Ham antenna suggestions (1 Viewer)

[Mace]

So I picked up a Kenwood TM-271a over the weekend and am working on getting my ham license.

This radio will be mounted in the 60. I have a roof top tent and a roof rack so mounting the antenna on the roof is not likely a functional setup (unfortunate, but that is a major caveat, no big ground plane). Mount will either be front bumper/hood or on the rear bumper/liftgate.

Ideas on a good inexpensive (yeah, I know you get what you pay for but there are better deals out there) antenna for it?

Thanks!
Mace

 

[Skidoo]

Do you have a spot on front or side of roof rack that tent does not hit, to use a mount that clamps to rack?
The hood mount gives a bit of ground plane.

 

[Mace]

Roof rack is not always on, and I have a couple different racks that get used. I'd like a mount that is not centered around a roof rack.

 

[Kofoed]

A half wavelength (on 2m) does not need a ground plane, or a ground for that matter (other than the coax shield grounding to the radio chassis). It operates fine.

I had my Diamond 770 mounted on a roof rack with zero continuity with the cab, and it was mounted over the fiberglass portion of my 88 4Runner

 

[Dragos80]

Do you have a custom made bumper? ARB's have some tabs for antenna mounts.
If not, maybe an engine hood setup with a metal mount.

 

[Mace]

Everything on my 60 is custom

Attatching the antenna to any part is not complex. I'm just looking for the "best" location. Given that I'm not going to mount it to the roof. It seems that a fender/hood seam mount is one of the current best choices with a 1/2 wavelength antenna.

 

[Dragos80]

Some people chose the middle of the hood. In this case a magnet mount would be indicated. If you can stand driving with an antenna flopping around in front of you, that's a better way to go since you can take advantage of the second best option in terms of ground plane.

 

[Mace]

One of the other options would be a window mount on the sides, but that would be fairly vulnerable.. Not sure I want a mag mount. I have not heard good things with them..

 

[Dragos80]

Maybe some of this stuff here will inspire you

CB Antenna Mounts | Right Channel Radios



CB Antenna Mounts for Vehicles

 

[1911]

Larsen makes a good basic 1/2-wave 2M antenna; have had one on my 40 for years and it has always worked well.

Larsen Amateur Mobile Antennas NMO 440B

The second row on that page are the 1/2-waves.

 

[gahi]

I run a fender mount, and larsen 1/2 wave on both cruisers

 

[Brentbba]

Diamond K400c hatch lid mount. Not cheap at $75, but I've used and abused two of them. One ham and one CB mounted near the top/side of my rear hatch. I run a Comet SBB-1, small flexible dual band antenna for offroad and a much taller Comet SBB-7 on road. The SBB-1 runs about $40.

 

[Dragos80]

Stolen from different forums:

"1 - A 3/4 wave antenna is going to have a higher angle of radiation than a 1/4 wave antenna

2 - A 3/4 wave antenna does have gain in comparison to a 1/4 wave antenna - but, at a higher angle of radiation. The pattern begins to break up just above 5/8 wave - so, 5/8 wave is going to give you the best combination of gain and angle of radiation.

3 - 70cm operation lends itself well to urban settings, where the signals can "bounce" off nearby buildings and such; so, the higher angle of radiation of a 3/4 wave antenna on 70cm (1/4 wave on 2M) works just fine (eliminating the need to seek the lower angle of radiation of a 5/8 wave antenna for 70cm). But, generally, a 1/4 wave antenna on 70cm will outperform a 3/4 wave antenna, despite the gain of the 3/4 wave antenna (this is from experience of side by side testing of a dual band 2M/70cm magmount mobile and a 1/4 wave 70cm magmount mobile)."

Re: 1/4 Wave vs. 5/8 Wave Mobile Antennas for 2-Meter & 70-CM Usage?



"1/4 wave is good for foothills/mountain/canyons, poor flat land distance.
5/8 wave is good for foothills, marginal mountain/canyon, & moderate flat land.
1/2 wave is moderate foothill, poor mountain/canyon, best flat land distance."


2m/70cm mobile antenna



1/4, 1/2, 5/8 wave?? - The RadioReference.com Forums

 

[asutherland]

I have a Larson 5/8 wave (nmo, coil type) and a (really small!) Laird 1/4 wave (nmo, non coil)

I can't tell the difference between the two when using. I just got the 1/4 wave not too long ago so I have some further testing to perform, but my radio guy swept the antenna and performed a few other in-line tests with it and was quite impressed. It's about the size of a normal FM radio antenna.

 

[Dragos80]

I thought 5/8 antenna is a good compromise.

Mace, did you figure out how to attach the antenna yet?

 

[bkdraft]

I just bought a Kenwood D710, recommended all around antenna was the Comet ca-sx4srnmo

 

[jonheld]

I'm partial to the Diamond K400SNMO Trunk/Hatchback Mount. I've had one on both my 80 Series and they work well on a 60. For a wagon you'll need an 8 or 10' RG316 SMA-F to SMA-M extension cable to make it to the dash.

The type of antenna you get will likely depend on the terrain you encounter. If you wheel in the trees then I like the Larson 150. It's a SS whip that can really take a beating in the woods, but it will go off axis on the highway. If you're always in the clear, I had great luck with the Diamond NR770HBNMO. It's a dual band and gets out better than any antennae I've tried, and can be folded down when needed. It will bend if you whack it.
For trail use I have a Comet SBB-1NMO that I've grown to like. It doesn't care about trees, it gets out reasonably well for a stubby, and is dual band.

 

[Dragos80]

Where do you mount your Comet SBB-1NMO? I would imagine if placed on the yodateq mounts, it would not get above the roofline. Did you drill the roof for an NMO mount?

 

[jonheld]

Where do you mount your Comet SBB-1NMO? I would imagine if placed on the yodateq mounts, it would not get above the roofline. Did you drill the roof for an NMO mount?

On the Diamond K400SNMO hatch mount.

 

[jonheld]