in today's episode we talk with Mike Nickolaus, NF0N about how he helped start the Mobile Bicycles Hams of America club over 25 years ago. If you went to Hamvention this year or any year for the past 25 years you might have gon in and listened to their forum discussion. If you like riding bikes and you love amateur radio, give this episode a listen and find out some ways of joining the two hobbies together. Http://www.everythinghamradio.com/podcast/73
Interesting piece of hardware that was assembled.... but it is hardly a bicycle... looks more like a train. ;-)
Looks too easy. Back in the days of Iron Hams and Wooden Radios, I remember putting a car battery in the rear basket of my 26" Huffy, a Gonset 2m communicator in the front basket and a halo antenna strapped to the rear frame to go bicycle mobile. Almost 8 watts out on AM lasting 20 minutes or so until the vibrator p.s. pulled the battery to low. The hams these days are spoiled..... me included.
I've done HF bicycle mobile using a Yaesu FT-817 and a 40m Hamstick on the rear rack.....loads of fun . EDIT: Now I want to try it with a Heathkit HW-101!
On denver CL: Some relevant nostalgia for sale: https://denver.craigslist.org/bop/6110454619.html I have no affiliation - with this ad - but it fits this thread. From CL ad: Handlebar Bag Hartley Alley's Touring Cyclist Shop Pannier Ham Radio Vintage Blue Nylon and Leather Bicycle Handlebar Bag Vintage Hartley Alley's Vintage Touring Cyclist Shop "Touring Cyclist Brand" P. O. Box 4009 Boulder, Colorado 80306 1970 Hartley Alley Designed TC Pannier for Cyclists and also designed the Handlebar Bag Hartley Alley did something unique while riding, He was a Ham Radio Operator for BMHA or Bicycle Mobile Hams of America. His call sign was NAOA . He served as the Chairman for 20 years. In 1970, he opened the Touring Cyclist Shop. In 1971, he founded and for 10 years directed the bicycle touring program for the Boulder chapter of the Colorado Mountain Club. In 1984, he co-authored the "Colorado Cycling Guide." Measures approx. 10 x 10 x 9 Incredible piece of Colorado History, Ham Radio History, Cyclist, Vintage Bicycle Accessories Great for Restored Vintage road bike, Folding Bike, Unicycle 250314
Is there a direct link to the podcast audio? I tried looking at http://www.everythinghamradio.com/2017/06/operating-bicycle-mobile/ but could only find the link to Russian women!
2 years before I could get a driver's license (fall 1961) I was bicycle mobile on 160M. Had a full size Schwinn that weighed as much as I did. Used a detuned 6 transistor AM BC radio and switched the battery lead for T/R. Used its internal antenna. A 6C4 oscillator with an 1810 KHz rock (the mobile freq in the Chicago area at the time so there were lots of guys on and the distance it could cover was enough for a QSO about any time) to a 6AQ5 final with a 6AQ5 modulator built in a J&J industrial size band aid can. Used a small size WWII surplus dynamotor off a 6V car battery for the B+. Varnished a Quaker Oats oatmeal canister (they were heavy cardboard back then) for a coil form and a CB whip. It was so heavy when I leaned a little it turned the corner automatically. I could pedal it for about as long as the battery held out -- not too far. With all due respect to the guys with an FT-817 in a backpack or an IC-02AT in a pouch on the handlebars .......... what I had was REAL bicycle mobile. Full disclosure honesty here -- now in retirement in Florida I have an IC-92AD and a "flag" whip supporting a J-pole on my golf cart as my "green power" mobile.
I hear you..... My first mobile 2m rig was one of these(the smaller one): .....and it was mounted to the handlebars of my Honda CL125 motorcycle . Uses little tiny flat tubes! Crystaled for our local repeater, worked pretty well for about 6 months. And I did this in the late 1970s when better, more modern rigs were available even then but I proudly tooled around town with my old Motorola. Looked real official too .
Was it as heavy as this guy's (N4RVE) setup? "The 580-pound BEHEMOTH bicycle, circa 1991. This was the final bike version, a 3-year project based in Silicon Valley. (photo by Bob Ponzoni)" Read more here: https://microship.com/
Very strange, link goes to the show notes when I click on it. Here is the direct download link: http://traffic.libsyn.com/everythinghamradio/ETH073_-_Bicycle_Mobile.mp3
