[Mobile-Portable] Screwdriver antenna controller

[W6OAL at aol.com]

Hi Jim,
 
    You might consider building on yourself if all else  fails. Rather than 
turn counting you might consider a 555 chip and do time  counting i.e. so many 
seconds up, so many seconds down, only active when the Vcc  is to the chip or 
initiate pin. Myself I use the ATAS-120 on my FT-897 in the  vehicle and find 
it just great especially coming from the days of the Hustler  resonator days 
and the old Master Mobile, manually adjusted coil.
    Yes, grounding (and bonding) is one if not the all  important factor in 
mobile installations. Another trick is the graphite  impregnated rubber strap 
that attaches to the real axle and drags on the  ground/highway. It's is truly 
amazing how much the noise floor in the receiver  can be reduced simply by 
bleeding off the static charge from the vehicle moving  through the air. GL in 
your mobiling,
 
CU 73, Dave...  

Olde Antenna  Lab of Denver
David A. Clingerman, Sc.D.  (CEO)