LagunaH1
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3,703
- Location
- Lake Forest, CA
I thought I'd share the couple of things I learned from installing an HF radio (A Yaesu FT100) in my H1.
RF Grounding:
The radio *needs* a proper RF ground in addition to the regular electric, DC, ground. Absence of this can lead to problems tuning your antenna as to RF
energy getting into your radio while you transmit making your transmission sound bad
DC Grounding:
I didn't know this, but found out the "hard way": The H1 does not use the body or the chassis as ground for its electrical system. It relies on a separate
ground system with a few ground connectors in the vehicle.
Counterpoise:
My H1 has a nice big roof rack. The HF antenna is mounted on the rack, which makes for a very nice counterpoise to the HI-Q HF antenna. I had to use a
ground braid to the things properly connected but once that was done, the antenna works great on 40 - 10 meters.
Power:
Many mobile HF radios expect 13.8 volts to operate properly. As a result, 12 volts is an absolute minimum and anything lower than that is likely going to
cause problems (very poor audio quality on your transmissions). After a few less-than-ideal attempts, I ended up running 12 gauge wire to the radio as the
voltage drop otherwise was too great. Keep in mind that in order for a radio to transmit with 100 watts, it consumes typically twice that. 200 watts over 12
volts is around 17 amps, enough to cause a voltage drop over 6 feet of wire if the wire isn't heavy enough.
RF Grounding:
The radio *needs* a proper RF ground in addition to the regular electric, DC, ground. Absence of this can lead to problems tuning your antenna as to RF
energy getting into your radio while you transmit making your transmission sound bad
DC Grounding:
I didn't know this, but found out the "hard way": The H1 does not use the body or the chassis as ground for its electrical system. It relies on a separate
ground system with a few ground connectors in the vehicle.
Counterpoise:
My H1 has a nice big roof rack. The HF antenna is mounted on the rack, which makes for a very nice counterpoise to the HI-Q HF antenna. I had to use a
ground braid to the things properly connected but once that was done, the antenna works great on 40 - 10 meters.
Power:
Many mobile HF radios expect 13.8 volts to operate properly. As a result, 12 volts is an absolute minimum and anything lower than that is likely going to
cause problems (very poor audio quality on your transmissions). After a few less-than-ideal attempts, I ended up running 12 gauge wire to the radio as the
voltage drop otherwise was too great. Keep in mind that in order for a radio to transmit with 100 watts, it consumes typically twice that. 200 watts over 12
volts is around 17 amps, enough to cause a voltage drop over 6 feet of wire if the wire isn't heavy enough.