Baz 007
Registered: 12-2010
Posts: 5
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advice
Hi guys!
I was a user in the 80's when it was fun?
What do i look for in rig to be able to chat on the 11m band?
thanks
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11/Dec/2010, 8:55 am
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yamanx1
Head Honcho
Registered: 09-2007
Location: In a world of my own
Posts: 4894
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Re: advice
Hi, 11m band, you can go old and cheap, do you want FM CB? If not an old AM/SSB rig can come for as little as twenty-thirty quid. Antenna is the most important bit of kit though
Some more modern radios though, have better performance, particularly on the recieve side in my experience
What is your rough budget?
---
By all means think yourself big, but never think others small.... R.F.Scott
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11/Dec/2010, 10:54 am
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topbuzzuk
Big Cheese
Registered: 11-2007
Location: Wiltshire, UK
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Re: advice
ello and welcome
--- 26FB118
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11/Dec/2010, 6:09 pm
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Baz 007
Registered: 12-2010
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Re: advice
Hi guys,
Thanks for your help.
I have just bought a superstar 3900 on Ebay.
I am getting the frequency counter too so I know what channel I am on?
Now I need a suitable loft antenna? No Ladders ! Which is best?
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12/Jan/2011, 2:52 pm
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Matt1977
Registered: 04-2010
Posts: 107
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Re: advice
Would be best if you can borrow some ladders and get an antenna up high outside
Hi and welcome btw
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12/Jan/2011, 5:34 pm
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YT2095
Freebander
Registered: 12-2010
Location: the Black Country
Posts: 188
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Re: advice
if it Has to be loft, ladder or stealth reasons (mine`s the latter) then an Inverted V made yourself isn`t a bad antenna at all!
if your Floor area in the loft is reasonably free, then look for a good Mobile antenna and a Mag Mount (Sirio make good mag mounts and antennas) slap that on a small ferromagnetic plate (a biscuit tin lid will do), and drill holes in the outer edge of this plate (at least 4 holes, 12, 3, 6 and 9 O`clock positions) and run wires bolted to these holes across the loft floor.
if you don`t mind messing about, then you can Solder these wires to the plate instead (no drilling or bolts needed then).
I (personally) would invest in a little matcher/atu SWR meter as well, you`ll not go wrong with a good ATU/SWR meter and it should last you a lifetime!
Last edited by YT2095, 12/Jan/2011, 8:08 pm
--- I`m also on Twitter as "YT2095" ;)
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12/Jan/2011, 8:06 pm
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Baz 007
Registered: 12-2010
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Re: advice
Hi guys! I have decided to go the stealth route and have ordered a loft antenna. An ATU/SWR metre sounds like what I need also? Where can I get one and more to the point? (embarassing!) how do you use one? do they come with instructions as i have never done it?
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13/Jan/2011, 6:24 am
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YT2095
Freebander
Registered: 12-2010
Location: the Black Country
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Re: advice
well.. if your new antenna is pre-SWRed at the factory you may not need the ATU part, but if you plan on experimenting with different antennas and you get one that`s particularly stuborn then they are brilliant!
different meters are set differently, but much of the time, you put it between the rig and the ant (making sure its the right way around) with a patchlead.
then you pick your Middle channel, so on a Hi-Mid-Low rig Ch 20 on Mid would be roughly Center, then use FM mode and key up with the switch on the meter set to FWD (forwards) then turning the CAL knob so that the needle is set to the Cal position or sometimes marked as SET.
then de key and put the switch in the REF position and key up again, the reading that you now have is your SWR
the ideal is that the needle hardly moves or is as low as possible.
and that`s how you use one.
to SWR in you can either lengthen or shorten your antenna for the lowest possible reading on your mid channel. and a way to do this is to check your SWR on the Higest chan and again on the Lowest chan, writing the result on paper.
if the swr is Bad on the high chan but better on the lowest chan, you need to Shorten your antenna bit, or lengthen it if the opposite is true.
that`s it basically
--- I`m also on Twitter as "YT2095" ;)
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13/Jan/2011, 9:07 am
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NUBSTER
Freebander
Registered: 08-2010
Location: North London/England
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Re: advice
Just out of intrest I've always wondered (all of 30years being on CB/Radio)is this when SWRing a antenna when people say about lengthen or shorten the antenna what happends when its 20ft up a pole and its a 18ft silver rod you cant exactly shorten or lengthen one of those easy the only way I've found is to use a matcher to tune it or have I missed somthing over the years
Last edited by NUBSTER, 14/Jan/2011, 10:15 am
--- Anybody out there..............Anyone?
26-FB-080/26CT-050 ( Martin )
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13/Jan/2011, 2:20 pm
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YT2095
Freebander
Registered: 12-2010
Location: the Black Country
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Re: advice
I`v always SWRed them in on the ground, or as high up as practical before putting them into their final place, 9 times out of 10 it`ll stay more or less the same.
but yeah, using an ATU is very helpfull where this isn`t possible.
--- I`m also on Twitter as "YT2095" ;)
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13/Jan/2011, 3:15 pm
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