Im looking set my dx949 up in my little saturn, there is no room to mount it under the dash, so I am making up a little metal/aluminum box that will house the radio and Possible a small amp. IT will just sit in the seat next to me or on the floor of passenger side. I will make the power attachments so I can quick detach them for easy removal of the box when I need to. the 1st attempt at my set up without the box, just putting radio on the seat and using a cheep mag mount antenna would not achieve decent swr. Im guessing its the cheep antenna. swr at best would be around 1.5:1 but it would wilidly go up to 2:1 and over into the red just by moving stuff around and talking on the mic. Im thinkin this may be a ground issue, I have read where you need to actually ground the mag of the antenna to the bare steel of the car. Is this necesary? Im thinking of picking up a Wilson 1000, but they are pricy and would like to get this cheaper antenna working. I tried puttting a ground wire from back of radio to the car frame but swr was worse with it. it was better when i held the wire in my hand. I want good swr as im going to run an amp. all input is apreciated, thanks.
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Advice for setting up my mobile
- Thread starter cjruger
- Start date
i see a few things
1 never check swr with audio. carrier only
2] wheres antenna located on vehicle
3] cheap antennas = cheap performance. NEVER skimp on antenna
1 never check swr with audio. carrier only
2] wheres antenna located on vehicle
3] cheap antennas = cheap performance. NEVER skimp on antenna
ok, the swr would go all over as i key the mic and just move it around, touching the pl239 conector would affect it...
located top center and also on trunk, no difference
Im look to get a new antenna. and ill add that im not opposed to drilling a hole in my roof as this car is a beater and already been totaled by my insuranc co from a deer.How about the sirio 5000?
the jumping swr meter ive nevef seen before. guessing here maybe mic is dirty inside .
are you using a external meter.touching pl259 changes it sounds like pl259 isnt solder on properly,again guessing.top center is and always will be best. the sirio is a good antenna.if using a power mic turn it all way down and mic gain all way down
could be feedback too as to your unstable swr
its a crimp type pl259 connector so its a cheapy. im hoping its the coax or antenna im using, ill double check the radio on my base to rule that out. are magnetic mounts usually just stick em on a go? what have i read about they dont actually touch the metal for a ground and sometimes a ground wire is required?
A ground wire is not required for a mag mount. They do not have to touch bare metal. Theyre stick n go!
Your swr issue could be the crimp pl259, could be an issue inside the base of the antenna, could be a lot of things.
I had an astatic swr meter the needle would swing like crazy while checking swr. I threw it in the junk pile and got another one.
A hard mount would be a better setup, but nothing wrong with a good mag mount either. Jmo
Good luck with your setup
I wouldn't run too much power through a Mag mount. Even if the antenna can handle, the paint between the mag and metal roof will eventually looked messed up... Ask me how I know..
I ran a TS500 through a Wilson 1000 for a couple weeks just to test the antenna. It worked great, but the paint didn't hold up too well. It never peeled, but something funky happened to it.
Drill a hole and hardmount a Wilson 5000 or Sirio
I ran a TS500 through a Wilson 1000 for a couple weeks just to test the antenna. It worked great, but the paint didn't hold up too well. It never peeled, but something funky happened to it.
Drill a hole and hardmount a Wilson 5000 or Sirio
www.k0bg.com has everything you need to know about mobile installs. Yes it is aimed at hams but everything applies to CB as well.
In regards to an amp, if the antenna is installed well as per K0BG's website then 100W is all you'll need.
In regards to an amp, if the antenna is installed well as per K0BG's website then 100W is all you'll need.
UPDATE:
I borrowed a friends K40 trunk lip mount, the swr issues are gone, It was the crappy antenna i was using. however i have to mount it right at the seam of the trunk by the back window. I have a feeling this is not the optimal spot on the car, but i had a few dx contacts with so I am happy for now. Now my Problem is finding a spot in a 98 saturn sl to mount a Galaxy dx949. Im running it on the seat in an makshift alluminum box on the seat. im thinking of taking the passenger airbag out and putting it in there abouve the glove box. This car is just my daily runner to work , 75 mile round trip and it has little value but gets great gas mileage!
I borrowed a friends K40 trunk lip mount, the swr issues are gone, It was the crappy antenna i was using. however i have to mount it right at the seam of the trunk by the back window. I have a feeling this is not the optimal spot on the car, but i had a few dx contacts with so I am happy for now. Now my Problem is finding a spot in a 98 saturn sl to mount a Galaxy dx949. Im running it on the seat in an makshift alluminum box on the seat. im thinking of taking the passenger airbag out and putting it in there abouve the glove box. This car is just my daily runner to work , 75 mile round trip and it has little value but gets great gas mileage!
well after reading that, pretty much every antenna ive considered is crap including the one I have, and no matter what my settup will suck and damage my equipment! people really spend thousands on their mobile setup? what HF antenna can I get for 1200$?
