MOBILE INSTALL: 579 Peterbilt

[Slowmover]

Well, . . typical at-home behavior on my part: fiddle around with little stuff. Needed, but maybe not vital. Now 1400. Enjoyed some reading around on antennas awhile.

The truck is as clean inside/out the past few weeks after a lot of sitting. Stocked up at Wally a few days back. Even got a haircut. So, in nice shape on arriving home.

That said, the first 12-24 at home one needs the rest he wasn’t getting on-road. Ask any driver.

Have one more small but delicate job to do, and line up tomorrow’s work (personal) so that goes smoothly. (Cold weather gear stuff; I don’t plan to abandon the truck, but if I had to . . . ). Laundry & yet more groceries.

Get the radio +/- installed by tonight and I’ll be getting around town a little in the tractor tomorrow to test it on a weekday. Known daytime distances with on-air checks, etc. Even my errands include CB! (Ha!).

During lunch I read the Linc operators manual. Wow, all sorts of stuff new to this steerin’ wheel holder. Pretty good incentive.

Dispatch found me a load from FTW to MS that loads on Saturday. Delivers Monday. Clocks tickin’.

Running IH20 into town yesterday — and now back out Saturday & Sunday — there’s a good amount of activity on AM-19 once the weekend is over and the locals are back at work down south year-round.

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[Slowmover]

Finally finished Linc install this morning. Took KL203 + Coax Filter out of the line. Just using Bandpass filter. The usual ferrites in place.

Stuck the 12V power distribution up into the opening. Hoping it won’t add to noise. Changing those lines (need shorter) will wait till 6-AWG order arrives.

At home I don’t really receive well enough to sit here and play with settings. Simply not a good location for a big truck mobile. Too much electrical and commercial directly aft.

— Have the DSP Speaker volume “up” and Filtration “down” compared to other radios (AM/SSB and/or Export).

— With no noise abatement in radio cut-in, the least amount of Squelch and most amount of RF Gain isn’t any more unpleasant than most of the other radios.

— Radio shows a constant 13.7V with APU running. Drops to 13.2V with a 4-sec silent PTT.

— SWR shows 1.3 on AM-19, and 1.1 on 40 & 1 (go figure). Swapped coax jumper and “tested” cube filters. Only the Bandpass reduced SWR, so the CMNF-500 Coax Filter went to the U-980 case with the KL-203. (Might try it again).

— Backing down RF GAIN from Max about a quarter-turn cuts noise from 5 to 1/S-unit. Engaging Hi-Cut makes it more pleasant.

— Then, with DSP Volume at 11:00 and Radio Volume at same (screen #) seems “loud enough” to go down the road.

Just can’t hear well enough, doggone this place.

Errands later will put me into a mix of local grain haulers (and some pneumatics). This is assuming they are working today. The weather forecast goes to below 20F high for Monday. High of 27F today. I leave tomorrow. Southern Mississippi . . which may not be any better. Those drivers may be taking extended time off due to temps (shippers/receivers closed).

Nationwide, local drivers fill the airwaves more than any other group.

With a new radio install their presence is where you get not only best reports, but the greatest numbers as desired. They spend more time on-air with each other coordinating the job, and get familiar with one another enough to swap stories. So, if construction & Ag trucking is missing from the roads, feedback will be hit & miss.

My first impression of the Lincoln II+ is of quality. What was wanted was a step up in overall TX/RX. “Audio” may not be to help liking of some, but I don’t believe complainants were using DSP. That said, no, it’s not “quiet”.

DSP makes a U-980 bearable run wide open. This new radio is better.

— Got speaker moved slightly and re-installed (Velcro’d base to shelf and zip-ties go around shock cords of shelf front). This position is right above my shoulder and a tick forward. The rearmost position actually has it behind my left ear but the supplied audio cable isn’t long enough after 2-3 turns thru a MIX 61 snap-on ferrite. That rear position isn’t a marginal change. Ones brain reacts differently (better).

— Tried BHI Line Attenuator — while better than U-980 — still too much attenuation.

But this radio plays with the speaker better than all the other radios I’ve used. Meaning I can utilize a greater range of the Radio Volume Control (balancing that against the Speaker Volume Control).

The U-980 demanded hair-split adjustments to each. Other radios somewhat better, but I’d place them on the same shelf.

Am looking forward to road time with this significantly different radio.

 

[Slowmover]

The EU-spec Liberty cordless microphone:

Not installed yet as I’m going to need a USB cord to Anderson Power Pole set to run power from my 12V distribution box.

Also have to decide where to mount it.

Idea is to have it ready-to-go, just swap cables.

I may mount it on a piece of board and Velcro/hanger secure it from shelf above radio in pic above.

