ONAIR,

Thank you for helping out here.  If you using two masts, what should I consider as a safe degree of separation as to not worry about interference from one to another?

WB6BYU,

Thank you for your help here.  I appreciate the reply.  For the mast my plan was to add/weld a 90 degree pipe towards the top which would provide the second mast for installing the other antenna.  But from what you have said it sounds like if this is done then there is a worry as to the orientation of the VHF coax in relation to the HF antenna.  Double checking the the installation of the Titan DX it does appear it is designed to be pole mounted in the instructions.  If the VHF coax is to run parallel to the Titan is there a minimum distance the two need to be apart?  If the distance is to great then it sounds like a second mast will be in order completely for the VHF installation.

I have never installed any base antenna's until now and have several questions.  I have a Comet GP-9 (VHF/UHF) and a Gap Titan DX (HF) that I would like to install on the same mast......Does anyone know of a minimum distance these two should be apart?  Also, is there a maximum run for coax.....75'-100' should be more than ok, correct?  The Comet GP-9 I have had for a while and I seem to have misplaced the installation instructions.....Does anyone know where these may be posted on the internet?  I do not see them on Comet's website.

Jason

Do they use triple A batts in those packs?  I have a lot of Maha AAA's, NiMh.

Jason

It is junk.  Is it worth taking it apart and finding the bad cell or cells and replacing them?

Jason

I just put it through another discharge/charge cycle on the maha charger.  Voltage is 11.16 vdc coming off the charger.  Battery is rated at 9.6, 650mAh.  I will try and 'load' the battery and see what happens.

Thank you for the information.

Jason

I have an FT-51 that I purchased new back around 1996.  At some point in time I purchased a Maha pack for it.  It has not been used in years.  After much playing around yesterday I believe I finally got the pack charged with my MH-C777.  At first it would not take a charge and voltage was down to around 1 volt.  It now read around 11.8 vdc.  But when installed in the radio the radio does not come on.  Is there anyway to check to see if the radio is good?  I have a TH-79 that was bought at the same time and it is still working, also with a Maha pack that is years old.

Jason

OK, here is the deal.  Put the radio, not just the mic this time, in a friends truck.  And bingo, still no transmit.  So We know the radio is bad now.  The problem is, and I had forgotten, that a few years ago I had a CB in there and the same problem ocurred.  So there is something I am guessing in the antenna system that is causeing it to fry the transmit portion of the CB, as N4ZOU suggested.  

The cab, doors, and mirror mounts are all metal.  Three theories that I have not got to yet, and as N4ZOU suggested, is either no ground, hi SWR or could bad/old coax cause the problem?

If it is hi SWR how do I go about correcting it before I fry the new radio I have ordered?  Hooking up my SWR inline and transmitting very quickly or momentarily with the new radio, will that be alright?

Jason

To go along with my 2m Ham radio in my truck I also have a Texas Ranger CB. I just installed it in the truck. Normally when you key the mic you will see the power meter needle rise (move to the right) to the output wattage of the radio, then see the needle modulate as you talk. When I key the mike the needle moves all the way to the left and does not modulate as I talk.

I had the radio in my other truck and it worked fine. I checked to make sure it was not a problem in the mic by haveing a friend try it in his truck and it checked out OK.

So where should I go now? And Ideas on what to check next?

Thank you,

Jason

I was thinking of purchasing a Maha MH-C777PLUS-II.  But after reading all the bad reviews in the "Product Reviews" section of this site I am a little leary of buying it.  Can anyone recommend a do-it-all charger like the C777PLUS?  

Jason

Boyd.Thank you for the reply.  And After I get it into the house....the wire comes along in the attic to the living room....how do I drop it into the living room with out punching holes in the walls.....Remember we are in a rent house.

Jason

I read the post on feed line entry but none of those options seem viable to me.....I have a TV ant. on a mast that is no longer used....I thought about the plexiglass in the window but abandoned that for two reasons. First, the safety issue easy to punch out and break in.  Second, it is not close to the living room.  Another option I thought of was placing the ant. in the attic and running a line down through the living room.  We are in a rent house so punching a hole in the ceiling doesnt seem to bright of an idea unless it can be done in a small inconspicuous area....Thought you guys might have an idea?

Jason