I have a dual band (VHF/UHF) antenna and a 222 MHz antenna in my attic and both do very well.  Both would perform better mounted on the chimney or the roof, but I live in the Chicago area and I'm surrounded by repeaters.  I can be heard on any machine I can hear, and my simplex range is very good too.  Attic mounting may be something for you to consider.  Good luck on your exam!

I live in the western suburbs of Chicago. 2M just doesn't cut it on an HT in our area so we use 70cm a lot for public service.  

Well, the rules say you can not control a link on frequencies below 222.15 Mhz.  Are your DTMF tones controlling the link or the repeater on 2M?

Good question Bob.  I recall having read about these internet linking concepts and how 222 Mhz would be the lowest legal frequency and this could help the sales of 222 Mhz equipment.  But now it seems like 2M repeaters are connecting to these systems all over the place.  
Dan - KA9ZIM

The coax, being a shielded cable, should not receive any interference from the power cables.  Telephone lines and cable tv lines often share the trench with electric utility power cables without any trouble.

You mentioned placing the coax in PVC.  I would recommend against doing so.  The cable will actually be drier in the soil than in the PVC.  This is because the soil will naturally drain, but the PVC will trap moisture.  And moisture is the biggest enemy to cable insulation, even direct bury type cable.  Also, if you live in an area with frost, the PVC could crack in the ground and damage the coax cable.  

If you are actually digging a trench with a shovel or back-hoe, its not a bad idea to place a couple inches of sand at the bottom of your trench, then place your cables on the sand and backfill.  The sand will improve drainage around the cables.  If you planned to use a trenching machine to cut the trench don't worry about the sand.  It's only worth adding the sand if you have a trench with some width to it.

Anyway, that's my two cents.
Good luck with your project.
Dan

I would like to install a simple wire antenna in the yard of my new house before winter gets to Chicago. I have some ladder line so I thought I'd try a homebrew g5rv antenna. My question is on the connection of the coax from the shack to the ladder line. Some of the stuff I read on the web suggests the use of a 1:1 balun, while other stuff suggests the SWR of the g5rv will saturate the balun and the connection should a splice from the coax to the ladder line with 8 to 10 turns on the coax as a choke. I'd be interesting in comments from anyone who has some practical experience in this matter.
Thanks!
Dan

It's my understanding the packet system on ARISS is being used for APRS.  

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/iss-faq.html

A properly installed NMO mount will not leak and will do less damage to your car in the long run.  The typical NMO mount requires a 3/4" hole.  But, most of the antenna mount companies make NMO mounts that only require a 3/8" hole.  The small hole is easier to drill or punch, and provides more support for antennas larger than 1/4 wave.  So I''d vote for the 3/8" roof mounted NMO.  I have two on my car.  Easy to install and no leaks.  

You can submit a change of address with the FCC right on their website.  Its not the most straight forward setup but if you read the instructions along the way it does work.  You may have to sign up first to receive a password allowing you to make changes to your info.  Once you make the needed changes it will take a couple days to show up on their site.  After your new address is showing up on the FCC site you can submit an online request for a new copy of your license.

I did this last fall.  My new address was showing up on the various call sign database servers within 2 days.  Within 2 weeks I received from the FCC several copies of my license with my new address.  I was very please with the turn around time.  

The FCC does have tech support over the phone if you have trouble with the site or the process.  I had misplaced my password and called them at 7PM and actually talked to a person who helped me out.  

Good luck!

Target has some devices that give indoor and outdoor readings, but I think most of the equipment is wireless.  Radio Shack offers some products in this catagory too.  

If someone could shed some light on the difference between iLINK and IRLP that would be appreciated too.

I found a web page with the needed dimensions.

http://www.qsl.net/wb8erj/440jpole.htm

73s
Dan

Mine showed up US Mail (Priority Mail) in 2 days.  The only trouble with US Mail is that there is no way to track it.  It's probably lost in the mail.  See if your credit card offers insurance for such things.  

If it were me I'd just make a 300 ohm twin lead j-pole for each band.  Use google to search the web for j-pole antennas and you will find numerous sites with the required dimensions.  J-pole antennas do not require a ground plane, they are cheap to make, they work well and if made out of 300 ohm TV antenna type twin lead wire are easy to roll up and take with you.

I have an NMO mount on the roof of my truck.  NMO antennas unscrew very easily.  When I'm parking in a parking garage I just stop a block or two before I get there and remove the antenna and screw on the NMO rain cap to protect the mount from moisture.  I've been doing this for 6 years without a problem.  I use a Larsen dual band unity gain antenna locally because I can park in my garage with it.  It hits the door on the way in but it's got a lot of spring in it.  When I travel I remove the unity gain antenna and install a high gain dual band antenna for better range.  

The best place to install the NMO mount is directly over the interior light.  Remove the light to drill through the roof and route the coax along the harness feeding the light.  This makes installation very easy.  

Nothing beats the NMO mount.  Its got to be the most widely used commercial mount.