Van Side mounted whips - SWR always suck?

[n0eq]

Lumpy, I have a van, too, but I don't know the answer to your question. I've often asked myself the same thing. I'm thinking that my next mobile antenna setup will be a screwdriver-type, mounted on the top of the van, with a foldover spring-loaded mount of some kind so I could pull the antenna down at a low angle while driving. I know that's a less-than-perfect solution, though. My van is an older one with a fibreglass pop-top. Is there any necessity on HF for the mobile antenna in such an installation to be mounted on a steel part of the body?

My screwdriver works great dead center of the van roof.
Lots of counterpoise metal up there.

I experimented some more with my side mount whip.
Considering the ground (car body) is a few inches
from the driven element, I assumed it was seeing
a lot of cap reactance. So I tried balancing that
with some inductance from an MFJ tuner. I just
wasn't able to kill enough those Henries.

So next I approached the situation as if the whip
and car body were something like a J pole.

Sure enough that got pretty good success. I shorted
the whip to the body at the level of the roof, about
3' above the base of the whip. THAT allowed me to
tune it up on several bands. But looks stoopider 'an hell.

So for now, I've simply got a big stick in the sky doin' nutin.
It's holding a hamstick just for something to do.

But I just scored a 50' rohn push up mast.
I've got some 'sperimentin' to do.. ;)


Craig 'Lumpy' Lemke

www.n0eq.com

[kb2crk]

i tried a temporary set up with 2 ham sticks on a trailer hitch mount and could not get the 75 m stick to tune with an external tuner. 20m would tune but did not perform well. the same antennas mounted on the trunk lid of my car work very well and tune easily with the internal tuner in the radio. the steel of the van does have an effect.

[VO1GXG]

Unless the majority of the antenna is sticking past the roof of the van, you will get poor matching because the body of the car is interfering with the antenna.

For a van i always suggest mounting the ball mount on the front passenger side fender as its the only clear place to do it.

My mobile is mounted on the bumper but was originally on the truck lid and there was a major change in the antenna match because the antenna was in the clear but is has a foot of the truck about an inch away from it.

[w2amr]

Unless the majority of the antenna is sticking past the roof of the van, you will get poor matching because the body of the car is interfering with the antenna.

For a van i always suggest mounting the ball mount on the front passenger side fender as its the only clear place to do it.

My mobile is mounted on the bumper but was originally on the truck lid and there was a major change in the antenna match because the antenna was in the clear but is has a foot of the truck about an inch away from it.

You lost a hub cap.

[VO1GXG]

Unless the majority of the antenna is sticking past the roof of the van, you will get poor matching because the body of the car is interfering with the antenna.

For a van i always suggest mounting the ball mount on the front passenger side fender as its the only clear place to do it.

My mobile is mounted on the bumper but was originally on the truck lid and there was a major change in the antenna match because the antenna was in the clear but is has a foot of the truck about an inch away from it.

You lost a hub cap.

Missing two hub caps from the back ( they are hanging in my garage) and the grille but that's only cosmetics

[KG4CGC]

So then, did ya ever try the nylon cable wind down idea?

[w2amr]

Unless the majority of the antenna is sticking past the roof of the van, you will get poor matching because the body of the car is interfering with the antenna.

For a van i always suggest mounting the ball mount on the front passenger side fender as its the only clear place to do it.

My mobile is mounted on the bumper but was originally on the truck lid and there was a major change in the antenna match because the antenna was in the clear but is has a foot of the truck about an inch away from it.

You lost a hub cap.

Missing two hub caps from the back ( they are hanging in my garage) and the grille but that's only cosmetics

Yup, don't hurt the running of it any.

[VO1GXG]

Unless the majority of the antenna is sticking past the roof of the van, you will get poor matching because the body of the car is interfering with the antenna.

For a van i always suggest mounting the ball mount on the front passenger side fender as its the only clear place to do it.

My mobile is mounted on the bumper but was originally on the truck lid and there was a major change in the antenna match because the antenna was in the clear but is has a foot of the truck about an inch away from it.

You lost a hub cap.

Missing two hub caps from the back ( they are hanging in my garage) and the grille but that's only cosmetics

Yup, don't hurt the running of it any.

Well...it don't run no more but it was fine when i took the snap ;)