Amateur Radio for the RVer

[@RVLifestyle]

Please read the accompanying blog post for this...lots more info and resources! rvlifestyle.com/amateur-radio-hobby/

[@gilbertchcs]

So enjoyed your Hamm radio introduction. As I boy. Radio Shack was better than Disney Land. I made a small attempt to get started but never did. You just rekindled my boyhood joy. Gracias !

[@jeremyturner4402]

Hi Mike, thanks for the shout-out for Parks on the Air! Several of our co-founding admins came out of the older "Michigan State Parks on the Air" program. 73, N0AW

[@rhett528]

I am a new technician ham operator. I have a little ft-60, and just purchased a icom 5100a. I am also an rv'r. Mostly weekend warrior. I have been doing a lot of research, and video watching just trying to learn. I have literally no acquaintances who are ham savvy, other than the local club I just joined. So far, this is one of the best, if not, THE BEST, video I have come across so far. Nice work! And thank you. 73 kn6swi. From socal.

[@beverlywerden1568]

How interesting is this?..I didn't know all that you could do with a ham radio..good info indeed..!👍👍

[@WA7ALUT]

Hello from WA7AL and KI7JDH both RVing and enjoying fun also my Father W7XP amazing on CW he would love the rag chew on CW

[@williamtucker5855]

You inspired me to get into ham radio I just got my technician license. I bought a ID 52 Icom handheld d star radio and I’m really enjoying it. I couldn’t decide between DMR fusion and d star so I went with d star but thanks again I’m really appreciate it! I do a lot of RVing, love your channel. My call sign KQ4EDN ! Maybe I’ll hear you on the radio sometime!

[@RVLifestyle]

Congrats, William. Welcome to the greatest hobby in the world!

[@pauldanielczyk3398]

Great presentation Mike, thank You for taking the time to do a show on Ham Radio. My call is N2HYG and I am also on different nets as a controller. The big one I am on is 100 Watts and a Wire that meets 7CT on 40 meters just tune into the pod cast on KZbin to see what frequency I'm on. I have been licensed since 1964 and still learning everyday about this great hobby. I am now retired from Emergency Management after 21 years of service but still make myself available in case needed. To anyone out there that is thinking about getting licensed Just Do It like they say the first step is easy. 73 all DE N2HYG

[@stanleyj.mitchell4851]

Just went out to Skipworth Reserve here in Victoria Australia. It’s in the bush. I operated on the 40 metre band. Radio is an Icom IC-718, 100 watts into a mobile one whip. All done with 12 volt AGM battery with solar power backup. With that setup I’ve worked the world. Glad I found this video. Your setup is streets ahead of mine.

[@DavidVenturaFuji]

Hello Mike, I really enjoyed the video! It was a great introduction to the benefits and fun of ham radio for RV folks. My wife an I are both hams and we travel in our Pleasureway motorhome with ham radio on most all bands. 73 from Dave and Sue, KE0NA and KD0YLR.

[@eugenebrown419]

Thanks for posting this video. I too am a Ham. KK4DIY. I live full time in RV's and have a station in both of them. In my home base 5th wheel. I have an Icom 7300 and a Yaesu 2800 and an Ameritron 811H. In my motorhome I use a Yaesu 450d and a Yaesu 2800, no amp yet. I enjoy being on the radios almost daily weather we are on the road or at the home base. I think it is a great hobby to mix with RVing. Thanks again

[@burtoncarlisle4810]

Very cool video on Ham Radio. 73, KC7NRI Burton Carlisle

[@michaelbusse333]

Thanks for the information. Just getting an RV and trying to figure out how to mount. 73 AG5PS

[@OwensDMKK]

Wow, this was our old school chatting, back in the 80s and 90s pre-internet. It was always fun.

[@radialtravels8601]

Great video. Glad to see amateur radio discussed on a RV channel. I have a VHF/UHF rig in mine now - and planning to install a Yaseau 857D for HF soon.

[@chrisbrown811]

Mike - great demo and introduction to our amazing hobby, especially for those not previously aware of amateur radio! Hope to hear you on the air and on the road one of these days. Best 73, Chris, KL4C

[@RalphSanabria]

Wow very interesting . Cool.....

[@squirl]

Hi Mike. Zoda says hi. Got my ticket. KE8RHW. 73's

[@TheGrayLifewithJimPearl]

Deciding on getting back into the hobby. In fact I went to a VE session and got my grandfathered Tech upgraded to General. We have been camping for many years and retirement is closing in. Just switched to a Class A and want to hit the national parks. This i where HAM radio is coming back for emergency communications. Wow the hobby has really changed since I was last active. Now time for the research. Enjoyed the video.

