HF antenna mount on Truck ideas. - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - HF antenna mount on Truck ideas.

Posted: 2/17/2018 12:16:39 PM EDT

I have a Tundra.

I am sick of the hitch mount for my HF antenna.

Has anybody done a successful install of an HF antenna on a roof rack over the top of a fiberglass truck cap using wire grounded to the truck body?

Has anybody used a Breedlove stake mount under a truck bed cap?

I have an Ares fiberglass bed cap.

Yes I know...

I don't want to put a hole in the roof.

Posted: 2/17/2018 3:29:14 PM EDT

[#1]

Front bumper, to the right of the license plate.
I use a Hi-Q military antenna on an 18" pedestal with a flat plate at the top.
Pedestal is mounted to the frame.
Use a Kenwood TS-480HX HF radio.

Posted: 2/17/2018 3:45:57 PM EDT

[#2]

K0BG Web site. Lots of Yota installs.

Posted: 2/17/2018 6:31:27 PM EDT

[#3]

Yes, I use the Breedlove front of bed mount with my Tundra. It's worked very well for me. I also mount longer verticals on it for stationary use. I've also run dipole length wires from it (40M/80M) where the truck acts as the other half of the dipole. I normally run a tri-fold hard tonneau cover and it clears the tall Breedlove mount.

Posted: 2/17/2018 7:24:24 PM EDT

[#4]

Attached File

Posted: 2/17/2018 7:27:21 PM EDT

[#5]

Attached File

Hopefully I just have to make the whip smaller.

I ran out of day light. I needed to get it off the hitch, just not sure how well it will work up there with a ground wire about 3 feet long to the bed

Posted: 2/17/2018 7:32:11 PM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yes, I use the Breedlove front of bed mount with my Tundra. It's worked very well for me. I also mount longer verticals on it for stationary use. I've also run dipole length wires from it (40M/80M) where the truck acts as the other half of the dipole. I normally run a tri-fold hard tonneau cover and it clears the tall Breedlove mount.

https://s26.postimg.org/7wo4emyux/1022170948a_HDR.jpg

https://s26.postimg.org/i5ouetzy1/0830171851_HDR.jpg

https://s26.postimg.org/hyqanpint/0903171206_HDR_2.jpg

View Quote

Do you drive around with the wind river coil? I am leary to do that.

Posted: 2/17/2018 11:46:16 PM EDT

[#7]

Well, what I have on my Jeep is the Comet UHV-6 HF/VHF/UHF mobile. I drive around with only the 40m and 20m coils attached. To mount it to the Jeep, I use a MFJ-336S. It's 3 large 5" diameter magnets with a triangular steel plate. Suffice to say the antenna doesn't go anywhere. Of course, it will take a team of wild horses to get the dang thing off if I ever need to.

Posted: 2/18/2018 6:48:20 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
K0BG Web site. Lots of Yota installs.

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How did I not know sbout that website?

Tons of great info!

Posted: 2/18/2018 10:30:29 AM EDT

[#9]

here's a few ideas....

I've never had a camper shell.

I like to mount antennas on a metal toolbox.

the toolbox has a thick ground strap going thru the drain hole to the truck frame.

the K-400 trunk lip mount works surprisingly well

Posted: 2/18/2018 10:31:39 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:

Do you drive around with the wind river coil? I am leary to do that.

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No, only for stationary operations. I use either a telescopic MFJ or a couple of fixed masts from DX Engineering along with a shorter telescopic element from Buddipole. I think it is rated for mobile operations though. Using it along with a 102" whip would be acceptable.

Posted: 2/18/2018 11:32:53 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
No, only for stationary operations. I use either a telescopic MFJ or a couple of fixed masts from DX Engineering along with a shorter telescopic element from Buddipole. I think it is rated for mobile operations though. Using it along with a 102" whip would be acceptable.

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:

Do you drive around with the wind river coil? I am leary to do that.

No, only for stationary operations. I use either a telescopic MFJ or a couple of fixed masts from DX Engineering along with a shorter telescopic element from Buddipole. I think it is rated for mobile operations though. Using it along with a 102" whip would be acceptable.

