Sounds neat! Can't wait to see the pics! I jumped on my radio while my old man was picking up food. I instantly got a radio check on channel 19. I'm curious to see how far I can reach

 

Apparently Larsen makes the NMO-27 antenna that will work with the 3/4" hole in my roof. About $50 street price, not cheap.

The big bee-ach is the 49" whip. Four feet off the roof of a F250HD 4X4 is gonna be up there. My 2M/70cm antenna, at 19", will look ridiculous next to it.

Oh well, now to wait until the wife ain't lookin' to order the radios.

Ray

 

You want your antenna up high,when it comes to antennas height is might.
The higher the antenna is mounted the further you'll get out.Most radio communication is by line of sight,if you're up on a mountain you can see better/further than you can at sea level.
That's why they put TV antenna's atop the Sears Tower.

 

When y'all mount to the toolbox how are you getting the coax inside? drill a hole through back of the cab or is there one somewhere?

I've got everything in, just running cable through split back window isn't the best idea ...

 

When y'all mount to the toolbox how are you getting the coax inside? drill a hole through back of the cab or is there one somewhere?

I've got everything in, just running cable through split back window isn't the best idea ...

 

FT8800,you do have a Ham ticket,right?

 

Theres small oval shaped grommets on either side of the rear cab floor. That's how I ran the wires to my strobes.

 

Taking the test Saturday. Been studying like heck for the last six weeks and I manage to get 35 out of 35 on the practice tests over on QRZ.com. Heck, I've taken those practice tests so much, I think I know the answers by heart.

I almost got my ticket years ago but I suck big time at Morse. I tried numerous times but my code listening speed was too slow. Recently, when I heard that you no longer need to do code for a ticket, I was all over that.

What I'm hoping to do is to take the Technician and General tests on the same day. The lead VE says he thinks I can do it.

We will see what happens . . .

Ray

 

Have a bearcat 880 with dual Wilson super flex 4' antennas. Had a heck of a time getting most of the fuel pump noise out!

 

Good luck,I hope you ace both tests.
I'm getting ready to upgrade my license this summer.

 

I had a teaberry with a 102" whip on,my old 4x4 but i sold it now i have a uniden 68 but no tena somone decided they needed my k40 more than i,did

 

Not rubbing it in,but that's why the K40 has the 1/3 of a turn quick removal feature.
Having lived in Chicago all my life I know the vermin will steal anything they can,and an antenna is a nice visible clue you've got even more goodies in your vehicle to make breaking into it worthwhile.

 

it wasnt installed yet it was i my conex box somone broke into, but its all good a buddy of mine is upgrading and giving me a fire strick i hear theyre pretty good

 

I HATE thieves,I think the way they deal with them in the middle east can be quite effective.
The older Firesticks supposedly were better than the new ones,but I've never tried them connected to the same car,same radio in the same location within minutes of each other with multiple known good stations giving accurate reports,but I have compared several other antennas similarly such as a correctly tuned K40 to a correctly tuned Wilson 1000.With a small roof area such as a pick up truck the K40 beat the Wilson by a small amount(and was easier to tune),on a larger roof such as a station wagon,sedan or suburban both were pretty equal.However if you've just got to run a big linear the Wilson will hold up to higher wattages than the K40.
I never ran a linear amp in a mobile,but with a somewhat cheesy Midland radio tuned well(clipped,tuned,set up for maximum swing),a D104M6B Astatic mic and a tuned K40 atop my 83 Chevy wagon,running barefoot I was able to talk from I55 and I355 outside Chicago to a base with a 5/8 wave aluminum antenna on 15 feet of mast on a second floor roof on the north side of Chicago with no 10-9's easily,transmitting and receiving.
My advice (which is worth twice what you're paying me for it,lol) is get a K40 and put it in the center of your cab roof,up above any metal or other junk in the way of it radiating fully.
A magnet mount would work well without drilling a hole and it would be fairly omni directional.Mind you I got started in CB radio around 1966 or 1967 and have owned enough CB radios to probably fill a 53 foot trailer,but that's my opinion and I've seen a lot of antennas and radios come and go over that time.
For a good radio for a reasonable price if you've got a real tech,not a butcher,a Cobra 29 or Cobra 148 are some darn good choices,with the right finals and drivers and clipped and properly tuned, for max swing and receives properly tuned they're great radios.That said,the 29 has a "looser" receive,that is it is more subject to bleed over from other radios nearby,the selectivity is not as good as the 148,but I currently run a 29 and I get out quite well.In a crowded environment such as it was in Chicago when CB was rampant the 148 was a better choice.
All that said,it boils down to what you prefer,you're the one paying for it.
So now I'm climbing down and putting my soap box away.

 

(OT)
Well, I did a Trifecta today. All three tests, all 120 questions. Just waiting now for my Amateur Extra call sign to show up in the ULS database.
(/OT)

2003Expy, I agree with your suggestion for a K40 and a 148. We have a couple of tuners here in the Bay Area that know their way around a Cobra.

Ray