Ham it Up

[headhunter]

That rocks! The MJR Ham group is growing fast!

Christian

[Matt2001TJ]

That rocks! The MJR Ham group is growing fast!

Christian

yes it is,.. MJR net anyone ??? ...LOL... I had some interesting contacts on the WIN System repeaters last night. My first contact was on the Wrightwood Table Mountain repeater. Kinda fitting really considering thats where I took my test. I also got my slim jim antenna in the mail and am waiting on the connectors and the mic as well.

[blackZZR]

want to congratulate everyone on new license and glad you now have your call signs
Not to hijack a thread on radio choice I will state that multiband units are nice, but that yeasu 2900 is a really tough unit, well worth the money, I run a earlier version and just throw it in the bottom of the jeep letting it rattle around on the floor board and unhook the coax and grab the unit when I get out for the night, I see no reason for an expensive rig in a open top jeep to be stolen while getting a sandwich in a local deli up in the woods.
Another point is your antenna farm on the jeep, placement of where antennas go and what antennas will now get to be an issue to get maximize propagation from them. I (on the Jeep) use the firestick 2 meter 5/8s wave as it does not look like a ham stick but a short CB stick and does not advertise I have a expensive radio in the jeep.
Get a dual band or triband HT for when you get out however as money spent there is seen right away as having a passel of ht's is expensive.

[GP4Play]

I can't wait to get my radio,but Tammy told me I have to wait till after our vacation. Your right Jim,I don't leave my CB in the jeep after a run and it's only a little Cobra.I'm still shopping but like the little Yeasu VX6 R,but looking at mobils to,and still looking at antennas,feels wierd not shopping for Jeep parts.
Congrats Richard,KJ6Juliet Likes Quiet

[Roger]

Hey congratulations you guys on getting your licenses! Way to go!!

[blackZZR]

I can't wait to get my radio,but Tammy told me I have to wait till after our vacation. Your right Jim,I don't leave my CB in the jeep after a run and it's only a little Cobra.I'm still shopping but like the little Yeasu VX6 R,but looking at mobils to,and still looking at antennas,feels wierd not shopping for Jeep parts.
Congrats Richard,KJ6Juliet Likes Quiet

nice unit, you can get a antnna that mounts to the jeep for that and extends the use, as well as a hand mic. I have seen more than a few guys run HT units set uo that way in mobiles. You are limited to the output of the HT anyway and a mobile usually has 10 times the power output than a HT. I guess research is the ultimate here as justifying a new radio is a lot harder than a new jeep part. LOL.

[blackZZR]

well now, do a search for AES in vegas, Amatuer elctronic supply I think, the Ham store there, page 93 of their pdf catalog has a mount so you can put your rubber ducky ant on the window. with 10 feet of coax, plus a lot better ant.s for Hts, anyway that would be a nice alternative to an expensive rig to the jeep and extend the range of the HT.
with that you can use the HT in the jeep and while out of the jeep hiking, and save on a dedicated mobile. makes more funds available for a multiband field radio.
wish I had seen that 5 years ago, would have more saved up for my yeasu 857

[SAR Jeeper]

Do you have the 857? It'll probably be my next rig. I doubt I'll do mobile HF, but more of a portable HF rig. I would still mount it for 2m/440 use. I was trying to decide between the 857 and 897. Seeing both on Field Day this year, I've decided to go with the smaller 857. 897 is just a little too big to make it portable.

[blackZZR]

Do you have the 857? It'll probably be my next rig. I doubt I'll do mobile HF, but more of a portable HF rig. I would still mount it for 2m/440 use. I was trying to decide between the 857 and 897. Seeing both on Field Day this year, I've decided to go with the smaller 857. 897 is just a little too big to make it portable.

I played with a 857 and a 897 on field day, me and the wife were in Vegas and did Field day with a local club, had a blast
so Once I got a ride on each rig I decided that the 857 was more versatile as a field station. It may not have the output without a few support pieces, but it offers all other features of the 897 and can be used both on a power supply and the jeep. It also can be used as a stand alone unit easily. I really tried to find an excuse to go with the bigger unit but could find none. Most of my time on both was split between phone during the day and Cw that night, I was strait keying and it rocked. So once I decided I really do not want a base station at the house, so my station I would love to have is a field station, I love to camp and DX QRP.
As a home unit I would go the other way, and I really think Yeasu has done a fine job offering the 2 units as they have so you can go either way.
One thing you can do real fast in this hobby is spend money where you do not need to, I use a basic 2 meter in the vehicle and have never found a reason to want more, I mean how much coverage do you need and with the amount of repeaters in SoCal.... You know. But I see a lot of guys insistent you need a dual band. I would rather a cheap unit in the jeep and a bigger unit for field use. Finding the window mount for a HT is a great idea as most times you are going be able to hit a repeater anyway and I know 50 or more watts may be good, but cannot even remember how to change the power level in my 2800. I looked hard at the 897, but when it all came down to bang for the buck on final rig, the 857 offered all I (and I say I) would like in a field unit.
That is one of the reasons I like to hit other clubs during field days to use other peoples ideas and rigs, it can save a ton of money using their experience.