Project for another set of days off at home.

Still need 6-AWG and a longer shielded audio cable.

Antenna grounds will wait, also.

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[undertaker]

Drive safe my friend!!! The roads suck right now...

 

[Slowmover]

Drive safe my friend!!! The roads suck right now...

‘Tis the exact season for radio evaluations thereby

 

[Handy Andy]

Gives good meaning to the phrase...

"Keep your Britches between the Ditches..."

 

[cralt]

A Lincoln II V3 was waiting for me at the PO. Less in width than a Uniden-980 (or Galaxy 86v), and no where near the Galaxy 99v2 width of the radios I’ve had in the Pete the past year.

McK and Linc are "DIN" sized. Same as car stereo's
The 980 is Cobra 29 sized

Some tips I learned playing with the radio...Maybe you figured them out already or not. The radio does take some getting used to.
When you push the channel knob in it moves the little flat line under the freq digits. In your photo its under the 1 in 27.1850. If you put it under the 8 then then the channel knob works the channels mostly like normal since that is the decimal place that changes and all the channel frequencies end in 5 so you never have to change that.

The 9/19 button works great has a HOME button. Sometimes when channel surfing I end up in the wrong band. Hit that and I am back to channel 19 in the A band in AM mode. It also works good for flipping between 2 channels and modes. If I tune in 38LSB then I can use that button to flip back and forth between 19AM and 38LSB with out having to mess with the MODE button.

 

[Slowmover]

McK and Linc are "DIN" sized. Same as car stereo's
The 980 is Cobra 29 sized

Some tips I learned playing with the radio...Maybe you figured them out already or not. The radio does take some getting used to.
When you push the channel knob in it moves the little flat line under the freq digits. In your photo its under the 1 in 27.1850. If you put it under the 8 then then the channel knob works the channels mostly like normal since that is the decimal place that changes and all the channel frequencies end in 5 so you never have to change that.

The 9/19 button works great has a HOME button. Sometimes when channel surfing I end up in the wrong band. Hit that and I am back to channel 19 in the A band in AM mode. It also works good for flipping between 2 channels and modes. If I tune in 38LSB then I can use that button to flip back and forth between 19AM and 38LSB with out having to mess with the MODE button.

Yup, got stuck in the wilderness just playing till I noticed cursor.

The 9/19 button: you read my mind as that’s been my exact plan.

Thx for the tips. It’s “more” radio than I’ve had previously (with functions Im not cleared to use, at present), so I’m looking forward to familiarity with what I can use to best effect.

Next purchase is a PEP Meter plus a clamp-on Ammeter so I can gauge output more closely. I don’t expect to run a BIG Amp (CB-relative), but power cabling does need an upgrade as insurance for the present state of things.

10-AWG is just enough. 6-AWG in future IS enough to cover what I’d like to have. Whether or not I run an amp isn’t clear, much less decided, at this point.

I haven’t change default settings at present. I’m very pleased to see SWR plus Voltage protections (high & low) as menu choices.

it will be interesting to try and gauge how long TX/RX can continue before APU kicks on when stationary, engine-off. (Radio power bypasses truck system; so the factory Low Voltage cutoff is an early sign the APU is getting ready to fire off).

My Dodge pickup has a two-battery system, so there’s yet more to learn via other gauges aftermarket about power draw. Length of term, so to speak.

These last concerns (power draw) aren’t radio-specific, they just happen to occur at the same time.

Adding a third battery to the pickup means a frame-rail mount plus associated cable & controls. (Expense $$).

So, whether I’d wound up with an A-6666 or this Lincoln, a solid SSB-performer was to be the stand-in for the next step (Yaesu ft450d; though I’m not going to run it in the big truck). The “next step” also includes my travel trailer where power draw is its own concern.

Everything is easy plugged into mains.
Or a Genset.

Need to get a feeling for “time” while playing more on Sideband.

With only two days at home, just not enough of that time to clear my plate (antenna mount grounds cleared of powder-coat needed), and am looking at maybe another antenna set.

I felt this level of radio performance was the right thing with which to do the above plus start to use an antenna analyzer (which also needs purchasing).

The Lincoln II+ is symbol of moving forward.

My other AM/SSB-capable radios were already proven performers on AM-19 even if not great (adequate is closer) on Sideband. (They’d be “better” with a base station antenna).

So, this step was to have a no-bones-about-it GOOD Sideband radio in the truck. I see Sideband as the test for a quality mobile set-up where antenna and TX power are better isolated to judge their merit.
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1). Power system good (upgrade to 6)
2). Antenna system “adequate” (needs the most work).
3). Noise abatement VG to E (given being a big truck).
4). Audio system:
a). DSP Speaker is great.
b). Microphone will be addressed.
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[fourstringburn]

Gives good meaning to the phrase...

