Ahhhh, but hand her an ice cream sandwich from your Engle on a real hot August afternoon far from home and you will make her happy 
N00b Ham questions
- Thread starter Hulk
- Start date
....just say no!
Ok....I'll come clean. I think this Ham stuff is way cool and I know if I don't diss it and justify NOT getting into it I can avoid it for a while. I do not need another hobby nor do I need to throw $1000's at another thing I don't have the time for! I had a friend back in Greeley when I was young impress the crud out of me with his communication/"reach out and talk to somebody" equipment. His passion did bleed over on me a tad and got me into kickers and the like but I resisted his 2M passion. The most impressive gadget he had (in my opinion) was a 100' tower with remotely adjustable antenna head couple to a 1000watt kicker and a 23 channel "heathkit" cb base unit that he could "skip" east or west and talk to fellow airwave nutcases in Aussieland. I was always blown away by that!
Looking through the window and watching you guys get into this and seeing and researching the equipment has me interested of course but for now I'm gonna resist and see who is still into it when the novelty wears off. I can resist....I can resist....I can....... 
Ok....I'll come clean. I think this Ham stuff is way cool and I know if I don't diss it and justify NOT getting into it I can avoid it for a while. I do not need another hobby nor do I need to throw $1000's at another thing I don't have the time for! I had a friend back in Greeley when I was young impress the crud out of me with his communication/"reach out and talk to somebody" equipment. His passion did bleed over on me a tad and got me into kickers and the like but I resisted his 2M passion. The most impressive gadget he had (in my opinion) was a 100' tower with remotely adjustable antenna head couple to a 1000watt kicker and a 23 channel "heathkit" cb base unit that he could "skip" east or west and talk to fellow airwave nutcases in Aussieland. I was always blown away by that!
Looking through the window and watching you guys get into this and seeing and researching the equipment has me interested of course but for now I'm gonna resist and see who is still into it when the novelty wears off. I can resist....I can resist....I can.......
Ahhhh, but hand her an ice cream sandwich from your Engle on a real hot August afternoon far from home and you will make her happy
Somehow I don't see Michelle getting excited by either the bumping around out to the boonies or the ice cream sandwich. Now hire a baby sitter and go for a very long extended mountain bike ride with a rewarding sunset and a glass of wine with no electronic gadgets for miles and I think you'll see that big grin!
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
It doesn't have to be expensive. A nice 2m mobile set up is only going to be a couple of hundred dollars. Even new, a Yaesu FT-1802M is going for about $150 and single band antenna is maybe $40. Hams are perpetual tinkerers, so finding very good used radios is super easy, saves you a ton a money.
Groucho
Rising Sun Ham Guru
I do not need another hobby nor do I need to throw $1000's at another thing I don't have the time for! I can resist....I can resist....I can.......
Just bustin yer chops, oh wise and noble one!
Also, ask Sharkbait how much he spent on his homebrew antenna that works AWESOME!
You could also spend $15 on 4" of round plexiglass and 1/8" stainless rod and make a very good 5/8 wave antenna for the FZJ80! Not many additions to a landcruiser can boast having the improvements that Ham has over CB and be less than $200.
Shark Bait
Rising Sun Member
5' of twin lead was about $0.50, Solder an old CB coax cable to it after sacrificing one end, $??. The optional feed line noise suppressor ferrite bead material was around $5.00. The pigtail to go from the larger coax connector to the smaller one on the radio was around $10. That's it!
You guys speak with blinders on! I got into Cruisers by buying a $600 FJ-40 basketcase! I got into R/C by buying my oldest daughter a $49 Nikko! I got into guns with a hand me down .22! I got into drag racing by getting a stock '68 stick shift Chevelle! I got into pull trucking by building a buddies transfer case on his Super Stock Ford F-250! Hell....I got into 4 wheeling by buying a $200 J**p CJ-5! First home theater was a 19" TV and cheap VCR patched into a normal 50 watt stereo! First camper was a free shell on my Chebby P/U! Need I go on? 
