HF Radio

Your post was interesting Iain, good advice about aeriel mounting.....and I would think that anyone looking to spend more than $1,000 total could well look at whether it would be worth stretching to a 2nd hand Barrett 2050 package at around the $2k mark - Barretts always seem to be a little cheaper than Codans when used but not when new.

The latest efforts from each company are very attractive but seem to be over $4k for a full package - I'm told that the latest Barrett is wireless between the components - does this mean you can carry the handpiece into your camp or motel room and use it remotely (assuming the radio has power)?

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Originally Posted by 87County

I'm told that the latest Barrett is wireless between the components - does this mean you can carry the handpiece into your camp or motel room and use it remotely (assuming the radio has power)?

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As best I am able to determine this may well be the case. It seems to operate its own version of a 802.11 wireless network and as such probably has similar range. I think the documentation suggests within 8 metres of the vehicle. I guess if the car is parked right outside you could operate the radio from the comfort of your motel room. I suspect the walls of the motel might be a limiting factor on range and quality though. Certainly it should work in the camp environment with very little trouble.

I miss having my Barrett 950 installed on my travels (but then on an L322 Range Rover you don't really have anywhere to mount the antenna). The new wireless 2050 is certainly tempting and could provide nice incentive to find a solution to the where to mount the antenna thing.;)

Cheers,
Iain

Thanks all.

I thought I'd read somewhere about steering clear of one of the autotunes (obviously the one Diana mentioned) and I am aware of the issues regarding aerial mounting.

Perry

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Originally Posted by RangieBit

Yep,


As before if you're not set on a Codan unit check out some of the Barrett units like the 250/550/950/2050. All of these use the 510/910 Autotune unit which uses relays like the Codan 3040 and is smaller as Diana described. It tunes quickly, typically a second or less, and remembers frequency settings so re-tunes very fast. Just don't get a white one as these were prone to having the body deteriorate badly. The grey versions are fine it seems.

Barrett have a newer Autotune 2019 which curiously looks a lot like the Codan 9350. This unit is intended to complement their 2050 radio.

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The 510 does not have a frequency memory. It tunes new frequencies from scratch every time. Still only takes 2 - 5 seconds so not a big deal.

Don't worry too much about avoiding the white bodied 510's if the price is right. The case can be replaced with the current 910 case. Just needs a couple of mm shaved off the bottom of the board. I am working on overhauling the 4 sets of Barrett gear I picked up recently and they all need new cases before I will be happy with them. Interesting that Electric Bug carry a few sets of 910 cases, but no 9350 spares. That says a lot about 9350 case durability if nothing else.

Despite the 2019 looking a lot like the 9350, it still uses relay tuning. I don't believe it has channel memory either, but open to be corrected on that.

The 9350 is slightly more efficient than the 3040 and will tune lower. But has longer tune time. Both Codan tuners can be made to work with other radios on a manual basis quite easily. Getting them to work properly with the TUNE button on non Codan radios can take a bit of doing but not impossible.

Pete

On the topic of ATU mounting, what solutions are people using for rear mounts ?

I picked up a second hand spare tyre bracket mount, but it was designed for Barrett gear. If I fit a 9350 then open the barn door fully I will be up for a new tail light :mad:

It is going to work nicely with the 510 tuners I am working on, but I have a 9350 / NGT combination I want to fit permanently.

Thanks for the addendum Pete,

Very handy to know the 510's can be re-cased in the newer 910 form.

I know the 910/911 has memory capability and I am only presuming that the 2019 has it as well. Never got close enough to the new beast to pull one apart. Can't see a good reason why they'd take out the capability from this given the newer technology of the 2050 and all. They could have moved this into the radio electronics. The end result would be the same though.

I agree with the 9350 being one mean unit. Not sure what the hell Codan use to form the cases but I have seen one of these after a roo strike. It survived the encounter with hardly a mark on it. The same could not be said for the unfortunate skippy. Tough I think is the mildest word I could use.

Surprised about the 9350 doing damage to your tail lights potentially. I guess it has a lot more girth than the 910 though. Maybe the mount on my D2 was originally intended for the Codan as it had a 9350 and a 910 mounted to it at different times over it's life and neither fouled any part of the car. The 9350 did sit significantly higher above the roof line though given its size. I think it came from Australian 4WD Storage Systems.

Again, all good useful info to have.

Cheers,
Iain

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Originally Posted by RangieBit

I agree with the 9350 being one mean unit. Not sure what the hell Codan use to form the cases but I have seen one of these after a roo strike. It survived the encounter with hardly a mark on it. The same could not be said for the unfortunate skippy. Tough I think is the mildest word I could use.

Surprised about the 9350 doing damage to your tail lights potentially. I guess it has a lot more girth than the 910 though. Maybe the mount on my D2 was originally intended for the Codan as it had a 9350 and a 910 mounted to it at different times over it's life and neither fouled any part of the car. The 9350 did sit significantly higher above the roof line though given its size. I think it came from Australian 4WD Storage Systems.

Again, all good useful info to have.

Cheers,
Iain

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Tough 9350's : I know of one that was attached to an NT? Coppers (I think) cruiser that got rolled. Story goes it got returned to Codan for repair to which Codan replied : Why did you send us a servicable ATU ? :D

The 9350's are a one piece injection molding. For best strength and waterproofing, the antenna thread is actually inserted into the molding machine and the case is injected around it :eek: Talk about going all out to make it bulletproof.
Funny thing is the antenna was sealed so well that when the ATU goes from full strength tropical sun to monsoonal downpour they started sucking in traces of water with the shock cooling. That's why all Codan HF gear now has a small gortex breather fitted somewhere..


The 9350 isn't much wider across the base than the 910 case, but it is just enough that it will catch me out at some point. The 910 is also fatter in the middle and tapers towards each end so it picks up some clearance that way too.

Forgot this one for comparison

Thanks for sharing that one Pete.

That poor ol' 910 looks like it's been through a couple of conflicts :o

Cheers,
Iain

Ian,

That 910 is the flash one in really GOOD condition.... :eek:
It is a great comparison of condition though. Personally given the choice, the 9350 wins hands down.

The grey 510 has a cracked upper housing, both of the white housings are starting to fall apart and I didn't realize Barrett even made a 510 with a single vibration damper so that one is OLD..

Pity the auction photo's didn't show poor condition or I would probably have let it go. At least I picked up the matching transceivers and they all appear to be in good condition.

Starting to thrash out the details of my installation and it looks like there are qty (2) of 40A feeders running to the optional heated seats. A quick tweak with my Nanocom and I should be able to wake them both up. Factory wiring, sweet :)

The 550 will probably go under the drivers seat with the ATU on the wheel carrier mount I already have. The 9350 will end up on the bullbar with the NGT under the Pax seat. Not sure how well the two transceivers will interact with each other though. I will eventually trim down to just the Codan gear, but I need a test bench for the Barrett stuff while I am working on them.
Would dearly love to track down an IC-706MkII at a reasonable price.

The way things are going with all this Barrett gear I am going to damn near be an expert on it by the time I am done :). Already have the service manuals and software, now I just need to wrap my head around the ATU idiosyncrasies - They really are white man's magic. ;)