Off-road setup using Tk-790H

[mmckenna]

One question,i was programming the channels in with the KPG software, is there anything they are going to do differently than i can do with my software to turn the units down? I found this option in the program software and if its just as simple as changing this setting then i dont need to pay them to do that

No. They'll click on that box and select low. Then charge you money for doing it.

The radios are spec'd for 110 watts high, 45 watts low. Setting it to low is still going to be way more power than you need.

Do -not- go into the Test Mode in the software. There are setting in there that will let you change power output, but unless you have some very expensive test equipment, you don't want to mess with it. It is not as simple as hooking up a watt meter and cranking up or down on the power settings.

 

[steves08gxp]

No. They'll click on that box and select low. Then charge you money for doing it.

The radios are spec'd for 110 watts high, 45 watts low. Setting it to low is still going to be way more power than you need.

Do -not- go into the Test Mode in the software. There are setting in there that will let you change power output, but unless you have some very expensive test equipment, you don't want to mess with it. It is not as simple as hooking up a watt meter and cranking up or down on the power settings.

Yeah I ended up taking them down there today. Super nice clean shop. They do all the installs and radio for local emergency services.

the guy helping me was super friendly and helpful as well even with my stupid questions.
They even hooked me up with a couple of dust caps and the mic mounts I was missing

They did do what you told me not to lol. They had a machine they hooked the units up to and turned them down to about 50 watts. He said the machine was 3 or 30k I don't remember.

Got home and finished up the install with one of the rzrs. Came out really good and I'm really happy. I'll post some picture tomorrow of the install

 

[mmckenna]

He said the machine was 3 or 30k I don't remember.

Yeah, $30K. I just bought a new one at work for $40K. Depends on the features you add.

Got home and finished up the install with one of the rzrs. Came out really good and I'm really happy. I'll post some picture tomorrow of the install

Love to see the photos.

 

[steves08gxp]

here are some pics. I wanted the main unit completely hidden as well as the wiring and what not and i accomplished that. When i cut the aluminum mount plate i needed a new blade for my bandsaw so its nowhere near straight but its all hidden so i'm not to worried about it either.
Oh and that stupid filler plate that the head is mounted to... Yeah that has a LOT of time into it. There are a lot of bends that you cant see to follow the dash. But overall im happy with it

got the rzr completely back together this morning and tested it out with a handheld baoefeng from the house. In my neighborhood (all 2 story houses btw) i was able to drive about 1 mile away and still hear/transmit clearly. What was weird was at a certain point in all directions the baoefeng couldn't hear me nor could i hear them. But it never got staticcy just plain lost communication.

I am sure this is going to do everything i need it to in the desert

 

[mmckenna]

Dang, that turned out very nicely.

That should work very well.

As for the coverage, Baofeng is probably your issue. If your Kenwood is working correctly and your antenna is tuned, there should be no issues on that end. Baofengs getting 1 mile in that sort of environment sounds about right.

As for cutting the aluminum,
I bought some 3/16" plate stock to make a skid plate for my sons Ace 150 a while back. The grade of aluminum was really hard, and I went through a few blades trying to cut it. Learned my lesson about making sure I had the right stuff next time.

 

[DeoVindice]

Like mmckenna said, 1 mile in a residential area with 5W on the Baofeng sounds about right. That install turned out excellent- I'd love that for all kinds of backcountry adventuring. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the shop charge to tune down the power on your radio?

 

[mmckenna]

So, only suggestions I'd make, otherwise the install looks good:

Ideally you want the antenna mounted in the center of the roof to give it at least 19" of ground plane in all direction under the antenna. As it is, it'll work fine, but the coverage will be slightly lopsided towards the front of the Rzr. No a big deal when you are running that much power. Dead center of the roof is ideal, but then you do need to deal with coaxial cable routing.

The microphone cable would benefit from an attachment near the radio. The connector getting pulled on will eventually result in failure. It'll happen either way, but in all our police cars, we have a cable retaining strap securing the mic cable at the radio so all the strain is off the connector.
On that note, consider keeping a spare mic for those radios in your trailer, maybe a spare antenna, also. The microphones will eventually fail due to dust, damage, etc. Consider them sort of an expendable item. I keep spare microphones for all our radios at work.
The antenna should last forever, but your radio would be useless without it. Just in case one gets damaged or lost, keeping a spare is a good idea.

