Several MCO members had noticed that I use my old amateur radio call as my online handle (see note below -- my call is now K3IO). Several other amateurs asked if I have a mobile rig in the Mini. The answer is yes, and I thought I'd share a couple of pictures.

In my MCS I have an IC-207H dual-band 2M/70cm radio. It is mounted below the switch panel in the center console. The rig is powered from the wires that normally would be used for the cigarette lighter, so there was no need to find a way to sneak wires thru the firewall. Here is a picture of the installation:



The antenna is a "thru-glass" dual-band whip (made by a company called Iron Horse, costing ~$30) mounted on the driver's side rear window:


(See also my Mini Photo Web site)


In addition to being useful on amateur radio, I have pre-programmed the IC-207H for fast access to all the 162.40-162.55 NOAA weather radio channels. I have also done some minor modifications to the radio so that one preset channel is tuned to the standard MINI "7/21" FRS/GMRS calling channel.

It will be interesting to hear from other amateurs about you installations.

73 de Tom, W3IWI

---------------------------------------------------

Note added Jan.2006: I turned in the old W3IWI call and I am now K3IO, but I still use my old W3IWI call as my NAM screen name -- Tom

 

Very nice installation, Tom. Thanks for the pictures.

Jerry, NW6M

 

Any RFI problems with your rig?

I had a IC-706MKII temporarily installed, and the ignition noise on any HF band was awful. Noise blanker didn't help a bit.

Fraser, W3UTD

 

Nice rig and setup!

One of these days I will take the test and get my ticket. I guess I am lazy, since I have been saying that for over 30 years now. I need an elmer.

I do notice the MINI is a box full of RFI, I occasionally use a CB WT to talk to people and it's a mess in there. The FRS/GMRS radios work fine though.

Glad to see that there are some hams on the board here.

 

Fraser & Greatbear asked about RFI. I'm very pleased to comment that my MCS is pretty clean. I did a test today tuning in a really weak NOAA WeatherRadio station about 100 miles away on 162.525. I couldn't tell any difference ignition on vs off.

My MCS has the NAV package, so the AM/FM antenna is printed on the passenger side rear window. There I do note an RFI problem on weak FM radio stations when I turn the rear window defroster on. I presume that there is some interference radiated by the heater wiring, but I haven't tried adding any filters.

:evil: I feel very handicapped in working on things without a wiring diagram and harness "directory". I'd certainly like to get a REAL manual for this car! :evil:

Greatbear -- you really should get a license. A Technician license requires no code and you can even get to Extra Class with only 5 WPM code. In case you want information, try the ARRL web page.

73, Tom

 

Nice Rig.
KF6OCM

 

>>
>> Greatbear -- you really should get a license. A Technician license requires no code and you can even get to Extra Class with only 5 WPM code. In case you want information, try the ARRL web page.
>>

I have not been active for years and am unfamiliar with most of the changes in the requirements for the various license classes. Extra class and only 5 wpm, it was 20 wpm when I got mine. I used to go listen in the Extra class portion of the HF bands, most of those guys could rattle off CW a lot faster then I was ever able to confidently copy. I normally didn’t stray far from the General or sometimes Advanced class portion of the band. At one time I had a very large collection of QSL cards from all over the world. I worked 15 and 40 meters off a dipole I had stung across my tiny back yard.

 

Looks Great!
I would like to do something soon. I need to renew my 10 year license. But I really want to figure out a HF rig for the Cooper. Perhaps just a QRP rig with a fishing line antenna to throw in a tree.

Let's keep it together!
KB5ZAU

 

W3IWI DE NHWR INT QRK INT QTH K

Bonus points for knowing who belongs to the NHWR call sign

 

>>W3IWI DE NHWR INT QRK INT QTH K
>>
>>Bonus points for knowing who belongs to the NHWR call sign

It's either Coast Guard cutter Midgett WHEC-726 (319I) out of Seattle or its from a Welch phrase book.

Isn't the baby due this week?