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Seldom Seen
Hard Core 4+
You guys speak with blinders on! I got into Cruisers by buying a $600 FJ-40 basketcase! I got into R/C by buying my oldest daughter a $49 Nikko! I got into guns with a hand me down .22! I got into drag racing by getting a stock '68 stick shift Chevelle! I got into pull trucking by building a buddies transfer case on his Super Stock Ford F-250! Hell....I got into 4 wheeling by buying a $200 J**p CJ-5! First camper was a free shell on my Chebby P/U! Need I go on?
You sound like one of those crusty ol' hams already
Get your self a empty Quaker Oats carton, the cylindrical cardboard type. Wind some lacquered wire from an old alternator around it. Add a few old TV tubes. Feed it into a cut down CB antenna and you're all set.
Seriously though, back when Radio Shack used to deal in radios they sold alot of Ham gear. Most of it is still highly reguarded as quality entry level equipment. I've seen 2meter rigs go for as little as $25 on flea bay and QRZ. I lucked out and found a HTX10 (10meter all mode) for $50 when the Radio Shack at U. Hills Mall was closing.
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You sound like one of those crusty ol' hams already
Get your self a empty Quaker Oats carton, the cylindrical cardboard type. <snip>
See.....there you go! Already suggesting high quality, front line, name brand stuff! It just gets worse from there! Then someone discovers that it actually works better if you use the higher cost instant packets...and so on....and so on....and.....
Seldom Seen
Hard Core 4+
See.....there you go! Already suggesting high quality, front line, name brand stuff! It just gets worse from there! Then someone discovers that it actually works better if you use the higher cost instant packets...and so on....and so on....and.....
OMG that was funny!!Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated
Just dropped off a load of cash at HRO. I bought:
I still need to get some of that 6-wire modular cord to run my faceplate up to the front. I plan to put the unit behind the rear plastic wall in my 80, so no kids will be able to spill their Sprite into it.
Also, I need to get power to the back. What gauge wire are you guys running? I might also put a 12-V outlet in the back at the same time. I do have a 300 watt inverter -- maybe I should just install it behind the panel like Nakman, and be cool like him.
- Yaesu FT-7800R 144/430 MHz transceiver
- Diamond NR770HNMO (in black) fold-over antenna (about 38")
- Comet B-10NMO short antenna (about 11.5") for around town
- Diamond K400 mount for the back hatch
- 13.5 feet of cable (with NMO base) to connect my antenna to the transceiver
I still need to get some of that 6-wire modular cord to run my faceplate up to the front. I plan to put the unit behind the rear plastic wall in my 80, so no kids will be able to spill their Sprite into it.
Also, I need to get power to the back. What gauge wire are you guys running? I might also put a 12-V outlet in the back at the same time. I do have a 300 watt inverter -- maybe I should just install it behind the panel like Nakman, and be cool like him.
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2006
- Messages
- 292
See.....there you go! Already suggesting high quality, front line, name brand stuff! It just gets worse from there! Then someone discovers that it actually works better if you use the higher cost instant packets...and so on....and so on....and.....
Isn't that how you got the 80. By the way you are always welcome to share some of my higher cost instant packets! I'm already shopping for them for Rubithon. What can I say, I'm a sale shopper!
So my next question is power. I want to run power all the way back to the rear of the 80, to one of the side compartments.
1. Where do I tap into power? I want continuous power, not switched. I have an aux fusebox on the firewall of my 40. Do I need to do the same thing for my 80? What have you guys done?
2. Wire gauge recommendations? And where are you getting the wire? Do I just run positive and ground to the chassis in the rear?
3. Are you guys running all the wire under the carpet? I'm betting this is easier than removing the headliner. Is there a special flat wire that works under the carpet?
