I recently had recall work done to my car that required access to the fuel tank. Guess where the fuel tank is accessed? That’s right, it’s accessed by removing the rear seat! If you’re familiar with my car, then you know that I don’t have a rear seat. Instead, I have a 1280 watt-hour lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4 or LFP) battery where the rear seat once was. There’s no way that I’d let anyone else work on this battery, much less remove it! Removing it requires the tedious unclipping and disconnecting of dozens of wires, as well as extra electrical safety precautions when working with secondary power sources. Reinstalling it requires even more attention to detail! I postponed removing the battery until I knew that my travel schedule would be clear. Continue reading
LiFePo4 Battery Shenanigans and Long-Term Review
Why Use a DC-DC Charger in a Mobile Installation?
So, you want to add a “house battery” to your van or an “auxiliary battery” to your touring rig? Adding a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4 or LFP) secondary battery is not as simple as simply placing it in parallel with the vehicle’s starter battery! Believe it or not, a passenger vehicle’s alternator is NOT appropriate for charging lithium batteries (dedicated secondary alternators are an exception). First, its output voltage is not quite correct; nor, is it intended to charge two batteries (starter and aux) with differing chemistries at the same time. Next, and perhaps more important, lithium-based batteries will draw far higher charge current than a standard alternator should supply. My particular LiFePo4 battery management system (BMS) will take as much as 120 amps of charge current while others can take 200 amps or more. That can lead to alternator damage and possibly start a fire under the hood! The goal is to find a solution that adjusts charge voltage, limits charge current, and isolates the lithium battery from the starter battery. Continue reading
Victron Energy Orion XS 12|12-50A DC/DC Charger
I charged my LiFePo4 auxiliary battery with an Orion Tr 12|12-30A for nearly three years with good results. My only complaint was that the unit heats quickly and then de-rates its power output. The “30-amp” output was usually closer to 22 amps after about 20 minutes. It was tolerable, though, because it still isolated the two battery circuits and would not overdraw from the alternator. Still, I was fairly pleased when the new Orion XS 12|12-50A was announced late in 2023. I knew that I’d want to upgrade! The first units were sold and tested in Europe early in 2024, with shipments arriving in the United States a few months later. I was finally able to order mine in June and received it in July. I had to upgrade some wiring, but I was quick to install the charger afterwards. Continue reading
MMBT Tour Mechanic as Bicycle Mobile
I shared that I had built a new bicycle mobile station about three weeks ago. I recently returned from its shakedown tour. A close friend, named Sharon, formed a bicycle touring company called Magical Mystery Bike Tours in 2023. She swiftly selected me as her bicycle mechanic due to years of seeing my high level of mechanical preparation during long rides. Our October 2024 tour was originally slated to run on the New River Trail. This trail has limited access for support vehicles; so, Sharon wanted me to ride as a “sweep” so that at least some of my tools and skills were on the trail with the riders instead of in a truck on a distant road. However, Hurricane Helene decimated New River Trail and some of our planned destinations. Continue reading
A Return to my Roots: KE4WMF Bicycle Mobile!
I’m a long-time avid cyclist and was a daily bicycle commuter when I got my Amateur Radio license in 1995. As is often the case with new hams, my first radio was a handheld transceiver (HT). As a technical nerd, it was natural for me to mount it to my bicycle for use during my commute. This old photo shows one of the many variations that I had tried. Most of the other hams on a local “commuter net” were surprised that I could reach the repeater with an HT along my commute. I credit the J-pole antenna that I had taped to a fiberglass safety flagpole. Later, I added a 30-watt amplifier and pair of 6.5-Ah lead acid batteries (heavy!). I even rode that setup on an 1100-mile bicycle tour. Today, my options are both more sophisticated and lighter. Continue reading
2024 Solar Eclipse Road Trip, Including SEQP and POTA
As the sun enters totality, there is a flash called the “Diamond Ring.”
I had loosely planned this trip in 2017 when a partial solar eclipse passed over Virginia. I was at work and got a brief glimpse of the ¾-eclipsed sun through an office window with a set of borrowed safety glasses. I thought it was interesting, but wanted to see if there was an even better opportunity in the future. A web search revealed that the 2024 total eclipse would pass directly over my family’s small town in central Texas. Even better, my brother built a house on 10 acres outside of town in 2018. I knew it would be a perfect location for a private eclipse viewing. But there were a few things that I didn’t know at the time… Continue reading
Feed Line Pass-Thru
I have a cool widget in my setup that I haven’t detailed beyond a small paragraph on my Rover page. I presented the question, “How do I get so many feed lines out of the car and to the roof?” As many new Rovers often do, my first execution was to simply feed the coaxial cables into the car through a rear window and seal it using a piece of pipe insulation, shown here. I saw how others had used a piece of wood, much like what might be used in a home window. I didn’t like that at all. It didn’t take long for me to conclude that I wanted something that’s both better looking and durable enough to last in the elements during extended use. Continue reading
Yet Another New Tower: Is It the Last?
