rocklax

I'm hopefully passing my Tech exam tomorrow and have been thinking of running both HAM and CB on my JKU. I run my spare in my cargo area and have a Poison Spyder tramp stamp with a plate relocated. I was thinking of doing a setup similar to the Arizona Rocky Road on either side of where my carrier would be, but don't want the poles that extend the mount up past where a spare would be. Any ideas, sorry I'm still learning!

Desert Fox

What you need to consider first is getting at least one third of the antenna(s) above the top of your JK, especially if it has a hard top. Then you want to insure that there is at least 24" of horizontal separation between the antennas. With a mobile 2 meter radio, you will be dealing with 50 to 75 watts of power output as compared to 4 watts with your CB radio. Also the CB radio is in the HF band and your mobile 2 meter radio will be in the VHF band. If you have a HAM Club in your area, contact them and they will help you. Most have Club Web sites with contact data listed. Best of luck with your test ! 73, W6PBR

rocklax

I should probably be a little more specific. For the medium term I plan on running a Baofeng 82hp which is rated at 8 watts on high power. I have a 15" whip on it not, but was going to swap out a (hopefully) decent mobile antenna. As for CB I'll probably just get a Midland to start out with. I was thinking a 3' or 4' Firestick.

Here is the mount I was thinking, but I don't run a spare so I was thinking similar but with no long "poles" so to speak before the antenna was mounted. Arizona has this but a mount on the other (ie both) sides.



I was maybe thinking something more like this on both sides, but am gussesing there might be other options.



Could I maybe go off of the tire carrier bolts and somewhere on or around the gate/hinges?

Sorry for the questions.

Desert Fox

Rocklax,

The BaoFeng 82hp is a handy talkie "HT" and if you add a 15" or 16" whip antenna, for under $20, to it you will be able to talk to any HAM who is on the trail with you and to reach repeaters 10 to 20 miles away, depending on the topography of your local area. For the past seven years I have been using a Yaesu 6X HT and regularly talk via repeaters that are over 50 miles away that are located on mountain tops. The only secret to using a HT is keeping the antenna vertical at all times when talking. That will save you time and money while you do research on which mobile unit and antenna you want to buy and install in the future.
Good luck.

rocklax

So you don't recommend getting any sort of mobile antenna until I get a mobile HAM? For simplicity and starters, is a Midland and a Firestik ok?

Desert Fox

What we are having is a failure to communicate, so to speak. Each HAM band has its own antenna requirements as does CB. Due to frequency and power requirements, they are not interchangeable.

- CB: 27/28 MHz, 4 watts power. Most popular antenna maker is Firestik in 3 or 4 foot lengths. Wilson is also a good CB antenna and is usually in a stainless steel whip format. I have never used a Midland CB antenna and therefore will make no comment. These antennas are available in both magnetic mount and hard mounts. Because you drive a JK, mag mounts are really not an option because you lack a steel top. Yes, they will "stick" to the hood, but the results are not all that good.

- HAM: 2M/70CM VHF/UHF, 5 - 75 watts, dual band mobile antennas. Most are about 35" to 40" steel whips. Like CB antennas you can find them in both mag and hard wire mounts. With an adaptor, you can also attach your HT to one of these antennas. The most popular makers of these mobile HAM antennas are Comet and Diamond. There is also a third option that I favor. It is a glass mount antenna made by Larsen. I have used one since 2012, and no you can't attach it to the windshield.

rocklax

No, I totally understood that the cb and ham use separate and non compatible antennas. My question was whether or not to bother putting a mobile ham antenna for use with my HT, I already have a 15" whip on my Baofeng (I've only been listening). I was thinking that the ht with the whip in the car would be less than optimal. This would all be in addition to a Firestik for cb use.

**"Edit**"

I was also hoping for some examples or ideas on mounts too.

Desert Fox

You have several tasks to accomplish before you start doing research on HAM 2m/70cm mobile systems.
- Contact your local HAM Club and them you are a new Tech and need some assistance. They should assign an "Elmer" to you. (A senior HAM to work with you)
- You need to program/load all of the repeaters in your local area plus the local Club freqs into your radio. You can buy programing s/w for your radio that will allow you to load your freq plan into your computer and then down load it to your ht. You can load your freq plan into your radio using the radio keypad, but it is harder than Chinese arithmetic. The programing s/w via your computer is much easier.
- You need to start participating in weekly 2meter nets. Here in the San Diego area, we have at least one net a night and several a day on the weekends. In short, you need to learn how to use your radio and also learn the procedures and language of HAM radio. HAM radio is not like CB radio where you can just buy a radio and start talking. HAM radio is very protocol driven and other HAMs will let you know if you step out of line.
- Investigate ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) in your area. Both have large numbers of new HAMS and they are good training grounds.
- Start studying for your General test. It is much easier than the Tech test and the sooner you take it the easier it will be for you to pass. Good luck with your test today.
W6PBR

rocklax

Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. I've already contacted my local club and have also already started messing around with chirp programming my ht. Work is about to get really busy for the next two months so I was planning on starting my general stuff in the fall.

Thanks again.

rocklax

Passed with 35/35. Just waiting for the FCC to update lol. Also waiting on a club email. That being said the club members from where I tested, 35+ minutes away, noted my local club is a mess, I'm already not optimistic.