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Old 12-23-2016, 02:20 PM   #3
wa8yxm
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Mobile, on the road
Posts: 1,139
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Originally Posted by lifemember View Post
Turned 65 today, after thinking about it for 40 years I went and took the test, behold a new Technician has arrived. (N5DFN). I camped for many years starting with the tent and working my way up, two years ago bought a new to us MH. Yep! did the CB thing also back in the 70s. I am going to install my FT7900 as soon as I find an antenna that will work with the 'fiberglass portable radio shack'. ,
First. Let me welcome you to a couple clubs.. I tun 66 in about a month .

I also got my Technician,,,, well a long time ago (1968) and now am all done taking Ham Radio Upgrade tests (Extra class is on the wall).

Fiberglass compatible antennasd.

MFJ, Giga Prats and DX Engineering all carry a seleciton of "No Ground Plane" antennas All in my not very humble opinion are over priced but then so is dang near everything.

For 70cm work a 35CM diameter (about 1 foot) disc makes a good ground plane and the Whip is only half that (NOTE About means I'm nto doing detailed math, it's a bit longer than a foot and half foot, do the math)

For 2 meters.. I have used both a J-Pole. made from TV Twin Lead (if you can still find it) Design is all over the place.. I fed balanced even though I was feeding with coax,, and a Coxial Dipole (I'm still workign on that) not a lot of difference save I( made major improvements in the feed lien on the dipole.. Major improvements.. Even more than that. The antennas are mounted in PVC pipe on the rear of the bus, keep the tip no higher than the top of the bus, and perhaps consider no higher than the roof line (I have found that in some RV parks Trees are an issue) consider break-away mounts so if a tree limb hits it it simply snaps off and can be easily re-attached, Ask if you need suggestions.. I need to re-do part of my Coxial Dipole, no tree hit it but the top part is still lying on the roof (I have yet to PVC it).

I like home brewing antennas.

easiest break away is a plastic Broom holder that snaps in/out, in fact two of them, and some string... The string holds it from dragging on the ground when it breaks loose, should it hit a tree limb.. That's how I'll do it I think, else I may put a hinge or some sort at the bottom,, perhaps just a ZIP tie and an eye bolt at that location.
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