Tom

 

>>>>W3IWI DE NHWR INT QRK INT QTH K
>>>>
>>>>Bonus points for knowing who belongs to the NHWR call sign
>>
>>It's either Coast Guard cutter Midgett WHEC-726 (319I) out of Seattle or its from a Welch phrase book.
>>
>>Isn't the baby due this week?
>>
>>Tom

It's the Mighty Midgett allright, aka The Slender White Needle of Death as we used to call it. We used to say the NHWR stood for No Hope Without Radiomen!

Kid's due Saturday, but I think Patricia's ready to reach in and pull the kid out herself!

 

Nice installation! I like the idea of getting the power from the lighter - that's a good source point.
Am thinking of a similar install, but just using HT at the moment.
73s de N1RRA

 

What's a good choice for the MINI that covers a lot of bands? I'm very new to this and am just in the shopping phase for my MINI that is still six months away. I'm concerned about the BPL situation and don't want to be stuck with just <6m if I test beyond Technician later. What about the Yaesu FT-857? What's comparable?

 

>>What's a good choice for the MINI that covers a lot of bands? I'm very new to this and am just in the shopping phase for my MINI that is still six months away. I'm concerned about the BPL situation and don't want to be stuck with just <6m...

I have used an ICOM IC706Mk2 in the Audi A6 and I thought about moving it over to the Mini. It would easily fit under the seat with the control head remoted to the center console. Same thing could be said about the 706's virtual clone, the FT100D. Haven't looked at an FT857 but it's probably OK. FT817 is a nice, small rig, but QRP operation from mobile leaves a lot to be desired.

But for me, the problem with HF mobile was finding some place to mount an antenna. HF whips need a pretty substantial mount because they are big. Also at HF, ignition noise and noise generated by all the onboard computers may cause problems (in the Audi, the RFI generated by the air conditioner motor control fans was a killer!). I only wanted the radio for casual use, coordinating meetings with friends, chatting with locals while on a trip, etc, so the VHF/UHF installation made sense for me.

73, Tom

 

Hello, I am not a ham, but have been considering a mobile shortwave receiver for the Mini. I have no experience at all with modern equipment, I have two table radios at home. One is an old Norelco MW/FM/SW1/SW2 vacuum tube beast, and the other is a Hallicrafters S-38 [1946 I believe?] (Actually I have two S-38's, the second is a S-38-C that I need to figure out how to align and get working for my dad). The S-38 picks up nothing without a good longwire antenna and a ground. With a 50 foot antenna from a tree near the corner of my property and a ground run to an outside water faucet, it is an amazing receiver, very sensitive and very very stable.

My only experience with "modern" (Non tube) shortwaves was many years ago when I bought a radio shack AC/Battery portible that couldn't pick up a damn thing. really... nothing. nada.. AM and FM were allright, but I don't seem to recall ever getting anything on shortwave. More recently I picked up a transistorized radio for the kitchen when I was living in Hawaii which happened to have two shortwave bands. This at least let me pick up Australia, a couple numbers stations, and two UTC clocks with about a 50 foot wire antenna... Not much more, and the signal was always unstable and I would have to keep adjusting a couple times a minute to keep from losing it. So much for relaxing and listening to the radio...

So my question is this: What kind of reception would I be able to get in a mobile rig, and what equipment (preferably fairly low budget) should I look at. My main interest is the BBC World Service which no longer broadcasts to the US. The old rigs have no problem picking up the South American and Carribian broadcasts, however (In fact the carribian broadcasts, usually sound as clear as the local AM station 5 miles down the road). I know that I could get the BBC on XM or some other satelite radio, but that's about all the satelite radios carry that's worth listening to. $9.00/month for one station? No CBC/RCI, no VOR, no Deutsche Welle, etc. etc.

So does anyone have any experience with mobile shortwave, or any suggestions?

 

Oh, I forgot to ask, does anyone have any experience with those "shortwave converters"?

 

Mobile is in 2m/70cm dual bander...


