[Elecraft] Could this operate on a motorcycle?

[David Patino]

I would shy away from putting a KX3 on a motorcycle for several reasons:

Heat from direct sunlight
Heat from higher ambient temperature on the road
Possible exposure to water / moisture
Vibration (Even on a 6 cylinder Goldwing this can be an issue)
Attempting to operate the relatively small buttons with gloves on
Attention required to operate the (KX3 or any HF rig) would be better spent not getting squished by cagers
 
I would apply the same to almost any HF rig, though if one had a remote faceplate allowing you to secure the main unit in a trunk to protect from elements / vibration / direct sunlight, it could be possible, though probably still not recommended.
 
However I have used 2m/440 on my bikes quite successfully. These typically require much less attention to operate, no ATU, no minute tuning to get a signal. I usually just us my Kenwood F6a HT on a RAM mount interfaced with a helmet headset from RiderComm.
My father uses his Kenwood 710 with a Kennedy system to interface it to the stock comms system on his Goldwing.
 
I also have a Yaesu FTM-10R (discontinued now), which was designed for 'motorsports'. I just haven't actually put it on a bike yet. It's remote head wire is what I consider 'backwards'. You disconnect it from the main unit and have a 10'+ wire still attached to the head. Makes it a bit impractical since you can't easily remove the head unit from your bike. I assume they did this as the head unit is waterproof, and having a connector up there would defeat that.
 
As many have mentioned, if this is just shorter range communications, I'd go for one of the baofeng radios and a helmet headset (with remote PTT). Depending on the bike you could consider a nicer unit like the kenwood 710 which would also give you APRS capability.
 
-Dave
N9PBJ
2003 Vulcan Voyager
 
-----Original Message-----
From: "Matt Zilmer" <mzilmer at roadrunner.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 4, 2014 12:24pm
To: "rgconner" <rgconner at gmail.com>
Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Could this operate on a motorcycle?



You might get a few ideas by looking here:
http://www.elecraft.com/manual/Rev-B1-1.6-KX3-Mobile-Owners.pdf

There are ideas for mounts, power options, antennas, etc.  The guide
is really for four-wheel vehicles, but some of the concepts may apply
to your BMW two-wheel installation.

On the KX3's manual page
(http://www.elecraft.com/K2_Manual_Download_Page.htm#KX3), you'll also
find a reference to http://www.k0bg.com/ .  I believe the web site
also contains a number of articles on mobile installation and
operation, but might be less specific to the KX3.

73,
matt W6NIA

On Sun, 4 May 2014 09:20:45 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:

>Hello all, I just passed my Tech license and I am looking for a mobile
>station to mount on my motorcycle (BMW F700GS)
>
>I spoke with my Uncle Chuck Wood, WD6APP in San Diego, and he praised the
>KX3 as radio, said buy one for the house, but thought it was not suitable
>for a motorcycle. 
>
>His advice gives me pause as to if this is a suitable use for the radio, but
>wanted to get the opinion of someone who has maybe mounted this unit on a
>motorcycle and has personal experience.
>
>I plan to mount it inside a Ram Mount Large Box, which is water resistant,
>and then on to the handlebars, which are on anti-vibration mounts. It still
>vibrates, but not as much as a straight connection.
>
>I would have about 1/2 inch on all sides to put some anti vibration
>standoffs, to isolate it some more.
>
>Also, how forgiving is the unit of voltage? The CANBUS on the BMW does a
>great job of regulating the voltage, but there is still going to be some
>variation. Thinking of using an external battery, charge the battery off the
>bike if needed, just to stabilize the power supply.
>
>In case you were wondering what I would do with it... most of the road
>captains are HAMs too, so we are using FRS at the moment, but want to move
>to 6m/2m operations for co-ordinating rider leader/wingman/tailgunners
>actions during riders. We have up to 4 groups of 15 per ride, covering 150
>to 300+ miles per ride.
>All day operation is a requirement, not a lot of chatter, maybe 15:1 rx/tx
>ratio at max.
Matt Zilmer, W6NIA
--
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will
spend the first four sharpening the axe." -A. Lincoln
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