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Installing a VHF RadioFebruary 18/04 Written by Greg When we're out exploring British Columbia's endless mazes of forest trails, it's very easy for the group to become separated. In the winter months, there is limited daylight available and we frequently find outselves out well after sunset. And in the summer, dry logging roads mean choking dust clouds created by the riders in front of you, forcing you to spread out over several kilometers. For situations like these, equipping your quad with a two-way radio makes a lot of sense. Our ATV group uses VHF as our primary method of radio communications. We're all Amateur Radio operators (hams), and our VHF mobile radios put out 50w of RF power, more than enough to communicate on the trail. Most modern radios have alphanumeric displays, so instead of seeing the uninformative "146.660" in the display, it can read "MT SUMAS". If you aren't a ham radio operator, there are other options available. You can purchase a commercial VHF radio, and get license from Industry Canada who will assign a frequency to you. Or, you could investigate getting your Amateur Radio license; a good resource is the Radio Amateurs of Canada website. The radio I'm installing is an Icom IC-F1020, a 160-ch, 50-watt, computer-programmable VHF mobile. The main reason was because I already had it sitting on a shelf, but I'd still consider an Icom if I had to buy a new radio because Icom makes a good product, and service is local for me (located in Delta, BC). The antenna is a Larsen wide-band quarter-wave in black, which includes a black shock spring. The mount is Larsen's mirror mount, only available in chrome. Larsen makes a good product, and I've been using them for over 15 years. The first order of business was to determine where everything was going to go. Take your time while doing this step, and make sure you trial-fit everything. The radio had to be located such that it wouldn't be subject to rain or spray. The microphone had to be within easy reach, while not interfering with the steering or any other controls. The antenna had to be located so that it would be out of the way, and wouldn't poke my eyes out when it was whipping around. I decided that the best place for the radio would be in the quad trunk. I needed a nice, sturdy bracket that spaced the radio out from the lip of the trunk, so I made some measurements, and cut a piece of aluminum sheet to size with a band saw. I made the two bends, and drilled holes with a drill press. Using the bracket as a template, I drilled four holes in the right side of the quad trunk. I mounted the bracket to the trunk with bolts and Nyloc nuts, with washers to spread the load. When lining everything up, make sure you allow space for the mic connector on the front panel, and space for the coax and other connectors on the rear panel. My quad trunk is not water-tight, as it has slots along the bottom for the mounting straps. The slots were large enough that I could run all of my cables plus the mounting strap through one of the slots. The first cable I ran was actually a pair; the power and ground wires. I ran both wires directly to the battery, to help eliminate ignition noise. Rather than cut up an expensive factory Icom harness, I made my own harness using red and black 14-ga wires, twisting them together to make the harness easy to handle. I installed "ring" crimp connectors on the battery-end of the power wires; the best way to do this is first remove and discard the blue plastic insulators, slip heat-shrink tubing over the wires, strip the wires, crimp the connectors to the wires, solder the connectors to the wires, then slide the heat-shrink tubing up over the connection and apply heat. If you do this with all of your electrical connections, they'll be totally reliable no matter what you put your quad through. I put an ATO fuse holder in line with the positive wire, fitted with a 10A fuse. I ran the wires along the rack tubing, and through one of the holes in the quad's plastic. I fed the positive wire through the red rubber cap over the battery's positive terminal to keep things looking neat, then covered the wires with black convoluted tubing to prevent chafing and cuts from flying rocks. A small nylon wire-tie around each end of the tubing kept the wires in place. Next up was the antenna. I decided to mount it on the right side of the rear rack tube. If you check the two screws that hold the antenna mount to the L-bracket, you'll probably find that they are only finger-tight (I checked four brand new mounts; all were the same). I suspect that this is caused by the factory snugging the screws, then over time the rubber gasket compresses, which loosens the screws. I removed the screws, applied blue LockTite to the threads (which permanently locks up 1/4" hardware), then reinstalled and tightened the screws. Make sure they're tight, but don't over-tighten. I mounted the L-bracket to the rack, then ran the coax cable along the rack, then up through the slot in the trunk. I allowed some extra coax in case I had to shift the trunk around, then cut the coax to length. I installed the PL-259 