[@MrDmonies327]

Ham radio got me into POTA, which got me back into Hiking/Camping (since the boyscout days), which got me into RV'ing with the family. Great introductory video to the hobby, and it seems we have a similar intersect of interests!

[@FiredogKC]

Way to be a great ambassador of Ham Radio! Give us a shout on the America-Kansas City Wide Room. I would love to have a ragchew. 73’s WQØA

[@hamchron]

I have seen a few of your RV videos as my wife and I get into it. I then saw this video talking about Ham Radio and thought cool, another HAM (NB8F here). Then I looked at your QRZ page and said “I remember this guy from the news!”. Keep up the great work. Look forward to watching more of your videos.

[@howardpetty550]

Thank you Mike. Not too much "geek speak" 73 KD9SBH

[@w1tjl]

Hi Mike, I'm Tom W1TJL and last year my wife and I bought an RV and I will be utting my mobile Yaesu FT-857 in it. It is a small RV (21 ft Mallard Pathfinder) and I'll be using it at campgrounds, etc. for POTA, just general use. I have a home contest station with 2 towers and LARGE antennas so the adjustment is coming... ;-) Thanks for putting this out and matybe one of these days we'll meet in person or on the air... 73, Tom

[@mgb3205]

Thanks for the inspiration. I have subscribed to the Ham Radio Prep online course and been through Tech Class. So much to absorb first time thru. Took the practice exam and scored 74%, so going back through the entire course to smooth out rough spots and get my scores up. I am an RVer (F450 with Grand Design Momentum toy hauler). Lovely state MI, we did 15 CGs there last Sept/Oct, Holland was so scenic! Once I get licensed and set up, hopefully can CQ with you! -Jersey Mike, Flemington

[@baker298]

Great information. I am recently retire and new to both RV’ing as well as ham. KI5JXI

[@DanWhiteish]

Enjoyed your video, been following you for a while. I'm a Ham and RVer, KB5VKB in Shreveport, Louisiana area. Have a nice trip.

[@user-qh8nb9zl7q]

I’m 15 and a storm spotter I want to get ham certified because I love emergency coms and this hobby I love can life to also I want to be an EMT and firefighter so this is a great hobby

[@sunnybrown987]

Thanks Mike N4GWN

[@a.j.pawlowski156]

Great vid... I've been RVing with a 36ft Class A for the past 8 years and enjoying ham radio at the same time. I've been licensed since 1977 and enjoy SSB, CW, FT8 and Fusion. I encourage RVers to get their ham license and join the fun. 73's A.J. KB7KZ

[@mikek8mgb]

This is an AWESOME video Mike, thank you de K8MGB.

[@NA12495]

I have been looking for videos on people's RV installs. I would love to see how people ran cable. How they are doing connection points so they can quickly put away a radio. Power. What type of radios they are using for UHF/VHF/HF in the RV. Unfortunately most videos(not just yours) has very little about the RV radio setup and more about other things.

[@annemcdonley5983]

Mike that was great information. I'm a new ham KN6DPW with a technicians license and wanting to learn how to use it in my RV. I've done CERT training and hope to help with emergency communications when the need arises. I have so much to learn. Please keep talking to us about your Amateur Radio use!

[@KM4ACK]

Been following you channel for several months now. Didn’t know you were a ham 😀 73, de KM4ACK

[@scottbeisiegel6157]

Great job Mike, I have like you been a ham since age 18, and it has been a fulfilling life long hobby. For those interested in becoming a ham, you will not regret the investment in time and money to reap the rewards the hobby has to offer. RV lifestyle and ham radio go very well together. Mike if you come out to New England, you have a spot to park In Connecticut. Love your rig. Do me a favor, convince LTV to build a four season version to compete with Winnebago recently released EKKO. I really have no idea why LTV has not built a 4 season capable version of the Wonder. I’m fine with a cassette toilet. That seems to be what makes the engineering possible to get all the tanks and pipes inside when space is at a premium. 73 for now. Scott, AA1WM

[@saladmj]

Hey Mike 73 de WB5LLI - run a FT-817 in my Thor Sequence when RVing.

