General Differences Between a 2M and a CB?

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
Jonathan, great news! And a great radio! Glad to hear you are supporting your local biz too. As far as the antenna goes, I agree with asteffes - you could always mount it on the rear and get it tested. Likely that same HAM shop will able to do it for you. There is a device called a "bird meter" that the shop may have, which would be great to test that location for you. If it doesn't work well, then the next "easiest" placement would be the hood channel on the front, if the gap between hood and fender is enough for a bracket to slip through. You might have to make a custom bracket for the 40, but that would keep you from having to drill a hole in the roof and the hood area should provide a decent launching pad for your transmissions. An NMO mount on the roof would probably yield the best performance of any choice. That big roof on the 40 would be excellent for that.
 

Pskhaat

2005 Expedition Trophy Champion
BajaTaco said:
An NMO mount on the roof would probably yield the best performance of any choice. That big roof on the 40 would be excellent for that.

Unfotunately though the 40 series roof is non-metal :-O I would also consider a hood mount bracket of some sort...
 

asteffes

Explorer
pskhaat said:
Unfotunately though the 40 series roof is non-metal :-O I would also consider a hood mount bracket of some sort...

Ah, yes, the hood mount option sounds like the optimal choice for the 40. However, a roof mount might still work fine - even if the roof isn't metal the rest of the rig is and will provide some ground plane.
 

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
pskhaat said:
Unfotunately though the 40 series roof is non-metal :-O I would also consider a hood mount bracket of some sort...

:eek: oh man, I totally forgot about that. Good point ;)

McVick, are those prices the starting price? Or the final price? When I tried to shop eBay for a radio, people would bid ridiculously high for the radios, sometimes more than a new one with a warranty.
 

Jonathan Hanson

Supporting Sponsor
Thanks for the location advice, you guys. I'll try the rack mounting point first; if that doesn't work I can always move it.
 

Brian McVickers

Administrator
Staff member
BajaTaco said:
:eek: oh man, I totally forgot about that. Good point ;)

McVick, are those prices the starting price? Or the final price? When I tried to shop eBay for a radio, people would bid ridiculously high for the radios, sometimes more than a new one with a warranty.


Some seem to be reasonable, the catch is not getting cought up in the bidding war! It seems as if many private sellers put their radios up with no reserve and some of the prices stay low. However some people also seem to try and make money off the shipping costs, which bugs me! I think if you go Ebay you are settling for the MFG warranty if there is one at all since you are most likely buying from a private party.

Still looking around though!
 

Steve Curren

Explorer
How about another question about radios? Can someone please tell me the difference in a 2 meter and a 10 meter radio, I am radio dumb so be kind to me?
Thanks,
Steve
 

UncleChris

Adventurer
Steve Curren said:
How about another question about radios? Can someone please tell me the difference in a 2 meter and a 10 meter radio, I am radio dumb so be kind to me?
Thanks,
Steve

Here is the practical explanation

2m is usable by a technician(entry) class license, and is considered VHF(70cm is UHF.)

10m is usable by a General (second level)Class license and is considered HF.

2m is used by many repeaters as is the 70cm band, and since it is easier to get the license for use, there are more people on these bands.

10m, at times, allows you to use better wave propagation to communicate with other stations at a longer distance. This is generally station to station.

10m is usually not included in VHF/UHF radios(except for the Yaesu FT8900) and will require a much longer antenna for relative performance.
2m is VHF and there are many entry level radios that handle VHF.

Hope that helps!
 
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Steve Curren

Explorer
Chris,
Thanks for the information, I now understand a lot better about the radios and who and why they would use them. Would you reccomend an entry level radio that's a good one and would fit easily into a TJ?
Thanks again,
Steve
 

Steve Curren

Explorer
One last question and I think I will have this figured out. I found a Yaesu 2800M on line and I now need to know which antenna for it is best, first off I have a TJ with a tire swing on back. The swing has a mounting place with a hole, would the plane be enough to have the system work properly, the swing is mounted dirtectly to the frame? If not where would you suggest a mount and what type of assembly would it take?
Thank you for your patience and assistance.:bowdown:
Steve
 

asteffes

Explorer
A metal roof is always the first choice from a purely electronic perspective. It's not always practical for people who frequent areas with lots of low-hanging branches. A magnet mount or the good 'ol drill-************-in-the-roof mount works well. Second choice is probably a hood channel mount, where you have some ground plane from the metal hood. Less invasive attachment is possible, and it's easy to reach the antenna when you decide you want to remove the mast temporarily.

Bumper and rear tire rack mounts tend to be a last resort, as you don't get a good ground plane. Some folks (myself included) use glass-mounts and find they work at least "well enough" for situations where you don't need the ultimate in RF gain. They are easy to install and you don't have to route coax outside the vehicle.

For all but the glass mount style, I would suggest an NMO connector, as many antennae are available for this type of mount. If you ever need to borrow an antenna on a trip because yours broke (or whatever) it's easy to find someone with a spare NMO-style rubber duck to loan you.
 

UncleChris

Adventurer
I believe that they make hood channel mounts for the TJs, but as said previously, if you are using more wattage than a CB there might be a concern, as the wattage will be in-your-face so to speak.

You can mount on the tire swing, but make sure that you have it grounded to the chassis. The mount on the tire swing might not be grounded propery.

You can use a meter to test connectivity between the swing and the chassis. If there is not sufficient ground, you can run a wire from the antenna mount to a ground point on the frame.
 

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