connector; make sure you use a solder-type coax connector and not a crimp-type coax connector; this is essential for a reliable connection. Remember, we're subjecting our installation to lots of vibration and shock. I suspected that the radio's internal speaker wouldn't be audible through the trunk and my helmet, over the engine and wind noise. I installed a waterproof Motorola 4-inch remote motorcycle speaker from an MCX-1000 VHF radio (I have an extensive radio junk box!); I had to change the connector from Motorola's proprietary plug to a standard 3.5mm phone plug. As usual, solder and heat-shrink tubing were used. I used two U-bolts to mount the Motorola bracket to the front rack. The sound quality from this speaker is amazing; very loud and completely clear, with no distortion at high volume. Other waterproof speaker choices are small PA horns and marine stereo speakers. Finally, I had to mount the microphone. I had a Uniden mic hanger in my parts bin, and it held the Icom mic nicely. I wanted to mount the hanger on the left side of the handlebar, right next to the choke lever. This would place it within easy arm's reach, and would allow the coiled mic cable to fall across the fuel tank without interfering with anything. Obviously the coiled mic cord wasn't long enough to reach the radio, so I needed to find or make an extension cord. Dave found a cable from a mobile cell phone that was set up with male-male RJ45 connectors, along with a female-female adapter. I ran it through the usual slot in the trunk, then along the frame, and terminated it near the steering shaft under the shelter of the instrument cluster plastic. I cut a small piece of aluminum to size and angled it with a vise and hammer to make a custom mount for the mic hanger, and cut out a channel the exact width of a hose clamp which would allow me to securely mount it to the handlebar. I rounded the corners to prevent injury, and used rivets to affix the hanger to the mount. Now that all of the cables were run, I used nylon wire-ties to tie them all to the rack. This installation will not let me remove the trunk, so future work will include installing quick-disconnects on the coax and power cables on the outside of the trunk (I can still fit the connectors for the speaker and mic cables through the slot). When running your cables, ensure that they do not touch exhaust components or moving parts such as suspension pieces. Total installation time was approximately 3 hours. Icom p/n IC-F1020-2 - Programmable VHF mobile radio Larsen p/n NMOWBQB - Black wide-band quarter-wave antenna with shock spring Larsen p/n MB - Chrome mirror bracket with NMO mount and coax Larsen p/n PL259 - PL-259 coax connector Motorola p/n VSN4019A - Waterproof motorcycle speaker |
Photos     NotesThere are various types and styles of two-way radios available, but the focus of this article is on VHF mobile radios. VHF mobiles offer several advantages: Long range:Although we do most of our talking while we're within a kilometer of each other, we've successfully talked while over 100kms apart. FRS, CB, and most hand-held radios generally have a maximum range of 1-5 km's.High power:VHF mobiles typically have an RF power output of 25w to 50w. Compare this to FRS's 500mW, CB's 4w, and a hand-held VHF's 5w. The higher the power, the longer the range.Short antenna:Different antenna types are available. The antenna I've chosen for this installation is a "quarter-wave", which is approximately 18" long (the length depends on the actual frequency or range of frequencies used). The polarization (signal pattern) of a quarter-wave antenna makes it perform well in mountainous terrain. When greater range is desired for flat, wide-open areas such as desert or prairies, I can switch over to a gain antenna such as a "5/8-wave" (approximately 48" long). The length of a typical CB antenna is approx 49" or longer. For ATV use, a short antenna is desirable as it's less likely to strike the rider or get snagged by foliage.No worries about batteries running out:A mobile radio is wired directly to the ATV battery, so there's no worry about your hand-held batteries running out, no need to carry spare battery packs, and no problem of NiCd batteries failing in cold weather.Military-spec radios available:Most manufacturers of VHF mobiles sell models that are built to military standards. Look for Mil-Std C, D, E, and F for vibration and shock, and better radios are also spec'd for dust, mist, and more. Obviously, a well-built radio is desirable for use on our quads. FRS and CB radios are not built to military standards.Compatibility with logging road frequencies:This can let you know where the logging trucks are, if you're riding on an active logging road.Compatibility with frequencies used by SAR, forestry, highways, weather, fire, marine, and others:This can be useful during emergencies, and those services make for good monitoring during bad weather or disasters.And finally, you don't have to worry about accidentally dropping and losing your hand-held radio on the trail, or forgetting it at home. Read more about 4x4 communications |
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