Quote:
Originally Posted by N7ZAL
How satisfied are you with the performance of the hamstick dipole?? I've been struggling with Hustler verticals and they just don't do as well as I hoped....hence the desire to go horizontal.
I have a 5th wheel that is very similar to yours, as far as the layout. My ladder is at the slide out end though. Is there a reason you didn't use the ladder as a tie point?? I do like the idea of the wood in the sewer hose pipe !!!
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Hello Bill................First..........is your ladder GROUNDED to the frame of the RV?? 99% of them are not, therefore giving a lousy mounting location. I ran some coax strap from the ladder to the frame of another RV I had before this one, and I too was using the Hustler mobile whips, and when I grounded that ladder, signals improved both TX and RX. So, you might try that also..
The Hamstick type antennas work better for me at least, than the Hustler's. The 20, 17, 15, 10 meter versions are pretty much broadbanded, when using a tuner, and load up very well. The 75 and 40 meter antennas are fairly narrow, maybe only good for 50khz. There are many manufactures of these Hamstick type antennas, from Workman to ??.... I find mine at hamfests for $15-20 each, compared to what AES wants. Talking to the fellow who sells them at the hamfests, he only pays $5 each.....pretty good markup, eh??
I even run a Hamstick on my /Pedestrian Mobile QRP setup for 20M and using a 15ft dragwire as the counterpoise, which works great. see my QRZ.com page for photos. I am going to do an experiment in using a second Hamstick as the counterpoise which would be 90 degs from the vertical section, making it an "L" antenna. This would make it raised above ground some, not dragging behind me. Course then I could use it as a skewer if someone ran into it....guess I better put a flag on it. Going to work on that this week, just as an experiment...
Anyway, try grounding that ladder that you have the Hustler mounted on first, and see if that doesnt improve things, otherwise you know the old saying....."verticals radiate poorly in all directions" hi.
John W6ZKH