[Roger]

Jim,

2m repeaters in the I.E. are really busy and it's very difficult to carry on a conversation, especially during commuter hours. There's some 440 MHz repeaters that are not busy. Years ago, I never used 440, but now I do.

Dual band radios don't cost that much more that a single band 2m, if you can live without a lot of bells and whistles.

[blackZZR]

I tend to agree about commuting hours, but I do not wheel during commuting hours and find when on trail they usually are not to busy and guys will let you in to do a short call. there are around 4 repeaters in the SBNF alone I can use. The bigger known repeaters like Keller peak you listen to and it sounds like a CB convention with the guys cussing and talking smack to each other, kinda gives ham a bad rep like CB, I also know of a few 23 cm repeaters, should we all have radios for them? I will concede that the airwaves are busy, especially during certain hours, and with the popularity of Ham growing like I have never seen it before that the airwaves are just going get worse for a while, but it comes and goes in a cycle. I can also see the need of a dual band radio if you need immediate communication at the snap of a finger. It has been my experience though that I have never had to use more than 2 meter on trail. I usually can hit Calico from Barstow on my HT to my mobile simplex when sending someone to the grocery store.
I guess it is just how you look at it, I would not want to sway someone not to buy something and be upset they did not so if the need is there go out and get the Dualband, especially if you are only going use FM phone. I would like to encourage guys to go other modes like CW though and get a radio that does all mode, I can tap out a list from Calico to Barstow cw in a few seconds at 2 watts that I need 5 watts to carry fm phone.
SO, TO SUM IT UP
Go get the dualband if Phone will be your only mode and your main rig will be your Jeep radio, it actually makes a lot of sense that way

[Beatrice]

I think apples and oranges are being discussed here,
Jim does not do ham in the vehicle as a daily thing, he uses it for comm in the jeep and has since before most jeepers did. I cannot remember him not having a 2 meter mobile or HT in a jeep. However he is not a guy who runs a rig in his DD. Roger and others seem like they do and therefore have different needs in a radio and that is what makes the Hobby so great, it can service so many in different ways.
I see wisdom in both sides of the discussion, guys wanting a phone system are different from DXers in radio choices.

[SAR Jeeper]

I played with a 857 and a 897 on field day, me and the wife were in Vegas and did Field day with a local club, had a blast
so Once I got a ride on each rig I decided that the 857 was more versatile as a field station. It may not have the output without a few support pieces, but it offers all other features of the 897 and can be used both on a power supply and the jeep. It also can be used as a stand alone unit easily. I really tried to find an excuse to go with the bigger unit but could find none. Most of my time on both was split between phone during the day and Cw that night, I was strait keying and it rocked. So once I decided I really do not want a base station at the house, so my station I would love to have is a field station, I love to camp and DX QRP.
As a home unit I would go the other way, and I really think Yeasu has done a fine job offering the 2 units as they have so you can go either way.
One thing you can do real fast in this hobby is spend money where you do not need to, I use a basic 2 meter in the vehicle and have never found a reason to want more, I mean how much coverage do you need and with the amount of repeaters in SoCal.... You know. But I see a lot of guys insistent you need a dual band. I would rather a cheap unit in the jeep and a bigger unit for field use. Finding the window mount for a HT is a great idea as most times you are going be able to hit a repeater anyway and I know 50 or more watts may be good, but cannot even remember how to change the power level in my 2800. I looked hard at the 897, but when it all came down to bang for the buck on final rig, the 857 offered all I (and I say I) would like in a field unit.
That is one of the reasons I like to hit other clubs during field days to use other peoples ideas and rigs, it can save a ton of money using their experience.

Thanks for the insight of the radio. I am nearly 100% towards the 857. If I don't have a huge battery with me, I can cut my output power. I QRP with my 817 with 1 or 2 7Ah SLA's.

Thanks again.

[sarah]

Got my call sign,KJ6JLR.KILO JULIET 6 JULIET LIKES ROMEO Matt's call sign....KILO JULIET 6 JULIET LIKES TINA,so Gay

Hahahaha!!

Congrats to everyone on their new licenses!

[blackZZR]

KILO JULIET 6 JULIET LIKES TINA,

wow so now tweakers have vanity signs
didn't know they allowed people to advertise their love of meth in their call sign