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Old 03-14-2013, 08:19 PM   #1
Mel
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Duvall
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M.O.C. #10238
2m/440 antennas

What 2m/440 antenna are you using on your Montana?
Where are you mounting it?

With so little metal, I am trying to decide how to approach installing a antenna.
 
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Old 03-15-2013, 03:38 AM   #2
nosticks
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M.O.C. #10378
I have used a J pole made from twin lead and just hung it up. I keep it rolled up when not in use. It's mainly for emergencies, such as hurricanes etc. The other idea I have experimented with is to use a VHF Marine Band antenna (spectrum is very close to our 2 meter band) as it does not require a ground plane. These were for 2 meter only and at lower power settings. My 440 is a hand held with an extended rubber duck. KD4UYN
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Old 03-15-2013, 10:12 AM   #3
kampk
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M.O.C. #11126
I have an NMO mount that is U clamped to the top of the ladder with an old Larsen 2m/440 combo antenna and works pretty well. Use the same antenna with a mag mount on the truck.

This year on the seasonal site I am going to play with a Diamond X-50 Dual Band Antenna on a 12 ft painters pole that I am going to rig up with one of those Flagpolebuddy mounts.

Still trying to come with a good portable vertical for HF as well. For the last 7 years we were on the same seasonal site and the CG owners let me string up an 80M OCF with the tennis ball launcher and we had that flat at 70' in the trees. Wanting the vertical as we start to venture "on the road" this year and as retirement is just around the corner.

73,
Alan WA0SKN
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Old 07-16-2013, 11:02 AM   #4
K0LCB
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What frequency do you monitor when you travel?
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Old 07-16-2013, 02:07 PM   #5
Irlpguy
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I don't have a dual band radio in my RV, just in the truck so I use a regular 5/8 wave mobile VHF antenna and a Hamstick for HF.

I could use a UHF/VHF dual band antenna on the mount but don't need it. The following picture shows how it is mounted. Oh by the way the VHF works fine, the HF could stand a better antenna but who can afford one of those fancy ones.

VE7HD - VE7VCR (repeater and IRLP Node #1503




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Old 07-16-2013, 02:59 PM   #6
K0LCB
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Is that attached to the ladder?
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Old 07-16-2013, 05:23 PM   #7
Irlpguy
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Yes it is attached to the top of the ladder. I bought a piece of 1/4" aluminum 6" x 3' to make the mount and then used stainless U bolts to attach it. The wiring runs down one leg of the ladder and enters the back cover at the lowest ladder mounting bracket. I took out the tail lights and it was easy to fish the wires to the side where my desk is and bring them up in the desk/entertainment slide, alongside the other wires that come up there.

I find that the converter creates quite a large amount of noise on HF and I have to turn off the breaker to that when operating the HF/6 meter Kenwood Tranceiver. I have run 12V power from the batteries to the desk to power my ham radio's.

You had also asked about what frequency to monitor when traveling. I try to monitor local repeaters as I travel so sometimes I am scanning the programmed repeaters in my truck as I drive. I don't know of any particular simplex frequency that is used by hams when traveling. Here in Canada the truckers use 3 frequencies in the VHF band and they are called LAD 1,2 and 3. I sometimes monitor them up here but the language can be pretty raw at times. I notice those frequencies are not used in the US by the truckers, at least I have never heard anyone on them. They are not in the Ham band by the way, and I am only able to transmit on them because I have commercial VHF equipment that I can program those and other frequencies into.

There are Nets on different bands that a lot of traveling hams check into on HF, particularly in the winter as they are keeping in touch with folks back home and other friends that are traveling as well.

If you are mostly interested in VHF then make yourself familiar with IRLP, that is Internet Radio Linking Project which links VHF radio to the internet and there are Nodes all over the world that you can contact other hams using only a handheld as long as you are close enough to access one of the nodes. Here is a link to the website. The creator Dave Cameron is a good friend of mine and lives here in North Vancouver. He is a ham of course. VE7LTD


IRLP Link: http://irlp.net/
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Old 07-21-2013, 05:24 PM   #8
kampk
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Update on Diamond X-50. Its working very well on 2m/uhf. I used Ed's idea about running the coax from the back up under the office slide under the desk. The painter's pole extends to 12 ft and I have it mounted on the ladder right now with a little bit of wire, but going to add the flagpole buddy for that portion. Also found my HF antennna! going to put up the LDG S9-31 (31 ft height) fiberglass extending pole with wire inside. Just about have the rear hitch mount rigged up so getting excited to get back on HF again from the Montie!

73 All and hope to catch you on the bands!
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Old 07-21-2013, 05:36 PM   #9
K0LCB
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Thanks for the info. I have been a ham for a long time, but I just recently got an Icom 746 that wii tune VHF, I am stuck in the old school, hf seemed easy, and my antenna tuner will not tune VHF,
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Old 09-07-2013, 08:40 AM   #10
davidaf
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Thought I'd raise this thread from its slumber. Name is Dave W6DAF and we are a little over two weeks form going full time so now i'm trying to figure out how to enjoy another one of my hobbies. All the base gear has been sold and I'm down to an FT-857 and about 4 other mobiles/HTs. I really did try to pair it down lol.

In my other 5er I used a painters pole on a tripod with a jpole for UHF/VHF but my home base (1/4 - 1/2 of our time will be spent there) seems to frown on obvious antennas so i've been trying to figure out how to mount a uhf/vhf and make it look like a "stock" antenna. Been thinking about a ladder mount for a mobile but not sure if that will offer enough of a ground plane. I could probably run a couple counterpoise and wrap them around the ladder to make that work . The other idea is a cookie sheet and a mag mount but then i'm running up and down the ladder to setup and at some point i'll end up driving off and dragging 25ft of coax and a cookie sheet down the road. On my Lance camper I use a GP3 ground plane on the ladder and that works well but its pretty obvious that its an antenna. I could always use an HT but prefer to monitor 52 and wont have much luck with a little rubber duck.

HF is covered, I'll be using a TransWorld TW2010 that I'll wrap some fake leaves around to make it look like some type of ugly plant. That should fool the park I hope, if not i'll hide it in a bush.

I'm going to wander around the park today and see if I can spot any antennas to get an idea about what can be "missed" by the rule enforcers.

Anyways, hello to all and 73.
dave.
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