2019 Herd of Broncos in Baja Adventure

markw · May 21, 2018

Wow! That is a rundown! I may replace the vertex in my chase truck. Never been happy with it. Maybe replace the Coax s well. NGP antennae at present, probably keep it. I assume the FT2980R has provisions for intercom. I'll look it up. Thank you both for the info! I'll have more questions later so we may need to start a new thread. Mark

sprdv1 · May 21, 2018

FRANKO289 said:
Q: .... since this is in the fall of next year !
Any objections showing up w. the new 2020 bronco ?

Funny. I’ll be waiting and watching for this. lol

FRANKO289 · May 21, 2018

sprdv1 said:
Funny. I’ll be waiting and watching for this. lol

well I thought it was a legit Q .... lets find out how good it is ! the new bronco that is !!!

tasker · May 21, 2018

you make a compelling argument for a trip of a lifetime!

FRANKO289 · May 21, 2018

tasker said:
you make a compelling argument for a trip of a lifetime!

You , Bill , Bax .....
Its not about the distention they say .... its w. whom and how you get there !

ADD ... N.Trix, Frampton, Gordon, Dave, Yeller, Breckenridge and Crazy Ben and we might need a few extra days at each of them nice resorts/ stays ....;D

Bukin 67 · May 21, 2018

FRANKO289 said:
You , Bill , Bax .....
Its not about the distention they say .... its w. whom and how you get there !

ADD ... N.Trix, Frampton, Gordon, Dave, Yeller, Breckenridge and Crazy Ben and we might need a few extra days at each of them nice resorts/ stays ....;D

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk while I'm supposed to be working

sprdv1 · May 22, 2018

FRANKO289 said:
well I thought it was a legit Q .... lets find out how good it is ! the new bronco that is !!!

Oh I'm right there w/ya, I think it would be acceptable really

bmc69 · May 22, 2018

FRANKO289 said:
You , Bill , Bax .....
Its not about the distention they say .... its w. whom and how you get there !

ADD ... N.Trix, Frampton, Gordon, Dave, Yeller, Breckenridge and Crazy Ben and we might need a few extra days at each of them nice resorts/ stays ....;D

Now yr talkin'! The "old men do Baja" tour. ;D

JefeAZ · May 22, 2018

I've been loving every update of this trip and its a must! I just don't see how my Bronco could ever be ready for something like this but if anyone needs a co-pilot or someone to split costs with definitely keep me in mind for the next trip. I am only 3 hours from the border crossing into Mexico!

bax · May 22, 2018

bmc69 said:
Now yr talkin'! The "old men do Baja" tour. ;D

I'm in. Got a note from my wife and everything.

pbwcr · May 23, 2018

Ntsqd, Good write up all the necessary stuff is in your post for anybody need to travel in Baja. Let me add to his discussion.
The YAESU FT2900R is a great choice I love mine. Yes, it is true it is now discontinued and replaced with the FT2980R. And it gets the same great reviews. What I do is always buy the programming software/cable from "rtsystems" to allow DIY programming the radio for the frequencies you want. And yes, always either buy with the MARs mod or do it yourself from help from various HAM forums. The MARs mod allows transmit and receive across several bands including the band for Family radio which is allowed in the US without getting in trouble with the feds. For a list of commonly used race frequencies for both Baja and the states search "race-dezert" or contact one of the radio sellers like "PCI Race radios" or "Rugged radios”.
Other random PaulW comments:
Forget marine radios. Low power and not programmable. However we note that they are in wide use in the Baja Campos to allow communication between homes that are close together.
Forget no ground plane antennas they are too tall.
Yes, bite the bullet and use an NMO mount. Magnetic mounts are for temporary use, like a new guy being added to the chase crew. We see a lot of Mag mounts these days for casual desert driving, but never on a race rig because they tend to fall off due to bushes and bumps.
All the aviation vendors sell the good multistrand coax.
Buy or borrow an SWR device to tune your antenna. They come with instructions. Having one in hand allows quick replacement for that damaged or lost whip. Of course, all the RACE radio vendors (Rugged or PCI) will sell you the whip already cut to your choice of frequencies. Typical radio vendor antenna does not come tuned. Buy from a radio seller and carry an extra whip in Baja because they are just not available. Pre-tuned is good.
CB radios don’t work in Baja due to low power, short distance range, and nobody to talk to. For dual use in the states and in Baja I have both types in my latest rig.
PaulW

ntsqd · May 23, 2018

FWIW my NGP antennas are not really any taller than my non NGP antennas. The antenna commonly used on race buggies with the rubberized coil spring and I think mostly sold by PCI for that use is pretty much the same height as the NGP antenna below.
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/pctel-asp7455-746

This is the ground planeless (as installed) antenna that I used when talking to the weatherman near Ridgecrest from Lone Pine:
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/pctel-maxrad-mwv1322hds-758

It is true that 1/4 waves are shorter than either of the above. I've had moderate results from using them. A sample:
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-bb132-5588

Lars P put me onto RG 400 coax. OF course this happened after my last project involving coax, so I've yet to try it out.
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/coaxialcableconnectors6.php?clickkey=9161

bmc69 · May 23, 2018

pbwcr said:
Ntsqd, Good write up all the necessary stuff is in your post for anybody need to travel in Baja. Let me add to his discussion.
The YAESU FT2900R is a great choice I love mine. Yes, it is true it is now discontinued and replaced with the FT2980R. And it gets the same great reviews.

