Looking for amateur radio operators that have installed equipment and antennas in truck campers. I want to install a 2m and a marine radio in my camper but I am concerned on mounting the antenna and putting holes in the camper to route the cables inside. I am also concerned about drilling into wiring, plumbing and etc while mounting the radios. If all goes well and I have room I would also like to install my HF rig. Any suggestion?ThanksLanny KB3BV

Contact Lance... they will email you schematics of your walls, ceiling etc specific for your camper. Have your serial number on hand when you contact them...things change even within models.I've seen side mounts and rear mounts... stand-off bracket to the side of the ladder.Good luck!sleepy

I was at the beach and saw a HAM two sites away who had an antenna made from a Camping World flag pole fastened to his ladder on the rear of his coach. He had a Copper tubing end cap and a whip antenna fastened it and then placed the cap and antenna over the poles top, a wire underneath the cap going down the inside of the flag pole and under his rig to his Radio gear on the inside near the rear. The flagpole was about 25 feet tall and the whip extended another 5 feet or so. The fiberglass flag pole was fastened to his ladder with clamps.

The HAM was Allen and his call was KC70 in Ventura, CA

Amateur Radio Antenna Installation | Good Sam Community

LannyV
Explorer
May 26, 2013
nm1oqrz wrote:
Hello LannyV. I installed my 2M amtenna on the rear ladder and ran the coax in through a window.
Also it is illegal to have a marine VHF radio mounted in a land vehicle. According to the FCC marine rules it is even illegal to operate a marine VHF radio mounted in a boat and the boat is on a trailer on land. There are special circumstances and permits required for ship to shore communications
I also have a Tarheel screwdriver antenna mounted to the rear ladder for my IC7000 HF radio and I can operate 40M through 2M most of the time.
I also have my radio's powered directly from the battery and not from 120VAC.
Try it you will like it
73's Happy camping nm1oqrz

Thanks for the info. I will have to check more on the marine radio. What is the difference of a base station on the dock vs in my camper when I am on the water and my wife is in the camper check up on me?

H
LannyV wrote:
Looking for amateur radio operators that have installed equipment and antennas in truck campers. I want to install a 2m and a marine radio in my camper but I am concerned on mounting the antenna and putting holes in the camper to route the cables inside. I am also concerned about drilling into wiring, plumbing and etc while mounting the radios. If all goes well and I have room I would also like to install my HF rig. Any suggestion?

Thanks

Lanny KB3BV
sleepy
Explorer
May 26, 2013
LannyV wrote:
sleepy wrote:
Contact Lance... they will email you schematics of your walls, ceiling etc specific for your camper. Have your serial number on hand when you contact them...things change even within models.

I've seen side mounts and rear mounts... stand-off bracket to the side of the ladder.

Good luck!

sleepy

Thanks Sleepy, I have already contacted Lance and as you said they emailed me a complete set of schematics on where all the framing is, info on the electrical and plumbing, but it does not indicated where they are run in the walls or ceiling. I am thinking of mounting it on my luggage rack and running the cable down the ref vent but concerned about heat or maybe enter from the side and use a clam shell like they do for boats but what to get an idea how other may be installing.

Lanny

The wiring from my solar panels runs through a special adapter under the refridgerator cap... then down to anare under the cabinates. Their isn't enough heat to bother the wires...

So I think your plan will work... and no punctures through roof or walls.
RoyB
Explorer II
May 26, 2013
LANNY - I have a couple of 2m/440 antennas as well as a tarheel screwdriver antenna mounted to the side of the trailer just at the roof using a side bracket. I also have a easy up 3-inch small tower section that are mounted to the trailer bumper and fold up an are attached to the side of the trailer at the roof level. Inside the 3-inch small tower is PVC that goes on up to give me a good off-center dipole HF antenna with the center up about 15-feet. The ends can be tied off to any close by tree limbs or run to simple anchors in the ground.

This is a pictorial of my trailer floorplan showing some of these locations mentioned...

I use a CB antenna right angle mount that looks like this to the side of the trailer up near the roof. It is never a good idea to pentrate the roof for holes to run the antenna cables into the trailer. I have gone thru the side wall and it comes out either inside a ceiling mounted cabinet or up high on my POPUP wall behind my valance cutains that go all the way around my POPUP interior.

All of m radio equipment is mounted in out of the way areas all fed by a 12VDC subpanel. These radios are then using remote control heads and speakers mounted near my wrap around seating. Gives me alot of band coverage and does great in my off-road POPUP setup.