"Keep your Britches between the Ditches..."

The whole phrase is

"Keep between the ditches and
Keep it in your britches so you don't wind up in stitches because you gave mamma the itches"

 

[Slowmover]

Have run a thread on the radio (“MOBILE: Lincoln II+”) where:

— only stock mic feasible at this point. Minor amount of Echo + Delay added. (Feedback too high using second radio in bunk; speaker or headset).

— Receive noise is a fact of life (but can be modded to comfortable, all-day levels).

— RX seems as good as anything else I’ve tried plus that audio quality is both different and better per voice characteristics.

— Antenna pair (mount) the limiting problem.

Time to access mounts. The crazy bad ice storm this week just highlights the need for maximum performance. BEST antenna mount grounds and (I think) feedpoint isolation via CMC filters.

As I’ll be able to deal with both ends of coax without difficulty, then, will order a new phased harness as insurance.

Using “weather” as the domino to tip over the JIT truck delivery system domino set already has drivers starting to frazzle.

Texas is the key state to cross-continent shipping of food out of California & Mexico. Not to mention delivery of natural gas and refined petroleum products.

Truck parts not getting delivered out of Mexico on time means delays in truck repairs + maintenance everywhere.

Deliveries of any product being slowed has a cascading effect as every load afterwards can’t be shipped/delivered as quickly. Food or toilet paper.

Timely road information is becoming vital.

Listened to drivers today discuss some of the worthless phone apps out there re road conditions to try and give themselves an added edge.

“Road closures” one can henceforth expect to be a lie in many instances. War, by other means.

Getting past isn’t the challenge. It’s in not eating up the clock while doing it (off-Interstate won’t work for the largest group; national effect).

Next up: more hurricanes, tornadoes, prairie fires, floods, etc. (More excuses to slow traffic).

Drivers learning to talk more to each other (after a couple decades of playing possum) means CB is about to again become a serious undertaking.

I’ve NOT heard drivers in NEED of information in this quantity since the days of the 55-mph limit.

That the price of diesel may again peak means again squeezing out the reserve of small-timers who do an amazing number of shipments.

I’d bet that the bastards raise insurance rates again, too.

We know that JIT is vulnerable. Now it’s clearer what are the pressure points.


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[Handy Andy]

Your words ring true...

Only I wish to add the bottlenecks are also with the Docks and the lumpers that push the forked loads to and from the trailers.

IF they cant keep the CAT running, there's no point in backing up the Wabash because it's just going to sit empty unless the Boss man gets enough volunteers to disassemble, reassemble the pallets individually on the trailers.

That has happened - makes sitting in Under the load - a time where you wish you were somewhere else to wait this one out...

IT's the new guy that gets the Forklift-forks, forked, into the side of a trailer - that noise can wakey-makey your day...

 

[Slowmover]

Your words ring true...

Only I wish to add the bottlenecks are also with the Docks and the lumpers that push the forked loads to and from the trailers.

IF they cant keep the CAT running, there's no point in backing up the Wabash because it's just going to sit empty unless the Boss man gets enough volunteers to disassemble, reassemble the pallets individually on the trailers.

That has happened - makes sitting in Under the load - a time where you wish you were somewhere else to wait this one out...

IT's the new guy that gets the Forklift-forks, forked, into the side of a trailer - that noise can wakey-makey your day...

Texas warehouses have no juice to run lights, forklifts, heater fans. Employees ZERO incentive to show up.

Virtually every load these days is palletized.

 

[fourstringburn]

Texas warehouses have no juice to run lights, forklifts, heater fans. Employees ZERO incentive to show up.

Virtually every load these days is palletized.

I thought you were a Tanker-yanker…

 

[Slowmover]

I thought you were a Tanker-yanker…

Used to be. That was the best of things in my driving career. (Started as flat-bedder). But age, an ancient injury and health make it too hard on me. And I can’t wear full-suit respirator any more.

Reduced to being a lowly door-slammer am I.

A condo 579 Pete shoulda been the giveaway as that’s a vans-only configuration. Instead of a mid-roof K-W T880 beefed up for tanker loads.

All time favorite company tractor was a K-W T660. Either of those woulda made this thread shorter and the job easier.

Pic that opens thread reflects this. Ironically I now drive the same color van (just not Epiq package any more).

Sitting at The Tennessean tonight. A truck stop I think every driver makes it to sooner or later. Plenty of snow & slush.

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[Slowmover]

Getting home by 12th-13th. Glad winter seems to be over. Gear, tools and supplies arrived and await me.