Thread: UHF Radio and Antenna Recommendations

Originally Posted by RobA

Put an iCom in with a remote head. Base unit under driver seat and head unattached to dash just below the push button start using a commercial grade double sided tape which so far has worked quite well

Rob

What's the speaker quality like?

Sent from my C6903 using AULRO mobile app

I found this to be the best antenna.

http://www.mobileone.com.au/antennas...s/f477san2.png




This is the worst antenna for long gevity. I have seen so many of the black fibreglass whips break from vibration fatigue.

http://www.mobileone.com.au/antennas...s/f477san4.png

Also a good quality UHF is Uniden with a remote head, many people have complained about the audio quality from the hand mic speaker? Run a good external speaker, my speaker is placed on the plastic cover between your feet on the drivers seat plastic cover just below where you sit. Angle the audio up into the foot well and you will get good quality audio.

I have also devised a bracket that makes use of the ash tray to hold the remote head without damaging it and easy re-use.

I run the remote unit under the passenger seat, my D4 has plenty of room, also a chassis grommet near the seat allows for entry of antenna feed. Make sure it is a good quality cable that is well protected in flexible split conduit. I run dual braid Huber & Shuner 50 ohm cable. Make no mistake, this will make a big difference at those frequecies if the cable run is 5-7 metres or more. The cheap stuff is very lossy and often little to no braid covering the centre conductor and dielectric insulation.

Regards

Gerald
VK3GJM

Originally Posted by Stuart02

What's the speaker quality like?

Sent from my C6903 using AULRO mobile app

Sound quality is excellent and I can almost use it hands free as the pickup from the microphone is sharp as well. We use two antenna; a stubby 6.5dB gain for most work and an RFI with around an 8.5dB gain (I think) when touring. Coax runs to the back and the antenna is mounted on the rearmost cross bar

Rob

An antenna option that is frequently considered as sub-optimal is a through glass aerial. I have one mounted on the driver's side window next to the third row seats and it works as well as anyone else in our 4WD club. (Real world experience over the last three years.)

No drilling. Easy to change to various antennas to suit terrain and gain required. It works well with my Icom at least. It will not work through a heated windscreen as the heater wires interfere with the signal passing though the glass, I know because we tried it.

Originally Posted by LRD414

Aerial cable is run through the usual firewall grommet and I went with the LAB bonnet bracket, passenger side because entry into engine bay was easier that side.

I think I'm missing something - I can't see how to get into the engine bay! Could someone please help?

I've also got no idea how to shove the coax through the firewall with traxide and brake controller wiring already there... any tips on that one??

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Stuart02

I think I'm missing something - I can't see how to get into the engine bay!

The first photo below shows the aerial cable following the windscreen washer hose along the bonnet hinge and then into the engine bay under the plastic cowling.


It enters beside the battery box and I found it easiest to run the cable through the box and out the front.
Then followed the Traxide and TowPro cables across and down to the firewall grommet, driver's side.

Originally Posted by Stuart02

I've also got no idea how to shove the coax through the firewall with traxide and brake controller wiring already there... any tips on that one??

The cable fits along with the others but not with the coax plug attached.
I had a UHF store attached the plug after I had run it into the footwell area for mounting under passenger seat just as a bare cable with tape on the end to ease pushing through the grommet.
Took them 10min because they do it all the time.

Cheers,
Scott

Did you fix your speaker echo issue Scott?

Originally Posted by sctsprin

Did you fix your speaker echo issue Scott?

Strangely, it seemed to fix itself before I'd figured out how to turn off the speaker on the main unit.
We had no issues the whole 4 week trip using it every day.

Scott