I love to get up on the WVA/VA mountain state line up in the George Washington Natl Foreset and camp out for several days off the power grid playing with my radios... Most of this area is fed by the forest service but then I sort of get off to my self from there. This is can be seen on google by searching for FLAGPOLE KNOB VA on google search...

hope this helps

Roy Ken
skipbee
Explorer
May 26, 2013
A handheld VHF will prolly not bring any FCC static if the radio on the vessel is licensed with call letters.
RoyB
Explorer II
May 26, 2013
Lanny - You probably have noticed that both Paul K9EBG and myself K9PHT both hold FCC Amateur Radio licenses since the mid 50's. That was when Eisenhower was president... I was serving my country in the Air Force in 1959 for the next 8 years. That's a few years back.. I can't speak for Paul but I have followed the FCC and other organizations over the many years and take pride in being authorized on the frequencies I am using.. I even was assigned a valid Citizen Band Operation FCC license issued back in those early days. Think my Citizen Band call sign was KBX5218 if my memory serves me still haha...

You have a couple of good ways to keep communications with your wife one being have her take the Amateur Radio License test. Operations on the 2M/440 bands is a relative easy exam with about 50 questions and no code test required. Another good solution is to use a VERIZON MIFI HOTSPOT connection which will most likely work just about anywhere your boat will be around the US coastal waterways. Then you can keep in touch using the Internet email or better yet just use VERIZON CELL PHONE Service...

Just my thoughts
Roy Ken
LannyV
Explorer
May 26, 2013
Thanks everyone for the heads up on using the Marine Radio on shore. I did some further checking on FCC regs and have scrapped the idea of using the marine radio like I planned. Since it would be my wife communicating with me a station license would not even be available. Got to get her into amateur radio and that will solve this problem.

Lanny
LannyV
Explorer
May 26, 2013
RoyB wrote:
Lanny - You probably have noticed that both Paul K9EBG and myself K9PHT both hold FCC Amateur Radio licenses since the mid 50's. That was when Eisenhower was president... I was serving my country in the Air Force in 1959 for the next 8 years. That's a few years back.. I can't speak for Paul but I have followed the FCC and other organizations over the many years and take pride in being authorized on the frequencies I am using.. I even was assigned a valid Citizen Band Operation FCC license issued back in those early days. Think my Citizen Band call sign was KBX5218 if my memory serves me still haha...

You have a couple of good ways to keep communications with your wife one being have her take the Amateur Radio License test. Operations on the 2M/440 bands is a relative easy exam with about 50 questions and no code test required. Another good solution is to use a VERIZON MIFI HOTSPOT connection which will most likely work just about anywhere your boat will be around the US coastal waterways. Then you can keep in touch using the Internet email or better yet just use VERIZON CELL PHONE Service...

Just my thoughts
Roy Ken

Thanks Roy, Thanks for the drawings. Just what I said about wife and becoming a ham. The MIFI or Cell Phone most likely won't work 10 to 12 miles off shore. I remember our old call sign for CB KID1436...so I am also dating myself. Although if you were in the service in 1959 I was in 6th grade.
tropicdad
Explorer
May 26, 2013
I agree, have her get a Technician's license and a Kenwood TM-281A is about $150 plus antenna of course. I can't help with the mounting since I have a class c and just came in through the roof but it look like others have you covered.

73,
Andy KK4OGI
whizbang
Explorer II
May 27, 2013
I ran an HF station from our rig. Rather than drill antenna mounting holes in the camper, I made a bracket that clamps to the ladder. The antenna mounts on the ladder bracket. Do a search "over 12 months" for better photos. I borrowed the idea from someone on the forum.

Other than than, take your time routing the wiring. If you look around long enough, you will be amazed at the gaps and grooves you will find that are large enough to pass coax and power cables.
TCcruzn
Explorer
May 27, 2013
I modified the Marinco housing from a 30A power inlet to use for my antenna inlet. I used a 3" bulkhead fitting in the Marinco housing to pass thru the wall and into a cavity and then dropped a 5' coax cable down the wall to a wall plate with a short bulkhead fitting and a double powerpole outlet. With another 5' coax and a 5' power cord I can set my Yaesu mobile on the dinette and operate as a base station using a Diamond X50 mounted next to the antenna inlet at the top of the wall. I used a short piece of 1 1/4" conduit as a sleeve to drop the X50 into. The sleeve is secured with a wall nount standoff and 2 aluminum straps that secure to the luggage rack on the roof. No holes required in the roof. As Sleepy noted, Lance was great about providing a CAD drawing of the framing so I could land the fasteners for the standoff in framing members. PM me if you want a photo or 2.