Old trucker/new ham

[slim6596]

Good afternoon. My question would be, for a trucker who passed the tech exam and is studying for the general, what kind of setup in the company semi do you all recommend?

I currently have a 2m/70cm HT that can be charged/programmed via usb c and a ComMountain speaker/mic. I’ve been looking into HF but most of them don’t cover UHF/VHF or if they do, they’re base stations that aren’t suitable for use in the truck.

Should I be looking for an all in one “do everything” radio, or what?

 

[AK9R]

HF plus 6m, 2m, 70cm. The RF deck can be mounted anywhere with the control head mounted where you can see and reach it. The microphone plugs into the RF deck or control head. The optional microphone (HM-151) has several buttons for controlling common functions.

IC-7100 | Products | Icom America.

Icom,America,Land Mobile,Marine,Aviation,Amateur,Network,Systems

www.icomamerica.com

 

[slim6596]

HF plus 6m, 2m, 70cm. The RF deck can be mounted anywhere with the control head mounted where you can see and reach it. The microphone plugs into the RF deck or control head. The optional microphone (HM-151) has several buttons for controlling common functions.

IC-7100 | Products | Icom America.

Icom,America,Land Mobile,Marine,Aviation,Amateur,Network,Systems

www.icomamerica.com

Thanks for the reply. Now I need to research antennas and antenna tuners.

 

[Sergei_UB4LDT]

I would advise dividing the radio stations by range. One for short waves and VHF (1.8 MHz to 50 MHz), the other purely for VHF (144 MHz and 430 MHz). The whole reason is in different antennas. For short waves, antennas can be located at low heights and are made of wire, for VHF antennas are made of tubes, there can be dual-band antennas that need to be raised as high as possible. This solution makes it easier to work on the air, but increases the cost of the equipment needed to buy.

 

[spongella]

Congratulations on becoming a ham radio op. Selecting the right radio and antenna for your rig kinda' depends on how far away you want to communicate. A VHF/UHF ham radio with repeater capability is good generally (I say generally because many things affect range) for local contacts up to maybe 75 miles depending on the repeater. Without a repeater maybe 10 - 15 miles. Others can chime in with their experience.

On the other hand, long range communications will require a HF (High Frequency) ham radio covering the ham radio bands between 1.8 - 29.7 MHz and will give you world-wide range depending on conditions. You'll need a HF antenna too and at least a General Class license to take full advantage of HF comms. Hope this helps and 73's.

 

[kg4icg]

I use a Yaesu FT991A myself mobile with a Yaesu ATAS120A, and yes I'm a trucker with a Class A CDL with Tanker/Hazmat endorsement, 24 years a ham. There is a truck and travel room on Yaesu YSF along with it being on DMR also if you go by the hotspot route ysf=15783, dmr=31663tg. General class license with a bunch of different radios to use thru the hotspot for YSF,DMR, P25, and DSTAR. Also hold a GMRS license.

 

[slim6596]

I use a Yaesu FT991A myself mobile with a Yaesu ATAS120A, and yes I'm a trucker with a Class A CDL with Tanker/Hazmat endorsement, 24 years a ham. There is a truck and travel room on Yaesu YSF along with it being on DMR also if you go by the hotspot route ysf=15783, dmr=31663tg. General class license with a bunch of different radios to use thru the hotspot for YSF,DMR, P25, and DSTAR. Also hold a GMRS license.

Can you really use the 991A while driving? I was starting to lean towards just keeping the HT for UHF/VHF and getting an 891 for HF after I pass my next test.

(I’m using a Nite Eyez “Steelie” to mount the HT just below the ELD tablet, a ComMountain speaker/mic, and a Diamond SRJ77CA antenna. This would leave the top of the dashboard to mount the HF radio.)

 

[kg4icg]

Can you really use the 991A while driving? I was starting to lean towards just keeping the HT for UHF/VHF and getting an 891 for HF after I pass my next test.

(I’m using a Nite Eyez “Steelie” to mount the HT just below the ELD tablet, a ComMountain speaker/mic, and a Diamond SRJ77CA antenna. This would leave the top of the dashboard to mount the HF radio.)

Yes you can, set up your mem channels on what you want to be on at certain times, but I wouldn't try morse code while driving.

 

[John_S]

The main consideration with a big rig is how much antenna you can install practically if you mean to operate while on the road. 2m/440 and 10m would be easier to set up antennas for that would also be reasonably efficient. Bridges have a nasty habit of eating antennas. Anything for the lower bands will be difficult because of the box and cab. Also watch out for mounting antennas on fiberglass body parts on the cab.

 

[slim6596]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a radio. HRO had a used ICOM 5100 that I bought this morning. I had ordered (then canceled) a Yaesu FTM 150. My wife actually suggested that I cancel the Yaesu and get something with more features.

I did find a faceplate bracket and main body bracket on Amazon for about $20/each.

Question: can I use the ICOM software to load repeaters via the sdcard?

 

[John_S]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a radio. HRO had a used ICOM 5100 that I bought this morning. I had ordered (then canceled) a Yaesu FTM 150. My wife actually suggested that I cancel the Yaesu and get something with more features.

I did find a faceplate bracket and main body bracket on Amazon for about $20/each.

Question: can I use the ICOM software to load repeaters via the sdcard?

Took a quick look at the manual and my guess is no. It looks like you need to either use software or manual entry to put freqs in. The SD card looks like storage only. But this is a guess.