[@RVLifestyle]

Several have asked what Fusion reflector I hang out on... It's the Zombie Alert reflector. I'll be monitoring it on and off this weekend if you want to give me a call... Mike, de K8ZRH. :-)

[@martinrenee]

Is that XLX240? Marty - W9EAA

[@EdRichards]

@@martinrenee keep scrolling down. If you are one an OpenSpot, it looks like this. ZOMBIE-ALERT (88240)

[@kooltravelers]

Really enjoyed this vid. We were CB radio users back in the 70s when that was the fad. Hope you follow up with more on the the ham radio.Very interesting!!

[@wercrooks1]

Just found your channel. Love your personality and the way you present the info. I’m new to ham radio (Tech) and love my RV. What a great combo. Thanks for the videos! KI5WAN

[@MitchellGraff]

Enjoyed the video! Thank you, Mike.

[@davidcamp3598]

Good work, Mike. This ham and RVer enjoyed your presentation. 73, David, KM4VRW.

[@N4EJM]

Love my FTM400. I have the FT3 and 991A as well. I will check out your FB page.

[@jokemajo]

Thanks for for the video really really interesting stuff loved it thanks again

[@ignorethis68]

Excellent video 👍 👌😮

[@brucehaskell9436]

Nice video..I like your Elecraft KX3. I will check one out! 73 de WD4MLM

[@KB9VBRAntennas]

Very nice and quite comprehensive. KB9VBR

[@AKRichardM]

Good video! No HF rig but have DMR on the rig for about 3years. AL6T

[@markchudley8994]

I have been (silently) following you two for a couple of years. We started with a Roadtrek. Sill love Class B, but with two White German Shepherds, we moved up in size to a Class C. I was just commenting to myself tonight, how so many channels on here are short lived. I believe your diversity has served you well. We also love to boon dock. I am (sortof- about to take my General exam, this weekend) recent to the waves, but loving it. I can't believe you got so many great comments with the "geek level" of this video. I loved it, and look forward to more. DE KC3RJH (just think of me/us as the Love Shack- Romeo Juliet Hotel). Hope to hear you on the waves, and some day see you on the road. Mark and Julie

[@TignerAdventures]

Very nice video. I just did a video about RVing and being involved in local clubs and interviewed a number of club members and I think they would love this video. If it is alright with you I would like to include a link to this video in my comments page.

[@jimbridge4166]

Thanks for this and 7 3 de K7LA

[@LEXPIX]

Nice setup. 73

[@johnbachofner5783]

Nice video. I have not yet installed my radio in my RV yet, but have an Yaesu 998 ready to be installed. 73. KJ7AOL.

[@ChrisZwolinski]

Great video. Not all about RVs, something a little different for an addition. I always wanted to get my ham license so I could talk to me friend Eric in Canada but had a lot of trouble trying to learn CW. He had the hardest license you could get at the time that didn’t require CW. I finally started studying and passed my tech and general exams last spring. Eric has long since gone QRT, but I always said that one day I’d get it and did so in his memory. Haven’t made many contacts yet and definitely need a bit better set up than the HTs I’m starting with. I’ll listen out for you though. 83, KE8USK.

[@rclewen]

Excellent video and accompanying blog post! I guess I didn't know that you are a ham! I was originally licensed in the late 80s but let it expire for a variety of reasons, but I took the test a couple of weeks ago and am now a Gerneral Class! My old license was Advanced class, so I got exam credit for the General test. We're going full time RV later this year, so I figured this was a good time to get back into it. POTA is especially interesting! - KD9UEO

[@mariecook7916]

This was fun to watch. I studied along with my two boy that were in high school at the time. We all have our tech. We all got small handheld radios that year for Christmas. They loved talking to mom from school (before cell phones) about their after school plans on their radios. Our three call signs are sequential. It was one of the best things I did with them in their teen years. I highly recommend it if you are interested. Thanks for sharing your ham shack. Kd7ltj

[@TheArecf]

Hello Mike, Great video! Very informative. Nice to see our mutual friend, Loren Phillips, in the video. 73, Rick W0RCF

[@victoriasummers7444]

My father is a ham radio operator. He is N2XTT. Give him a hello.

[@elsuperpollo2273]

Good to know about your channel I just got my ticket a few months ago and I own a travel trailer and I been looking for information on using amateur radio in a RV. 73 Kq4hcu

[@FreedomProject1]

Nice video Mike. 73 de W7CS

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

I got a Scorpion HF screwdriver for my coach. Want to take my amp too. Worried about RF. I’m a general. Just don’t like giving my call because of the open FCC database

[@jifchosehismother]

Not why they called it a shack. It was the Navy where the term originated.

