HFU HF Underground
General Category => Amateur Radio => Topic started by: Grinch on December 04, 2022, 0031 UTC
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I am planning on using a Xiegu G90 in my truck from time to time (10/12/15/17M) with a small amp and wanted to get an opinion. I thought about getting Hamstick style antennas for 2 or 3 bands, but I also have a 102' whip I could use. Would I do just as well, just tuning the whip, since it's longer? Any other options for low priced mobile antennas are welcome. Thanks
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Many of the hamsticks that will handle any appreciable power use rather lossy loading coils. For a common example, and unless something has changed in recent years, the regular Hustler hamsticks are actually more efficient than their higher-wattage siblings. Swapping them out to change bands can be annoying, but the biggest clear advantage is cost.
A common ~9' whip should suffice for the upper HF bands with a decent remote tuner at the feedpoint. Though I suppose the other consideration is you might find an used screwdriver antenna and controller for less than the cost of a decent remote tuner.
A more cost effective option for the 9' whip instead of a tuner would be using a continuously tapped base loading coil. You can mark the coil tap spots for each band. That gets back to the annoyance of moving the tap when changing bands, but it is certainly (much) cheaper than either a remote tuner or screwdriver antenna.
Also with a tuner, screwdriver, or continuously tapped coil, you can swap to a longer telescoping antenna like the 17' MFJ-1979 and/or a horizontal wire clipped to the antenna to form an inverted L for working the lower HF bands when stationary.
Whatever you do regarding a mobile HF antenna, I suggest bookmarking the following site and reading it thoroughly:
https://www.k0bg.com/
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The only Hamstik that I´ve used is the 6M one with an MFJ-9406 10W rig, and raked-in QSO´s from ¨7¨ land in the mid-90´s. However, in 2006, a co-worker of mine had another friend do a professional install with the Hamstik mounts to his new GMC Sonoma pickup. The rig was a barefoot, 100W PEP, Yaesu FT-857D. He had it to where he paid only $20.00 per Hamstik per band, (75M, 40M, 20M, 15M, 10M, etc.), and he had the 75M Hamstik dead-nuts matched to 3799kHz to work the UK stations from his drive home from work at 1AM, no EXT tuner. He lived in the New York, Finger Lakes Region, and he was giving those dudes in the UK an S9 peak signal routinely. I actually heard his mobile QSO´s on 3799kHz and could hear him and the UK stations, when I removed to the WNY Southern Tier for months afterwards. Anyway... Bottom line... A well matched and installed Hamstik can indeed get the job done.
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Thanks for the feedback. I also checked out that website. Lot's of great information. I have been looking at the Hustler mobile mast and resonators a bit also. I'll play around for a bit on 10/12 meters with the whip, for the time being, and experiment with other antennas as I go along. The mobile operation will just be here and there. The 17' telescoping whip would be great when stationary. May even get a Wolf River coil at some point. I'll get a feel for the G90 using my current outdoor dipoles and vertical before going portable or mobile.
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That's really interesting. I've always thought that the concept of 75M mobile is pretty crazy, but that gives me some hope. I'd be really excited to be successful on 20M. I actually went out on my lunch break to get a piece of copper tubing, along with 2 - 3/8-24 bolts and nuts. Going to make my own 54'' 'Hustler' mast. Might use the left overs to make a small piece to add to my 102'' whip to make an extension for no coil 12M operation.
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One might do some ad hoc tests to see who put out better.
A field strength meter would be handy, or a receiver tuned to the freqs in question.
Set the fs meter or rx a wavelength or two from the test subject and see who comes out on top.
In past testing on a 10m mobile setup with 25w rf, a single 1/4w fibreglass job was veritably destroyed by the 3/4w fibreglass (3 1/4w in series in the same fibreglass rod) job as to a lower angle of radiation, going by the fs readings alone. Linear loading works.