Hello from Cheshire, UK

[Chris Pomfrett]

Hi, Inky black, 2-seat utility wagon (N1 commercial) ordered February 23. Rough + smooth packs, L-track cargo rails and outside, Petrol, rhino rack, light bar.

Communication van; a retirement project. Several Euro pallet based modular amateur radio rigs to be loaded for different events e.g. local VHF/UHF, DX HF, competitions. Mobile antennas including Yaesu ATAS120 and SGC smartuner verticals. APRS position reporting.

I have been lurking for a while and now I have some questions.

CQ CQ M0EEG calling CQ and listening.

 

[Logsplitter]

Welcome to the forum. Pretty much the same as mine apart from the colour.

 

[Cheshire cat]

Hi, Inky black, 2-seat utility wagon (N1 commercial) ordered February 23. Rough + smooth packs, L-track cargo rails and outside, Petrol, rhino rack, light bar.

Communication van; a retirement project. Several Euro pallet based modular amateur radio rigs to be loaded for different events e.g. local VHF/UHF, DX HF, competitions. Mobile antennas including Yaesu ATAS120 and SGC smartuner verticals. APRS position reporting.

I have been lurking for a while and now I have some questions.

CQ CQ M0EEG calling CQ and listening.

Welcome. Where in Cheshire are you? I am nr Tarporley. Hopefully my vehicle reaches Halliwell Jones tomorrow / Thursday.

 

[Chris Pomfrett]

Welcome. Where in Cheshire are you? I am nr Tarporley. Hopefully my vehicle reaches Halliwell Jones tomorrow / Thursday.

Thank you. Sandbach. I hope your handover goes smoothly.
Chris

 

[Tomdoc]

Hi, Inky black, 2-seat utility wagon (N1 commercial) ordered February 23. Rough + smooth packs, L-track cargo rails and outside, Petrol, rhino rack, light bar.

Communication van; a retirement project. Several Euro pallet based modular amateur radio rigs to be loaded for different events e.g. local VHF/UHF, DX HF, competitions. Mobile antennas including Yaesu ATAS120 and SGC smartuner verticals. APRS position reporting.

I have been lurking for a while and now I have some questions.

CQ CQ M0EEG calling CQ and listening.

Hi Chris

Sounds like we have similar intentions with the IG. I am M0RMY and intend to use the IG as an expedition and radio truck for HF/VHF and UHF mobile. Currently waiting for my truck before working out how to fix all the stuff in the car.

 

[Chris Pomfrett]

Hi Chris

Sounds like we have similar intentions with the IG. I am M0RMY and intend to use the IG as an expedition and radio truck for HF/VHF and UHF mobile. Currently waiting for my truck before working out how to fix all the stuff in the car.

Hi Tomdoc M0RMY,
Yes. Similar intentions. Finding antenna cable routing will be important. The door seals are not an option for quality (wide) HF coax cable. The rear vents on either side of the rear door look possible.
I have ordered one of the antenna mounts at £75. None of the pictures show a cable attached to the antenna. There should be an approved cable entry otherwise the antenna mount is worthless.
There is one picture of a bicycle support vehicle with 2 VHF/UHF antennas on the door mounted ladder, but no clue where the cables went.
Another cable route may be sharing the roof mounted power cable seals for the LED light bar etc.
I have just chased the spiders out of my Kenwood TMD700 and 710 VHF/UHF rigs to use them for APRS in Grendel (my future Grenadier). The dash shelf in front of the auxiliary warning display should be good for the radio head unit and an NMEA chart plotter to display the live APRS waypoints overlaid on Garmin GPS TOPO maps.
Chris M0EEG

 

[Tomdoc]

Hi Tomdoc M0RMY,
Yes. Similar intentions. Finding antenna cable routing will be important. The door seals are not an option for quality (wide) HF coax cable. The rear vents on either side of the rear door look possible.
I have ordered one of the antenna mounts at £75. None of the pictures show a cable attached to the antenna. There should be an approved cable entry otherwise the antenna mount is worthless.
There is one picture of a bicycle support vehicle with 2 VHF/UHF antennas on the door mounted ladder, but no clue where the cables went.
Another cable route may be sharing the roof mounted power cable seals for the LED light bar etc.
I have just chased the spiders out of my Kenwood TMD700 and 710 VHF/UHF rigs to use them for APRS in Grendel (my future Grenadier). The dash shelf in front of the auxiliary warning display should be good for the radio head unit and an NMEA chart plotter to display the live APRS waypoints overlaid on Garmin GPS TOPO maps.
Chris M0EEG

