Amateur Radio (Ham Radio) Operators on this forum?

"Wow Israel, that is a hike from here. Are you there permanently or just for a while? Are you running portable on the HF bands? Mike"

Been in Israel two years. Moving back to the States this month and almost certainly buying a lightly used '12 Prius. Whether I install an HF rig in it will depend on how well and effectively I can operate from whatever condo in the Kansas City suburbs I end up in. I've never had more than a cheap 2-meter/430MHz rig permanently installed in a vehicle (that was in Hawaii, car-vandalism capital of the mid-Pacific). The idea of leaving a much more expensive radio in a vehicle all the time (I'm an IC-7000 owner) makes me a little uneasy. I may do like I did in Hawaii and install wiring to the 12v battery with Anderson Powerpole connectors so I can plug in and use the HF rig when I want to. In a gasser, the IC-7000 can work adequately on HF without lots of bonding and other usual vehicle noise-reduction stuff because it has such good DSP noise reduction. Have no idea whether that's the case in a car full of hybrid hocus-pocus. In Israel, operated from home, on top of a small mountain in the Galilee, with an end-fed half wave wire, almost entirely in JT65 mode. In Hawaii, operated almost entirely parked mobile at the beach. HOA restrictions and steel-reinforced concrete high-rise condo construction made it impossible to tune an indoor small magnetic loop antenna adequately for transmit. With the help of the big saltwater thing, I was occasionally working Europe, the Middle East and southern Africa (SSB phone) with 100 watts and a 20-meter Hamstick clone mag-mounted on the roof of my pickup. A lot of hams in Hawaii have to operate that way ... and get similarly amazing results.

Ernie NH7L, soon to be ex-4X/NH7L.

 

Inactive and license lapsed, I'm afraid.
I started by listening on a Hallicrafters general coverage receiver that my dad bought me (used) when I was in high school. In college got more interested and ended up getting a novice license first, doing CW on an ancient Johnson Viking Ranger transmitter using the Hallicrafters as the receiver. Eventually upgraded to General class and got an FT-101 that I actually ran mobile in '72 Datsun 510. Also built a Heathkit 2 meter that I played with as we drove across the country in our move to Seattle in 1979.
After that came kids and concerns about interfering with the neighbors' TV sets, etc. and I just never got back to it.

Formerly WB2JKQ.

 

N2SIY in Orlando, Florida. Though I cannot remember the last time I picked up the handset and said CQ CQ.

 

Greetings from WP4JMN, Puerto Rico!
Yesterday I finished installing a TM-V71A in my Prius v.
The transmitter is under the passenger seat, the display is installed at an angle to the cellphone pocket with a dab of hot glue (used a common CAT-5 cable and a female\female adapter to make it remote). The mic is lying on the open storage space until I find a place for it.

 

Hi Mike!
No noises of any kind, no "hash". Got a good TX audio report. (I've read that HF operations is not that easy...)
BTW, the V71 is connected directly to the 12 volt battery. The radio has an inactivity timer that I set to 30 minutes in case I forget to turn it off before exiting the car.

73 de cristino, wp4jmn

 

I had 4 sisters once, moved away, no more noise!

 

W4VRH reporting for roll call in Kentucky, USA.

 

Update. Back in the States, got a '12 Prius. Today parked a mag-mount whip on the roof and successfully worked the local 2-meter repeater here in Kansas. Whoopee. From what I read online, VHF/UHF is a piece of cake in a Prius, which I just confirmed (using 5 watts out of an HT wired to the ciggie lighter socket). I also have read that a Prius is heavily HF EMF sound deadened, such that it is "only" about as noisy as a normal gasser car. That is, of course, still pretty noisy. I doubt I'll ever try mobile HF in it. Shopping for a home. If I do OK at that, I'll be able to operate indoors and mobile won't be such a temptation. Yeah, I'd enjoy being able to do mobile HF, especially out here where you can drive for miles without seeing another car. But I can live without it if I have decent base-station options. Plus, lately I've been doing mostly data, and that's not the greatest idea in a moving vehicle anyway.

 

Glad I found this thread. I bought a Prius V Two today! I am a not-very-active ham (KB3CEE) but I would like to have a 2m rig in the car, as I had in my old one. I just posted a message asking for ideas on where to put radio and antenna, if possible without drilling (don't want to do it in the brand-new car). Any insights?

 

Error

 

My call is K9zsq and I have been using a ft100 in my 2010 prius for 3 years with no problems

 

Add another Ham to the list. I just joined yesterday. My call sign is WY6L and bought a 2015 Prius V three last Saturday. Big project will be figuring out how to hook up my FT-857D in the car. I will have two K400 mounts on the hatch. Once I figure out where the battery post is I can use then it'll be easy to do. My main problem is my HF antenna is a 102" CB whip. With my YT-100 from LDG I can tune from 6M - 40M but have problems on 17 meters. I love it. The wife wants to park it in the garage so that whip will not work. I guess I'll have to get the ATAS-120A for the V.

73, WY6L
Dean
DM07dg

 

How easy it is to make a typo. The Prius is a 2014 V three. Silly me.

73, WY6L
Dean
DM07dg

 

Since i haven't figured out how to start a new thread I'll just do it here. I just bought a Prius V three and am looking for some cool ideas as to where to put my FT-857D and mount antennas. I was looking at a large screwdriver. Someone put a receiver hitch on their car and put a screwdriver on it. I'm looking for other ideas. I do HF in the car as well as VHF/UHF. The car is going to be put in a standard garage when not in use.

73, WY6L
Dean
DM07dg

 

That sounds like a cool idea. Now to find out how much that big screwdriver goes for. My budget is about $500 for this next year. Right now i'm using a UHF/VHF mag mount hooked to my Kenwood TH-22AT. It works great on the local reapers.

73, WY6L
Dean
DM07dg