The AM Forum

I made a resolution to get out of the office and house this year and get back into fishing.  I purchased a toyota 4runner.  I am looking for a small boat now.  I plan on camping, fishing and would like to have an HF rig in the truck.  The truck will be used only for this purpose, Its a 3rd vehicle so i can do with it as I please.

Radio:

IC-706?
FT-857?
FT-450?

I have an FT450 now, Its only use is to provide grid drive for the 4-400s. Its a bit large to mount onto the side console of the 4runner but can be done.  I can get another or use any rig to drive the grids and use the FT450 I already have.

All can be made to sound decent on AM which is what I will use.  NO AMP for now. Just a 100 watt rig with some type of screw driver antenna and controller.  

Yaesu ATAS?
Any good brands of screw driver antenna?

I would like the antenna to follow the radio around.. I hear they can do that but not sure if they need to be manualy tuned.

Mounting?  I will tow a boat so I cant use the hitch. But the hitch does stick way out under the bumper for mounting.

Never had an HF mobile setup so I am needing some help from the experienced.

You should get an Henery Yelarr Dog Log antenna.

klc

Hi Q makes some very good HF mobile antennas. Extremely well made and I don't know of anyone that is not pleased with them.

For me, I like the Yaesu 857D.  Its simple and works well.   That is going into our new Toyota.

Joe, GMS

 

Thanks Joe, The Hi-Q are very expensive. 1800 for a screw driver is ALOT of money. 

How about the Little Tarheel 2?  Anyone use that?

C

http://www.k0bg.com

Alan has an extensive site on mobile installations.

He praises the Scorpion antennas, and highly rates the Tar Heel antennas.

Multiple sources say the ATAS antenna is a terrible performing antenna.

If I were in your situation, I would consider an ICOM 7000 multimode, I may replace my aging FT100D with one at some point.  The new Elecraft KX-3 with the matching 100W external amp also looks interesting as a mobile rig

If your 4Runner floor pan is anything like that of my Tacoma's there are a pair of rubber plugs just behind the front seats just inboard from the door sills.  Makes for an easy power cable entry and antenna  cable exit point.

I had excellent results over the years on 40 meters and up with Hamstick clones, kind of marginal on 75.  The 4Runner seems a bit tall for it, but an L bracket mount at the left rear roof rack on my old Volvo XC was an excellent place to mount an HF antenna.  I ran the feed line coax up along the inside of the cargo door frame, and grounded the shield in the upper left corner  of the frame where it was hidden by the cargo door when it was shut.  I just ran a well insulated lead from the center conductor a few inches up to the base of the stick on the L bracket attached to the end of the roof rack rail.  That big roof made an excellent ground plane.    The tops of my tallest sticks mounted up there were under 13 feet off the ground.  I would occasionally bonk on overhanging tree branches, but never broke an antenna.  In my Tacoma, I have the sticks mounted on an L bracket just inside the left rear corner of the bed ahead of the tail gate.

So far, the Tacoma has been fairly clean for ignition noise. At present I  am just running an Elecraft K1 QRP CW mobile, and on occasion, my AN/GRC-9, neither of which have noise blankers.  I hear some ignition snap, but it is tolerable.  The noise blanker in the FT100D did an excellent job of eliminating any ignition noise when I ran it in the Volvo or previously in a Taurus wagon. IIRC, the word on the street at the time I bought the 100D was that it had a better blanker than the IC706, which is the main reason I went with the Yaesu.

Don't waste  your money on the ATAS...very inefficient and they have a high mechanical failure rate.

I would consider the IC-7000. It's a great sounding rig on SSB and AM. The IC-706 is a great multi-band rig; I had one for a number of years but it's starting to show its age. Also, the 706MKIIG early models (serial number thing) had an RF amplifier module that was discontinued by the manufacturer. The RF board had to be redesigned to accommodate a new module. A retrofit into an older unit, if needed, I'm told, is costly.

On my mini-van I mounted a bracket and plate on one luggage rack and mounted a ball mount on the plate. With the ball mount, I can mount my Hustler CGT-144 5/8 wave (7 foot high) 2 meter antenna. The antenna also works well on 6 meters, 10 meters and 20 meters. I also can use a 20 meter or 40 meter Hamstick although I've never had much success on 40. Never tried anything for 75.

One radio that I've seen mentioned on here as being a good performer on AM and is fairly compact is the Alinco DX-70. I used one once in a portable setup and liked it.

spend the money on fishing gear

Thanks to all for the replies and suggestions.  I spent an hour last night researching antenna options. 

I think the little Tarheel 2 is my first choice as of now. Its fairly compact for a screw driver antenna, light weight, has perfect reviews, and covers 80 to 6 meters. Its also very simple.  Up and down switch.

For mounting there are a few options I have come up with:

1.  Ball mount on right side of rear fender.  I hate to drill the holes but the fact is, this is an old truck and its mine. Anyone that buys it after me probably wont care that there is a mount on the side of the truck for an antenna.

