Hi, I'm new and I have a lot of dumb questions!

[Biggles48]

Hi, I'm Biggles, I have an army truck (Chevy M1009) I'm wanting to start piecing together a communications setup for it, it was originally some manner of radio truck for military convoys. It has a place already on it for two antennas and a rack for a scanner/receiver/something behind the passenger seat, I don't have my HAM yet but I'm looking to get it eventually. My goal:

AM/FM antenna, something big and flexible like the military whip that was on it and a mech less receiver that does radio, IPOD

CB, I've got a couple CB's already, I've got a super cheap cobra, and one that was in the $200 range but I'd be looking for a new CB for thus truck as well, I have a magnet mount little Will antenna but I want to use something a lot better probably either bumper mounted or using the other military antenna mount.

Finally I'd like to get setup with some manner of scanner/receiver for longer range communications, I have no idea what though. Back in Jr. High I used to mess around with an old short wave radio, as I stated earlier I'm interested in getting my HAM License sometime, I'd like to be able to receive military and/or law enforcement transmissions? I don't know I'm new.


Biggles

 

[Rt169Radio]

Hi, welcome to RadioReference. For people to start helping you with the scanner part it is best to put your down your location. Also if you could, how about some pictures of inside and outside the truck?

 

[Biggles48]

Location

My location is Pawnee, IL 62558 I'll work on pics of the truck.

 

[Biggles48]

Ok I don't know how to post pictures or even links, but if you copy paste the business below, that is a picture of a truck just like mine that has antennas on it, I plan on using the mounts and all just like that. Is it true that I can use a CB antenna for AM/FM radio? If so is it also true that the bigger/more antenna the better reception? It's got to be more complicated than that right?

http://www.mvmvc.org/stuBlazer-1.jpg

 

[wtp]

more is better

i would start with a regular 108 inch cb antenna (with spring mount)
one is good two gives an option of trimming (cutting down) one for low band reception
put one on each side
after that just go for the porcupine effect

 

[pjtnascar]

Welcome! Please post some pics of your truck. Sounds cool.

 

[Biggles48]

Pics

I'm not sure how to post pictures yet. Suffice to say, the military put a giant antenna on each side of the truck bolted on a giant antenna mount with a brush gaurd. The military used the antennas for VHF? Comm....Maybe? You guys would probably know better than me. But I know folks have successfully trimmed the military antennas down to a certain length and used them for CB's.

 

[Biggles48]

Ok, not my truck as I can't figure out how to upload straight from my computer but this one is setup just like mine only he already has the military antennas installed.

 

[pjtnascar]

That's a cool truck.

 

[mardor]

Biggles48 no questions are dumb/ Not asking them is.Welcome aboard.

 

[Biggles48]

So by porcupine effect you mean that more actually IS better? Cause this truck can have 4 military antennas mounted on it 2 per side and that's before I ever start in with , bumper, fender and roof mounted stuff.

 

[gr8rcall]

Hey, welcome aboard!
Always glad to welcome new members!

To upload photos, just do the following:

1. Click "Post Reply."
2. Under "Additional Options," on the bottom of that page, you should see a "Manage Attachments" option.
3. Click it.
4. In the open window, click the "Chose file" option.
5. Choose your file, and click "upload"
6. Make sure that file shows under the "current attachments" section.
7. Then click "close this window" at the bottom, and you're done!

To upload more photos, just repeat steps 4-6!

 

[wtp]

more

doesn't he need 10 to send 1
posts that is

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

The military antennas are probably HF and/or VHF-Low (up to 88MHz).

 

[medicmjc]

Hello Biggles, and welcome. Cool M1009, I used to drive one. A few things about your set up. Military radios are typically 30-75 MHz. The antennas have a matching unit that is basically the mount for the whip. Older ones actually had a motor in them to tune the antenna to the proper frequency, with a knob underneath to do it manually if something broke. Newer ones were a bit more sophisticated; but as I understand it, there is still matching circuitry in the base that the radio controlled. SINCGARS military radios frequency hop at about 100 times a second. Civilian radios simply don't work that way. I doubt they left anything else in the truck except some power trays and intercom connections. The stuff looks impressive, but it really doesn't do much. (Radios are a separate property book item, so they would not have been turned in with the vehicle.) My 2 cents; other than the coax; install all your own stuff unless you get an actual military radio. Just remember that you cannot transmit over the entire band!

Also; remember that truck is 24 volt! There may be portions of the original vehicle wiring that is 12 volt; but the radios, trailer connector, 'slave' cable (jumpstarting) and black out lights needed to match existing military standards. Don't fry your stuff! Take a look at how the batteries are wired, you can pull 12 volts from the one connected directly to ground.

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

[Biggles48]

Ok, I am on top of the 24v vs. 12v on my truck. The CUCV's have a hybrid system the starter, the slave plug, the trailer light plug, and a resistor on the firewall (to reduce 24v down to the 12v glow plugs) as well as the military radio stuff is the only things on the truck that are 24v. As you guessed the military gutted all of its radio equipment prior to selling the truck. All I have left of that is the ICE plug under the dash and a bunch of holes and wire clamps in and under the truck.

 

[Biggles48]

I Plan on doing all of my own stuff, the military radios are big, heavy, expensive, and to my understanding limited in their civilian usefullness, like I stated earlier, I want an AM/FM radio, decent quality CB, and something for longer range communication that would also allow me to listen in on local police/fd/trains/planes......whatever

 

[Rt169Radio]

Well I don't know much about different brands of AM/FM radios. But check out these CB radios, I would get one with SSB included. And remember to get good antennas.

https://www.cobra.com/category/mobile-cb-radios-2-2.cfm

Really the only long communication that has radios that can listen to other things is ham radio, there is also GMRS and MURS but ham radio has a longer range then them.

General Mobile Radio Service - The RadioReference Wiki

Multi-Use Radio Service - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[N8IAA]

I Plan on doing all of my own stuff, the military radios are big, heavy, expensive, and to my understanding limited in their civilian usefullness, like I stated earlier, I want an AM/FM radio, decent quality CB, and something for longer range communication that would also allow me to listen in on local police/fd/trains/planes......whatever

Welcome to RR Biggles. Where you live is a mixture of conventional and digital trunked radio systems. Your local PD and FD are conventional. The statewide system is P-25 digital. I'm going to suggest two scanners that are made by Uniden, the BC15X and the 996XT. The 15X is conventional, and the 996XT will do both analog conventional and P-25 digital.
For ham and shortwave, I suggest either the Yaesu FT-857D or FT-897D. They are solid HF rigs. A good screwdriver antenna with a tuner will make it easy when you change bands. Those two radios also do 145MHz/440MHz.
Uniden and Cobra both make good quality CB's. I would look at getting one that does AM/SSB. a 102" whip with a spring loaded ball mount would be the way to go.
For an AM/FM setup, couldn't give any advice. I'm sure someone will. You may also want to post in the Illinois state forum, further down the forums page for better info on scanner suggestions.
HTH,
Larry

 

[Biggles48]

Thanks for the help everyone! My head is kind of swimming with it all. I think my first move will be a decent CB antenna hooked to my old CB until I have the finances to upgrade to a better CB. Then I'll begin shopping for scanners and get my HAM license, I'll need to track down a military surplus radio rack as mine was gutted before the army sold me my truck. I should be able to mount all the scanner/ham/shortwave affair there with antenna(s?) for them on that side of the truck. CB and am/fm will get mounted to the roof above the rear view mirror and antennas for them on the drivers side. I have discovered that some of the civilian K5 blazers had their AM/FM antennas in the windshield, so I may just go that route to leave room on the outside of the truck for the other stuff.