Question:  Are these just for recieve or can you transmit as well?

It looks like a neat project.

Is any one brand of coax better than others? Or is there a particular brand to stay away from?

Getting ready to hook up my copper cactus j-pole at home. I have about a 75' foot run to the radio. I will probably go with 9913 for the coax for the lowest loss at 2mtrs.

Thanks,

Did anyone else make it to the Williams(AZ) Hamfest? If so, what did you think of it? This was only the third hamfest I have been to but I was rather dissapointed. I was there Saturday and I think they had less than 25% of the venders spaces occupied. Most of it was set up in a dirt parking area so dust was a problem as well. I hope next year is better.

Thanks AA4PB. That's what I needed to know.

I'm currently running a Diamond NR72BNMO (1/4 wave) antenna with an Icom V8000. Antenna is mounted in the center of the metal roof on a Ford Bronco. My current SWR's look like this...

near 144.000 swr is about 1.9
at 146.000 swr is about 1.1
near 148.000 swr is about 1.8

Is there a way to get the swr any lower at the top and bottom of the band? Or is this typical of a small antenna? I recall reading somewhere that the larger material (tubing) an antenna is made from the broader or flatter it swr would be. Is this right? Would this also apply to a longer antenna?

If so could I expect to get lower swr at the ends of the band by going to a longer (1/2 or 5/8 wave) antenna? I went with the shorter antenna to keep overall height down, but I still want to get the best performance possible too.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,

Gentlemen,

I'm looking to purchase a power supply in order to be able to use my V8000 as a base.

I was looking at the Astron RS-35A or RS-35M which HRO has for $149.95 and $169.95. Both are rated at 25w.

This evening I found what looks like a better deal on Samlex power supplies at another place locally. They have the RPS-1220 and SEC-25 for $119.95 apiece. Both of these are linear designs and both are rated at 20W continous, 25w surge.

Since my radio only pulls 15w at full power any of those would be big enough plus a little, but I want to be sure I am getting a good power supply at the best price.

Any input or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

I'd be interested in that as well. I used to do it many years ago with cb. It was always a lot of fun.

Is there any source(web page, etc) that would list any of the nets that could be heard around the Phoenix area?

Thanks,

Thanks for the info guys. I just need to get a jumper cable now and try it out.

I was recently given a Vanco SWR meter. The model is SWR-1. There is a switch for "FWD" and "REF" and there is a calibration knob(I think). Does anyone know how to use one of these. Meters I used in the past had a switch that was one way to calibrate it and another way to actually test the SWR's. This one has no switch I can see.

Thanks,

Anyone have any experience with slide-out mounts in a vehicle? I am mounting an Icom V8000 in a Ford Bronco. I am considering a slide-out mount because I don't like leaving the radio in the vehicle all the time. I want to also be able to use it in the house as a base. My concern is two-fold. Is the radio less secure in these mounts? (Obviously someone determined to steal it will regardless of the mount.) And is there any downside to using the electrical connections built into the mount? Can I use the power and antenna connection built into the mount or should I run power straight from the radio to the battery, etc?

The mount I have is made by SDI and appears to be well made. http://www.sdi.cc/radio_slides.htm

Any insight would be appreciated.

Had my first opportunity to listen to an ISS contact with a local elementary school today. OUTSTANDING. I was able to hear the  Space Station fine on 145.800, but never heard the uplink on 144.490. The school that made the contact was about 15 or 20 miles from here. I suspect the distance was just too great between me and the school. I also suspect they were using a directional antenna of some type.

What could I do next time to improve my chances of hearing the uplink as well? (I was in my mobile so I guess I could have driven over there, but since it was at lunch time I went to my kid's school instead so they could hear it as well.)

Thanks,

One other thought. Am I going to need a balun or anything on this? If so how do I determine the right one for 2 meters?

Thanks,

Is there any great difference between 2 meter and 440? I mean as far as transmit/recieve distance. I am looking to get an HT and am trying to decide if it is worth the extra cost for a dual bander or just get 2 meters. Obviously adding the 440 would make more frequencies availible. But is that my only gain? Is there any other benefit to the added cost. Right now I am thinking about the Icom IC-V8 or Yaesu VX-150 if I go 2 meter. For a dual band probably a W32A or an FT-50R.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

OK, I understand most of what you two are saying. DC and AC are definitely different. I need to get used to seeing them differently and thinking specific to which I am using. DC would be shorted. Not neccessarily so with AC, though.

Thanks again to both of you.