Installing uhf radio antenna

And it did not address the issue of placement near existing electrical wiring. Could those subjects be addressed?

I would be most grateful. Great questions. Wiring would be more of an issue with horizontally mounted antennas, like dipoles, as parallel wires could interact with those types of antennas. As for RF safety. This is a complex subject and I have written a separate article that addresses the issue of RF radiation safety and how to evaluate your setup to make sure you are within the FCC guidelines. Details are at the link below. But the signal could be attenuated if the underlayment contains metal foil or mesh.

My attic space is only 65 inches tall and I have the antenna at a slight angle, which provides fair results when leaning toward the local repeater. Is cutting 4 inches off the bottom of the J-Pole advisable? The bottom of my J-Pole antennas have approximately 11 inches of mounting section. The mounting section of the antenna can be any length and shortening it so the antenna fits in your attic will have no effect on the performance of the antenna.

How about a discussion about how to mount the J-Pole in the attic. With the power setup you have to decide whether you want the radio on all the time and manually switch it off when not in use or have it come on with ignition.

In my case I like them to come on with the ignition. I saw too many people leave radios turned on and then after a week or so where the vehicle was parked up, return to a flat battery. I was able to run the power lead into the back of the console where a second accessory point was located.

I cut and soldered in a joiner and connected the radio power lead with fuse into this. I also had to mount the clip that holds the mic when not in use. I wanted this up high, not only to aid in hearing transmissions but to make it easy to get to without fumbling for it down around my legs. It too was stuck to the side of the upper central dash with double sided tape. You can see me unboxing the radio and the antenna in the video below.

Here is an important step, you must cut back the sheath of the coaxial cable to expose the wire earth underneath see these instructions and then after screwing down the terminal connector over the earth wire, solder the tip of the supplied terminal to the exposed wire that you have pushed through.

Once you have carried out this procedure you can fit the coaxial cable to the connector on the underside of the radio. It can be rather confusing when getting down to the nitty gritty things — I know I had a lot of trouble when I first went looking for an appropriate UHF antenna for my own needs.

Hopefully, from all the things I have learned I can help you out and make your antenna choice that much easier! This could be in a group, convoy, in an emergency situation or just to see who is out and about. Often when it comes down to the final decision it is based more around how practical, how function and what features you really need.

Essentially, your antenna is the eyes and ears of your radio. You need it to see incoming signals and hear the the incoming transmissions clearly. If you mount your antenna poorly or it is of poor quality it can reduce how effective and reliable it actually is. Purchasing a quality antenna that fits your requirements is the best way to ensure that you have reliable and effective communication while exploring.

Always remember to test your radio before you head out as it may just save you! When it comes to your antenna there are a few things you need to be aware of. These can change how effective it is and how functional it is for your needs. However, you may not need the tallest one — from a communication perspective a taller one is better but you need to make sure your antenna is functional for you in all occasions. Where you mount your aerial can affect the signal it is able to pick up and transmit to.

The ideal location is actually in the middle of your roof! Often they are mounted on the front guard or the bull bar. This is the easiest location for decent signal that still allows you easy access to it When you do this it is essential that you use a ground independent antenna and mount the antenna away from vertical metal section ie windscreen pillars, other antennas etc.

Vehicle metal structure can shadow your transmission making them quite, hazy or even disrupted by static. You should also mount the antenna as high as possible. This gives you a further distance of communicating which could be vital in a emergency situation. Even the most simplest of issues can become a dyer situation when you are away from others.

The base is how the antenna is attached to your motor vehicle and how the coax cable is secured to your aerial. You want to ensure it is secure and picking the right base is essential. Attaching a whip to the base is also advised, especially when your antenna is rather ridged. A whip enables movement which is particularly useful if you are trekking through bush that will continuously be connecting with your aerial.

Depending on the material that your antenna is made of will determine how much flexibility it has. If your chosen antenna is quite flexible you may be able to forgo a whip altogether — you just need it to suit your use.

If you need it to be able to bend it to get it into a carport or bounce back after being pulled in tree branches you may opt for a whip and an antenna that is already flexible.

To illustrate, we need to look at how rubber duck antennas are made. Rubber duck antennas are basically a wound coil of wire encased in a rubberized sheath. These helically wound springs have the electrical length of a quarter wave antenna, but have a greatly shortened physical length. The main reason for this is convenience.

Handheld radios are designed to be worn on the hip, and who wants a quarter wave antenna poking them in the armpit or tickling their neck. Plus the duck antennas are more flexible and durable than a fixed or telescoping antenna. There are certainly better designs for duck antennas than what comes with your radio. Nagoya makes an excellent aftermarket antenna for the popular Baofeng handheld radios and both Comet and Diamond both offer their version of the duck antenna with the female SMA connector that Baofeng radios require.

These aftermarket antennas will certainly improve performance, but your range will still have limits. But to really boost your performance you need to use an external antenna. External antennas come in all shapes and sizes, from the simple quarter wave vertical to multi element beams.

A popular model for the new ham is the 2 meter J-Pole antenna. This antenna will not only give you increased range, but also offer a upgrade path as you replace your handheld radio with a more powerful base station. So how do you connect a base station antenna to your handheld radio. To make things a bit more complex, there are two different styles of SMA connectors, and you will need the right one for your brand of radio.

How do you know which do you need?