1. Where do I tap into power? I want continuous power, not switched. I have an aux fusebox on the firewall of my 40. Do I need to do the same thing for my 80? What have you guys done?
2. Wire gauge recommendations? And where are you getting the wire? Do I just run positive and ground to the chassis in the rear?
3. Are you guys running all the wire under the carpet? I'm betting this is easier than removing the headliner. Is there a special flat wire that works under the carpet?
Shark Bait
Rising Sun Member
Matt,
Does a power line not come with the radio? We attached the feed and the ground, both fused, directly to the battery on mine. www.westmountainradio.com has some cool stuff for power. If you mount the radio in the rear, which I'd like to do eventually, you'll need a remote speaker cause the speaker is in the radio. www.dxengineering.com and www.powerwerx.com have some cool stuff, too.
Does a power line not come with the radio? We attached the feed and the ground, both fused, directly to the battery on mine. www.westmountainradio.com has some cool stuff for power. If you mount the radio in the rear, which I'd like to do eventually, you'll need a remote speaker cause the speaker is in the radio. www.dxengineering.com and www.powerwerx.com have some cool stuff, too.
I have an aux fuse block above my brake cyl in the engine bay. I run all the stuff I want constant power to from it.
I have 3 extra power outlets (Engel Frig, PocketPC, Other toys), CB, Ham radio and one other thing? ( I have a 6 fuse box).
Each item on it's own circuit. The spec on yaseau said it consumes 10Watts of power max.
I ran 10 gauge wire from the fuse block back for the rear power outlets and also for the ham radio. 10 Gauge is rated to carry 14 Amps and this is conservative (don't get sued rating).
I run 8 Gauge from the battery post to the fuse block.
I run 12 -14 gauge for the CB (Can't remember)
If you take the trim off the kickpanel and the floor trim that sits under the dorr when closed, you can run it back easily at the edges so you can have easy acccess. I have all the wires going back on the pass side under the trim (not carpet) and it's no issue.
I find a good ground for stuff in the rear of the truck and connect a lug there to eleiminate ground loops. Need to valiadte with an ohm meter.
Feel free to come over tonight and I'll show you. I should be in the garage putting the Dual filler neck in to finish my subtank install.
I have 3 extra power outlets (Engel Frig, PocketPC, Other toys), CB, Ham radio and one other thing? ( I have a 6 fuse box).
Each item on it's own circuit. The spec on yaseau said it consumes 10Watts of power max.
I ran 10 gauge wire from the fuse block back for the rear power outlets and also for the ham radio. 10 Gauge is rated to carry 14 Amps and this is conservative (don't get sued rating).
I run 8 Gauge from the battery post to the fuse block.
I run 12 -14 gauge for the CB (Can't remember)
If you take the trim off the kickpanel and the floor trim that sits under the dorr when closed, you can run it back easily at the edges so you can have easy acccess. I have all the wires going back on the pass side under the trim (not carpet) and it's no issue.
I find a good ground for stuff in the rear of the truck and connect a lug there to eleiminate ground loops. Need to valiadte with an ohm meter.
Feel free to come over tonight and I'll show you. I should be in the garage putting the Dual filler neck in to finish my subtank install.
I have the drawers so I am alittle different, but mounted on top of the drawers with the speaker up seems to work. I don't think I'll need a seperate one, but I ran the wire under the trim in case I change my mind.
DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
That's not right. My FT-7800R draws almost 8 amps when transmitting at 50W on 2m. I think you misread it. It's probably 10A max, which is about 120W of energy. Just on RX my radio uses almost 10 watts.
I meant amps max. Thanks for the clarification. Wire is speced to amps. These radios got me thinking about pooowwweeerrr
And I'm a EE
And I'm a EE
I'm going to attempt to use the speaker under the steering wheel as my remote speaker. I don't think it's hooked up right now. I may replace the speaker itself if it's crappy, which it probably is.
Mr. Toyoda put speakers in some weird places if you ask me.