[@g1egz]

I use a ducato autocruise, motorhome, with a thirty foot pump up mast on the back of the motor, along with a lot of antennas, beams for two, seventy and 23 cms, and an hf vertical, and various vertical antennas, as well, as data comms, and azimuth and elevation rotators, so, yep, good fun, when mobile, lol. De G1EGZ.

[@perrier2523]

Great vid! I enjoyed watching yours! Is it possible for me in indiana to communicate with you with yaesu ft-60r or baofeng UV-5R?

[@KI4CFSHamRadioMartinBrossman]

Great job! KI4CFS

[@dspmikey]

Mike What brand and model dual band radio do you have up on your windshield???, very nice,( N2RVG)

[@BobKeefe]

Cool, it was worth the wait! QUESTION: As a kid back in the 50’s & 60’s our radios had shortwave bands that sounded similar. Do shortwave & ham radio share similar frequencies?

[@RVLifestyle]

Ham radio is a hobby. The Shortwave band usies shortwave (SW) radio frequencies, generally below 30 MHz. Some of the ham radio high frequency bands operate in those frequencies, ie. 1.5-21 MHz, or 160 meters through 15 meters... hams also operate at 50 Mz (6 meters) and VHF ( like 2 meters in the 146-220 MHz range -very high frequency and 220 MHZ) and UHF (Ultra High Frequencies), like 440 MHz and beyond or Ultra High Frequency). The shortwave signals you likely listened to as a kid were broadcast signals from the various nations, like our Voice of America, the BBC, Radio Moscow, etc.

[@germanmg42]

11 meter ch19, 460 northern Michigan waving, 73s

[@jifchosehismother]

The RV Receiver looks like a Yaesu FTM-400XDR C4FM Digital Dual Band Transceiver. Not clearly identified in the video.

[@Pawoodsman]

Where did you find the callsign sign for your boom mic at your shack and 73's N3SE

[@baker298]

I have a question for you. I am a new ham and I’m studying for my general. I have a Winnebago Intent 30R that I would like to install my FTM-300 in. I too would like to install the antenna on the rear ladder. My question for you is did you need to ground the antenna wire?

[@danv8078]

great video thx ,n8wjz Dan in Ohio

[@sundownstudios502]

Thanks Mike ! KI4PGJ

[@ObamaoZedong]

Can you offer any suggestions on how to best run a random wire antenna on an RV for shortwave radio listening? Do I need to keep the antenna elevated from the roof? Would my reception be diminished if I ran the antenna from the roof to say a bush or tent stake on the ground?

[@kc4vkg]

How does the FT-2d interface with the FTM-400 to find one another?

[@BZ-si6st]

This technology has come an awful long way since the days of tube type set ups. I use to do short wave listening on a Hamerlund HQ 110A receiver. I knew one of the founding members who got the USECA repeater up and running. His name was Tex John. This was over 40 years ago.

[@Solitary_van]

interesting!

[@christianmulvey7396]

What is the make/model of your portable UHF/VHF radio w/removable head in your video? 73's from KI5WYQ

[@RVLifestyle]

Iy's a Yaesu 400

[@williamthawley9251]

Hi Mike, I sent you an email from my red cross account. would love to talk to you about this and what the Red Cross does with RVers and ham radio operators. Thanks for a great video.

[@jiml40]

Other than amateur radio operators helping Red Cross with communication what’s going on? N5KTH, truck camper 👍🏻😊

[@jiml40]

??

[@clarenceswope6706]

A lot of people including myself have a love-hate relationship with Samuel Morse it does work when no other form of communication works I love that feature but I am a technician no code I have been a licensed ham since May 31st 1995

[@GeeksOnTour]

I have too many hobbies now!

[@GeeksOnTour]

I like Geek-Speak, though.

[@AndrewLarrimoremassachusetts]

My Dad is a ham. WA1YMS

[@bobwitte1101]

Great video, Mike! de K0NR

[@WA7ALUT]

Ecolink works same way with smartphone de WA7AL

[@pvpbkdu]

73 Mike KO4OIG

[@duncanrankin229]

KN4GOB

[@topper5656]

Great presentation. KZ5USA

[@KC3PLG.Kurtis]

I like how you explain things. Keep up the good work. KC3PLG

[@tracy3350]

Mike, great video!Thanks for sharing your love of amateur radio and promoting the hobby. I’ve been licensed for one year now and hold a general class license - KF0BUG. 73