Click on the small photos to view the full-size versions.
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This is my mobile setup. The antenna is a Hustler mounted on a magnetic trunk mount
with more details shown in the next photo. The Hustler has a fold-over hinge and a quick-disconnect adapter. To park in a garage, I pop the antenna off with the quick-disconnect adapter, fold it over at the hinge, and it then fits inside the car very nicely. The tip of the whip is about 7.5 feet up, and only rarely hits anything that low. Not shown in this photo is the MFJ 144/440 whip, also mag-mount. Boy, for $16.95, that antenna is a real bargain as well as an excellent performer! |
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Here's a closeup of the magnetic trunk mount.
In this photo, I had added additional straps over the mag-mount that I kiped from
my bicycle rack. I've since found that the mag-mount is perfectly fine all by itself, so I don't use the straps anymore.
You can also see the quick disconnect adapter and the BFS (big fat spring) safety precaution. I also ran a piece of 1/2 inch braid from the mag-mount into the trunk and grounded it there. Doesn't seem to make much difference, SWR or noise-wise, but grounding is never a bad idea. This is a fairly old photo. I now have official WAØTTN ham license plate on the car. I need to update these photos, don't I? I have resonators for 75, 40, 20 and 17 meters. I also found that the mast works very well on 6 meters with no resonator at all. Maybe when the current sunspot cycle picks up again I'll buy resonators for the other bands. |
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Here's my Icom IC-706MKIIG mounted on the ashtray. It took a lot of head-scratching to figure out how to mount the remote head, and I wound up making an steel plate that I attached to the ashtray. It's convenient because I can remove the head just by pulling the ashtray out.
Not shown in this photo is the radio itself mounted in the trunk of the car. That RMK remote kit is well worth the price! Also not shown in this photo is the MFJ-281 speaker mounted with wire hooks made from a coathanger to the headrest supports. It's right behind my head on the headrest so I can hear the radio even while driving with the windows down. I also have a Heil HS-706 headset, but I prefer to use the hand microphone and speaker. The headset is a very nice piece of gear, but I don't like wearing a headset while driving. One last note on the IC-706MkIIG - it is one heck of a fine radio for the price. It not only covers HF, VHF, and UHF, is a full-power rig, and all of this in a package the size of a hardback book. The '706 line has been in production for a very long time, and it's a testimony to the fine engineering that went into this radio that it is still an outstanding unit even today. (Postscript: It's a shame they recently raised the price. It appears that this line has reached it's end with the introduction of the IC-7000) |
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