Great video. I have the same HF rig and SWR meter from RadioShack and this video refreshed my memory on how to go thru the process. I got a Workman 20m stick and it was less than 1.5 to 1 without cutting in the CW range, but 2.5:1 or higher in the SSB range. I will need to make some adjustments when it gets cooler.
I just installed my Ham Stick this morning. My first contact with it and my Yaesu Ft-817 was with Venezuela. 2500 miles on 5 watts and the hamstick. I hooked up my 100 Watt Icom IC-718 and was talking to everyone on the SATERN net. Works great!
10 and 20-meter hamsticks works outstanding. 40-meters is 'serviceable' and 80-meters is mostly a receive antenna, but locals can hear you, but not armchair copy and they won't want to have a ragchew with you under those circumstances. Hamsticks are a great value and perform very well overall.
I have the "original" hamstick antennas for all hf bands....I got double sticks and made hamstick dipoles....they all work terrific!...used my MFJ 259 antenna analyzer to tune them....use the hamstick dipoles on a 25' telescoping mast.......these hamsticks work well for my fixed station where space is limited...thanks for the nice video
Years ago in the 1980's I bought the original 40 meter HAMSTICK from "BUM" in Anderson, SC. I was very heavy into CW Mobile back then. I tried and tested several mobile Antennas. The HAMSTICK was the most efficient and worked great. You do need a small capacitor from the center to ground that really improves the match and you can get a very good Return loss. (low VSWR) 73's David. K8KEM
Thanks. Yeah I've tried a few different mobile antennas, short of a screwdriver, and the hamsticks seem to perform just fine for my needs. 80M is good only for reception, but I have made contacts with one. I've since installed an MFJ inductive matcher near the feed point in the trunk which has helped. Thanks for watching!
Good video...I just got a 40M MFJ hamstick to use with my field day set-up, QRP rig. I have the MFJ 9040...and hope that this hamstick will work for CW part of the band.
+rgleather48 I also did a few videos on the 40M Hamstick. It'll work on the CW part of the band. They give you plenty of whip length to bring it down to the lower part of the band.
Great video! I have been thinking about replacing my ATAS 120A with a couple of ham sticks. How have they been working for you, all things considered with the current state of the bands?
remingtonh: make sure you get a hamstick dipole mount kit (you can obtain it at a ham radio store or on Ebay for about 20 bucks) which 2 hamsticks can be used in a dipole configuration..... I have a 21' push up aluminum mast with an additional 4' on top of it (you can order this nice new heavy duty pushup mast on Ebay for about $109 which last for years)...The base is mounted into a large heavy umbrella base from patio furniture....I use no guide lines but I lower it during bad wind or weather...the whole thing is inexpensive, mobile, and works fantastic using 100 watts....good luck!😊
Oh yes...this aluminum mast has like 5 sections that push up and has its own hand knob turnbuckle to tighten the sections down....You can adjust and use it at any heighth...it is lightweight less than 4 lbs, very strong, and won't rust...It is very easy to rise or lower at any heighth...ideal for mobile use when figuring out a good base for it on a vehicle...height can be adjusted from ground level...
Hi RemingtonH Thanks for the informative video. We're interested in the PL-259 Coupler as well as the Mount that is attached to your deck-lid. ..Didn't see them in the description - Also, the dash cover seems like a good idea as well - Thanks for posting
+Paul K5VOP/JI1GBC I suspect (after quite a bit of research online) that HAMsticks might actually be more efficient than the small screwdrivers, like the ATAS 120 or Little Tarheel. If not more efficient, then at least so close it's negligible. That said I would love a screwdriver for the simplicity of switching bands, but they are $300-$400 + and these ham-sticks are $14.99 each :) Thanks for watching!
+remingtonh Agreed, would you say just go with the appropriate mount and do away with the adapter or keep the SO mount for versatility and use an adapter? I haven't bought the mount yet, I currently have an NMO for my UHF/VHF. I think I will just go with a 20, 40 and 10m Hamsticks as it is much cheaper and more efficient as you said.