Gotta find an antenna and program it still, and I was thinking of taking a page from agranger's book and make a bracket up by the radio for the microphone (which sit in the cupholder for now). Have it all situated to sit just high enough I'm not losing the function of the 12v supply underneath it, quite surprised I didn't need to take advantage of the remote head (which I can pull off of security when I leave the car and the man unit still sits behind the switch bank).

 

Finally completed the install....


External Speaker mounted in the parcel shelf for plenty of volume for monitoring with the windows down and roof open...


NMO base for the antenna....


The antenna is a Comet SBB-2


It's total height is about 2in shorter than the stock AM whip that I actually removed and utilized the hole for

 

Got any pics of your final install?

I'm a ham but i've only had my Mini a little more than a month. I'm curious with the mod with the antenna pod - are you saying to removed the whole antenna and put an NMO in its place? What do you use for AM/FM reception on your broadcast radio?

Antenna placement is going to be the key thing with me. I don't feel like drilling a whole for an NMO mount on mine (even though my Rodeo has 3 NMO's in him). And, I don't care for on-glass antennas, either.

Thanks!

 

I used the Comet CP-5 mount on the boot lid, just like the picture in their ad in QST. It has about 5 degrees of freedom and you can adjust it to be just perfect for nearly any situation. It has a short piece of very thin coax that passes through the boot seal, which is then grafted onto about 16' of normal coax which easily reaches the front of the MINI.

 

Yes, I removed the AM broadcast antenna (the whip then underneath the screw holding the base) this left a 14mm by 14mm square hole in the roof, so the NMO mount just barely did not make it through. The mount I got (first experience with NMOs for me) already had the PL-259 connector attached, so I rounded the pre-exsisting hole (allowing the connector feed through, not sure how much this helped the next step) and tightened the NMO mount onto the roof. I just got hit with 2 solid days of thunderstorms and not a drop of leaking water so I got it right he 1st time around The line is fed across to the C pillar then under the body panels to the front then over the glove box behnd the center console controls and to the raido.

I no longer have *any* AM broadcast radio reception, however the FM radio antenna is actually imbeded in the rear window defroster so that still works perfectly.

The pics posted are of the final install if you need some more angles PM me which ones and I'll got take the photo's for you.

(If you bout your MINI new and it's an R56 I'm not sure how much of this holds true)

BigBrownDog- I use a CB on road trips, and *hate* magnet mounts with a passion, so I'm looking at going that method with a 3ft CB whip How long have you had it?

 

Thanks Drew!

I just scrolled back on the thread - and I see where I ask "Got any pics" and the post right above it there were several - I must have scrolled right by it (or replied about the same time you posted your pics).

Anyway - nice work. I'm eyeballing something similar - at least mounting the rig there below the switch pack.

I think I'll keep my regular broadcast antennas, though. I'll probably go the same route as Big Brown Dog.

I'm a few months away from my install - will be eyeballing some rigs/antennas at the big hamfest in my area the first weekend in November.

Thanks again!

John

 

I figure this is as good a thread as any for ham radio MINI discussion...

The "official" MINI FRS calling channel is "7/21" . What does that translate into as far as frequency/CTCSS?

Channel 7 FRS/GMRS is 462.7125. But what is "subchannel 21" - I presume that it's a CTCSS tone - and if I count 21 up from 67.0 I get to 131.8.

Is 131.8 the "official MINI tone?"

Just curious - as I have some UHF commerical walkies that I can program in these frequencies - and I have a VOX headset for them. If I was at a mini drive-and-meet event, I'd rather not be fiddling with a walkie talkie in my hand and could use the headset.

Thanks

 

Here's the CTSS to Motorola subcode list


I use an Icom IC-F21GM so I actually have to set a CTSS tone as you do, so I keep this list handy if I need to change things around on the fly.

 

Strange... I originally replied that I didn't see the attachment....

Turns out that i don't see it when I'm using the work browser... so apparently the image is blocked by the work firewall.

Anyway - cool stuff... thanks - so 21 is "136.5 hz" instead of 131.8


Thanks!