Setting up a system in a apt complex

[lil devil]

Hello everyone this lil devil from the state of NC. Well i am interested in getting back in to talking in skipland. I need to some advice from anyone who has lived in a apt and didn't have his neighbors wanting to string him up cause of the bleed over.
i can tell you what i am looking at using for a complete system and maybe you all can help me set up something better?
i am wanting a radio with at least 6-8 watts on am and 20-25 watts on SSB with min. 6 bands, frequency counter built in preferably, and maybe power mic or a good mic. and i am thinking about using a Wilson 1000 for the base antenna.
Now i have a small motor cycle charger can that be used as my power converter for inside the apt?
BTW i ain't wanting to sell my soul for this package.
Any help would be much appreciative

lil devil

[distortion69]

You will have little to no luck with a wilson 1000 as a base antenna.

I would suggest getting a bazooka dipole,or making your own dipole and setting it up to talk on the flatside.. you will make alot more contacts.

Too many options for me to narrow it down for you on the radio, just a personal preference thing. Iota makes nice power supplies tho.

Peace,
Josh

[Mr RadioActive]

Glad to see you made it to the forum!

[hotrod459magnolia]

i suggest you fix up a mobile cause just a radio aint going to get you into skipland very easy and you might make your neighbors mad in the apartment complex.

i mean i just turn on my little driver box and i talk through all of my tv's, and make my wifes hair dryer throw sparks..... yall ought to try that sometime in the morning when the wife is getting ready for work!!!!!!!!!!

[KI4MSJ]

I would suggest to you to get FCC type accepted equipment like a 706 or any other HAM radio. You can have them converted for 11m which I don't condone. They will have all the filtering so you don't bother your neighbors. If you buy something like a Galaxy,Lincoln, Ranger ect...you will not have good filtering and will need to put filtering in-line and ferret beads on your coax and power cords. As far as the antenna goes make yourself a Dipole antenna. It will be stealthy and virtually invisible. Or get the vertical antenna as high as you can. Just my two cents

[lil devil]

Well i found a guy on eBay who makes and sells dipole antenna's. have had several emails with him and i think i have found what i needed for antenna and also got myself a nice power supply there. i bought a radio from one of the members from in here. just need to wait for the equipment to arrive and then go out and get some decent coax. thanks for all the input everyone.
Lil Devil

[vw-porsche]

Does anybody make an offset push up pole, say 2 feet, to be able to get an antenna up above the roof line to get out decently. Has anybody ever seen anything like this or a decent setup to get out of an all wood balcony in an apartment?

rob

[bookie]

use a push up painters pole, and blocks how ever big you need the off set to be and then a small water pipe or radio shack poll plus 4 muffler clamps and you have an off-set push-up poll for cheap. thats the best way i know how.

best of luck

nate

[DX47]

Don't use the motorcycle bat charger, you will be asking for trouble, and it will throw off all kinds of RFI. A lot of the cheaper ones depend on a battery to regulate the charge, without it it could through out 20 volts.

I am not sure about the purity of the output on CB/ten meter radios, some are better than others I am sure. Some of the ranger radios that are really made for side band may be the best bet, along with a DCI band pass filter or low pass filter. The double bazooka dipole antenna suggested is a good choice, they are narrow banded antennas outside of the band they are designed for, so that attenuates the harmonics that will **Censored** of your neighbors.

YOu really need to get a lowpass or band pass filter no matter what though. I also hope you are on the ground floor at your apartment building...

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[vw-porsche]

After more investigation, I am basically restricted to a dipole like antenna as it seems fairly stealthy. How is their performance though? I'm not looking to bounce skip or anything, just some local fun. I have two mounting options, either vertically on the outside of my balcony or horizontally under the roof line atop my balcony? Does it matter which way the v points? I realize I will probably only have about 180 degrees at most of a good tx/rx footprint but is it going to be worth about the $40 to hook it up?

thanks,

rob

[samskip]

After more investigation, I am basically restricted to a dipole like antenna as it seems fairly stealthy. How is their performance though? I'm not looking to bounce skip or anything, just some local fun. I have two mounting options, either vertically on the outside of my balcony or horizontally under the roof line atop my balcony? Does it matter which way the v points? I realize I will probably only have about 180 degrees at most of a good tx/rx footprint but is it going to be worth about the $40 to hook it up?

thanks,

rob

Dipoles are great antennas and work fantastic, FOR SKIP! Your not going to be maul dropping locally with a dipole antenna just so your aware of that. If your looking for a monster of a skip antenna, it's the perfect choice! You'll be able to talk locally, just not very good. The radiation off the dipole works great for those 1000 mile contacts, not those 5 mile ones =-)

[doctor]

Make your own dipole, go get a tube cardboard a couple and tape together with hvy duty tape, take nr 12 or 14 wire
and cut the length for the cb band 468 divided by the frequency 27.385<example> wrap around the tubing on each side..that is the length divided by two and secure with tape make sure each wrap doesn't touch the other, run your coax one side grnd other center conductor and you can secure to the balcony roof and each end you can ties to the roof and have your dipole hang down...Friend of mine has this set up runs about power you mention but has a bencher filter hooked to the radio then coax attached to the filter, works ssb and skip.
I would suggest a magnum 257 15 watts am and 50 on ssb but you can adjust power down., get a good power supply also. I get mine from r and l electronics.
Anyhow he has no tvi, rfi with the above.

Good luck

DOCTOR/

[vw-porsche]

While out walking last night I saw a guy with some ham antennas in my complex in a place I had never thought to mount them. I am back on for a vertical I think. I still have to keep it low key but think I can get away with because of the couple of trees in that spot will mask it. Anybody ever camouflage an antenna? I don't think I want to push much beyond a half waves height to try and keep it discreet. Does anybody make one that the top half is a whip?

thanks for any more help

rob

[231]

While out walking last night I saw a guy with some ham antennas in my complex in a place I had never thought to mount them. I am back on for a vertical I think. I still have to keep it low key but think I can get away with because of the couple of trees in that spot will mask it. Anybody ever camouflage an antenna? I don't think I want to push much beyond a half waves height to try and keep it discreet. Does anybody make one that the top half is a whip?

thanks for any more help

rob

You can easily make one with 2 mobile antennas. I'd suggest for the best performance to use SS whips, though. (1) for center lead from the coax and (1) for the sheild. The other option is to simply use wire for both +/-...which is MUCH cheaper and should work just as well.

What about an inverted "L" or inverted "V"? They work well, too. Same dipole, just a different configuration on the legs of the antenna. That's the beauty using a dipole, they are usually very forgiving to their installation.

good luck.