I need a good mobil antenna

[Waldo325mvfd]

Any pointers on a good mobil antenna for mostly the lower bands around 7 megs and lower.

 

[ka3jjz]

A mobile antenna on 40 meters? Hams do it all the time with verticals, but in general, the bandwidth is very small for transmitting (receiving, it probably works just fine)...but these solutions are very expensive. Or are you a ham - in which case the reviews on EHam are a decent place to start researching this question?

Or is it you live on a small lot and want to be able to hear the lower HF bands better?...73 Mike

 

[Waldo325mvfd]

No im not a Ham yet, still content on listening for now. Im just used to hearing every thing on a Dipole that I used to use before I moved several years back. I have a K40 Cb wip and coil that im useing which works ok, but with the engine noise its just a pain to bring in some stations. Usuly the best stations come in around +3 or 4 at the most on the Ft-817D which is on the DC through the truck. Maybe I should focus on noise reduction from the truck.

 

[ka3jjz]

Absolutely, and I'll move this thread to the amateur radio area where this would be more appropriate. I'm sure there are a number of folks that can get you started. I had a 817 a couple of years back, and it has a very hot front end.

73 Mike

 

[Token]

For strictly listening and across a wide bandwidth on HF in a mobile I find a simple 102" whip works about the best. Sure, it is not quite as good as something like tuned long hamstick on the hamsticks one narrow frequency range, but it covers everything about as good as you are going to get mobile.

Do NOT expect the same performance from a physically small sized mobile antenna that you get from a full sized dipole, it just is not going to happen. That does not mean you can not optimize what you have.

Pretty much every morning on the way to work I monitor several Chinese and Korean numbers station from 10 MHz down to 4 MHz, all on a 102" whip.

And while you can use the 102 for transmit (with the right tuner) it does fall off pretty rapidly below 15M. I have used it on all bands at one time or another, but if transmit is the desire a single band loaded vertical is probably the lower cost, decent performance, answer. A more expensive single antenna option that can get you all bands is something like the Tarheel, the Yaesu ATAS-120, or the Outbacker 8.

T!

 

[zz0468]

No im not a Ham yet, still content on listening for now. Im just used to hearing every thing on a Dipole that I used to use before I moved several years back. I have a K40 Cb wip and coil that im useing which works ok, but with the engine noise its just a pain to bring in some stations. Usuly the best stations come in around +3 or 4 at the most on the Ft-817D which is on the DC through the truck. Maybe I should focus on noise reduction from the truck.

One of the things you will find is that it will be nearly impossible to remove the vehicle noise without going to a great deal of trouble. You'll need to electrically connect various vehicle body parts together, like a copper strap from the hood and doors, to the body, the exhaust system, and so on,

You will also find you need a permanently, properly installed antenna. A mag mount, for example, will induce more noise than an antenna with a drilled hole where the mount (and the coax) is grounded at that point.

Same thing with dc power. A cigarette lighter type connection will be noisier than a direct connection to the battery.

As to the antenna, a short antenna will receive stuff, but unless it's tuned, it won't deliver nearly as much signal voltage to the receiver as it could. I use an SGC autocoupler with a 102" whip. I don't listen much outside the ham bands, so I use the transmitter to tune it.

Good HF reception i a car is quite possible, but it doesn't come easy.