Seldom Seen
Hard Core 4+
Maximum length in feet for car wiring
Wire Gauge Current Load in Amps @ 12 Volts DC
_________4A____ 6 A____ 8 A____10 A__ 12 A____ 15 A____ 20 A____ 50 A
20 AWG__ 26'___ 17'____ 13'
18 AWG__ 37'___ 25'____ 18'____ 15'_____ 12'
16 AWG__ 56'___ 37'____ 28'____ 22'_____ 18'_____ 14'
14 AWG__ 90'___ 60'____ 45'____ 36'_____ 30'_____ 24'_____ 18'
12 AWG__ 143'___95'____ 71'____ 57'_____ 47'_____ 38'_____ 28'
10 AWG__ 227'__ 155'___ 113'___ 90'_____ 75'_____ 60'_____ 45'
8 AWG___ 363'__ 241'___ 181'___ 145'____ 120'____ 96'_____ 72'______ 29'
6 AWG___ 585'__ 390'___ 292'___ 234'____ 194'____ 155'____ 117'_____ 46'
4 AWG___ 925'__ 616'___ 462'___ 370'____ 307'____ 246'____ 185'_____ 74'
2 AWG___ 1515'_ 1009'__ 757'___ 606'____ 503'____ 403'____ 303'_____ 121'
1 AWG___ 1923'_ 1280'__ 961'___ 769'____ 638'____ 511'____ 384'_____ 153'
0 AWG___ 2427'_ 1616'__ 1213'__ 970'____ 805'____ 645'____ 485'_____ 194'
Calculate the current load and find the next highest on the top row. Go down that column until you find the length you need to run. The wire gauge required is shown in the far left column. The maximum lengths are based on a 1/2 volt drop over the indicated length. To be safe, always choose one wire size larger than you need for the required current carrying capacity and length. For example: You’ve calculated 10 amps load, over a length of 15 feet. The chart shows that 18 AWG is suitable. Choose 16 AWG to allow an adequate margin for safety.
Wire Gauge Current Load in Amps @ 12 Volts DC
_________4A____ 6 A____ 8 A____10 A__ 12 A____ 15 A____ 20 A____ 50 A
20 AWG__ 26'___ 17'____ 13'
18 AWG__ 37'___ 25'____ 18'____ 15'_____ 12'
16 AWG__ 56'___ 37'____ 28'____ 22'_____ 18'_____ 14'
14 AWG__ 90'___ 60'____ 45'____ 36'_____ 30'_____ 24'_____ 18'
12 AWG__ 143'___95'____ 71'____ 57'_____ 47'_____ 38'_____ 28'
10 AWG__ 227'__ 155'___ 113'___ 90'_____ 75'_____ 60'_____ 45'
8 AWG___ 363'__ 241'___ 181'___ 145'____ 120'____ 96'_____ 72'______ 29'
6 AWG___ 585'__ 390'___ 292'___ 234'____ 194'____ 155'____ 117'_____ 46'
4 AWG___ 925'__ 616'___ 462'___ 370'____ 307'____ 246'____ 185'_____ 74'
2 AWG___ 1515'_ 1009'__ 757'___ 606'____ 503'____ 403'____ 303'_____ 121'
1 AWG___ 1923'_ 1280'__ 961'___ 769'____ 638'____ 511'____ 384'_____ 153'
0 AWG___ 2427'_ 1616'__ 1213'__ 970'____ 805'____ 645'____ 485'_____ 194'
Calculate the current load and find the next highest on the top row. Go down that column until you find the length you need to run. The wire gauge required is shown in the far left column. The maximum lengths are based on a 1/2 volt drop over the indicated length. To be safe, always choose one wire size larger than you need for the required current carrying capacity and length. For example: You’ve calculated 10 amps load, over a length of 15 feet. The chart shows that 18 AWG is suitable. Choose 16 AWG to allow an adequate margin for safety.