+Paul K5VOP/JI1GBC That's a good question. I do have another antenna that requires an SO-239 mount. I haven't had any issue with the adapter, and I can't imagine it impacts the performance of the antenna in any meaningful way. If you do think you might go with a screwdriver- you might want a mount that will work without an adapter. It looks like the little-tarheel mounts on the 3/8-24 mount, just like ham-sticks, but I can't tell how the ATAS-120 mounts...
Hello there, OZ/YO8UFO here! I was driven by your video and I bought two of these antennas, one for 40m and one for 20m, together with a triple magnet mount. 6.3 inches each magnet. Didn't got it yet but I'm curious... Do you drive your car with this antenna mounted? It looks quite heavy and bulky...
As you probably have seen in the video, I use a "trunk-lip mount" that attaches to the trunk sheet metal. These antennas are very lightweight, and quite slender/thin so that don't have much wind-loading, even at high speeds. I have not noticed any deformation of the trunk metal, at all (and I have looked carefully). You just need to remember that you have, in my case, about 7-feet to 8-feet of antenna sticking up, so drive thrus are more often then not a no-go. Be aware of low tree branches, bridge overpasses, etc. My antennas have hit a few branches here and there over the years with no ill-affect. I would think a triple-magnet-mount would be sufficient, but I don't have experience with those.
Great video. I have the same HF rig and SWR meter from RadioShack and this video refreshed my memory on how to go thru the process. I got a Workman 20m stick and it was less than 1.5 to 1 without cutting in the CW range, but 2.5:1 or higher in the SSB range. I will need to make some adjustments when it gets cooler.
I just installed my Ham Stick this morning. My first contact with it and my Yaesu Ft-817 was with Venezuela. 2500 miles on 5 watts and the hamstick. I hooked up my 100 Watt Icom IC-718 and was talking to everyone on the SATERN net. Works great!
10 and 20-meter hamsticks works outstanding. 40-meters is 'serviceable' and 80-meters is mostly a receive antenna, but locals can hear you, but not armchair copy and they won't want to have a ragchew with you under those circumstances.
Hamsticks are a great value and perform very well overall.
This is exactly the video I was looking for on getting on the air with mobile HF. Thanks
I have the "original" hamstick antennas for all hf bands....I got double sticks and made hamstick dipoles....they all work terrific!...used my MFJ 259 antenna analyzer to tune them....use the hamstick dipoles on a 25' telescoping mast.......these hamsticks work well for my fixed station where space is limited...thanks for the nice video
+namdogtag I'm going to consider this idea. Is the dipole easy to lower on the 25' mast? Thanks for watching and the compliment!
@namdogtag - How was your SWR using the Hamsticks as dipoles? Did you have to trim the whips much?
Years ago in the 1980's I bought the original 40 meter HAMSTICK from "BUM" in Anderson, SC. I was very heavy into CW Mobile back then. I tried and tested several mobile Antennas. The HAMSTICK was the most efficient and worked great. You do need a small capacitor from the center to ground that really improves the match and you can get a very good Return loss. (low VSWR) 73's David. K8KEM
Thanks. Yeah I've tried a few different mobile antennas, short of a screwdriver, and the hamsticks seem to perform just fine for my needs. 80M is good only for reception, but I have made contacts with one. I've since installed an MFJ inductive matcher near the feed point in the trunk which has helped. Thanks for watching!
Thanks remingtonh I am waiting on my shark mini to arrive this week coming up. Is there a difference between the HAMSTICK?
Good video...I just got a 40M MFJ hamstick to use with my field day set-up, QRP rig.
I have the MFJ 9040...and hope that this hamstick will work for CW part of the band.
+rgleather48 I also did a few videos on the 40M Hamstick. It'll work on the CW part of the band. They give you plenty of whip length to bring it down to the lower part of the band.
thanks for this video. it helped me out with a swr problem and more.
Nice old Acura!