My trailer-mounted tower was a success during ARRL’s January VHF contest. Unfortunately, there was one area in which it fell short: AGILITY. Sure, the trailer works fine when my goal is to proceed to a destination, park, and operate. On the other hand, agility is very helpful when working grid lines with other rovers. We tend to skip back and forth across the grid lines to maximize our points multipliers. I can be quite the wizard at maneuvering my small trailer during the day. See my “Stunt Parking“ page for details. However, things change for the worse when I need to back the small black trailer in the dark, especially in unlighted areas. As a result, I very quickly returned to a rooftop setup after the contest. Continue reading
Hood Mounted Antennas
The idea of hood-mounted antennas had not appealed to me. With my sedans, I would either use a trunk lip mount or, eventually, a hole mount. Trunk lip mounts are not compatible with my GTI because of the plastic cladding on the hatchback. I went with a replacement for my factory sharkfin antenna on the roof. See how I did it here. Eventually, I decided to keep my roof rack mounted full-time and populated it with antennas. The latest configuration of my my contest rover’s “micro-tower” has lowered the Yagis by about 12 inches. That brought the lowest Yagi within easy striking distance of two of my rack-mounted vertical antennas. In some cases, I can replace those verticals with shorter variations. But I also concluded that mounting some of my verticals to the hood would lower their overall height and eliminate the collision hazard altogether. Continue reading
January VHF Contest: Trailer Tower Retired
Happy New Year! Yes, I know I’m a bit late. I’ve been both busy and distracted. I mentioned my decision to build a tower trailer in November. I can’t believe it’s been so long already! What have I been doing to make progress on the trailer build? Well, there was a slow grind toward getting my feed lines rerouted to the rear bumper. Rather than reroute, I decided to purchase new feed lines and route them as additional cables. I also added four 4-ft sections to couple the trailer to the car. One of my greatest delays was due to my indecisiveness about whether I wanted to add Type-N fittings to the rear bumper or just run with loose cables that I’d tuck when not in use. Continue reading
Attaching Displays and Equipment: More Details!
I recently shared a write-up about how I mounted my displays. A recent discussion prompted me to share even more detail. I’m asked fairly regularly, “How did you put that there?” Every make and model of car or truck has its own challenge for placing radio components. I prefer to use transceivers with detachable displays so that I can minimize how much real estate is used on my dash or other areas of the car. If you’ve poked around my website, followed me on Instagram, or watched my YouTube channel, then you know that I’m fond of “Amazing Goop.” It’s an adhesive that holds well, but is flexible enough to avoid cracking or breaking, even in high-vibration applications. Best yet, it can be removed without a trace with steady pressure. Nearly all of my displays and microphones are held in place with Goop, either completely or with assistance. This article will share how I mounted all ham-related equipment, not just the displays. Continue reading
Tower Trailer – Still a Mobile Station?
