Trailer Hitch Antenna Mount VS Spike Ground Mount - MFJ-2822 ~ PART 1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro Music
00:05 Trailer Hitch Mount Closeup
00:35 Todays Experiment Talk
03:06 Install Hitch Mount
05:05 Trouble with SWR
06:40 Ground Spike Mount Intro
08:25 Ground Spike Mount Field Installation
08:50 Spike Mount SWR Success!\
09:05 Summary of Ham Radio Experiments
MFJ Trailer Hitch Antenna Mounts slide into your 2-in. trailer hitch slot. Your trailer hitch mount can hold small, medium and large HF/VHF/UHF antennas… you may even mount HF screwdriver antennas.
These antenna mounts employ heavy-duty aluminum construction. The same pin used for the towing bar may be used to hold the MFJ-2822 in place. They have 3/8-24 threaded Gum-Drop connector for HF or larger VHF antennas. Dimensions for the mount are 2W x 2H x 10-1/4D.
These mounts will have some play inside the receiver-hitch opening. This is normal as the hitch is designed to easily accept towing bar changes. Connecting a ground strap (user supplied) with a quick connect to the MFJ-2822 is recommended as the hitch does not supply the antenna with a secure ground connection.
If you need a mount that removes height restrictions (trees, garage doors, etc.) by mounting your antenna at the lowest possible point on your truck, SUV or sedan, then think about one of these MFJ Trailer Hitch Antenna Mounts
For Top Portable Performance, Carry a "Big Stick"! Like our Big Ear, this portable monopole features MFJ`s rugged 17 stainless-steel collapsible whip paired with an adjustable high-Q air-wound coil. Efficiency matters, so it`s not surprising this winning combination stands head and shoulders above shorter backpack antennas.
True Backpack Portability: Antenna is over 18 feet long fully extended, but disassembles and collapses to 28 in seconds. Fits into most any size packs!
Light Weight: Just over 2 lbs. You`ll hardly know your packing it!!!
Versatile: Includes MFJ-342T pipe mount -- quickly and easily mounts to a ¼ or ½ inch pipe or mast. SO-239 with lock washer feeds coax underneath the ⅜ - 24 connector.
General Coverage: Tapped loading coil covers 7.0-55.0 MHz without gaps. Great for Ham Bands and outstanding for image-free shortwave broadcast!
Rugged Construction: All aluminum, stainless steel construction ensures years of excellent performance. One Killowatt rated components guarantee electrical safety.
Counterpoise kit included: Ensures low SWR, high efficiency, maximum site safety.
BigStick is for the Ham radio operator on the move and on-the-go and hungry for the next great QSO anywhere or anytime!
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If your needing a quick deployment, don't forget about magnets. I put my wolf river coil on a magnetic base, attach my radials to the base and drape them off the truck. Best ground plain ever. Super quick and it works. To much rf reflection from the back of your van. Gotta get on the top.
Hey Okie, that's exactly the feedback I've been getting. I might as well just mount an antenna on the roof.
I completely understand using the car as a ground plane.
What mag mount are you using
?
I just bought the MFJ 2822. I have been using a Hustler mobile antenna for years on a heavy steel 2inch ball mount. I took the ball off and mounted a standard antenna mount (in place of the ball) with 3/8 antenna threads on one end and SO239 on the other end. With the Hustler this home made hitch mount has worked great on the back of a 4Runner and now on my Tacoma truck. The only problem is the heavy duty steel is heavy. I thought about duplicating it in aluminum but the MFJ 2822 looks like what I was planning to make so I ordered one!
I never had a problem with the Hustler being close to my 4Runner Hatch. The Hustler does have a loading coil high on the mast which is much better than having a loading coil at the bottom. Not sure what you were using.
73,
N4DJ
Thanks for the comment I really appreciate it.
Tom, I can certainly understand your frustrations with the wind, ground radial connection etc...lol! I am so glad you are experimenting with this hitch mount setup because I too am looking for a quick and easy antenna deployment on my vehicle. This video has spawned some really good input and discussions on the issues one encounters with automobile antenna systems. This may very well be one of your best videos yet as far as educational value and HAMs brainstorming as a group. Hang in there buddy!
Wow thanks for the best educational. I will keep up my experiments. I have more coming with this whip antenna. I'm liking how easy it is to deploy.
I've looked at this item over and over in the catalog, but I think that this is the first time I've seen someone make a video with one !
Yes, quick deployment is important.
Hey there, I'm not done experimenting with this. Stay tuned.
