Static Discharge of a Mobile Antenna

Hi OM Marco,

Yes, it is intended that the coil and cap are inside the vehicle to protect them from the elements without undue effort! Will certainly work. Also solves the problem of the coil supporting the whip. And it's highly suited for your ball mount.

My 5/8λ GP and J-Pole gave comparable results.

73

Nandu.

 

Nice job with the LDG device, this is a nice solution.

If you look at homebrewing one probably all it has inside is something like this: http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=2035-23-BLF-ND then you could put your resistor and GDT in a small box.

 

Thanks,
I might try a 5/8-wave antenna when I have time to do it. I'll have to find a longer whip since the one I have is already cut too short. The rest I probably have on hand.

73,
Marco
AA5ET

 

For performance, a VHF or UHF antenna belongs on the roof of the vehicle. A side mount is going to be rather directional and have much less range than one center-of-roof, mounted..
I used to grin when I saw 2M, seven foot tall, colinear antennas bumper-mounted. A quarter wave on the roof would get much better range than the expensive high gain colinear mounted like that. I know this from experiments with various antennas and mounts.
If you only work through a local repeater this is a moot point.
I went for long haul on simplex channels when I was into VHF FM mobile operation.
I ran 140 Watts and had my 7 ft colinear on the roof of my station wagon and an Icom transceiver that had a bulletproof , hot, front end in the reciever that would hear weak signals in "intermod alley" in the city..
I could talk direct from my car as far as some of the local clubs' backyard repeaters could reach !

 

Yes, I agree. The pattern may be funny with the way I have it mounted, and I won't be doing any "DX" work. But for my purposes the antenna works fine (and I can still drive into a parking garage without removing the antenna ;-) ). And I won't be causing QRM to distant stations.

For this installation I wanted cheap and easy. Cheap little monobander (FT-1900R), coax, connectors, and antenna materials already installed in the vehicle.

If I want to work distant stations I'll fire up the HF rig. To me VHF is for short-distance line-of-sight communications. (And we also have a great "Megalink" repeater system here in New Mexico - covers almost the whole state.)

73,
AA5ET