TL;DR - After a couple solo trips where I had limited cell coverage, and some thinking I should have done long ago, I now have an inReach Mini. I've known for a long time that - especially on trips where mine is the only truck - I should be carrying an…
Leave a CommentShop and Gear: Communications (Ham, CB, GMRS, Sat)
TL;DR - The NMO mount on my Ham Antenna was just a little too deep, and the antenna would contact the roof when it was tightened down, leading to rust. I've fixed that with a bit of judicious grinding. I've really liked the Diamond NR770HBNMO Mobile Antenna and NMO mount that I…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - I'm back to the old antenna, and I'm not longer using APRSDroid. Not so long ago, I switched from a Diamond NR770HBNMO Mobile Antenna to a STI-CO ROOF-FT-NITI Ham Antenna in order to solve a problem I was having where the coil of the Diamond would catch on tree branches. After…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - I got a new, shorter antenna. And it's great. Should have done this a long time ago. One of the biggest problems with a ham radio antenna installed on the roof of the truck is that low-hanging branches catch it, and try to pull the NMO mount out…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - The CB antenna basically pooped its pants. I've replaced it. A couple days into the trip, my CB reception and transmission essentially stopped working. My SWR jumped to over 15. The problem - we discovered - was that the wire wrapped around the fiberglass shaft had come unsoldered…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - no trouble on the last couple trips. I don't know if this is really solved, but I'm going to say it is. Because, I'm not doing anything about it.
Leave a CommentTL;DR - My APRS stopped working, because my Mobilinkd TNC 2 died early in the trip. The Mobilinkd TNC 2 has been a great little APRS TNC and I highly recommend it. Its weak spot - like so many battery powered devices - lies in its battery. I leave it…
Leave a CommentTL;DR - I'd like to find a ham radio antenna that is more flexible/floppy than the one I've currently got, and that doesn't have a small section of wound metal in the middle, since that gets stuck on trees and pulls at the roof mount. I've been running a Diamond NR770HBNMO…
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