@@hamradiocq Great! Will do. I've used the 17ft whip portable more than anything else, so I really like to see your videos showing what all you trying.
I enjoyed watching you deal with the real life problems we all face with Ham Radio. Glad you were able to get an almost perfect SWR with the spike mount. I think I'll be getting one of those. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment too Josh.
Good experiment, it's worth the time I think to play around with set-ups like this, just to add more operating time on future outings. That beach looks like a great place to operate from. Good video, tnx.
Yep, I figured I'd share my good ideas and bad ones. LOL I think I"m going to modify this I have some ideas.
@@hamradiocq I thought of doing the same thing with my truck, but was wondering about the effect of the tailgate on antenna performance. Thanks for the vid, good luck!
Thanks for the video. I used a bumper mounted Hustler 20 meter mast/resonator while underway mobile in Canada in the mid 1980's. Worked well. Much DX. BTW, the XYL was driving while I operated :)
Hey Melvin, I think I"m going to buy a Hustler 20M.
Great Idea Tom. but my firsts thoughts were "Too sloppy mount loss of ground, and the old adage. "Any antenna alongside the car body, becomes feedline not antenna. so the idea someone came up with below was good add extensions to lift antenna above body line (roof level). might work. I like the idea of quick setup also. worth doing some more investigating!. Tnx agn for attacking the curve. and best of all for sharing. 73 gud dx tnx agn.de Ellis WA1RKS
Great point and I will say I'm new to mobile/car mounts. I think you nailed it when you said, "Any antenna alongside the car body, becomes feedline not antenna"
I think that the antenna needs to clear the height of the vehicle, the mount is too low.
Geta 4-5' extension for the receiver. If you have a ground issue cant you ass add a wire straight to the van with a alligator clip. If thats not pissible. Or get a tire plate and run the ground wire as stated. Then you can leave the back door open.
I looked at that extension online already, I'm thinking about it, thanks for the tip!
I think they make an extension like for a ham stick 2 or 3 ft. That would give you the extra length so you can tune in the car. I think if you had the extra length it would work awsom.
Jeff ke4fwe
Hey Jeff, thanks for the tip. I am close to a solution. I made another video coming out soon.
you should get a few 22" antenna poles w 3/8" mount from buddipole or another brand and put your wipe on it.
I'll look into that, please post a link.
@@hamradiocq www.buddipole.com/exanar.html they have it in sizes of 11" for $15, 22" for $20 & 32" for $25 in Black. I know the guy who invented the Buddipole his name is Bud W3FF he is a friend of mine was in the same ARC in Redding, CA where he lives. he gave the Business to his son they are in Hillsboro Oregon: Buddipole, Inc.
, 3028 SE 59th Ct. #600, Hillsboro, OR 97123
Phone: (503) 591 8001
Fax: (503) 214 6802
Email: info@buddipole.com.
Bud made an 80/40 Meter Dipole for me (because I was disabled) back in 2016, for my house in Dunsmuir, CA. Bud, is around 75-76 yrs old now, but he is still active. he knew me as N1DHD, I got my N6KV call back in April of 2019. Most of their antenna parts are made here in Oregon, with a few exceptions.
Frustrating, maybe but a fail, No. It may be possible to reduce the detuning effect of the car metalwork by improving the electrical bond between the trailer hitch mount and the car. Abrading the inside of the cars trailer hitch and maybe a small metal wedge to increase contact pressure. You are absolutely right that the quality of the contact between the ground radial mounting point and the trailer hitch is critical, significant resistance here will skewer your SWR!
That's a great comment, however, I didn't want this to interact with the car, I was hoping this would be just a mounting point. Maybe I could put some wood / insulator between the mount and the car.
@@hamradiocq Yes, either isolate the trailer hitch electrically and vary the lengths of the ground radial system, or improve the electrical contact and repeat.
Maybe a Wolf River Coil?
I've got a couple of coils and I'm going to try them. I was hoping I could just mount this on the van and tune my way down to 1:1.
Tri mag mount on the roof, with radials, or tuned counterpoise, attached to the mag mount....boom.
I use the MFJ-336T on the roof of my SUV. Have a ground strap to the SUV frame going to the radio. I've used it with an old Hustler system 40 meter resonator. Haven't tried 20 or 80 yet. In the works. Used this setup for two POTA activations. About 24 contacts in 1/2 hour of operating each time. Big pile ups. No radials or counterpoise, just the SUV body underneath. Check out images on my QRZ page, K2JWD. BTW, I have a three step stepstool with me so that I can mount the antenna in the mount at the location. I don't drive with it on :)
Thanks for the great comments. I will try some different things. I was really trying to get away from 'just another mobile' rig, but if I'm attaching it to my car/van then I probably just have to go with what you are suggesting.