 

[steves08gxp]

As for cutting the aluminum,
I bought some 3/16" plate stock to make a skid plate for my sons Ace 150 a while back. The grade of aluminum was really hard, and I went through a few blades trying to cut it. Learned my lesson about making sure I had the right stuff next time.

Thank you! im pretty happy with it.

I have messed with Aluminum for a long time now. Last project was a twin turbo jet boat that i rigged myself and built all kinds of aluminum mounts for. I have used both 6061 and 5052 which is what my supplier regularly has in their Remnant pile. Cutting both is easy but i use a wood blade.

ive used a jig saw with a wood blade, ive used a table saw and a skill saw. Wood blades cut right through it and the finish isnt horrible.

Hell i even tried a router one time... scared the **** out of me but worked great

My favorite is the bandsaw but this one is missing a few teeth and i was to lazy to go get one. Pro Tip - Lube or a Knix Stick or even some iris spring soap on the blade help immensely.

 

[steves08gxp]

Like mmckenna said, 1 mile in a residential area with 5W on the Baofeng sounds about right. That install turned out excellent- I'd love that for all kinds of backcountry adventuring. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the shop charge to tune down the power on your radio?

Thank you, they charged me 1 hour labor which for this shop is 130 an hour. He said that its just their shop policy and they have to charge an hour. I understand that...

He hooked me up with some pieces i was missing for free, also sold me the coax and antennas super cheap. Gave me his cell number too so any questions i just text him as i go. I have no complaints

 

[steves08gxp]

So, only suggestions I'd make, otherwise the install looks good:

Ideally you want the antenna mounted in the center of the roof to give it at least 19" of ground plane in all direction under the antenna. As it is, it'll work fine, but the coverage will be slightly lopsided towards the front of the Rzr. No a big deal when you are running that much power. Dead center of the roof is ideal, but then you do need to deal with coaxial cable routing.

The microphone cable would benefit from an attachment near the radio. The connector getting pulled on will eventually result in failure. It'll happen either way, but in all our police cars, we have a cable retaining strap securing the mic cable at the radio so all the strain is off the connector.
On that note, consider keeping a spare mic for those radios in your trailer, maybe a spare antenna, also. The microphones will eventually fail due to dust, damage, etc. Consider them sort of an expendable item. I keep spare microphones for all our radios at work.
The antenna should last forever, but your radio would be useless without it. Just in case one gets damaged or lost, keeping a spare is a good idea.

Those are good ideas. Thank you

I thought about putting it in the middle, but this is where i had the harness already ran to... AND i already had a hole drilled here for my old dome light. Wanted to re-use it. Ill give it a shot and if the performance is poor ill look into moving it more towards the center.

Thats a good point with the microphone cable. I think i have a wire loom hanger somewhere... ill throw one in the dash next to the unit to help support it right there

When i bought the antennas from the shop i bought a spare. Im not worried about it that much, but it is definitely possible to nail it on a tree or branch and break it off. Ill buy a couple spare mic's and keep one in my truck and one in the trailer. as a just in case

 

[mmckenna]

I thought about putting it in the middle, but this is where i had the harness already ran to... AND i already had a hole drilled here for my old dome light. Wanted to re-use it. Ill give it a shot and if the performance is poor ill look into moving it more towards the center.

Probably won't make a big enough difference to require drilling a new hole. If you install any more, it might be worth trying.

When i bought the antennas from the shop i bought a spare. Im not worried about it that much, but it is definitely possible to nail it on a tree or branch and break it off. Ill buy a couple spare mic's and keep one in my truck and one in the trailer. as a just in case

I've never broken one on the trail, but there's a first time for everything. A roll over would probably take it out. Even while unlikely, it's probably the only thing that would get damaged in a roll. We've accidentally put one Rzr on it's side before, and no issues other than cosmetic.

 

[steves08gxp]

Probably won't make a big enough difference to require drilling a new hole. If you install any more, it might be worth trying.



I've never broken one on the trail, but there's a first time for everything. A roll over would probably take it out. Even while unlikely, it's probably the only thing that would get damaged in a roll. We've accidentally put one Rzr on it's side before, and no issues other than cosmetic.

