Archived Posts » 60,595,333
Let me see your HF mobile antenna mounts
4/23/2012 11:33:54 AM
I am hoping to get a 2m/70cm NMO mount punched in the roof of my truck later this week, and enjoyed reading the thread with all of your different ways to mount the antenna. What are you guys using for a HF mount on your vehicles? I have a single cab S-10 and am looking at the different options for mounting my atas-100 back there. I have a buddy who can fab me a mount for the antenna, but just where/how to mount it in the bed or on the bedrails is still up in the air. Just looking for some inspiration.
4/23/2012 3:20:00 PM
Not mine, but:
4/23/2012 3:56:46 PM
The mount:
On the truck:
The head unit inside while getting it set up. Cables are now under the carpets.
On the truck:
The head unit inside while getting it set up. Cables are now under the carpets.
4/23/2012 7:25:57 PM
Nevermind. 
4/23/2012 7:57:12 PM
4/23/2012 8:25:02 PM
Originally Posted By Toad_77:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/7d155c64.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/20658ae1.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/64013349.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/7d155c64.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/20658ae1.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/64013349.jpg
This is sorta what I am looking for...didn't know if it would be a good idea to screw it straight to the body. I am going to mount mine up next to the cab, though to try to minimize potential damage to the antenna.
4/23/2012 8:32:01 PM
Originally Posted By JoeRedman:
This is sorta what I am looking for...didn't know if it would be a good idea to screw it straight to the body. I am going to mount mine up next to the cab, though to try to minimize potential damage to the antenna.
Originally Posted By Toad_77:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/7d155c64.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/20658ae1.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/64013349.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/7d155c64.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/20658ae1.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s280/casimon77/64013349.jpg
This is sorta what I am looking for...didn't know if it would be a good idea to screw it straight to the body. I am going to mount mine up next to the cab, though to try to minimize potential damage to the antenna.
I removed an existing tie down point and redrilled the bracket to match the spacing. here's a picture of the tie down on the opposite side of the bed.
4/23/2012 10:32:57 PM
Originally Posted By JoeRedman:
... single cab S-10
... single cab S-10
I'll have to see how this comes out, I have one of those too it's my desert ratmobile! My old one had three NMO mounts in the roof but the lowest band I had on them was 10M. If it's a gen one like mine and there's no canopy you have stake pockets. Not hard to come up with something that'll go in one of those. My friend out by Artesia has something that looks like a Butternut sticking out of his stake pocket, it's pretty solid!
Of course if you don't have stake pockets there's always the good old chrome ball mount. Stab 4 little holes through any convenient surface and you're good to go. There was a time when just about any real truck had at least one hanging on it somewhere!
4/23/2012 10:40:27 PM
Originally Posted By ClingingBitterly:
I'll have to see how this comes out, I have one of those too it's my desert ratmobile! My old one had three NMO mounts in the roof but the lowest band I had on them was 10M. If it's a gen one like mine and there's no canopy you have stake pockets. Not hard to come up with something that'll go in one of those. My friend out by Artesia has something that looks like a Butternut sticking out of his stake pocket, it's pretty solid!
Originally Posted By JoeRedman:
... single cab S-10
... single cab S-10
I'll have to see how this comes out, I have one of those too it's my desert ratmobile! My old one had three NMO mounts in the roof but the lowest band I had on them was 10M. If it's a gen one like mine and there's no canopy you have stake pockets. Not hard to come up with something that'll go in one of those. My friend out by Artesia has something that looks like a Butternut sticking out of his stake pocket, it's pretty solid!
My first truck was a Sonoma. I modified a truck mirror mount that camped onto the camp that held the tonneau cover in place and put a hamstick on that. It wasn't really a load bearing support so I added some kite string guy lines. Made my truck look a bit nautical so one of my friends got a pirate flag to fly from the antenna
4/23/2012 11:00:38 PM
Originally Posted By phurba:
...pirate flag...
...pirate flag...
Ha! Way back in those '70s chicken band days sometimes they'd call me Jolly Roger. Came about because it was easier to pronounce than my "regular" handle while sloshed!
4/24/2012 10:20:48 AM
Originally Posted By ClingingBitterly:
I'll have to see how this comes out, I have one of those too it's my desert ratmobile! My old one had three NMO mounts in the roof but the lowest band I had on them was 10M. If it's a gen one like mine and there's no canopy you have stake pockets. Not hard to come up with something that'll go in one of those. My friend out by Artesia has something that looks like a Butternut sticking out of his stake pocket, it's pretty solid!
Of course if you don't have stake pockets there's always the good old chrome ball mount. Stab 4 little holes through any convenient surface and you're good to go. There was a time when just about any real truck had at least one hanging on it somewhere!
Originally Posted By JoeRedman:
... single cab S-10
... single cab S-10
I'll have to see how this comes out, I have one of those too it's my desert ratmobile! My old one had three NMO mounts in the roof but the lowest band I had on them was 10M. If it's a gen one like mine and there's no canopy you have stake pockets. Not hard to come up with something that'll go in one of those. My friend out by Artesia has something that looks like a Butternut sticking out of his stake pocket, it's pretty solid!
