new toy

[kb2crk]

just got a new toy for 2 meters

just have to program it and the maxtrac uhf for 440mhz and get the two installed in the car.
the maratrac is a vhf unit with 100 watts out and a great receive section and will allow me to reach the repeaters i used to frequent before moving a few months ago.

[KG4CGC]

Very cool. What kind of antenna are you going to mate it with?

[kb2crk]

Very cool. What kind of antenna are you going to mate it with?

it is going to be mated to my 10 year old 5/8 wave anntron mobile antenna. i have talked to the seneca sc. machine from the northern end of greene county ga. with the kenwood running 50 watts when conditions permitted.

[KG4CGC]

SWEEEEEET!

[kb2crk]

well i had a chance to test the transmit and receive.
the receiver is excelent. conected to the 10 meter vertical at the house i was listening to a sheriff's dept. from about 60 miles north of me and they sounded like they were next door.
the transmit was tested into a dummy load and it also does fine.
now i just need to get the old computer up on dos and start programing.

[kb2crk]

pawn shops are a wonderful thing.
another new toy
i got a motorola radius cm200 25 watt vhf hi that will work nicely on 2 meters as a base radio.
it was dirt cheap and on the shelf with a tag that said cb radio lol
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/radiusmowersprogrmmingdesk001.jpg

[w2amr]

I picked up a (CB walkie talkie) at a yard sale once for $5. It was a radio shack 2 meter HT, which I still have.

[N8YX]

I picked up a (CB walkie talkie) at a yard sale once for $5. It was a radio shack 2 meter HT, which I still have.
Once upon a time in the early 90's, one of my friends picked up a complete TS-440S setup (including mic, PS-50 and a matching external speaker) for $25 at a yard sale. The radio was but a few years old and the people selling it didn't want anything to do with that "CB junk"... :roll:

Ditto another buddy of mine who got hold of a Drake R7 for the lofty sum of $10. Cosmetically excellent but didn't work. On AC power, that is. Two diodes fixed that.

[kb2crk]

i may actually get these radios on the air soon. dug an old packard bell 200 mhz desktop out of the corner of the garage today and fired it up. reset the clock speed in the bios to 16 mhz and disabled the chip cache so that the computer can see the rib on the serial port. it is about as slow as slow can be now and i am waiting for the software to finish loading. this may take some time lol.

[kb2crk]

the maratrac is programed and tested. now it is time to install it in the car. then it is time to mess with the uhf maxtrac. finally a computer slow enough to work.

[kb2crk]

the maratrac works and well. checked into a few nets last night that used to be out of my range.
the maxtrac has to wait until i get the software straightened out.

[ad4mg]

Good going, Paul ! Moto is cool ... anyone can pluck down the bucks for a big name rig. :agree:

[kb2crk]

Good going, Paul ! Moto is cool ... anyone can pluck down the bucks for a big name rig. :agree:

i dropped a whole 40 bucks after shipping for the maratrac. it is one hell of a radio. 100 watts out 144 to 172mhz
the radius cm200 was another 40. 25 watts 146 to 174 mhz
the uhf maxtrac was 25 after shipping. 45 watts
they have great receive sections and the audio is crystal clear.
you have got to love the fcc and their narrow band crap. these radios are coming out of service all over the place and available cheap.

[kb2crk]

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/maratrac006.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/maratrac008.jpg

just a couple quick pics. a little more work to do i need to find a mounting tray for the trunk.

[kb2crk]

the maratrac will soon be joined by a second. i have a vhf lo maratrac drawer that works and puts out 110 w. it is a former indiana state police radio and its range will allow 6m programing. just need a control head and cable and i will be in business. the maxtrac uhf after some issues is running but still sitting in the front seat of the car. i have to find some room under the dash to mount it. by the time i get all these mounted and running i am going to have to find a larger vehicle... lol

[W2NAP]

I picked up a (CB walkie talkie) at a yard sale once for $5. It was a radio shack 2 meter HT, which I still have.

ill give you $5 for it

[kb2crk]

the two meter maratrac is in. just a couple pics.

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/maratrac004.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-22-09_1554.jpg

and a view of where the 6 meter will be in the trunk
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-22-09_1555.jpg

and the mount the trunk unit sits on while being built.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-17-09_2351.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-17-09_2330.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-18-09_0152.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-18-09_0153.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-18-09_0202.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-18-09_0203.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/12-18-09_0330.jpg

please excuse the quality as most of these were taken with the cell phones camera

[N8YX]

Looks good.

Funny thing about that old Motorola stuff - it'll keep on working long after most late-model YaeKenCom VHF/UHF gear has been relegated to the scrap heap.

