Dual band antenna ?

[kjfswkr]

Hi all,
I have a 2010 Toyota Tundra pickup and have barely a foot of clearance between the roof of truck and garage door header. Any ideas on what I could use for a dual band antenna? For VHF commercial I have a flexible 1/4 wave.

Thanks,

kevin

PS: This is for transmit/receive amateur freqs

 

[fineshot1]

Hi all,
I have a 2010 Toyota Tundra pickup and have barely a foot of clearance between the roof of truck and garage door header. Any ideas on what I could use for a dual band antenna? For VHF commercial I have a flexible 1/4 wave.

Thanks,

kevin

PS: This is for transmit/receive amateur freqs

Given you only have about 12 inches of clearance your choices are slim to none.

Keep the vhf 1/4 wave and add a uhf 1/4 wave and then combine them with a diplexer
if your dual band radio has a single rf connector.

 

[pogbobo]

check out the comet B-10 2m/440 antenna ... its only 12" (and comes in NMO or UHF)
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/hamantm/3918.html

that may be as good as it gets, unless you use a L bracket mount on your fender/hood area

good luck, show us pics when its all said and done


edit: just saw this, it is 18.5 inches, but has a built in spring !
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/hamantm/5284.html

 

[N0IU]

I have a 2010 Toyota Tundra pickup and have barely a foot of clearance between the roof of truck and garage door header. Any ideas on what I could use....

A Sawzall???

But seriously, a couple of things come to mind...

You could mount an antenna on one of the side of the bed of the truck or possibly a through-glass antenna for the rear window. These types of antennas are usually the last choice, but they do work. The only two that I could find are the Larsen KG2/70CXPL ($129), but it is 32" tall so that probably eliminates that one unless you can mount it 20" down from the roof line. The other one is the MFJ-1734. Its a lot cheaper (as is most of MFJ's stuff! - $45), but it is still 26" tall.

 

[kjfswkr]

thanks everyone. I will let you know what I do. Maybe leave the truck outside the garage?

kevin

 

[N8RUS]

Diamond makes dual band antennas that fold over. 12" clearance will be no problem.

 

[petnrdx]

I just use a two meter 1/4 wave cut for low SWR at 440 mhz. ( its a 3/4 wave at 440 )
You wind up with a very cheap dual band antenna.
Works fine on two, but the radiation "angle" on 440 is up, which works fine for 95 per cent of the stuff I do, since 440 is mostly repeaters "above" me, or simplex on 440 is with people that are very close.
Even with the "uptilt" I found it worked better than a 1/4 wave for each band due to not having the loss of a "diplexer" and a couple more connectors and cable losses and way cheaper.
I have done this for about 30 years on dozens of vehicles.
My reasons were garages and I got tired of buying more expensive dual band antennas that got "whacked" by tree limbs while driving in forest lands.
If you can find them, the old GE "cut to the freq" whips were the most flexible, so even going in and out of the garage won't matter.
I don't like the springs some brands use, because eventually the braid in the middle of the spring (there should be some) gets noisy.
'Course that braid going bad takes a decade or two.
Try a 1/4 wave you might find it fills your need.

 

[AK9R]

Diamond makes dual band antennas that fold over. 12" clearance will be no problem.

Diamond, Comet, and others make a big deal out of their fold over antennas, but I've never been that impressed. You still have to get out of the vehicle to fold them over (unless you buy Maldol's expensive motorized mount). If it's raining or snowing, I'd like to be able to hit the garage door opener button and drive right in. Lazy? Yes. But, the older I get, the less I enjoy getting in and out of the vehicle in bad weather.

Also, with the fold over antennas, you need to pay attention to corrosion in the fold over mechanism. Just like the braids in the spring mounts, the fold over mounts will tend to trap moisture and corrosive salts.

 

[RadioDaze]

check out the comet B-10 2m/440 antenna ... its only 12" (and comes in NMO or UHF)
Comet B-10 and B-10NMO. Comet B10 antenna

I had one of those, and it might be pretty decent for you, especially on the roof. I liked it. I didn't get rid of it, intentionally at least. Actually, I've been turning my place upside down trying to find it.

 

[kjfswkr]

Again thanks everyone. I like petnrdx's idea best. And like W9RXR said with the fold over you still have to get out of vehicle. Maybe the sawzall idea is best afterall.

kevin

 

[Gcom]

Comet b-10

Hi,being a avid antenna experimenter & working in the comm.business,I just wanted to throw my two cents worth in . I have used the Comet b10 antenna for the last few years & in several performance comparison test it has always equalled a 2 meter 1/4 wave & 440 1/4 wave,sometimes even better on UHF.A two meter 1/4 wave cut for low SWR at 440 mhz can work & not a bad idea if you do not have a alternative,but in side by side comparisons you willl be compromising performance of both bands . Both Comet & Diamond offer these style antennas one even is a rubber flex mobile antenna. Just stay away from the non- base loaded celluar look alikes . Typically is just a mid whip open coil design molded into a mag mount.They actually attenuate the 440 side by as much as 20db.

73's