Amateur Radio Stack Exchange
Amateur Radio Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [mobile]

Mobile operations (car, motorcycle, boat or other vehicle)

105 questions
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How does a mag mount antenna achieve a ground plane?

I've been thinking for some time about magnet mount mobile antennas and wondering how they establish their ground plane. Consider that many mag mount antennas have some kind of protective coating on the magnet. Consider also that most cars have a…
Peter KB1AVL
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What's wrong with 220MHz?

It seems like 220MHz is the bastard step-child of the amateur world. Every HT is either 2m or 2m/70cm. Some companies offer tri-banders, but they almost always add 6m (?!), not 220MHz. The only way to get this band easily is the Chinese radios. I…
WPrecht
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Is there an optimum Antenna Feedline Length for mobile installations?

I bought a ham radio antenna mounting kit for my car that includes ~16' of coax. One end has a trunk lip NMO antenna mount, the other end has a re-solderable PL-259. I asked the sales person if it is best to shorten the coax after installation to…
BenSwayne
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Should I ground my radio to the chassis or battery for a mobile install?

From what I've seen, there are generally two ways to power a mobile radio: Positive lead to battery, negative lead grounded to chassis Both positive and negative leads to battery I know that antennas should be grounded to the chassis, but what…
Ben
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Buddipole model comparison

Can anyone give me some insight into the different Buddipole models available? They look pretty similar to me except for the sizes. What would make you choose one over the other?
s3c
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What is the most common amateur identification practice for mobile US amateurs operating in Canada?

When a US Amateur operates in Canada, IT and Canadian regs permit some lattitude on their identification. I have read that some will prefix a "VE3" plus their own home callsign (Ontario, meaning I am in Ontario right now, but my real callsign is the…
Warren VE3WPX
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When and why does the size of a ground plane or radials matter?

Consider these three cases: My understanding is that when building or installing an antenna designed to operate over a ground plane (e.g. a quarter-wave vertical), the size of the ground plane does not matter (e.g. the earth, possibly coupled using…
Kevin Reid AG6YO
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Can cellular radio be used for communication with a balloon?

(Sorry, I don't know if this is the right forum for this question, but maybe someone will know the answer. If not, which StackExchange forum could be more suitable?) Me and a few friends of mine are planning to build a remote controlled balloon…
ruthra
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Has a vehicle magnetic antenna mount ever caused a road accident?

Some people believe that mag mount magnets lose their effectiveness over time, eventually causing a dangerous situation as the antenna could rip loose from the vehicle and become a projectile or distraction at an unfortunate time -- e.g. on a…
Paul
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How can I prevent my mobile radio from draining my vehicle's battery?

I'm a very absentminded ham. I have a radio mounted in my car, wired directly to the vehicle battery. Fuses and high-gauge wire and all that good stuff. But, if I accidentally leave it on, my battery will be dead by the next morning! I don't know…
Dan KD2EE
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How to improve VHF/UHF Baofeng UV-82 HT reception in vehicle

I have a Baofeng UV-82 dual-band (2m/70cm) HT with an SMA male connector for the stock "rubber-ducky" antenna. I would like to use it in my vehicle. I would like a high-quality magnetic mount dual-band antenna for the roof of my vehicle (so that I…
Dan
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Is using an HT and walking considered mobile?

I've seen many contests define mobile as something like being able to legally move and broadcast. Well, using an HT while walking I can legally move. Does this count as mobile contacts for a contest?
PearsonArtPhoto
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Is a VHF antenna on a vehicle's body a bad idea?

For context, I'm brand new, with nothing but an HT & 19" dual band (2m/70cm) whip on it. While I'll likely go with a magnetically mounted vertical antenna, I've been thinking of other more covert options. For instance, could I do a 1/2 wave dipole…
conan
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How would you get an "I'm alive" message to family in another state using amateur radio?

I'm researching options for getting an "I'm alive" message during a disaster response out to family in another state that aren't HAMs. There are likely to be a lot of possible answers that are art and style rather than one "right" answer, so some…
Matthew Wetmore
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Battery sizing for power draw

Note that this question isn't about battery capacity, at least not per se. I have a 100 Watt mobile transceiver. At 12 V and assuming 50% efficiency, that means it draws a little under 20 Amps at full power. It's currently being powered by a pair of…
Dan KD2EE
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