102" whip antenna

[SCPD]

One thing, though. I would use a good quality spring between the whip and the ball mount. I didn't want any shocks (impacts) conducted down to the mount.

The other thing is that I used tie wraps to hold the longer antennas in an NVIS position. The tie wraps (like a chain for insulation) would go between the whip and the luggage rack. I've also used 50# fishing line as an insulating tie-down.

I'm not doing any major off-roading or anything like that so I'm not worried about shocks. I don't like the look of the spring anyway.

I'm using a nylon tie to lock down the whip with some dacron rope as well. The tie goes around the ball (which is tight) around a loop in the rope. I can adjust the rope for height. It's about 4" off the rack -- which keeps the whip under 19" -- which is under my VHF antenna that is at 45 deg angle.

 

[SCPD]

Cool stuff Nick. Have you given it the nighttime utilities reception test yet? Man the possibilities of getting that up on a nice hilltop there and see what you can get compared to base.
Can you get some video of it receiving? I'd like to put a setup on my truck for the r75 to go mobile, so it'd be nice to see.
IMO you should shoot the mount semi-flat black to match your truck's non-chrome motif-that'd look killer

Yes night reception is just fine with the engine off. The injector noise gets pretty bad on the lower frequencies -- so much so that the noise blanker can't wipe it out completely.

The radio is an ICOM 7000 and its receiving is pretty good but it's not exactly high-end either. I am a bit surprised that I can pick up weak signals on 11175khz but may not be able to understand them.

Ridge, here's a pic of the console:

 

[ridgescan]

Yes night reception is just fine with the engine off.

Nice job on the console! Perfect antenna install. An unsurprisingly professional look-and I think the Durango is a nice platform for comms.
Jelly here

 

[nanZor]

I'd be tempted to see how well a 4:1 UN-UN could do below CB resonance. Since you have very little feedline loss to deal with, it might be worth a shot - something homebrew or maybe an LDG RU 4:1 UNUN. Maybe even a 9:1 UNUN.

The point here is to just try and tame the off-resonance reactance a little bit and not make a perfect system.

 

[902]

Nick, did you make the cut-out for the TM-281A, or was that commercially available? I did pick one up, BTW. It's in my car and doing pretty good for what I need - THANK YOU!

 

[SCPD]

Nick, did you make the cut-out for the TM-281A, or was that commercially available? I did pick one up, BTW. It's in my car and doing pretty good for what I need - THANK YOU!

It's a Troy faceplate and works for either Troy or Jotto consoles. They make a 2" or 3" faceplate depending on your preference. (I use a Jotto console.)

The model #FP-KENTK7160H3 (for 3" high faceplate)

Here's the E-Bay seller:

Troy Consoles Faceplate for Kenwood Systems | eBay

Here's the Troy factory site:

Kenwood - Face Plates

 

[Hooligan]

The quality of the DxE whip is far superior than that of the R/S version. If you're going to get one then I'd recommend the DxE whip. The additional shipping cost is a bummer but still at $40 this is not a bad investment.

Almost just bought one from DxE, but am holding-off until I resolve my confusion & irritation over an $8 UPS shipping charge and a $6.95 "Delivery & Handling" charge. I know, it's 102" long, but...

 

[SCPD]

Almost just bought one from DxE, but am holding-off until I resolve my confusion & irritation over an $8 UPS shipping charge and a $6.95 "Delivery & Handling" charge. I know, it's 102" long, but...

Yeah I know I didn't like that either. In fairness though, when I did receive it, it is REALLY long and definitely awkward for the carriers. It's not a big deal and worth the extra $$