout] [Other Hobbies] [Links] |
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Copyright 2004 by Philip P. Thompson, All rights reserved. |