Ya hopefully it’s not the radio!! It shouldn’t be. Conditions are wild!! Even before I got home and troubleshoot, I made a nice clear contact with So. Illinois. Said I sounded clear!!! Yay!!!
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President McKinley signal loss and regain when mic is keyed and released.
- Thread starter ForestRunner98
- Start date
Ya hopefully it’s not the radio!! It shouldn’t be. Conditions are wild!! Even before I got home and troubleshoot, I made a nice clear contact with So. Illinois. Said I sounded clear!!! Yay!!!
If you're going to have those kinds of issues, with just barrel connectors,
Might want to get a 17/19mm and another to fit the "flat" on the threaded - get after that SO-239 and tighten the flange down to that back panel - it's only aluminum and also Anodized...do this tightening- so it doesn't generate this again.
Even tighten those board screws too...
Might want to get a 17/19mm and another to fit the "flat" on the threaded - get after that SO-239 and tighten the flange down to that back panel - it's only aluminum and also Anodized...do this tightening- so it doesn't generate this again.
Even tighten those board screws too...
I had tightened them before with channel locks. I think they get loose with the vibrations of my truck. If I do add this filter I will just use a 6” piece of coax. Better flex than those connectors. Kinda done with those connectors. That should work right?
can we see what's inside that filter?
LC
LC
Sure!!!
Just some wire wrapped around torriods. Has that hard foam stuff to keep it suspended from the ferrite from touching the box and from bouncing around.
The "main" reason for the Barrel is to "adapt" - not just provide an extension.
Hmm...Using this type of setup - can we even avoid using it in the first place?
Why?
Well, the short end of this story is - they "Fixed" the ferrites with a polyurethane "foam" once they achieved a given result.
When you put something like this, in line - like a coil/choke combo, one thing it WILL do, no matter what - unless it's soldered and bonded - is jiggle, move and screw up the initial tune it had - as it bounces around. Even crack - then things go from bad to worse...
These setups are no different.
These ferrite cores may be fixed in with adhesive foam now, but the box is plastic and bends - the screws provide no shielding.
That may have been why the barrel connectors loosened - the plastic construction does little in damping vibrations and will flex - so it can make joints like what you tried, fail.
I could go on, but, can you avoid using this or do you need something to fix a problem - we have to find you something better.
Hmm...Using this type of setup - can we even avoid using it in the first place?
Why?
Well, the short end of this story is - they "Fixed" the ferrites with a polyurethane "foam" once they achieved a given result.
When you put something like this, in line - like a coil/choke combo, one thing it WILL do, no matter what - unless it's soldered and bonded - is jiggle, move and screw up the initial tune it had - as it bounces around. Even crack - then things go from bad to worse...
These setups are no different.
These ferrite cores may be fixed in with adhesive foam now, but the box is plastic and bends - the screws provide no shielding.
That may have been why the barrel connectors loosened - the plastic construction does little in damping vibrations and will flex - so it can make joints like what you tried, fail.
I could go on, but, can you avoid using this or do you need something to fix a problem - we have to find you something better.
So far upon a few days now sans connectors and filter all seems to be working well. Made some contacts to the South East Coast on the drive home from work!
So do I need it? Most likely no. It does seem there is a little more hash in the RX but that could be me. The filter having a placebo effect.
It does make sense how the box could flex, vibrate and cause connectors to loosen. I didn’t think of that.
I may revisit it in the future for shots and giggles. The best part is the radio is good!!!
So for now it’s in the junk box! LOL
It's just that...
Well, I'll have to be blunt...
IT looks like you bought a box of Mac n' Cheese and they gave you a set of ferrites and knotted it together with funky coax - and poured the cheese sauce over it and let it harden - in the rain, for a few days and sold it...under Palomar.
Well, I'll have to be blunt...
IT looks like you bought a box of Mac n' Cheese and they gave you a set of ferrites and knotted it together with funky coax - and poured the cheese sauce over it and let it harden - in the rain, for a few days and sold it...under Palomar.
Ha ha!!! A $50 box of Mac n’ Cheese!!! At least some people will know what’s inside before they buy now.
looks to be a common mode filter.
should be put at the feedpoint of the antenna instead of at the radio end.
you can accomplish the same thing with one of those palomar engineers snap on bead kits.
snap them on to the coax right at the feedpoint of your antenna and it will keep common mode currents off of your coax shield.
these currents are pretty much always present in mobile installs due to the strange "counterpoise" the vehicle offers.
LC
should be put at the feedpoint of the antenna instead of at the radio end.
you can accomplish the same thing with one of those palomar engineers snap on bead kits.
snap them on to the coax right at the feedpoint of your antenna and it will keep common mode currents off of your coax shield.
these currents are pretty much always present in mobile installs due to the strange "counterpoise" the vehicle offers.
LC
I have 6, mix 31 snap on beads at the feed point under the headliner.
I also have a mix 61 toroid 12 wrap per Steve K’s graph down the line. That one I made myself and works great.
The mac n’ cheese box I had from my cobra 18 radio install. I just threw it on because I read to install at the radio end.
hmm, not sure why they would tell you to put a common mode filter after a bunch of unfiltered coax shield. kind of defeats the purpose.
if you have six beads at the feedpoint that should be enough, but if it's not, the best solution is to keep adding the snap on beads down the coax from the feedpoint.
i typically use about 18" worth on mine. seems to work well and i haven't had any vehicle computer issues in my last four vehicles. Just my experience.
wrapping the coax around a big ferrite donut is certainly not going to hurt, and will help to some degree, but if you are adding extra UHF connectors in to your install in order to add that torroid, then you'd be better off just using the snap on beads and having one continuous run of coax from the antenna to the amplifier/transmitter.
your install seems pretty extensive so please take whatever i say with a grain of salt, as the differences may or may not be noticeable and the hassle of removing headliners is always to be considered LOL.
LC
if you have six beads at the feedpoint that should be enough, but if it's not, the best solution is to keep adding the snap on beads down the coax from the feedpoint.
i typically use about 18" worth on mine. seems to work well and i haven't had any vehicle computer issues in my last four vehicles. Just my experience.
wrapping the coax around a big ferrite donut is certainly not going to hurt, and will help to some degree, but if you are adding extra UHF connectors in to your install in order to add that torroid, then you'd be better off just using the snap on beads and having one continuous run of coax from the antenna to the amplifier/transmitter.
your install seems pretty extensive so please take whatever i say with a grain of salt, as the differences may or may not be noticeable and the hassle of removing headliners is always to be considered LOL.
LC
Ya that’s what palomar suggested. The toriod according to the graph at 11m should put about 8k ohms of impedance. I think that’s way more than ferrite beads would do. That’s just my lamens, mud-duck view. LOL
I hear you on dropping the headliner! I have to pull off left and right side panels to get that b*tch to drop and get in between. LOL