2.  Ball mount on right side rear bumber.  The bumper wraps around the side of the truck.  Less metal contact but antenna would be lower.

3.  Custom extension off the large low hanging trailer hitch.  This would weld or bolt to the hitch and extend out far enough so the rear gate wont hit the antenna.  I can have a Friend weld this up for me.  He is a radio man and mobile welder. 

Opening the rear gate without hitting the antenna is important.  One of the main reasons in getting the truck is so Toby the Golden retriever can ride with me. 

The brand of mounts I am looking at is https://breedlovemounts.com/

I hear the 706 receiver is super noisy.  The Mk2G is better, I understand. 

I forgot about the DX70.  That might be a lower cost option, I will look into them.

The Ic7000 would be incredible.  But at $1200, I am not sure that make sense.  I would have a better Mobile radio then my main HF rig.  Maybe if I find one second hand.   I put the word out, so lets see what comes my way!

I have several 10 meter rigs and a wilson 5000 I retuned for 10 meters that I will toss in the truck this weekend for fun.  But really want full HF before the first fishing trip.

C

IC706's have always been good for me. I've never blown an amplifier, but who's to say it doesn't happen. The later versions are better.

My favorite mobile is the Alinco DX-70, but it is no longer made. It has a much better tone on receive.

If putting a ball mount, be sure the metal is thick. The sheet metal on new vehicles seems paper thin.

Will you also include a linear amplifier?

Best performance will be with the ball mount on the body.  Bumper poorer and trailer hitch the worst of all possible worlds.

Did you look at the Link to the ball mount guys?  It has a large plate for lots of support.   The side of the fender back there is pretty solid.. I cant press it in like most modern cars.

C

Not about support, it's RF performance. The further from ground and the more metal beneath the antenna the better.

Well of course, that was understood.  I was answering the comment about the fender not being strong enough...  The Ball mount has a support plate that is 4 inches in diameter so it wont bend the fender.

C

OK. Looks like you're set. Hope to hear you on in the mobile soon.

While we are talking mobile antennas, maybe this is a good time to bring up the idea of a mobile antenna shootout at NEARFEST?  The thought occurred to me that all that otherwise unused open parking space down in the flats would be a great spot to have one sometime.

I also cast my vote as the best overall location if you are height limited for a roof rack mount would be the ball mount on the left rear corner up as high as possible.  To mount a fairly heavy screwdriver type antenna I would be concerned about flexing of the fender sheetmetal, might need an insulated bracket up a bit higher to minimize that.

I tried the extended trailer hitch mount idea for many years, you can see how it worked on the Volvo using a Thule bike carrier pedestal on my QRZ page.  Biggest problem with it was that the length of the pedestal below the feed point acted like additional antenna length, causing problems with getting sticks to resonate on higher bands.  Played OK on 80 and 40 though.  Also was a pain moving it out of the way to get access to the cargo area.  The roof rack option worked much better RF wise, and did away with the access  issue.

Thanks for the tips chris.  A mobile shootout sounds like fun.   

I am not going to order anything until I find a radio.  When that is in hand, I will order the antenna and then hold the antenna up to the truc and decide on the mount.

Thanks to everyone for all the tips and suggestions. I have been searching for good radio this afternoon. I am sure one will pop up.  I dont want to blow alot of cash on this as I need to get the boat next. 

I did put my 10 meter President George into the Truck today with Wilson 5000.  I learned a few things. 

1.  CB is still full very active.  Its been years since I had a CB hooked up  :-*  I asked how the radio was working and was told "It is walkin the walk and is tree top tall in Mesa".   :o  Mesa is about 15 miles away so I guess thats good. ;D

2.  10 meter SSB from the mobile is alot of fun. I made a few contacts on 28.400.  I used this radio and antenna last, when my Dad and I made a road trip from Salt lake to South dakota to hunt.  I made many 10 meter contacts along the way.

C

Theres a better option for a screwdriver.  Have someone weld together a custom mount that bolts to the frame and comes up at the left rear corner of the vehicle.  Its a solid mount for the screwdriver, doesn't interfere with the rear gate and its visible in your rear view mirror allowing you to tune the antenna manually without too much effort. Its what I use for a full size 160-6 meter screwdriver.

Something like this:


(http://www.kj7u.com/images/mvc-537x.jpg)

Sam, which 160-6m screwdriver antenna are you using? I think KJ7T makes one( or did). That looks like what I need on the 2001 Olds Bravada I drive. I have a Wilson 6000 on my 1996 Buick Regal Custom.Works great on 10 and 12.
                                                   Joe W4AAB

KJ7U.  Thats not my vehicle in the photo but the mount is very similar to what I have.

Exactly. You gotta go big if you wanna be the boss with the hot sauce.  ;)

I used to have an hour + commute each way.  I ran a KJ7U  6-160 Standard Model Screwdriver for years with a 706 MK II in my  VW Passat. I had a local build up and weld a mount slightly to the side of the rear so it would not interfere with the trunk. Even though it was nowhere near the optimum height, it worked fine. Worked Belgium on 75 SSB one night on the way home. Not 5/9 but a thrill. I had the full length whip with no problems.