Yes. My current set up is:
Kenwood TS480SAT, $919
Kenwood TM-D710, $639
Little Tarheel II antenna, $399
Extended antenna whip, cabling, power distribution blocks, fuse holders, Mix31 ferries, roughly $150
I get coverage from 3.5MHz through to 440MHz. I can talk all round the world with 100W depending on what band I'm on and what conditions are like. USA from England on 20m to 10m bands are pretty much a given. There's a guy in New York called Mike Morretti, W2YP, who I contact regularly and a fortnight ago was the very first time in 5 years I've actually spoke to him from home as every other contact I've been in my car. Plenty of mornings I've been driving down the road on the way to or from work and talked to Australia on the 20m band.
I will make this point though. The money isn't what got me the contacts and the performance. I've seen a similar HF set up and more expensive ones which have performed worse. What has got me the contacts and performance is the 2 days I spent installing it with most of that time being spent installing the antenna system (antenna, cabling, choking, bonding etc). I could swap that antenna out for $20 mono band hamsticks and blow away a $700 Scorpion 680 if it was installed poorly.
Throw a magmount on the roof, hook your CB up to the 12v accessory socket and yeah you'll make contacts and probably work a bit of DX. Is it as good as it could be? No. Would you be happy with it? Quite probably given you've not got anything else to compare it to and to all intents and purposes its doing the job. eHam proves this as it is absolutely full of top rated reviews for absolutely crap antennas because the people doing the reviews have never experienced anything else other than crap antennas and it makes contacts and works a bit of DX so must be good. However if you were to go from a proper full installation done as per that site to throwing a magmount on the roof and running a CB from the 12v accessory socket or you'd had a yagi up at home then gone to a compromise antenna then no you wouldn't be happy with it because you know it could be so much better.
You're nearly there spending money wise. Revising your antenna mounting choice and choosing a different antenna is the biggest money you'll need to spend. The rest of it is mostly time and a few bucks for bonding straps which you can make from flattening the braid from RG213, serrated washers and crimp/solder lugs to do a bit of bonding even if you only do the hood and the trunk.
Nothing is better in my opinion than putting the effort in and being rewarded many times by being told you're one of the loudest stations they hear even though you're running maybe 1/10th the power of everyone else, or busting a pile up full of stations with yagis on big towers. When that happens to me I get a mental picture of some poor bugger who is sat there in his shack looking at the $10,000s he's invested, his linear, his antenna farm and going incandescent with rage at being pipped to the DX by a guy driving to work in his car.
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ok, well I wouldnt spend that kind of $ on a radio system in the car, however I was just trying to make a mobile setup with stuff I already have.
When you talk about the strap or connection for the lip mount, can you expand on that a little? is the idea to make the best possible eletrical connection between the mount of antenna and the ground in the car ( bare steel of the body) ? The mag mount junk antenna is gone, I have a k40 ss whip now mounted on the trunk lip
When you talk about the strap or connection for the lip mount, can you expand on that a little? is the idea to make the best possible eletrical connection between the mount of antenna and the ground in the car ( bare steel of the body) ? The mag mount junk antenna is gone, I have a k40 ss whip now mounted on the trunk lip
you dont need to buy expensive radios to get out good . BUT you do need a good antenna and location in order best antenna
1/102 inch whip cant be beat. but at nearly 9 feet its usually what people want
2/sirio performer /megawatt 4000 hard mount/mag mount these work well
and will handle your average everyday usage.mag mounts vary from antenna to antenna i find but sirios are really decent.but hard mount is always better.
3/wilson 1000/5000 again same as the sirio and mag mounts /hard mounts
these work almost as good as sirio.
4/k40. this is your antenna i find they work ok in mag mount . and yes
on a trunk lid thats not a ideal location.
my suggestions are
never use any antenna shorter than the k40
always mount antenna on roof.its the ideal location.gotta forget bout looks
always use solder on pl259s antennas 2-4 i listed use this type
far as radio location i dont know but i think i would have gotten a smaller
ssb radio like a uniden 980 or galaxy 979. in some small cars i just slide it between
the drivers seat and center console or between passenger seat and center console
i hope this helps ya ive talked dx with 50 wats and less on ssb with a good antenna its all ya need
1/102 inch whip cant be beat. but at nearly 9 feet its usually what people want
2/sirio performer /megawatt 4000 hard mount/mag mount these work well
and will handle your average everyday usage.mag mounts vary from antenna to antenna i find but sirios are really decent.but hard mount is always better.
3/wilson 1000/5000 again same as the sirio and mag mounts /hard mounts
these work almost as good as sirio.
4/k40. this is your antenna i find they work ok in mag mount . and yes
on a trunk lid thats not a ideal location.
my suggestions are
never use any antenna shorter than the k40
always mount antenna on roof.its the ideal location.gotta forget bout looks
always use solder on pl259s antennas 2-4 i listed use this type
far as radio location i dont know but i think i would have gotten a smaller
ssb radio like a uniden 980 or galaxy 979. in some small cars i just slide it between
the drivers seat and center console or between passenger seat and center console
i hope this helps ya ive talked dx with 50 wats and less on ssb with a good antenna its all ya need