When i get a new roll cage and roof ill probably move it. That will be easy then.

Ive never rolled mine, but have seen a couple roll. This last memorial day we were out in the desert and a guy with a brand new can am and his kids in it rolled. He didn't have a helmet on and ended up dying on scene. But he was being a moron and driving WAY beyond his ability. My biggest complaint with these cars is they make you more confident than you need to be. Kids were okay but beat up. But now without a father because he was stupid.

Out here in the desert the problem is its fairly high speed and everyone gets their liquid lunch in and thinks they are Robby Gordon or something. So when something here rolls with a stock cage, most of the time the cage is a total loss.

I did see a rzr same thing as mine roll in front of me on a trail in Phoenix. Just cosmetic damage.

 

[mmckenna]

Hell i even tried a router one time... scared the **** out of me but worked great

SWEET MOTHER OF PEARL! You do like to live dangerously. Routers always scare the crap out of me.

My favorite is the bandsaw but this one is missing a few teeth and i was to lazy to go get one. Pro Tip - Lube or a Knix Stick or even some iris spring soap on the blade help immensely.

I'll keep that in mind. I tried cutting oil, but didn't seem to help, other than fill the garage with that sweet smell we all love so much.

 

[steves08gxp]

SWEET MOTHER OF PEARL! You do like to live dangerously. Routers always scare the crap out of me.



I'll keep that in mind. I tried cutting oil, but didn't seem to help, other than fill the garage with that sweet smell we all love so much.

Yeah ive tried cutting oil, tap magic, wd-40 while it helps it doesnt work great. The knick stick (i think thats what its called. Ill check after my call) and irish spring work well i think because it stays on the blade. That and you dont want a fine blade, you want something with less TPI. 18 seems to work well

 

[mmckenna]

Ive never rolled mine, but have seen a couple roll. This last memorial day we were out in the desert and a guy with a brand new can am and his kids in it rolled. He didn't have a helmet on and ended up dying on scene. But he was being a moron and driving WAY beyond his ability. My biggest complaint with these cars is they make you more confident than you need to be. Kids were okay but beat up. But now without a father because he was stupid.

Yeah, we always wear helmets when riding ours, even with the full roll cage. The roll cage won't protect you from stuff entering the space. We stay away from the busy riding areas due to so many people being dangerous. I had a neighbor with a sand rail. He had a guy come flying up a dune without looking at t-boned him and bent the chassis. Of course the guy had been drinking….

Out here in the desert the problem is its fairly high speed and everyone gets their liquid lunch in and thinks they are Robby Gordon or something. So when something here rolls with a stock cage, most of the time the cage is a total loss.

I did see a rzr same thing as mine roll in front of me on a trail in Phoenix. Just cosmetic damage.

We got down a long trail last year that turned into a single track. Only way out was to back out. My dad was in front, and I was behind him. As he was backing out, the rear got close to the edge and the back end started sliding down a steep grade. He got out and was OK, the Rzr was stable where it was, but we couldn't go forward and couldn't go backwards. Tried to winch it back on the trail, but then the other end went down hill. Ended up rolling on it's side, down about 20 feet and on a very steep grade. Used my winch to roll it back upright. Had to winch the front end back on the trail, tie it off to a tree, and winch the back end back up on the trail. Took about 2 hours to do it all, and we were absolutely beat after that.

I did roll an ATV about 12 years ago. Hit a rock just right and it tossed me off. ATV flipped and landed back on it's wheels. Luckily it didn't land on me. It did roll back down the trail and up against me, but not enough momentum to roll over me. I broke my hip socket and knocked the wind out of me. About 15 seconds of thinking I was a gonner before I got my breath back. I was at the back of the pack, so no one knew it had happened. I had my VHF portable in my pack and wired into my helmet, but somewhere in the arial summersault the cable yanked loose. Was calling for help, but no reply. Finally got the pack of my back and unplugged the headset cable and was able to get help. A long bumpy ride down the trail (taco'd one of the steel wheels) and they were able to get a truck up to me. Put the ATV in the back and they loaded me in the front. Drove straight to a USFS fire station. They boarded me out of the truck. Long bumpy ambulance ride 40+ miles to the closest hospital. Was laid up for a few weeks until it healed.
Would have been a long painful wait without the radios. Now we don't go riding without them.