The 17´ whip can have a lot of wind loading - did you see it bending in the video? I'd be afraid that a mag mount couldn't hold it in winds like that. Maybe one of the extra-large tri-magnet things - but they aren't the easiest to get on and off a tall vehicle.
@@hamradiocq I should have made a video before the cold weather started Tom. I don't know if you ever received my reply with links to the stage speaker tripods, jaw clamp mounts, and kite winders. But, trying to not sound like I'm preaching....I had my 7300 set up in the back of my car, on half of the folded down back seat. My coax was stored on one of those round, bright orange extension cord winders, from Walmart. The jaw clamp was on the coax already, and my tuned counterpoise was stored on the kite winder, which was attached to a 4' fiberglass driveway marker. (Bands marked on white counterpoise with a sharpie pen). The counterpoise had a small clamp on the end, from a battery tender...and it fit perfectly around the PL259, attached to the jaw mount. When I would roll up into a park, I could unfold the tripod, screw in the antenna, attach the jaw mount and coax, and unwind and plant the counterpoise, in about 3 minutes. See my qrz page for a picture. N4ZN
@@otterlegjeff819 I agree. I have one and use it with the WRC Silver Bullet 1000 and a tripod with a sandbag. Guys would also be needed if very windy. See K2JWD QRZ page for pictures. Sandbag and guys not shown during this test on a calm day.
I would imagine you would want to put that pin in your trailer hitch if you want to properly ground bond it to your vehicle.
Yes
Hear is a better idea my friend made his trailer hitch mount come out the side of the car or truck another we need a better pole better stronger it don't flop around like the husker fold over make one that fit the husler coil antenna loads make it bigger at the bottom smaller adap to the small thread husler use it be havey duty as we drive it won't flop over fall off the car
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You are awesome!!!!! Keep posting ham radio videos! 73 KN4RBN
Thank you! Will do!
Great video. You could just clamp the hitch mount to picnic table?
Yes you can, but there may not be a table available at all times. My plan was to park and plug in radials and go. I already have a clamp mount and I have clamped to those park grills, but this idea was not have to worry about clamping to anything.
I'm thinking that you're losing some of the effective length of the whip, because the first 4 feet or so is close to the car body and is canceled out by that. That's why it seemed like the whip needed to be longer. One solution might be some extension rods between the mount and the base of the antenna. (Wolf River sells them, I'm sure there are other sources.)
You said you might ure a coil. If you do that, you might as well use a tuner. Mobile coils are good for dramatically shortening an antenna, but you just want to match a whip that is fairly close to resonance. A tuner would be a quick and flexible way to make that match. Your coil wold have to be readjusted every place you set up - the tuner will do that automatically. There's no real difference to your rig - it's all about matching the transmitter to the load. Looking forward to seeing what you figure out.
Hey, I love the comments and discussion. My wheels are turning. I"m new to mobile mounts. I've been throwing wires into trees primarily for the last few years.
@@traveller-nl Thanks for the technical details, good conversation! I probably used too few words, hi hi! I was definitely thinking of a tuner at the base of the whip - the way hf antennas on boats and military vehicles are usually matched. The guy is using a long whip that is resonant in the open, and is at 2.0 next to the car. Sure, some energy will be lost in the tuner, but how much of that would be effectively radiated from a loading coil, especially if the coil was below the roof of the car? One of his goals is quick deployment, and the match may need tweaking for each different parking spot.
I was going more for an easy visualization than the correct numbers. He has a nice resonant whip in the open, and it seems shortened on the analyzer next to the car - I think that's a useful image, even if not technically correct. The thing is, putting a section of a radiator next to a big metal object, is going to mess up all the numbers, and the radiation from that section isn't going to count for much. To me, it makes some sense to think of the "real" antenna as being above the car, and the part below the roof being part of the matching section. A bad scientific model, but I'm just going to match it by trial and error anyway.
@@hamradiocq Speaking of trial and error, a plotting analyzer (like a vna) might be useful. That way, you would know if a better match is anywhere close by, or if 2.0 is just as good as it gets. In the open, you can assume that the length of the whip is all that matters - but next to the car, it's not always so simple.
Try the hitch mount and the whip without radials, the car should be acting as counterpoise, give it a go and see what happens.
Hey Fernando, I'm about to post another video where I try something that works. Thanks for the tip!