Great info..the 2980 isn't expensive at all! I've paid more than that for a tweaked Cobra GT148

ntsqd · May 23, 2018

That was the realization that my local guys had too, a decent VHF radio wasn't that much more than a tuned and tweaked CB, and the quality of the radio far surpasses anything that I've seen sold as a dedicated cb radio.

Paul's comment about using an SWR meter to tune the antenna reminded me of two things. The first is that these antennas come with a cut chart for the whip. Pick the center freq. of the range that you'll be using & look it up in the chart. Sometimes the exact freq isn't listed and you have to interpolate. In every case, even those that I had to interpolate, the resulting SWR has been spot-on or close enough that only minimal further trimming was required for perfect.
The second thing is that the SWR meter for a cb Will Not Work for these radios. I'll try to remember to look it up, but mine was under $50 at the time and I doubt its much more now.

markw · May 23, 2018

Wow, this is a whole new world. Great information from ntsqd and paulw. Thank you. I have a lot of studying to do. Just bought two 2980s one to replace my vertex in chase truck on one for the Bronco. I'll also replace my truck antennae and use the Aircraft Spruce coax. As an aside, I have an aviation intercom that I didn't use when we redid the avionics in my RV. PS 1000 with 28 pin connector. I'd like to see if it can be used in my Bronco with the 2980, PTT and mic.

pbwcr · May 24, 2018

For those who want to do antenna cutting the SWR is still a good option the use is very revealing from whip to whip. An exercise that can be fun to do in your spare time. Yes, the charts are usually good enough.
My VHF SWR is a nice one because it gives indication of reflected and transmitted (fwd) signal. This is very valuable for mounting the antenna because it immediately tells the good places and the bad ones by identifying how the vehicle masks the overall signal and explains why your SWR is poor. It still gives the actual SWR regardless.
For those that need dual purpose with CB and VHF. SWRs for CBs are available for similar low prices. The two SWRs are specific and are not interchangeable. Buy the CB SWR at the CB shop or on line.
Good links for me since I have not kept up to speed for a while. I don't change radios very often.
BTW when using the YAESU FT2900R or FT2980R. It is a good idea to use the low power settings when traveling in closely grouped rigs. Use the high settings for long range. Especially when in the states and using the family radio freqs. Notice the difference in SWRs at the various power settings - interesting.
PaulW

ntsqd · May 24, 2018

How does the SWR vary at the lower power settings? I've always tuned at max power because I figured that is where it being off could be the most damaging to the radio and to performance.

To anyone who head is spinning in reading this radio stuff, I was there too. In late 2000 I had no clue what any of this was about. A year later it all made sense. For me it took a small leap of faith, do what they said to do w/o knowing why and not understanding most of it, and some immersion south of the border. I didn't get it completely right the first time, but I was close enough to not worry about it and had a huge amount of fun.

Oh, and if you find yourself sitting on a white sand spit in Bahia de Conception' well south of Mulege' look for the whale on the mountain.

markw · May 24, 2018

I'll be looking for the whale on the mountain!

pbwcr · May 24, 2018

How does the SWR vary at the lower power settings? I've always tuned at max power because I figured that is where it being off could be the most damaging to the radio and to performance.
= =
Answer:
Because the reflected power is affected if the antenna is close to something like the A pillar then lower power give better SWR. Surprised me - live and learn. Its all about antenna location relative to the metal of the truck. Of course put the thing on a metal top and the SWR does not vary with power.
Ideally use a top loaded whip and no SWR variation because the signal does not see the vehicle metal. On my Jeep with a glass top the VHF antenna is on drivers side fender and is affected by varying SWR vs power. My Jeep CB antenna is a top loaded one on the tire carrier and does not suffer and degradation
Conclusion
Metal roof mounted antenna is always best and will have negligible reflected power. Anything side mounted will have the SWR vs power variation. Is it important - not really.
Got trees and overhanging bushes or tree limbs then side is best for antenna survival.
= =

ntsqd · May 24, 2018

Thanks pbwcr, I'd both guessed that reaction and then second guessed it differently. RF is definitely not an exact science.
I strive for center of area on a metal roof, but that is not always possible. Can see the mast that I put the antenna on the CTD/pop-top here, clearly no ground plane:

markw said:
I'll be looking for the whale on the mountain!

If the weather is nice be prepared to not want to leave that spit for an eon or two.

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