Post by Jeff - jthspace on Aug 28, 2021 9:57:54 GMT
I have a Baofeng radio which covers PMR (Public Mobile Radio) and the Amature Bands (70cm and 2m).
For car use, it's best to have the antenna up in the open with a decent ground plane so I bought an external antenna for PMR use (tuned to the correct frequency range (446.0-446.1 MHz or 67cm wavelength) but it's not good for the Amature 2 metre band and probably marginal on the 70cm band.
Techy bit: A "rubber duck" antenna is a compromise, so an external antenna with a good ground plane will ensure that all of the radio signal will be transmitted giving the radio a better range.
It was smaller than the picture on eBay made it out to be, but for less than £6 it does it's job.
I threaded the lead thru the boot on the right hand side and bought the end out behind the drivers seat. I ran it under the IL Motorsport padded carpet and out near the centre of the car. There was plenty of lead, so it is tucked up under the carpet. NOTE: DO NOT curl the extra lead up in a roll but let it lay loose under the carpet.
The magnet on the base seemed a bit weak, so I glued a rare earth magnet onto it to give it some extra grip. When not in use, the aerial can be dropped into the boot and attached to some spare part of the bodywork.
Once the aerial lead is attached, I can either clip the radio to the pocket of the windbreaker, or tuck it inside for a discrete fitting. The radio shows up in the photo but in normal viewing (non-flash) it is very hard to see. It's best to lock the keypad against accidental use if tucked away, a long press on the lock key will secure it against accidental channel change.
For car use, it's best to have the antenna up in the open with a decent ground plane so I bought an external antenna for PMR use (tuned to the correct frequency range (446.0-446.1 MHz or 67cm wavelength) but it's not good for the Amature 2 metre band and probably marginal on the 70cm band.
Techy bit: A "rubber duck" antenna is a compromise, so an external antenna with a good ground plane will ensure that all of the radio signal will be transmitted giving the radio a better range.
It was smaller than the picture on eBay made it out to be, but for less than £6 it does it's job.
I threaded the lead thru the boot on the right hand side and bought the end out behind the drivers seat. I ran it under the IL Motorsport padded carpet and out near the centre of the car. There was plenty of lead, so it is tucked up under the carpet. NOTE: DO NOT curl the extra lead up in a roll but let it lay loose under the carpet.
The magnet on the base seemed a bit weak, so I glued a rare earth magnet onto it to give it some extra grip. When not in use, the aerial can be dropped into the boot and attached to some spare part of the bodywork.
Once the aerial lead is attached, I can either clip the radio to the pocket of the windbreaker, or tuck it inside for a discrete fitting. The radio shows up in the photo but in normal viewing (non-flash) it is very hard to see. It's best to lock the keypad against accidental use if tucked away, a long press on the lock key will secure it against accidental channel change.