You may recall that I experienced a functional failure of my roof rack due to the extra leverage applied by its roof-mounted antenna tower. Read here for more info. Note that nearly any factory-installed roof rack is up to this task since they’re mounted with more hardware and attach to structural points along the vehicle’s roof. Having an aftermarket rack that attaches to a “naked roof,” I determined that there is no way to strengthen the rack in my particular application. Rather than abandon the idea of using a mobile tower for contesting, I opted to move the complete tower setup to my small utility trailer. It presents its own challenges, but also a few benefits. Here’s how I made the switch. Continue reading
MFJ-1924 Screwdriver Antenna Controller
This review is way past due. I’ve had my MFJ-1924 screwdriver antenna controller for about three years. I bought it around the same time as my Scorpion Mobile HF Antenna. Later, I replaced it with an automated controller that measures SWR, memorizes antenna positions, and has a small remote control head. In the end, I felt that the tech in the automated unit was too temperamental in my particular mobile installation. It routinely failed to tune, had to be reset, or emitted annoying codes to indicate a problem. So, I reinstalled my MFJ-1924. Continue reading
Mounting the Displays
I’ve been asked many times over the years how I mounted the various displays in my car. I’ve shared photos of a few setups on my other website and in YouTube videos, but I had not shared details on which mounts I chose or how they work. If I jump to the end of the story, I’ll say that the backbone of all of my mounts begins with different mounts from ProClipUSA. They split their products into two main sections: mounts for your car and mounts for your devices. Find a mount for your car first because they’re not going to stock anything specific for your radio. The radio attachment will have to start from a different direction. I’ll go back to the beginning to explain my journey. Continue reading
Roof Rack Functional Failure: An Analysis
Even before I had improved my micro tower, shared here, I recognized that something was not quite right about my roof rack. I couldn’t find any damage, but could see one tiny sign that the rear crossbar was not quite the way it was when I mounted it months ago. The rack was still sturdy; so, I continued using it for my micro tower and other antennas. Later, I opted to strip everything off my roof so that the car would blend-in while parked unattended for a week. I also planned an inspection. That’s when I discovered a hidden failure. Continue reading
Improving the Micro-Tower
NOTE: As I built this improved tower, I noticed a minor deformation of what turned out to be internal rack damage. As a result, this tower now rides on my utility trailer. Keep reading to learn about the tower improvements, then learn about the rack failure HERE.
I ran my original micro-tower on and off for about seven months. It had been to Orlando, FL and Raleigh, NC for exhibitions, roved through seven Maidenhead grid squares for June’s ARRL VHF contest, and been through hundreds of miles of road testing. The setup is effective and roadworthy, but I’m always open to learning ways to improve it or make it safer. Andrea, K2EZ, a seasoned contest rover and engineer, interviewed me for a YouTube video. We had a good discussion afterwards and she recommended improvements such as adding triangular supports to the tower legs and raising the thrust bearing a bit to improve support for the mast. Continue reading
2023 CQ Worldwide VHF Contest
CQ Magazine’s Worldwide VHF contest takes place each July and seems to get mixed reviews. It takes place only on 6m and 2m, or 50 Mhz and 144 MHz. Those who like to work the higher bands often skip this contest. Most activity seems to take place on 6m FT8, a digital mode that hams seem to either love or hate. I roved with 6m and 2m loops by M2Inc during last year’s CQ WW VHF contest and achieved modest results with modest effort, making just 35 contacts from four grid squares. I have my larger Contest Module available in 2023; however, my car was scheduled for a shop visit after the contest to address an air conditioning problem. So, I opted to run with my “Compact Module” (pictured) since it was quick and easy to remove after the contest. Continue reading
June 2023 ARRL VHF Contest
My plan for June’s ARRL VHF contest was ambitious: 10 grids and 700 miles of driving! I started my rove at Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach, grid square FM26. That park is usually a bust for me; and that was true this time, too. Blowing a fuse (my fault) only to discover that my spares were not in the car didn’t help with my operating time! Regardless, I need to see if I can find a better spot in the relatively small area that’s publicly available for parking and operating in FM26. If you’re not aware, ~90% of FM26 is over the Atlantic Ocean while much of the rest is either privately owned or crowded, which is typical of a beach area. Continue reading
VHF Contests – KE4WMF/R
I took an interest in VHF/UHF contesting in 2022. My interest isn’t with sitting at a desk and contacting stations all over the world. Instead, it was natural for me to try contesting as a “Rover.” Rovers are not just mobile stations. In fact, some rovers use portable setups that are not mobile at all. Rovers, whether mobile or portable, move from one Maidenhead grid square to another during the course of a contest. Moving from grid to grid allows stations to work Rovers as a new station each time they change grids. A team of Rovers can accumulate quite a load of contest points by moving between the squares and working each other after each grid boundary crossing. This is called “grid circling.” For now, I’m the only Rover within a 100 miles or more. So, advanced techniques will have to wait until I’m discovered and connected with other rovers. Continue reading
Auto Desk Replacement
I assembled the components for my mobile digital amateur radio station in 2021. I started with a RigBlaster PnP by West Mountain Radio and a budget laptop, traveling with it sitting in the passenger seat when not in use. Later, I picked up an AutoExec Reach front seat car desk for a tidier look and more secure travel. The desk features a swivel platform for the laptop, a section for files or paperwork, and a large area for what eventually held my antenna rotator controller and a pair of RigBlasters (one for each data-capable radio). I made good use of the desk for two years, but ultimately concluded that it’s too bulky and impractical for routine use, especially for my antenna rotator. Continue reading