Of course if you don't have stake pockets there's always the good old chrome ball mount. Stab 4 little holes through any convenient surface and you're good to go. There was a time when just about any real truck had at least one hanging on it somewhere!
Single cab, 4x4 ('98)-without stake pockets. May try to make a mount that I can bolt to the bed using a bed bolt.
4/24/2012 12:10:00 PM
Google breed love mounts. He makes some rugged mounts.
4/24/2012 10:08:58 PM
Originally Posted By JoeRedman:
I am hoping to get a 2m/70cm NMO mount punched in the roof of my truck later this week, and enjoyed reading the thread with all of your different ways to mount the antenna. What are you guys using for a HF mount on your vehicles? I have a single cab S-10 and am looking at the different options for mounting my atas-100 back there. I have a buddy who can fab me a mount for the antenna, but just where/how to mount it in the bed or on the bedrails is still up in the air. Just looking for some inspiration.
I am hoping to get a 2m/70cm NMO mount punched in the roof of my truck later this week, and enjoyed reading the thread with all of your different ways to mount the antenna. What are you guys using for a HF mount on your vehicles? I have a single cab S-10 and am looking at the different options for mounting my atas-100 back there. I have a buddy who can fab me a mount for the antenna, but just where/how to mount it in the bed or on the bedrails is still up in the air. Just looking for some inspiration.
Isn't the ATAS a UHF mount? If so, why the NMO in the truck?
I don't have a truck, but here's my ATAS-120 on a Diamond K400. It's been mounted since 2008 without any problems & I regularly get 1,800+ miles mobile (good examples are Wilmington NC to N Dakota & Atlanta to Nova Scotia). However you mount, make sure you bond doors, hood, engine block, & exhaust since good bonding provides a plane for the signal to push off of (at least that's the way I think about it).
4/25/2012 10:35:41 AM
Originally Posted By 6530:
Isn't the ATAS a UHF mount? If so, why the NMO in the truck?
I don't have a truck, but here's my ATAS-120 on a Diamond K400. It's been mounted since 2008 without any problems & I regularly get 1,800+ miles mobile (good examples are Wilmington NC to N Dakota & Atlanta to Nova Scotia). However you mount, make sure you bond doors, hood, engine block, & exhaust since good bonding provides a plane for the signal to push off of (at least that's the way I think about it).
http://flatcow.com/ham/mobile/CIMG6184.JPG
http://flatcow.com/ham/mobile/CIMG6251.JPG
Isn't the ATAS a UHF mount? If so, why the NMO in the truck?
I don't have a truck, but here's my ATAS-120 on a Diamond K400. It's been mounted since 2008 without any problems & I regularly get 1,800+ miles mobile (good examples are Wilmington NC to N Dakota & Atlanta to Nova Scotia). However you mount, make sure you bond doors, hood, engine block, & exhaust since good bonding provides a plane for the signal to push off of (at least that's the way I think about it).
http://flatcow.com/ham/mobile/CIMG6184.JPG
http://flatcow.com/ham/mobile/CIMG6251.JPG
I am going to use the NMO for VHF/UHF, but I am looking at some kind of a mount in the bed of the truck that will allow the radiator(whip) portion of the ATAS-100 to 'just' peek above the cab. Wanting more ideas on how to mount the mount
, so to speak to the truck bed. I was contemplating removing a bed bolt and using this to mount a plate to which the mount would be affixed.
4/29/2012 2:31:28 PM
Here's mine, all pieced together from the parts of lesser antennas and mounts.
Home-brew screwdriver antenna, mounted rear passenger side corner of the bed, with a 6' whip and a varnished copper tube and home-built PVC coil cover.
Mounting system and feedpoint for screwdriver. Yes, I used RG-213 coax in my truck. Yes, I used outdoor rated low-voltage 2-conductor wiring. It's what I had laying around. I'm using a shunt coil to gain capacitance so it'll tune. Mount is ground DC and RF grounded to bed, which is bonded via strapping to frame, cab, etc. Not crazy about the feedpoint setup but it works and I'll fix it if it breaks. The lower mount I picked up at the local CB radio shop for $5. The upper mount is a rubber pipe coupler and some flat aluminum stock I beat into shape with a BFH and a vise. Mix 43 split beads on everything. (Right now, 80m is a little sketchy... probably need a couple more turns on the shunt coil.)
All that runs to my custom radio console, built from scrap MDF, and bolted to the floor of the truck. I'll get around to painting it sometime. 12v power is fused at the battery, and run into a 12v relay inside the console via 8-ga zip cord. The switches control Power-ON-OFF and the accessory outlets. The big black box is a bodged together controller for the screwdriver antenna––Power-ON-OFF, UP/DOWN, with indicator LEDs. I have the approximately tuning locations marked on the tube of the screwdriver. Run the screwdriver up to the mark, then flip to AM on the IC706, look at the SWR meter, and tweak up/down until SWR looks good enough. I'm not too picky––I will tolerate anything 2:1 and under. Yaesu dual-band radio there for the local stuff (antenna is on a fender mount in the front.)
4/29/2012 2:42:23 PM
