In this section of my web page, you will find images and some limited data on both MOBILE and FIXED ham antenna installations and/or projects.

Scroll down to the points of your interest.

ITEMS COVERED

Two types of roof-mounted mobile HF antenna installations, various fixed HF ham antennas, and the autotuners that are employed.

Rural Minnesota! We grow REPEATERS, as well as corn...

(Click on the small image above to see the full size picture...)

The K0JTA tower (Shown above) is 140 feet tall, not including the VHF repeater antenna at the top. It is the support for the apex of an INVERTED-VEE (at the 105' level) and is also the support for the SE corner of a horizontal LOOP antenna for 160 Meters at 50'. (Both of these antennas are operational on all HF bands, as they employ auto-antenna tuners.) -More on these HF base station antennas later...

HF Mobile antenna installations

Two types of roof-mounted HF antenna will be shown here first. One is a fixed antenna mount. The second antenna mount is the second-generation mount, which employs a home-made "tilting mechanism."

HF Mobile Antenna #1

(Fixed antenna mount)

(Click on any of the small images to see the full size picture...)

Above: The freshly fabricated HF antenna base. Material is stainless steel.

Above: The nearly mounted HF antenna base. The antenna will be mounted at the left-rear of the roof of my Chrysler minivan.

Above: The freshly mounted HF antenna base. A hole is drilled in the roof of the mini-van, to allow the feedline to enter the car.

Above: The antenna base, as viewed from the front of the vehicle.

Above: As viewed from the right side of the vehicle. (Note the position of the feedline, as it drops through a small hole in the roof. The feedline is made from a scrap of RG-8 coax.)

Above: This is the mounting plate for the antenna tuner. The tuner will be mounted inside the vehicle. The mounting position is derived as a result of a removal of a factory-installed A/C and light assembly. Note that I have picked up three good grounds for the tuner.

Above: The antenna tuner is hung in place, as the installation progresses.

Above: The Icom AH-4 auto-antenna tuner is in place. Note the antenna fedline; This is the center wire from RG-8 coaxial cable, with the shield removed. It is about ten inches long, and passes through a small hole in the roof, and is terminated at the base of the Hustler antenna ball-mount.

Above: The radio "stack." Top radio is an Icom IC-706 MKIIg. The lower radio is an Icom IC-7620 VHF-UHF FM tranceiver. (Both radios are remoted; The radios are in the rear of the van.

Above: A rear view of the newly installed HF antenna. Note: The previous installation employed the tow-hitch mounted spring/ball mount. The roof location has been extremely satisfactory!! In all of my HF-mobile days, I have NEVER had the GREAT response to my as-expected mobile signals, as I am experiencing now. (It works WELL, to say the least!)

(Click on any of the small images to see the full size picture...)

HF Mobile Antenna #2

(Tilting antenna mount)

Above: The assembled base plate is being positioned on the left-rear of the Chrysler mini-van's roof.

Above: More figgerin'..... The active device is a LINEAR ACTUATOR. It runs on 12 volts DC, and has a rating of 110 pounds of thrust. The "throw" is eight inches. The linear actuator has built-in limit switches, so all I have to do is provide the DC voltage of either polarity, and the unit will run to the built-in limit. (I use a center-off switch, so I can stop it in any position, if I so desire.)

Above: The assembled base plate's positioning is close to a final decision.

Above: The assembled base plate has been mounted in place on the mini-van's roof.

Above: The first time the full system has been tried. (Now at the 45 degree point.)

Above: The first time the full system has been tried. (Now at the fully DOWN position.)

Above: A side-view of the power-antenna mount.

Above: A rear-view of the power-antenna mount.

Above: A side-view of the power-antenna mount, as viewed from the right side of the mini-van.

Above: A side-view of the antenna mount about half way up.

Above: A side-view of the antenna mount fully up.

Above: A side-view of the antenna mount fully way up, as viewed from the right side of the vehicle.

Above: A side-view of the antenna mount fully way up. (Note that the base-plate is offset on the right side, so it will remain parallel to the ground.)

Above: A view of the antenna mount, showing the placement of the DC power wires. (A second small hole had to be made in the roof of the vehicle for the two heavy power wires. I also added a quick-disconnect in the DC power lines.)

Above: One last view of the antenna mount. The device has proven to work well. FYI: It takes more than twenty seconds to run up or down.

(Click on any of the small images to see the full size picture...)

HF Base Station antenna installations

Two types of base-station HF antenna will be shown here. One is a 160 Meter horizontally polarized LOOP. The second antenna is an INVERTED VEE design.

NORTH 160-Meter Loop Antenna

Above: This is my NORTH 160-Meter loop antenna. It is about 50 feet high, and is fed with about 60 feet of 450 Ohm ladder-line. The ladder line is fed by an Icom AH-4 auto-antenna tuner, which is mounted inside the garage, which is near the base of the 56 foot Rohn HDB-style tower.

Above: This is the feed point of the NORTH 160-Meter loop antenna The ladder line is held away from the tower by PVC pipe, with "T" fittings to allow for any needed movement. The center insulator is made from a piece of plexiglass, which is made so that it will provide the needed strain relief for the ladder line. (Also shown is my "reference" antenna, which is a simple 80/40 Meter dipole, at the 30 foot point on the tower. It is fed with RG-8 coax.)

SOUTH 160-Meter Loop Antenna

Above: This is my SOUTH 160-Meter loop antenna. It averages about 35 feet high, and is fed with about 80 feet of 450 Ohm ladder-line. The ladder line is fed by an Icom AH-4 auto-antenna tuner, which is mounted inside the basement shop, which is at the West end of the house.

Above: This is the feed point of the SOUTH 160-Meter loop antenna. The center insulator is store-bought and will provide the needed strain relief for the ladder line.