Hi Chris,

Very interesting - we definitely have similar challenges to face. I intend to put both HF and V/UHF antennas on the IG - still waiting to get mine (soon I think). I will run power directly from the auxiliary battery into a DC distribution box (did this on my Defenders for a long time). Antenna mounts hopefully onto roof bars and routing coax in alongside the cabling for the electrical roof outlets. Obviously all will wait to be determined when I get mine. Radios - FTM 300DE and IC7000 at present but am looking at options for either a 100W linear with my IC705 or a TS480HX as nobody makes a new 100W all band mobile anymore! Will be sure to update if more info discovered and choices are made. Cheers Tom

 

[Trialmaster]

Don’t shoot me down - but what is the purpose of the radio fit?

I used to use HF - but it is now being replaced with CPDLC for pilot communicating (effectively controlled text). Even VHF is slowly going that way. UHF still used by the military!

 

[Tomdoc]

Don’t shoot me down - but what is the purpose of the radio fit?

I used to use HF - but it is now being replaced with CPDLC for pilot communicating (effectively controlled text). Even VHF is slowly going that way. UHF still used by the military!

No problem! I am a licensed ham/amateur radio operator and enjoy combining my outdoor adventures with my radio comms hobby - also it gives me total communication options (amazingly to include email if needed) without any phone signal. It's just a hobby but may be a useful safety device if needed. Obviously a bit niche but I spend a lot of my leisure time building HF antennas and climbing mountains with radio gear. Have spoken to like-minded nerds all over the world from my Land Rovers etc. It is a friendly hobby with a lot of science and engineering to dabble in.

 

[Chris Pomfrett]

No problem! I am a licensed ham/amateur radio operator and enjoy combining my outdoor adventures with my radio comms hobby - also it gives me total communication options (amazingly to include email if needed) without any phone signal. It's just a hobby but may be a useful safety device if needed. Obviously a bit niche but I spend a lot of my leisure time building HF antennas and climbing mountains with radio gear. Have spoken to like-minded nerds all over the world from my Land Rovers etc. It is a friendly hobby with a lot of science and engineering to dabble in.

I agree with Tom. It is a hobby but could be useful if other comms disappear. My record is 5 9 voice to Malta from Stoke on Trent from a Lexus GS300 via a boot mounted Yaesu ATAS antenna on an FT857 rig. 100 W for 20 minutes mean 50miles per hour. Auxiliary AGM battery and 12V to 13.8V booster.
73 Chris M0EEG/2E0FUH/M3FUH

 

[Trialmaster]

I am sure you guys know ARCHITECT and VIPER HF frequencies. Last time I used those was in 1997 (year I left the RAF). Also used to HF Phone Patch using Portishead Radio.

Think 4742 was amazing sometimes you could patch to anywhere in the UK for thousands of miles if the atmospherics were right.

I had thought of CB, but I can understand your interest.

 

[Chris Pomfrett]

Hi Chris,

Very interesting - we definitely have similar challenges to face. I intend to put both HF and V/UHF antennas on the IG - still waiting to get mine (soon I think). I will run power directly from the auxiliary battery into a DC distribution box (did this on my Defenders for a long time). Antenna mounts hopefully onto roof bars and routing coax in alongside the cabling for the electrical roof outlets. Obviously all will wait to be determined when I get mine. Radios - FTM 300DE and IC7000 at present but am looking at options for either a 100W linear with my IC705 or a TS480HX as nobody makes a new 100W all band mobile anymore! Will be sure to update if more info discovered and choices are made. Cheers Tom

Agreed with all and especially power distribution. I use Rigrunner fuseboxes from West Mountain Radio (as you posted elsewhere) and I have just made my first Deutsche 25 amp DTP connected to Anderson power pole patch using the official Deutsche crimp tool from Farnell UK. Really straightforward. I will build one Euro pallet for Flexradio SDR spotting rig (excellent panadaptor display) and Kenwood DX.

 

[Cheshire cat]

Reading what you two have to say reminds me of the film Jaws where one night whilst drinking in the boat, they talk of old times and start comparing scars. The policeman (Martin Brody) takes a furtive look at his appendix scar and decides to say nothing. When I see you referencing all your communications systems I take a furtive look at my iphone.

 

[Chris Pomfrett]

Reading what you two have to say reminds me of the film Jaws where one night whilst drinking in the boat, they talk of old times and start comparing scars. The policeman (Martin Brody) takes a furtive look at his appendix scar and decides to say nothing. When I see you referencing all your communications systems I take a furtive look at my iphone.

I think we need a bigger boat. Possibly an IG