Great video! I have been thinking about replacing my ATAS 120A with a couple of ham sticks. How have they been working for you, all things considered with the current state of the bands?
remingtonh: make sure you get a hamstick dipole mount kit (you can obtain it at a ham radio store or on Ebay for about 20 bucks) which 2 hamsticks can be used in a dipole configuration..... I have a 21' push up aluminum mast with an additional 4' on top of it (you can order this nice new heavy duty pushup mast on Ebay for about $109 which last for years)...The base is mounted into a large heavy umbrella base from patio furniture....I use no guide lines but I lower it during bad wind or weather...the whole thing is inexpensive, mobile, and works fantastic using 100 watts....good luck!😊
Did you try removing the right hand side antenna and recheck Swr?
Oh yes...this aluminum mast has like 5 sections that push up and has its own hand knob turnbuckle to tighten the sections down....You can adjust and use it at any heighth...it is lightweight less than 4 lbs, very strong, and won't rust...It is very easy to rise or lower at any heighth...ideal for mobile use when figuring out a good base for it on a vehicle...height can be adjusted from ground level...
I have learned! Thank you for an excellent video!
Hi RemingtonH
Thanks for the informative video. We're interested in the PL-259 Coupler as well as the Mount that is attached to your deck-lid. ..Didn't see them in the description
-
Also, the dash cover seems like a good idea as well - Thanks for posting
Thanks for the video, I am getting a Yaesu 857 and trying to decide between the 10-40 ATAS 120 or ham sticks. Getting all the information I can. '73
+Paul K5VOP/JI1GBC I suspect (after quite a bit of research online) that HAMsticks might actually be more efficient than the small screwdrivers, like the ATAS 120 or Little Tarheel. If not more efficient, then at least so close it's negligible.
That said I would love a screwdriver for the simplicity of switching bands, but they are $300-$400 + and these ham-sticks are $14.99 each :)
Thanks for watching!
+remingtonh Agreed, would you say just go with the appropriate mount and do away with the adapter or keep the SO mount for versatility and use an adapter? I haven't bought the mount yet, I currently have an NMO for my UHF/VHF. I think I will just go with a 20, 40 and 10m Hamsticks as it is much cheaper and more efficient as you said.
+Paul K5VOP/JI1GBC That's a good question. I do have another antenna that requires an SO-239 mount. I haven't had any issue with the adapter, and I can't imagine it impacts the performance of the antenna in any meaningful way. If you do think you might go with a screwdriver- you might want a mount that will work without an adapter. It looks like the little-tarheel mounts on the 3/8-24 mount, just like ham-sticks, but I can't tell how the ATAS-120 mounts...
Hello there, OZ/YO8UFO here! I was driven by your video and I bought two of these antennas, one for 40m and one for 20m, together with a triple magnet mount. 6.3 inches each magnet. Didn't got it yet but I'm curious... Do you drive your car with this antenna mounted? It looks quite heavy and bulky...
As you probably have seen in the video, I use a "trunk-lip mount" that attaches to the trunk sheet metal. These antennas are very lightweight, and quite slender/thin so that don't have much wind-loading, even at high speeds. I have not noticed any deformation of the trunk metal, at all (and I have looked carefully). You just need to remember that you have, in my case, about 7-feet to 8-feet of antenna sticking up, so drive thrus are more often then not a no-go. Be aware of low tree branches, bridge overpasses, etc. My antennas have hit a few branches here and there over the years with no ill-affect. I would think a triple-magnet-mount would be sufficient, but I don't have experience with those.
hi i just got a RANGER 9 they are good they do 9 bands from 70 cm up to 80 meters
+keith rice I'll check out the Ranger 9 and see what it's about.
Wondering what the wind load on the whip is like? Does it bend alot in the wind as you drive?
I cant imagine it lasting very long. He should guy it to the front nad back bumper. :)
What is the Adapter? Does it have a BRAND Name???? Have NEVER seen anything Like it.
Answer my own question: Found it. Looks like an MFJ-7710
@@danshankle nice, thank you.
I need this kind of adaptor,,, where I can find it ?
found on ebay... WORKMAK UHF3824-3-8-24 to UHF Maale PL-259 Antenna Adapter Mount MFJ-7710
Nice video thanks 73s........
So this LID just tuned up on top of a QSO at the end of his vid.......
I don't think
An swr meter doesn't mean it works it means it has a low swr. Talking on the thing is what tells us it works.
This is true, but it definitely won't work with a high SWR!