How to put two-way radio in the car: power supply, antenna, ground

Half of the complaints "buyed the station and no connection" are not the station. This is power supply from the lighter, antenna on the mirror and lack of normal mass. Let’s take a look at what the distance actually decides.

Power Supply: Why the Lightning Is Not Good

In the vehicle-mounted transmission, the station at 25 W briefly consumes tangible current. The thin wiring of the cigarette lighter drains the tension, and the characteristic happens: you are heard “with wheezing”, and at long distances you can not hear at all. power supply is started. battery-free, plus and minus, with its sufficient cross-section wire, with a fuse in the plus gap next to the terminal.

On equipment with onboard network 24 V is needed converter It is not possible to connect the 13.2-volt station directly. Staffed power supply cable with fuse holders Take immediately: homemade assembly is the most frequent failure site in a year.

Antenna solves more than watts

Doubling the power adds a few percentages to the range. Properly placed antenna - adds many times. Three rules:

Metal roof center. The roof works as a counterweight. The antenna on the edge of the body or on the mirror loses half of its efficiency and “shines” sideways.
A whole mass. The place under the base is cleaned to metal. The paint between the base and the body is the absence of a counterweight.
The cable is lengthy, not "with reserve." Extra meters, curled up with a ring under the skin, eat power and cause interference.

For VHF 136–174 MHz take pin-bandfor a stationary point, basic. On a stationary antenna is mandatory storm-dischargerWithout it, the first thunderstorm carries the receiving tract.

What to check after installation

CSV, first thing. Working on an untuned antenna burns out the output cascade, and this is not a warranty case. Next – communication at maximum and minimum power from different points of the route, not only at the gate of the base. And be sure to listen to yourself by someone else’s station: the distortions in the transmission are heard by the interlocutor, not you.

Little things that cost a lot later.

The radiator of the station should be blown - under the seat in a closed niche, it warms up and goes into defense. The antenna connector is sealed after installation. hand microphoneo They are hung so that the driver takes it without looking. And keep it in the car. plug-in It breaks down more often than not.

Choosing equipment

A simple task, one channel. GM160. Multiple channels and an indication. GM340 VHF or GM340 UHF. A large fleet with a targeted call. GM360. Going digital. DM2600 and DM4401.