Got my two antenna's installed.

[SteveC0625]

Mine comes up a little higher so it comes a little closer. I must have e missed something in my orinal design. I ram every test I could think of

I can jack knife my rig about 78 degrees left and right. It's a short bed and I don't have a slider so I can't do a full 90. There is no way that I can get any portion of that trailer above the roof of my truck. The bottom corner edge of the nose of the trailer would strike the C pillar about 12" above the top of the bed

Your short bed allows the same degree of jack knife. If you have a slider, you can get a full 90 degree jack knife. There is no possible way that you can get any part of the nose of your trailer above the roof of your truck. You would hit the C pillar at about the same height above the top of the bed and no higher.

I've been toting RV's around since the 1970's and I consider myself extremely well informed on these rigs and tow vehicles.

Like several others have suggested, move the VHF spike up there,right in the center of the roof. You'll get a super ground plane with good radiation in all directions. It's an easy install because you run the antenna coax up the B pillar, sag the headliner just a bit by pulling the rubber trim strip back on both doors and route the coax to the center. If there's an airbag along the route, be doubly sure to run the coax between the airbag and the shell of the truck cob so there is no possibility of the coax blocking inflation of the airbag.

Antennas on the fender edge have highly directional radiation patterns which are not good. And, they're an invitation for some one to grab them and break them off. In the center of the roof, you solve both problems.

The other thing I don't like about fender top antennas is that they are on the same level as the people in the car. All that rf just aimed right at you. On the roof, it's above your head, and not aimed at you plus you've got the entire steel roof shielding you from whatever radiation is pointed downward. Moving the VHF, which you'll probably use more, is the logical choice.

 

[n1ic]

Thanks for the feedback Steve.

 

[KC3ECJ]

Why not put an antenna on your camper?

 

[03msc]

Why not put an antenna on your camper?

I would suspect he does not tow his camper all of the time (it wasn't in the pics he linked to) so that wouldn't be a solution for using the radio when not towing.

I concur with others -- if at all possible, get those things separated: whether that's moving the dual band one to the roof (if clearance isn't an issue - sometimes people forget that some of us park in garages and don't have unlimited clearance) or moving the HF antenna to the truck bed somewhere.
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EDIT: I hadn't caught - until the below post by Wyandotte - that they were both on one radio. I don't know enough about the 7100 to know whether it cuts the rx on, say, 2m or 440 when transmitting on HF or visa-versa but if it does then it may not be as big of a deal. If it doesn't I'd try to separate them.

 

[SCPD]

OK so I read thru this thread twice, and here's my opinion.

Leave the tarheel where it's at, and take the broadcast antenna off the truck. If you just gotta have some music, grab some CD's.

I also don't think you're gonna do any damage by having the two antennas a few feet apart. It's the same radio. Now if it was two different radios, I'd think differently. But I'm just not seeing how you can toast the receive on the radio you're transmitting on. I'm sure the t/r switch is doing a find job of isolating anything getting into the receiver.

Now the above setup is gonna give you some direction. And some sharp lobes on HF. Like you're gonna be going down the road, and have 5 by 7 one minute, and long gone 2 minutes later.

 

[KC3ECJ]

I would suspect he does not tow his camper all of the time (it wasn't in the pics he linked to) so that wouldn't be a solution for using the radio when not towing.

I concur with others -- if at all possible, get those things separated: whether that's moving the dual band one to the roof (if clearance isn't an issue - sometimes people forget that some of us park in garages and don't have unlimited clearance) or moving the HF antenna to the truck bed somewhere.
__

EDIT: I hadn't caught - until the below post by Wyandotte - that they were both on one radio. I don't know enough about the 7100 to know whether it cuts the rx on, say, 2m or 440 when transmitting on HF or visa-versa but if it does then it may not be as big of a deal. If it doesn't I'd try to separate them.

Well couldn't he put some outlet where he can put the antenna in when he is using the truck only, and when he is using the camper, run a cable to that same outlet?