HAM Radio: EV install will it work? Mobile Radio installation : Amateur Radio

Have you just got yourself an EV (Electric Vehicle)? want to put your Ham Radio in it? well that's exactly what I have just done.
EV or PHEV cars are the next generation of vehicles on our roads and it stands to reason that we are going to want to put our radios in them, however there is a small issue (at least there was with mine).
Many thanks for watching.
I do hope you enjoy it and subscribe for more..
Many thanks
Mike - M0MSN
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[@MAV8865]

Been waiting for months for someone to do a car install - thanks Mike!

[@mike-M0MSN]

Glad I could help. :)

[@happyending486]

Awesome .. 👍🎉

[@TerryG7wrs]

Nice video Mike that’s how my 706 is in the car them radio’s are old but still good.

[@mike-M0MSN]

One of the best radios I have :)

[@alanb76]

The electric motor inverter drive system is a high power switching unit (probably 400V at some tens of kilowatts), pretty hard to make them quiet, especially in close. I'd try running the radio from it's own independent LiFePO4 battery and minimize any connections between the radio system and the vehicle to see if that helps, but the common ground system is likely to carry a lot of noise. Be interesting to survey all the HF bands to see if any are useable. Generally the computers in cars moved up the gHz region and aren't interfering anymore, but high power drives are in the upper kHz to lower mHz region and harmonics can be everywhere. de w6akb

[@IW4DBX]

Dear Mike, it's like having a switching circuit on idle mode and when you load it, noise is stopping. When brake lights or other loads occur, the noise stops. Try if a bulb lamp somewhere make the deal

[@mike-M0MSN]

?not sure if that's right or wrong?

[@IW4DBX]

@@mike-M0MSN to be sure you would like to put a oscilloscope on AC mode to find out the waveform on 12vdc line. When a switch mode power supply is idle, you may see the top shape of sawtooth waveform

[@IW4DBX]

@@mike-M0MSN if you need some help write me to [e-mail]

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

Well if RF is getting out then RF will be getting in, so I think I would not want to transmit on 10m while driving. Well until I know that the abs or anything else is not going to kick in or fall out and make it a very bad day around. Can't beat an old diesel for noise, not a lot electircal going on with them.

[@mike-M0MSN]

Agree

[@SuburbanDXing]

Good point about the "RF getting in"...and what does that do to all the computers in modern vehicles? Hmmm.... Anyway, enjoyed the video, Mike, as usual. Thanks for producing it...73! de WX0V

[@TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

​@@SuburbanDXing in the EU not sure if it’s the same elsewhere but if the unit is permanently connected in a vehicle it had to be Emarked. If marked with E11 would have been made and tested in the UK. So not sure if radios design to be fitted have been tested, I’m now going to have a look.

[@M7BXR]

As I live in the bottom of a steep sided valley with a tidgy garden there is very little radio I can do from home so I tend to go out and park on a hill top, we have an abundance around here! You can hear EVs coming a mile off on the radio as the interference increases until they pass. Cars are pretty bad but those electric bikes are a nightmare, they take ages to pass and thus prolong my torture!

[@MattHill303]

Interesting stuff, I've only worked mostly VHF parked up from my EV but when I get time I'll hook up my 706mk2g and see what happens on 10 and 20 when the car is powered up and in drive. So far I've been pretty impressed with the lack of RF noise when charging it at 6.6kW at home.

[@mike-M0MSN]

Yes Matt, it is very good everywhere but 27 -28MHz

[@MattHill303]

@@mike-M0MSN Managed to get out and test this before it got too warm this morning, tried 40, 20 and 10M, didn't notice any increase in my admittedly high noise floor with car on, off and in drive, car is a MG ZS EV, so hopefully EVs wont be that bad, I've been driving them since 2015. What did surprise me was how many more signals I got with small base loaded 90's G-whips on a mag-mount than my active loop antenna and SDR I normally use so something to investigate there. The 706 was running off a LiFePO battery rather than the car.

[@laverdanick]

I use a hatch mount on my Mitsubishi PHEV, which I find works well. I only have 2 and 70 and they like your car are fine, with no interference. I haven’t used HF mobile for many years. My last setup was a Yaesu FT-707 in an Astra GTE, which was a bit of a squeeze, band conditions were a lot better then as well. Good luck. Nick G0OQK

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Mike, Nice install. Have you tried toroids on both ends of the control head cable? Stay safe. 73 WJ3U

[@mike-M0MSN]

Hi Don, Not yet, great idea I will give that ago. :)

[@M0UAW_IO83]

Nice install, nasty noise problem, did you make sure the antenna mount was making good electrical contact with the body of the car and that the boot hatch/lid has a good, low impedance electrical contact with the rest of the body too? More worrying is the thought that these things radiate as they drive past, potentially making them mobile noise generators that could wreck HF

[@4444panther]

In the history of the world one of those triple mag mounts ever came off a roof lol.. mind you they will scratch the hell out of the roof if one is taken on and off at regular intervals,. Hope the boot hatch one works good for you 73

[@mike-M0MSN]

Yes me too

[@ianxfs]

Nice install 👍🏻What about Reverse? Is that an option?? 🤔

[@mike-M0MSN]

??