Nice thing it was quick disconnect so I could easily hide the antenna in the trunk, and I could easily change bands on the way without stopping. Well worth the $$

I had an up/down switch on the shifting console, and a small cross needle SWR meter. Very helpful- If you need it let me know  ;) . After awhile you learn the approximate number of seconds between band changes and then tweak it in with the SWR meter.

The only problem I ever had was on a few snowy nights the slush on on the antenna base connector and I could not tune it up. With a little effort I could have protected it.

On 160- 40 there was a noticeable signal increase going under highway bridges, as it coupled to the bridge. It was reciprocal. One time I backed up close to a tall gasoline station highway sign and conducted some experiments with a friend. Both of us noticed a big increase in signals..

73

Carl

/KPD

Cool story Carl. 

I think that might be the way I go with the mount. The search continues for the radio at this point!  I made a ton of calls on 10 meter with little luck.  10 meters is just not popular around here and its not open much. 

C

I've used the 706MK2 on 10 and 40... 10 is a lot easier to du. Using a ham stick on 40 netted some contacts. What helped with the 40m opps was matching the stick  with a coil at it's base. This was in a '94 Ford Ranger with an abortion in one of the stake rack holes tto hold it up.....  The (or a) screwdriver would be the way to go for quick frequency changing.

On the lower left of this page is the dog log that wa1hlr used whiloe mobile.

http://www.n1maa.com/


klc

I can never figure how I messed up KJ7U's call. That looks like a possibility here. Thanks, Sam!!
                                  Joe W4AAB

I'm currently using a Icom 7000 into a Little Tarheel 2 antenna mounted on the back of my Nissan Frontier. It works fairly well. I don't operate HF with the setup on a daily basis so the antenna is on a quick disconnect mount and is stored inside the truck. I did replace the 36" whip with a 48" one.

Prior to my retirement I used an Alinco DX-70TH into a High Sierra 1500 antenna. This setup worked very well but this antenna is much taller, heavier and requires a special mounting bracket. I had it mounted on a home brew motorized tilt over mount so I could get into my garage without getting out to remove it. The DX-70TH is a very good mobile radio. I always got good audio reports. One negative with it was it's noise blanker which caused some distortion at times.

A good friend of mine runs a Icom 706mk2 into a 20 meter ham stick and uses a Icom ah4 antenna tuner to operate on 40 meters with the 20 meter antenna. He's happy with it because it provides a fast QSY with no tuning required. I don't think it's the most effecient setup but he works only the county hunters nets and they are used to digging out weak mobile signals. I also think the 706 would be greatly helped by a narrow SSB filter.

Below are some pics of my current setup.

Good Luck,
Steve,
WA2TTP

I use a  kenwood TS-450 mobile.  I also use a Bug-catcher.  I don't mind waiting to change bands until the next red light or gas station stop.  I also use a 2-transistor mobile broad-band mo-biel amplifier.  I had a 4-transistor amp, and it was great for ~150w of AM while mobile. 

On One of those 'magical' nights on 75m, was able to break in on  none other than Timtron, while mobiling through North East Texas.  After a rather buzzardly transmission on my part, Tron came back and said 'I can't believe how solid your signal is.  Half-way through that, I had to keep reminding myself 'This guys is Mo-bile!. 

I think it was the transmission after that, when I discovered why I hadn't ran the 4-transistor amp before.  Either a bug, or a bit of  moisture in the wee hours of the morning, and there was a flashing when I would modulate the rig.  It was Corona on the bug catcher coil.  Pulled the 4-transistor amp shortly thereafter and went back to the two-transistor amp (after cleaning the coil and reworking the antenna) and never had that problem again.  The Q of that center-loaded coil antenna was -that- high.  Bandwidth of about 7kc on 75. ~25kc (2:1 points on SWR meter) on 40m.

Ease of operation with a screwdriver has been previously enjoyed by me, but the screwdriver was never as efficient as the bug catcher.  I tap from the top of the coil down, and use an impedance matching coil at the base of the antenna, with a 102" whip, laying nearly parallel to the bed of the pick-up, raised above the cab of the truck.  I'll post a pic of it tomorrow.

Hamsticks, Mosely center-loaded coils and screwdrivers that need to be re-built every 6 months (from changing bands while in motion will never replace my bug catcher again.  I -would-, on that note, replace it with a Pirannah, from Hi-Q, if someone were to give me one.  ;D

I'd be up for a shootout!  We did that at Rochester one year and I fared rather well.  Still have the same mobile antenna from 25 years ago and still works better than anything I've seen commercially. http://home.comcast.net/~msed01/ant1.html (http://home.comcast.net/~msed01/ant1.html)
I just have to mount it on the new car. :-\