I think people forget how dangerous this can be. As you said, people start to feel invincible. Alcohol makes it 100 times worse. Not wearing a helmet is just dumb.

 

[mmckenna]

Yeah ive tried cutting oil, tap magic, wd-40 while it helps it doesnt work great. The knick stick (i think thats what its called. Ill check after my call) and irish spring work well i think because it stays on the blade. That and you dont want a fine blade, you want something with less TPI. 18 seems to work well

I'm pretty sure I was using too fine a blade. I've got a bit of that aluminum left over I've used for making brackets. I'll have to try that next time.

 

[steves08gxp]

Yeah, we always wear helmets when riding ours, even with the full roll cage. The roll cage won't protect you from stuff entering the space. We stay away from the busy riding areas due to so many people being dangerous. I had a neighbor with a sand rail. He had a guy come flying up a dune without looking at t-boned him and bent the chassis. Of course the guy had been drinking….



We got down a long trail last year that turned into a single track. Only way out was to back out. My dad was in front, and I was behind him. As he was backing out, the rear got close to the edge and the back end started sliding down a steep grade. He got out and was OK, the Rzr was stable where it was, but we couldn't go forward and couldn't go backwards. Tried to winch it back on the trail, but then the other end went down hill. Ended up rolling on it's side, down about 20 feet and on a very steep grade. Used my winch to roll it back upright. Had to winch the front end back on the trail, tie it off to a tree, and winch the back end back up on the trail. Took about 2 hours to do it all, and we were absolutely beat after that.

I did roll an ATV about 12 years ago. Hit a rock just right and it tossed me off. ATV flipped and landed back on it's wheels. Luckily it didn't land on me. It did roll back down the trail and up against me, but not enough momentum to roll over me. I broke my hip socket and knocked the wind out of me. About 15 seconds of thinking I was a gonner before I got my breath back. I was at the back of the pack, so no one knew it had happened. I had my VHF portable in my pack and wired into my helmet, but somewhere in the arial summersault the cable yanked loose. Was calling for help, but no reply. Finally got the pack of my back and unplugged the headset cable and was able to get help. A long bumpy ride down the trail (taco'd one of the steel wheels) and they were able to get a truck up to me. Put the ATV in the back and they loaded me in the front. Drove straight to a USFS fire station. They boarded me out of the truck. Long bumpy ambulance ride 40+ miles to the closest hospital. Was laid up for a few weeks until it healed.
Would have been a long painful wait without the radios. Now we don't go riding without them.

I think people forget how dangerous this can be. As you said, people start to feel invincible. Alcohol makes it 100 times worse. Not wearing a helmet is just dumb.

Agreed. I've been riding for years and seen it really go downhill with these side by sides and peoples mentality.

My jet boat made about 1200 hp and was in a hull that is nowhere near safe for that power level. But i never once got close to anything bad happening or scaring my self because i would respect what i had in it.

The radio thing is kinda new to me so im starting to get used to it i like it so far though.

I have to be honest though, there are times i drive the RZR without a helmet and its unfortunately to frequently. But i do tend to drive a lot more mellow and mainly only when i know the place/area im at. And definitely if its busy i helmet up. The kids ALWAYS have helmets on

 

[mmckenna]

You've got yourself a couple of expensive hobbies there.

 

[steves08gxp]

You've got yourself a couple of expensive hobbies there.

Lol... you have no idea

The boat was sold in March - My daughter was scared of it, my son is to young and it just wasnt the most family friendly. i WILL build another one later on in life.

We bought the RZR in November and the family likes it a lot more. Have put almost 1000 miles on it since we bought it

 

[mmckenna]

Lol... you have no idea

The boat was sold in March - My daughter was scared of it, my son is to young and it just wasnt the most family friendly. i WILL build another one later on in life.

Yeah, we used to be heavily into boating, although I never owned my own boat. Wish I had one now, my son is 14 and it would do him some good. But the UTV's work well.

We bought the RZR in November and the family likes it a lot more. Have put almost 1000 miles on it since we bought it

Dang, that's pretty good. My Ranger is a 2010, and I've got almost 5K on it.