Ok, I have looked in many forums here and everywhere else and can not find anyone who lives in a mobile home and wants to put up a antenna for a shortwave radio. Well here I am. I am totally messed up, been reading this website and many others, seems when I get 1 answer it creates 3 more questions. I am living in what you would call a tin can so I have to put the antenna outside, I am running the grundig 800 mill radio, I really would like a vertical antenna as you can imagine I do not have much room. started scanning a couple months ago and the discone antenna works great as a all freq antenna and would like something similar for the grundig but it seems that shortwave radios don't work that way you need to know what group of freq you want to listen to and match it to the radio. am I correct in this? Is there a all around antenna or do I have to choose what I want to listen to? any suggestions for a antenna would be greatly appreciated.
Mobile Home dilemma
- Thread starter TheGator
- Start date
- Status
Check out some of the ham radio retailers. There are several manufacturers that produce antennas that are multi-band. Take a look at www.hamradio.com and www.aesham.com. You can also request a free catalog from them.
In the past, I have known people who just ran a long-wire antenna to a tree in their yard or next door with permission of the person who lives there. If you can put one up, an Inverted "V" or slopper antenna might be feasible as well?
73's
Ron
73's
Ron
elk2370bruce
Member
Some mobile home parks frown on outdoor antennas. A vertical is fine for vhf but you might get a better response to a horizontal long wire. I set one up for my dad, going around the double-wide soup can perimeter and his HF rig worked fine. Would agree than anything inside will get you zilch, nada, nuttin.
Bruce
Bruce
yes for sure my park will frown if I put the wire on there palm trees, lol. This is what I came up with mounted between #2-- 3" pvc Pipes on the ridge of my house. the wire is 45' long and the house is 50' so it should work ok, a third pvc pipe will be put in the center for wire support. a flange will be glued on the bottom of the pipe to screw to the roof. #2 springs will attach from the isolating blocks to the pipe to keep some tension on the wire. being end feed it will be a short distance out the wall and up the pvc pipe to the balun. The antenna is a EF-SWL-End Feed Dipole Antenna from universal Radio. nice people to work with. being limited on space this is the best I could come up with. Thank You for all your responses, needed all the help I can get.
Just for a point of Reference, I tried the EF Antenna as described above in my last post and it did a lousy job, very disappointed with it. the 800 mill worked better hooked up to my discone antenna, the discone was more quite and pulled more stations in, The EF dipole gave me a lot of noise and less Freqs. the antenna was installed according to instructions including a 8' ground rod. I have lost More than the expense and time put into this project in my life time but it was still a heartbreak.
AL
AL
KD4JAF
Member
Gator take a look around this site....might give you some good ideas or find the right antenna you need for your situation.
http://www.smeter.net/forums/forum-8.html
http://www.smeter.net/forums/forum-8.html
KD4JAF
Member
Gator I also found this for your reading.....good luck
http://www.outfarpress.com/outfarpress/swtips.html
http://www.outfarpress.com/outfarpress/swtips.html
jastx
Member
PVC pipe does not hold up well to the UV from sunlight. It is also not very strong. Consider using another material.
ve1arn
Member
Hi,
If you don't have to go too high, I've had good luck putting 2 lengths of that white square downspout as a mast for a quickie antenna support. You could go higher too if you put guy wires for support. It's white, plastic, doesn't rot, never needs painting, and looks better than most mast material. I just put a 6 inch long piece of wood that is cut to fit inside the downspout, inside at the joint of the 2 pieces. If it's tight enough, like mine are, I didn't even need to hard fasten them together.
Just a suggestion.....Bob
If you don't have to go too high, I've had good luck putting 2 lengths of that white square downspout as a mast for a quickie antenna support. You could go higher too if you put guy wires for support. It's white, plastic, doesn't rot, never needs painting, and looks better than most mast material. I just put a 6 inch long piece of wood that is cut to fit inside the downspout, inside at the joint of the 2 pieces. If it's tight enough, like mine are, I didn't even need to hard fasten them together.
Just a suggestion.....Bob
jim202
Member
jastx said:
Try using the gray PVC pipe in the heavy wall thickness. They call it schedual 40 and schedual 80. The gray lasts longer than the white.
Jim
CapnJon
Member
elk2370bruce said:
It went to court about 5 years ago saying that a mobile home park COULD NOT infringe upon and person who wants to put up an external antenna. Check with your local HAM club, even if you aren't a HAM and get some advise from them. They know all the tricks on using an external antenna and kinopw all the laws that relate to an external antenna
antenna
Hi guys,
"It went to court about 5 years ago saying that a mobile home park COULD NOT infringe upon and person who wants to put up an external antenna. Check with your local HAM club..."
Forget about the ham club, it's a horse of another color. While Congeress passed PRB-1 it's only guidelines for other legislation and not law in itself. The states one by one are enacting laws preempting local legislation, those dreaded CC&Rs and the Association Nazis prohibiting or severely restricting Amateur Radio antennas.
What the gentleman is talking about is fairly recent federal legislation preempting restrictions on the erection of antennas for broadcast reception ONLY. This includes sat dishes, TV antennas and I suppose radio antennas including those intended for shortwave broadcast. I don't know the wording of it so get a copy, read it and use it if need be. The local Gestapo doesn't have to know anything but the antenna you intend to put up receives radio signals, tell them it's for broadcasts only. Think of it like a police interrogation, answer the question truthfully but briefly, don't say any more than necissary to satisfy the question or you'll dig your grave with your own tongue.
As for the antenna itself, stealth means unobtrusive so keep the neighbors happy and don't string any wires over the neighbor's lot whatever you do! Oh, don't forget lightning protection, disconnect and ground securely when not in use.
Hi guys,
"It went to court about 5 years ago saying that a mobile home park COULD NOT infringe upon and person who wants to put up an external antenna. Check with your local HAM club..."
Forget about the ham club, it's a horse of another color. While Congeress passed PRB-1 it's only guidelines for other legislation and not law in itself. The states one by one are enacting laws preempting local legislation, those dreaded CC&Rs and the Association Nazis prohibiting or severely restricting Amateur Radio antennas.
What the gentleman is talking about is fairly recent federal legislation preempting restrictions on the erection of antennas for broadcast reception ONLY. This includes sat dishes, TV antennas and I suppose radio antennas including those intended for shortwave broadcast. I don't know the wording of it so get a copy, read it and use it if need be. The local Gestapo doesn't have to know anything but the antenna you intend to put up receives radio signals, tell them it's for broadcasts only. Think of it like a police interrogation, answer the question truthfully but briefly, don't say any more than necissary to satisfy the question or you'll dig your grave with your own tongue.
As for the antenna itself, stealth means unobtrusive so keep the neighbors happy and don't string any wires over the neighbor's lot whatever you do! Oh, don't forget lightning protection, disconnect and ground securely when not in use.
- Status
