New truck, where to put the HF antenna

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n8zcc

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Help, I am in need of ideas, where to place an ATAS-120 antenna. This is my first pick-up truck and I am lost. I am coming from a Tahoe where the antenna was installed on the rear hatch lip. Any suggestions and pictures would be helpful.

Thanks
 

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gewecke

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Leave the "Horrible Frequencies" at home and install vhf/uhf in the truck! ;)
Or I have seen the atlas120's mounted to 90 deg angled plates to the back of the cab, below the edge of the box and to the bumper as well.

73,
n9zas
 
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LtDoc

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Where would be the least disruptive in the use of the truck? Where -can- you mount the thing?
As suggested, a stake-hole would work, or some place where the coil of that Atas would be away from (and preferably) level with or above the cab. Gonna put a metal tool box in the bed? That'd be a typical place to mount an HF antenna.
Whada'ya think?
- 'Doc
 

n8zcc

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Leave the "Horrible Frequencies" at home and install vhf/uhf in the truck! ;)
Or I have seen the atlas120's mounted to 90 deg angled plates to the back of the cab, below the edge of the box and to the bumper as well.

73,
n9zas

I enjoy HF to a point, I don't operator HF when driving but I enjoy working DX during lunch. I guess I should have said that initially.

Does the bed of your truck have stake pockets? If so, take a look at the mounts here:

GeoTool Pickup Truck Antenna Mounts

Perfect, thanks for the link.

Try K0BG.COM for all things mobile. Lots of information on how and where to mount mobile antennas.

As many times as I have refeered folks to that site I can't believe I forgot about it. Thanks.
 

ndejohn

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I have the same issue. Picked up my 2013 Laramie on Thursday and I am trying to figure out placement for my CDM1550 VHF and UHF as well as the control head for the BCD996T. Let me know what you come up with for idea's!!
 

KR7CQ

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Stake hole, all the way.

I knew that it wouldn't be ideal, but I chose one for my new silverado, and am glad I did.

I used a CB antenna mount bracket and tweaked it so that it would mount inside of the bed stake hole with four small bolts through the inside of the bed (in the sprayed-on bed-liner area), cleared the paint to metal, used brass hardware, sealed everything with silicone, and it looks very good. The top hole size had to be increased for the NMO mount. I can unscrew the antenna (Diamond NR770HNMO) and throw a NMO cap on with O-ring if I like to go through car washes, etc, thought the NMO mount would probably be fine left out in the open. I took pains in grounding the mount to the bed, and the bed to the frame and other parts.

In a "less than ideal" location, I have an SWR of 1.2-1.3 on UHF, and 1.5 or better on 2 meters except for the very top of the band which hits 1.6. Tuning took some work and involved a cutoff tool in the end. I expected the SWR to run a bit high, but even at 1.6 that is still 95% forward power, and the performance is outstanding.

No holes in the roof, no misaligned interior panels / trim / headliner, no scraping things going through a drive through or under covered parking (don't care to use the fold-over feature of the antenna), and I can work simplex like a champ on low or medium wattage.

I have pics of this installation in my profile.
 
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uli2000

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A local guy has his ATAS-120 mounted on a hood lip mount on his F150. I dont know how well it works, but since the ATAS is a motorized dummy load anyways, I'm sure it's no worse than anywhere else he could have mounted it.
 

acyddrop

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I mounted mine to the trailer hitch, while it's not ideal it works fantastically well just the same. If have the entire thing bonded back to the Range Rover so there is no weird rf issues having it there. I'm using a Scorpion mobile antenna and the whole mobile setup is bonded throughout.

Sent from my Funky EclipticRez v9
 
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