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This is KA2DTH, Motorcycle Mobile...
More gremlins exist for those adventurous enough to attempt to operate while on a motorcycle. Wind noise, limited space, weight concerns and antenna options are a few topics for planning when contemplating this exciting method of operation.
Planning a Trip
My adventure in motorcycle mobile began with a friend approacing me and asking if a trip from Home to Daytona, FL and back interested me. How much space did I have on my bike for gear and equipment? What kind of an antenna could I have? How would I power the equipment?
GPS Gotta have it! This is such a great tool, I don't know why anyone would travel without it. Many options exist, and I have had more than one unit sinse 1995. Currently I am using a Magellan Platinum GPS that has built in USA basemaps. Although it is a monochrome display and has no audio capabilities, I felt it would be plenty good for me (my partner was doing all the route planning & leading anyway). |
Radio Selection Portable, weather resistant, feature rich, I felt that the Yaesu VX-7R fit my needs for this trip. |
Motorcycle Communications System After testing simple FRS radios and headsets, we needed to look into more motorcycle specific solutions. My friend had read reviews of the AutoComm system, and although pricey, it seemed to be the best option, given the short amount of time we had to prepare for the trip. |
Bike to Bike Radio We began by looking into simple FRS radios and headsets. It only took a drive to the end of the street to expose a major flaw in this, and a ride around the block to eliminate it. Ultimately he purchased a Kenwood FRS radio that was recommended by AutoComm, and I modded my Yaesu to the FRS band. This provided us with a working system to discuss items while traveling such as where we were going to eat and when we should stop for the night! |
Mounting the Equipment Once the gear was selected, I then had to find a way to mount it all, leaving some easily accessable, and others not so much so. |
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Powering the Equipment As my motorcycle pre-dates all the latest electronic gadgets, it has a pretty basic electrical system, and stock battery. For years I had been having intermittant electrical & starting troubles, and didn't want to try the system too badly, so I elected to power all the added gear with an external battery. |
Antenna(s)? Locating a position for an antenna took some thought. I was interested in utilizing the three main bands (2m, 70cm & 6m) for communications, in case we were out of cell phone range during our trip through the Blue Mountains. I ended up fabricating a mount that attached to the licence plate bracket on the bike |