[@ianxfs]

@@mike-M0MSN Did the Drive fault also manifest itself in Reverse too? If not, you’re sorted 👍🏻

[@A.R.O.T.A.]

I agree that the interference is clearly coming from the drive computer (probably the CPU engaging the gears) perhaps if you could move the head away from the centre console it might clear or at least be easier to deal with the interference.

[@M0UAW_IO83]

Nah, it's likely from the inverter, the computer will be active no matter what mode it's in and unless the petrol/diesel engine has a mechanical coupling to the wheels then there won't be a gearbox. Would be interesting to find out if the noise changes with vehicle speed.

[@4444panther]

Btw the loom is 6volts so any additional equipment added to it will run under power. I learnt this with my Prius, so i had to bypass the cars computer loom.. daft question Mike but have you tested the drain in amps when the mic is keyed. Your problem there is the initial problem i had on my Toyota.

[@mike-M0MSN]

Direct battery connected and even a handheld has the same issue

[@4444panther]

@@mike-M0MSN ahh okies, well i hope you sort the issue out. It's a strange one for sure, look forward to an update.

[@Joe-KN4IFI]

What a beautiful install Mike. Is the hash still present if the car is off with the key removed so that at least you could go to high ground and park and uses the radio? 73 Joe

[@mike-M0MSN]

Hi Joe, I can use the radio when I am parked up so not a complete loss. ;)

[@markramsay6399]

Interesting video. I like your priorities too. Get the new car, get a radio in it lol. Does the petrol engine provide drive independently of the battery, or does it only run to charge battery? Was wondering if there is any difference between petrol engine running or not with respect to interference? This video is another wake up call for the radio world as electric cars become more popular. Wonder if the high speed chargers cause interference? Mark, M7MSR

[@mike-M0MSN]

Yes and yes electric never turns off.

[@lee-mrqx7586]

I have the watson triple magmount. I drove from Portsmouth to Birmingham with a 20m ampro whip at probably 80mph because I was running late and it stayed on fine. So have no fear about them coming off. But yes they can scratch the roof thats for sure, Mines on an old van so i'm not worried. Lee M0RQX

[@mike-M0MSN]

Thanks for the info :)

[@mariomarchese8335]

Good evening Thank you for all your videos you publish Unfortunately I do not know English I go to intuition and read the comments of other people translating them with the translator I saw the problem you have with the car I ask you a question You can try with an amateur radio laptop for see if it is not radiofrequency that the machine creates from some electronic card maybe mine is stupid otherwise it will come from the power supply I repeat I am not in your technician but I go to exclusion Thank you again for all your videos and I give you a good evening Hello here from Mario from Trieste Italy

[@mike-M0MSN]

Thanks for the comment, I will use an SDR with my Laptop. good idea

[@mariomarchese8335]

OK 73

[@deenunya7735]

Good Install, wouldnt it be neater running the cable along the Sill Trim, than outing it over the Carpet, where it could be kicked by a Shoe

[@mike-M0MSN]

Yes probably but work car never really have passengers.

[@Stefaon]

I have a Renault Zoe, and it's exactly the same, full of noise when the engine is running... I think for HamRadio mobile devices, electric vehicles are not the easiest solution.

[@TeessideDave]

Not quite as easy in a BMW i3 as the complete body is plastic composite so no ability to use a mag mount and little ground plane….as I found out previously.

[@M0JBM]

I had the same issue in my Prius

[@kubectlgetpo]

Why would the car manufacturers address the emi noise? For us ultra small ham minority?

[@mike-M0MSN]

Because it goes agains (breaks) EU and UK EMC regulations.

[@kubectlgetpo]

@@mike-M0MSN I don't think it does because it cannoybr sold in the EU per emissions regulation.

[@mike-M0MSN]

​@@kubectlgetpo That is exactly why I complained, because it should not make any EMI noise if it complied .......and if it has been sold it should comply.

[@Ojamesmc26]

I have noticed the same on 11m when driving and come up to a Tesla

[@mike-M0MSN]

Yep

[@xszl]

So, if in = out....power up that radio, see if you can get that tesla go crazy :-)

[@Ojamesmc26]

@@xszl lol now that's sounds like a fun idea lol

[@ianfromnyc]

Others who have done EV installs (such as Josh KI6NAZ) have noted that the earthing is very important. Try putting an earthing strap between the boot lid and the main body of the car and making sure the radio also has a good Earth connection to the main body. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHWtlYicicSHpK8

[@garyh8315]

Josh earthed all points in the car plus any nut, screw or bolt he could find. I was also thinking earthing. A good shout. 👍

[@mike-M0MSN]

will give that a go. :)

[@bigliftm]

this time this video is not on my like list. sorry mike, i hate electric cars...

[@markg6jvy135]

Annoying 🤦‍♂️ 👍👏👏

[@mike-M0MSN]

very