RV and HF

[JWWPHOTO]

I have an RV and I have a Screwdriver and a couple of Hamsticks. I want to mount a 75meter hamstick up on top of a 12 fiberglass mast on the rear bumber of my travel trailer for stationary use.

Is is possible to do this? I called DX Engineering today to order some braided copper strap material and the guy talked me out of purchasing this stuff. I assumed that I need to ground to bottom of the attenna mount to the trailers skin or frame.


Let me ask it this way: Is anyone using an HF station, even low power, in conjunction with a Travel trailer?:radio:


Jeff / KE5PIH in Baytown, Texas

[Andy N1ORK]

Jeff,
If I remember, a Hamstick needs a ground plane or a counterpoise to be efficient. What I have done on occasion, is use 2 Hamsticks together as a rotatable dipole. I picked up a mount at a hamfest that allows me to do this. Here is a photo of the set up. The 75m magmount Hamstick is on the mini-van, the dipole is for 20m.
73
Andy - n1ork
221

[Radio]

Welcome aboard ORR.net! :hello:

Since you will be operating stationary and not mobile this opens up the possibilities of all sorts of antenna solutions, short dipoles, ground mounted verticals, long wires and so on. Use the search tool in advanced mode and see what you can find on ORR.net

[One Country Boy]

Jeff,
If I remember, a Hamstick needs a ground plane or a counterpoise to be efficient. What I have done on occasion, is use 2 Hamsticks together as a rotatable dipole. I picked up a mount at a hamfest that allows me to do this. Here is a photo of the set up. The 75m magmount Hamstick is on the mini-van, the dipole is for 20m.
73
Andy - n1ork

221

I like that ham stick diapole Andy. I've heard of that but never actually seen the setup. Thanks for posting the pic.

Jeff, that may be the way to go. You could put those hamsticks atop your mast pole. I may have to purchase another 40 and 75 meter ham stick and use that configuration from my RV. I primarily run 40 and 75 meters and that should work well. It's not something I would want to put up at every stop, but if I'm going to be at the same location for several days it would be nice. I'm sure it works much better than a single verticle ham stick.

Jim

[One Country Boy]

Jeff,

Check out this link. They sell an antenna like the "Ham Stick" but less expensive. Under $20 a stick.

http://www.shopjubilee.net/itm00425.htm

I think the coupler is also about $20.

Not a bad price....

Jim

[jagco]

Jeff,

Check out this link. They sell an antenna like the "Ham Stick" but less expensive. Under $20 a stick.

http://www.shopjubilee.net/itm00425.htm

I think the coupler is also about $20.

Not a bad price....

Jim

Jim, have you done any business with these guys?

Just curious about your experience with them.

Jeff

[One Country Boy]

Jim, have you done any business with these guys?

Just curious about your experience with them.

Jeff


No I have not Jeff... I just found them searching the internet.

Jim

[wxsby]

I've tried just about everything that can be used as an HF antenna for a Class A, and I think I now have a great solution. I mounted an Icom AH-4 on the ladder and ran a 30 something foot wire to a bracket near the front of the motorhome. Works great on all bands with the push of the tune button on the 706 MKIIG. Got the idea from KM5FT a few years back but just finally got around to getting one and installing it. The decrease in trips to the roof will undoubtedly increase my life expectancy. I'll try to post pics when I can.

It's 1700 somewhere,

Barry
W6YDK

[wa8yxm]

One of the things folks forget is a dipole antenna is it's own conterpoise

So the O/P said "I use a couple of ham sticks

Like this perhaps: Stick 1------T------Stick 2

T is where the coax feeds

However from the post I don't think that's how he's doing it

I run 100' of copper wire myself, one end is hooked to the win nut on the KAT-1 Auto-tuner, then it runs up to a "hook" at the roof line of the motor home (or as close to it as I could mount) then it runs back to whatever I can find by way of tree or other support (Tree today), I'm parked in Davision, MI (Near Flint) and the AF4-net control for this morning's breakfast club 20 over on the old digital S-Meter.. I mean he was BOOMING in (Course he was the only one I could hear clearly :) ) Works great.

I've been net control a few times with that rig on another net. IN a much worse location too.

Don't do much on 10 meters though (I have an alternative antenna for 40 up if I wish)

For UHF I just put a NGP on the roof. sealed it in well (Servere T-Storm last night, no leaks) and for VHF I plan a quarter wave on the roof

I also have "T" poles (Based on the popular "J" pole) I can put atop a flag pole, they work MUCH better than the 5/8 NGP and I'm sure will beat the S-Units off the 1/4 wave too.. They are something that might suprise you a FULL WAVE antenna (Actually 2 half waves phased so they add)

The construction is simple 2 half wave elements, arrainged dipole style and a quarter wave of flat line (TV-300 ohm is what I usually use) as a phasing stub, the impedance at the dipole feed point is infinite (Well, in theory) so I short the quarter wave phase stub (Same as if it were a J pole) and tap up the stub to feed it, just like a J pole

In fact if I wanted a J pole all I'd have to do is drop one 1/2 wave element, the stubs are identical for both designs save mine is mounted at a right angle

[n5rtg]

Jeff,
We are very successful on HF from our travel trailer. We use a G5RV-Jr dipole when we can (not very often, unfortunately) connected to an antenna switch at the station. Normally we use a High Sierra 1800 motorized vertical on a Tarheel Lift and Lay on the trailer's roof, with a 102" whip. Not as good for dx as the dipole but better at shorter distances. Nice to have both connected and able to switch between, but just don't get to do this often enough.

I like the idea of the 75/80 twin sticks as another dipole, since our G5RV-jr isn't built for 75/80 and our High Sierra doesn't do 80 well enough at all.

We travel spring through fall and sometimes can pull the shortened dipole between trees. As infrequently as that works out, the longer dipole would be even less likely. Someday maybe I'll find a Buckmaster OCF under my Christmas tree.

I'd love to hear what you worked out,

N5RTG Jim