[N7YA]

Lets just hope that the Radius CM200 doesnt have a CW ident of the previous owner it was stolen from (before it was sold to the pawn shop where you legitimately bought it, just to clarify my intent). That would be an awkward qso if he were passing through your county while you were on the air. "Hey, thats my rig you have there"..."no it isnt, i have a bill of sale"..."um, every time you key up, i hear my call"...that would be a pisser. If it doesnt, than i say you made quite a good little score there!

Hey! Theres a penny next to your accelerator pedal! And i think theres a small spring or aluminum dowell...one can never have enough of these little gems. Well, us hams cant anyway...thats why most people think were nuts. The floor of my truck is fairly clean, but the back is littered with empty water bottles from work.


Im also missing a running light...seriously, it was cleanly disconnected and removed from my front right fender. weird.

Either way, nice score on the new toys, im looooong overdue for some ham shopping/building.

[kb2crk]

Lets just hope that the Radius CM200 doesnt have a CW ident of the previous owner it was stolen from (before it was sold to the pawn shop where you legitimately bought it, just to clarify my intent). That would be an awkward qso if he were passing through your county while you were on the air. "Hey, thats my rig you have there"..."no it isnt, i have a bill of sale"..."um, every time you key up, i hear my call"...that would be a pisser. If it doesnt, than i say you made quite a good little score there!

Hey! Theres a penny next to your accelerator pedal! And i think theres a small spring or aluminum dowell...one can never have enough of these little gems. Well, us hams cant anyway...thats why most people think were nuts. The floor of my truck is fairly clean, but the back is littered with empty water bottles from work.


Im also missing a running light...seriously, it was cleanly disconnected and removed from my front right fender. weird.

Either way, nice score on the new toys, im looooong overdue for some ham shopping/building.

well i sold the cm 200 on ebay to someone in arizona. after talking to a few firefighters in the area it seemed to be a legitimate radio. they believed it belonged to a retired local fire chief that had passed away a few months earlier.

[N7YA]

Oh, well good on you then! Its always a nice little victory for us legendary frugal hams to get a good deal on gear. I am seriously thinking of a new K3....down the line, of course. I have other things in front of it....but eventually. Maybe once i get settled in to my 100 acre ranch in the mountains. :chin: :rock:

[kb2crk]

finished the 32 channel mod to the uhf maxtrac and it is up and running once again.
just a couple pics.

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/project005.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/project003.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/project004.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/project006-1.jpg

[KG4CGC]

You have a big white dog, don't ya!

[kb2crk]

You have a big white dog, don't ya!

nope...

[KG4CGC]

Well then, must be something else.

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

It is not just that FCC narrow band crap, but also the digital (P25) crap that is driving all the radios out of service.
I have now over a dozen Sabre talkies that I got for free.
I have a pair of convertacom units but why bother, mobiles are so cheap now.

[N7YA]

Well then, must be something else.


A really nice Mink pimp coat...floor length, of course. :giggity:

[kb2crk]

added another motorola radio to the mix and wired up the PA for the maratrac. not done yet as the wiring needs to be straightened out and loomed up and the under dash panel put back in. yes i know the new radio is an eleven meter am radio. just a few pics.
i still have to get the 6 meter maratrac in. maybe next week....

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/maratrac012.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/maratrac010.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/maratrac011.jpg

[kb2crk]

after a little hunting i figured i would dig up this old thread as the old maratrac has made a move.
this is an in process install but some pics anyway. this is in a 2000 dodge caravan.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/mobile003.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/mobile007.jpg
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n404/kb2crk/mobile004.jpg

along with the maratrac are two maxtracs with room for a third, and a mocat 23 channel cb.
the six meter maratrac control head will be mounted under the two meter unit. the radio and siren/pa amp are loose in the back of the van right now and i will mount them on monday when i have some time to route the wires. the six meter radio drawer will be mounted on top of the 2 meter unit in a stacked configuration. i need to find an o-ring for the one nmo mout i have not drilled for yet. it would have been done but i had no time to go hunting an o-ring and i ran out of daylight. that will allow me to remove the one mag mount left on the roof. two ball mounts will be going on the sides when i decide to put the kenwood 570dg in the van as i have plenty of room..

[WX7P]

Nerdy. But I like it.

[NQ6U]

Hey, he dug up an old thread! Time for a banning al a The Zed!

[KG4CGC]

Hey, he dug up an old thread! Time for a banning al a The Zed!
With Whipped Mallow Cups.

[kb2crk]

it's my thread and i can dig it up if i want..... this is the island after all....