Trail Coms- Helpful website and feedback thread.
Posted: June 3rd, 2013, 6:52 pmI know we've had a few shortfalls when it comes to trail coms. Some recent some not so recent. We can blame a bunch of different factors about running these big turnout runs, but I just think that communication should be improved.
I wanted to post up this website from where I've gotten a lot of good information about radios. The guy was a navy radio operator gone jeeper, so he put a lot of emphasis towards radios on his webpage.
http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc.asp
For those of you who have trouble receiving or transmitting please start off by asking yourself these questions.
Is my radio wired [u]directly[/u] to the battery? (both positive and ground)
Is my antenna mount grounded adequately to the vehicle?
Is my coax cable in good condition and all connectors properly installed to the ends of the cable?
You should also make sure you have not coiled up any extra coax. Try to keep it away from other wires if possible.
These 3 questions should be the start of your investigation... If problems receiving or transmitting continues you should move on to tuning your antenna. Stu outlines everything you need to know about tuning your system. Some antennas tune differently than his, so make sure you look up how to tune your make and model. Some people in the club here have SWR (standing wave ratio) meters. It's important to try to achieve the closest ratio possible. 1.1:1 or 1.2:1 is optimum.
If problems persist it could be due to the placement of the antenna. Make sure it's a good distance away from any other antennae. (18" minimum) If this is a non-issue then the radio could be picking up RF noise (electromagnetic interference or Radio Frequency interference) Stu also has an article which covers this. There are many different products out there that reduce the effects of RF noise. Try PCI. I know they have a few. http://www.pciraceradios.com
Please cruise through his website and come back with any questions or input.
I wanted to post up this website from where I've gotten a lot of good information about radios. The guy was a navy radio operator gone jeeper, so he put a lot of emphasis towards radios on his webpage.
http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc.asp
For those of you who have trouble receiving or transmitting please start off by asking yourself these questions.
Is my radio wired [u]directly[/u] to the battery? (both positive and ground)
Is my antenna mount grounded adequately to the vehicle?
Is my coax cable in good condition and all connectors properly installed to the ends of the cable?
You should also make sure you have not coiled up any extra coax. Try to keep it away from other wires if possible.
These 3 questions should be the start of your investigation... If problems receiving or transmitting continues you should move on to tuning your antenna. Stu outlines everything you need to know about tuning your system. Some antennas tune differently than his, so make sure you look up how to tune your make and model. Some people in the club here have SWR (standing wave ratio) meters. It's important to try to achieve the closest ratio possible. 1.1:1 or 1.2:1 is optimum.
If problems persist it could be due to the placement of the antenna. Make sure it's a good distance away from any other antennae. (18" minimum) If this is a non-issue then the radio could be picking up RF noise (electromagnetic interference or Radio Frequency interference) Stu also has an article which covers this. There are many different products out there that reduce the effects of RF noise. Try PCI. I know they have a few. http://www.pciraceradios.com
Please cruise through his website and come back with any questions or input.
