HAM radio unit: fan or cooling fins?

[El-Dracho]

Hi community!

I am just in the process to get my HAM license. Currently using CB in my overlanding rig, but want a proper comm for longer distances...

Looking at mobile HAM radios, there are some which do not have a fan but just cooling fins. I was thinking that this might be a good idea with regard to sand and dust. On the other hand this might cause overheating issues?! I tend to get a radio with removable head unit to mount the radio itself somewhere under the seat where it does not eat useful space and is far away from other electronics like the ECU. All of the radios with removable head unit I found so far have fans.

I am new to this. What is your experience, please? Is sand and dust a real problem for the radios?

Thank you!

Safe travels,
Bjoern

 

[Prerunner1982]

All 3 of the ham radios that reside in my Jeep have fans.
I live in the country and drive dirt roads daily and even when parked dust settles in/on the Jeep.
The current Jeep also does not have air conditioning.
My oldest two radios (Yaesu FT-8800 & Kenwood TS-480) has been chugging along for the last 5 & 6 years in this type of environment with no problem.
My other radio is only a couple of years old or so. Sometimes it's cooling fan kicks on/off about every 10 seconds, however this seems to be a common issue with this radio (Yaesu FTM-3100/3200) and not indicative of the environment.
I typically do not hear the fans when they kick on though they are pretty quiet (the ftm-3100 seems to have the loudest fan)...if they kick on at all.

Good luck in your quest for better comms.

 

[Downs]

There's plenty of radios with no cooling fan. As long as they are designed that way there may not be a need for it. My Motorola mobile just has a finned heat sink. But it's a beefy heat sink and the radio's maximum power output is 28 watts.

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your experience with this and the good advises so far!

Do you have also some advise for a good radio? Looking for 2m/ 70cm dual band, APRS is not a must but would be great

Thanks,
Bjoern

 

[Flipper]

Most 2M radios are designed with the chassis as the their heat sink, no fan required. The HF units with more power output will usually have fans. The Kenwood TM 281 2M is MIL-STD 810 C,D,F,G standard for vibration and shock. Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu all make great radios. It’s personal choice just like Ford or Chevy. Check the IPX rating the first number is the dust resistance rating the second number is the water resistance.

 

[TerryD]

Either will most likely be fine 99% of the time.

A thought: Good operating practices are a thing mentioned in the license manuals and also a good thing to learn. Most of these ratios offer output in the 50W range. Some even approach 100W. However you rarely need that kind of power to make contact.

Most of the time you will be in convoy and 10-20W will easily cover you. So learn to turn the power down when you don't need it. This will not only help keep your radio cooler, it's easier on the final amplifier and will improve the life span of the radio.

It also lowers the likelihood that you will interfere with others who might be on frequency in the area.

Should you need more power to make contact or reach out for help, by all means turn up the juice till you don't need that much power again.

 

[Downs]

Either will most likely be fine 99% of the time.

A thought: Good operating practices are a thing mentioned in the license manuals and also a good thing to learn. Most of these ratios offer output in the 50W range. Some even approach 100W. However you rarely need that kind of power to make contact.

Most of the time you will be in convoy and 10-20W will easily cover you. So learn to turn the power down when you don't need it. This will not only help keep your radio cooler, it's easier on the final amplifier and will improve the life span of the radio.

It also lowers the likelihood that you will interfere with others who might be on frequency in the area.

Should you need more power to make contact or reach out for help, by all means turn up the juice till you don't need that much power again.

Excellent point. My PM400 will do 28 watts but i keep it on "low" 99 percent of the time which i have programed as 5 watts. I only bump up the power when i need it. That 5 watts gets nearly everything done.

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi!

Very good tips so far! Thank you!

I think I will go for a radio with a detached head unit and mount the main radio unit somewhere under or behind the seats. My cockpit is already quite full of various devices and gauges so I would not like to add too much more.

After some more research I really like the Yeasu FTM-400 XDE. Anybody here running that radio and like to share experiences with that?

Thanks,
Bjoern

 

[Prerunner1982]

Hi!

Very good tips so far! Thank you!

I think I will go for a radio with a detached head unit and mount the main radio unit somewhere under or behind the seats. My cockpit is already quite full of various devices and gauges so I would not like to add too much more.

After some more research I really like the Yeasu FTM-400 XDE. Anybody here running that radio and like to share experiences with that?

Thanks,
Bjoern

Remote heads are the way to go for a busy/cramped vehicle.
Many here have the FTM-400 due to it being nicely discounted for some time and it's capabilities such as APRS.

 

[El-Dracho]

Thanks again! It is really helpful how many good advices are coming together here and nice to see that so many people like to share there knowledge and experiences! Great community!
Bjoern

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi!

I am still looking which ham radio to to buy. Anyone running the

• ICOM IC-2730 dualband or
• Yeasu FTM-100

(both with detachable head unit)

and would like to share some experiences/ opinions?

Thanks!

Safe travels,
Bjoern

 

[Sparksalot]

I have an Icom 2730 in my rig. It works well for me.

The head unit is mounted overhead, while the main unit is mounted to my drawer unit.

 

[The other Sean]

Also, aren't you making most of the heat on transmit? So, for typical trail use, its no more than a few seconds of transmit here and there. I'd pick the radio with the features and price you like.

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi!

I am still looking which ham radio to to buy. Anyone running the

• ICOM IC-2730 dualband or
• Yeasu FTM-100

(both with detachable head unit)

and would like to share some experiences/ opinions?

Thanks!

Safe travels,
Bjoern

Hi there,

Had the chance to see both in reality and compare. Have choosen to go for the Yeasu FTM-100: detachable head unit, APRS, everything I need. Thank you so much for your advices here guys!

Will keep you posted on the installation in the rig once I have everything here.

Stay safe,
Bjoern