What freqs are these used on

[Trainguy1997]

So I had trouble finding a place to post this but I guess I will start here.
This is from the 1997 movie Dante's Peak (I feel old now). What frequencies would these antennas on the Humvee be used on and, if possible, will they mount on a pickup truck if they can be used on Amateur bands and where could I find them

 

[gewecke]

Vhf low band, 30-50 mhz. . Could be tuned for 10 meters or maybe 6 meters. 73, n9zas

 

[popnokick]

Google "102 inch whip antenna" then click on the "Images" tab.... lots of pictures of what is electrically the same antenna.... most of them mounted on trucks and other vehicles. Some with only a ball mount, some with ball and spring. Popular for CB, but easily tuned to many other frequencies as gewecke points out.

 

[prcguy]

The specific antennas on those HUMVEEs are the AS-3900 made by various mfrs. They are broad band and cover 30 to 88MHz and are not very efficient. They will work down to CB/10m but will be about as good as a 3ft whip on those bands. Otherwise 6m amateur is the only other band they cover and performance there is not very impressive.

The only good use for one would be if you want to monitor VHF lo military comms with a scanner, either via skip or parked near a military base and they will work much better on VHF lo than any scanner antenna like the AS-MON series or the Austin Spectra. There are various mounts available that bolt to a flat vertical surface.

There are newer versions that cover 30-512MHz and those are a bit more useful but also more expensive. A good used AS-3900 runs about $75 unless the seller is gouging. A 30-512MHz version can run from $150 to $250 used but are hard to find. I have several of each type and have run lots of tests on them.
prcguy