Car to Car progress?

[greenwoo]

Tony H, yes thats the kind of set up envisaged....but i talked with the antenna supplier yesterday as i wanted to know whether the aerial needed a ground plane - he told me that you can run a sep wire from the mount to an earth point if need be.

[jeffw]

Obviously an uprated Aerial and increased power has the potential to pick-up transmission further away (from the people you want to talk to and anyone else on that band) as well as transmitting over greater distances (and thus impacting other users of this band).

This makes you the 'shouty man' in the pub as far as this bandwidth is concerned. Something to take into account with your decision making.

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binari ... MR4461.pdf

[David T]

I would rather remain legal. Not sure exactly why handheld CBs have been ruled out. What about something like the Midland kit with FBI style headset? A known brand, can add aftermarket upgraded aerial, if desired and batteries are easily replaced with standard Ni-Mh AA cells.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIDLAND-ALAN- ... 1e963762a5

http://www.cbforumas.lt/upload/manuals/ ... _42_um.pdf

[greenwoo]

David, no one has ruled anything out really. I took the decision to try to move things forward, as it was a topic that has been on/off the shelf for some time.
the solution that N and i will trial may not suit all/everyone...but it will serve as an idea of what 'may' work and what may not!

Handheld cb was trashed as an idea by a couple of shops/specialists that i talked with who suggested that the range just isn't there. Moreover there is a price point at which folks will baulk.
We're back to the whole 'line of sight' type scenario...whether that's cb or walkie talkie. Yes you can stuff a longer aerial onto a walkie talkie - ie/ not an external one and if its .5 watts you're within the rules, but sensibly the unit will then need securing upright in the car and in a way that prevents the aerial getting torn off or damaged.

IF this trial works, folks will know what is possible - at both ends of the spectrum - ie/ a normal walkie talkie might reach 1/2 mile or so, and this set up might do 2-3 ( or whatever ) - therefore someone using a better aerial and a standard pmr would get something in between under same conditions.
there was no point doing a trial and then saying, ok, let's try a better aerial, or a bigger/better unit...

personally i've no intention of being the shouty man alluded to. 99/100 the need would be in the middle of the countryside where i'd imagine that the usage by fellow users would be somewhat low.

[Nash]

Also worth adding, as M and I are self funding these trials and the whole subject is a veritable minefield we are looking to get to a value added solution that suits most needs.

As well as the options discussed above I'm also in discussion with some licensed Radio people that may be interested in doing a bulk (SKCC Group) Foundation Radio Licensing exam (I'm told very simple) that would allow us to use radios of upto 10 watts. That would cover all our needs but does it give value for money for our needs?! We'll find out I guess.

10/4 good buddy vs G3NSI Roger Roger

[Larkingabout]

Also worth adding, as M and I are self funding these trials and the whole subject is a veritable minefield we are looking to get to a value added solution that suits most needs.

As well as the options discussed above I'm also in discussion with some licensed Radio people that may be interested in doing a bulk (SKCC Group) Foundation Radio Licensing exam (I'm told very simple) that would allow us to use radios of upto 10 watts. That would cover all our needs but does it give value for money for our needs?! We'll find out I guess.

10/4 good buddy vs G3NSI Roger Roger

Neil and Mark, much appreciate the dedication to the cause. Like the concept as in theory us slower lot never need get lost! The exam, as you say, is not too hard and I for one would rather stay legal than not. Will wait the outcome of the trial with interest.

[greenwoo]

well the gear arrived today. Had a minor hiccup when i thought that i'd forgotten a couple of key bits, turned out they were in one of the aerial packs and were tiny - needless to say i'd only opened the other pack!

spent a while disappearing up my posterior working out how to use what is in effect a simple automated program that populates a table which in turn can be uploaded to the devices. Had a minor niggle with 1 unit which the pc couldnt 'see', turned out the usb/serial connector wasn't quite seated right.
I reckon now having gathered the info and stored in safely, i could load one of these in about 2 minutes. Easy peasy.

managed to 'connect' each unit to each other - call/receive...but can't do more tonight to trail under 'normal' circs....

the magnetic mounts for the aerials are blooming powerful, so no danger of them falling off at speed.

as N says there are options - such as looking at getting an entry level Certification, or just detuning the gear. It'll just be interesting to see how this lot pans out.

needless to say havent read the manual yet to access the finer settings, that can wait - we'll see whether we are any better off than using a loud hailer...

[Dick]

Sound like it could be a good thing and can only start to imagin how this will add to the fun of the off piste waypoint. Must say nice to see people worrying about being legal , I worry every time I go out about breaking the law.

[Pistol]

Is it just me or do Jeff's comments about shouty man remind you of Mark telling a private joke in thre bar on the 2013 road trip - which suddenly turned into the whole bar listenjng and waiting for the punchline

Hope the trials go well - good luck.

[David T]

From a power point of view, they are both 4W (if you de-restrict the Bowfinger from its standard 1W). So the differences observed in range must be down to the combination of aerial and frequency.

How do the larger aerials compare in length? I think the CB smaller whip aerial is about 0.9m.

For me there are plenty of bolts on the cage to mount aerials on.