I have used the wind river coil with 2 different whips mobile but not at hiway speeds and not in the rain.

I have been looking for a way to cover the coil from rain, but have not figured it out yet

Posted: 2/18/2018 11:38:14 PM EDT

[#12]

Well I mounted the ham stick to the roof rack as shown in the pick but a single wire ground did not cut it.

I instead used 8 inch aluminum flashing to ground it to the bed. It works well on the 20 meter ham stick, but the 40 meter ham stick SWR only gets down to 2:1

Dont know why, maybe lack of more bonding needed for the lower band?

Posted: 2/22/2018 3:43:11 PM EDT

[#13]

Maybe treat it as a freestanding vertical and run a little more ground strap out from the mount like radials?

Posted: 2/22/2018 11:05:45 PM EDT

[#14]

Crazy idea, but maybe mount a small screwdriver like the baby Tarheel on the back wall of the bed. Drill a small hole in the cap with a rubber grommet and let the whip dangle out in the wind. Just set the antenna base so at full extension it stops just under the topper. The Baby Tarheel is really small, something like 13-14 inches fully extended. It would put the 36" whip a little close to the cab though.

Don't think a 1/4" hole in the cap would kill resell value that much. Plus it would be easy enough to plug the hole later with some marine tex and put a dab of touch up paint on it.

I know... Crazy idea. I'm full of them.

Posted: 2/23/2018 9:20:17 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Crazy idea, but maybe mount a small screwdriver like the baby Tarheel on the back wall of the bed. Drill a small hole in the cap with a rubber grommet and let the whip dangle out in the wind. Just set the antenna base so at full extension it stops just under the topper. The Baby Tarheel is really small, something like 13-14 inches fully extended. It would put the 36" whip a little close to the cab though.

Don't think a 1/4" hole in the cap would kill resell value that much. Plus it would be easy enough to plug the hole later with some marine tex and put a dab of touch up paint on it.

I know... Crazy idea. I'm full of them.

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That is actually a good idea. I have a 102" whip for the tarheel and going through the roof would keep it ftom getting stolen too. I am going to think about that very hard

Posted: 2/23/2018 9:49:16 PM EDT

[#16]

TARHEEL told me not to run it with a 102" ( too top heavy)
They have a 32" or 52" whip.

too much whip also makes it electrically too long for 6 meter use.

Instead of drilling a hole in the camper shell....what about just gluing or taping 52" of wire along the inside fiberglass roof.

leave some droop going to the top of the tarheel so it can adjust length from 6-80meters

Attached File

Posted: 2/24/2018 8:57:03 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
TARHEEL told me not to run it with a 102" ( too top heavy)
They have a 32" or 52" whip.

too much whip also makes it electrically too long for 6 meter use.

Instead of drilling a hole in the camper shell....what about just gluing or taping 52" of wire along the inside fiberglass roof.

leave some droop going to the top of the tarheel so it can adjust length from 6-80meters

https://i.imgur.com/yIRAoZ9.png

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/2275/F204F303-0A68-4195-AB48-7E529DEFF5DC-462296.JPG

View Quote

I thought about doing that with a mag loop, wonder how well that would work

Right now I have hamsticks for 80.40,20,15,10

Maybe I should get a tarheel, but I just spent a bunch of money on a Heathkit SA-2040 tuner, coax switches, RG213 coax, dummy load and a big ass power / SWR meter fro the tuner so I can now operate QRO on all bands except 160m using my homebrew 80/40/20 dipole / inverted Vee fan

Posted: 2/24/2018 9:32:32 AM EDT

[#18]

I LOVE my TARHEEL II

rolling down the highway, it's easy to switch bands.

say from 10m to 20m, you know you need more coil, hit the rocker switch, and as the TARHEEL tunes to resonance, you can hear the RX noise go up.

that's when your SWR is dipping.

hit a 10watt cxr for a few seconds to dip it to 1:1 and your ready to operate

two fingers and your ear.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - HF antenna mount on Truck ideas.

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