[Mobile-Portable] thin antenna cable

[k3hx at juno.com]

If by "thin" you mean something thinner than RG-58, (RG-143)you will be

looking for trouble as the attenuation of this cable, even at 2 meters

is pretty bad.  On 440 mHz, it is really awful.

I recently put a 1/4 wave whip on the side hood lip in the better

half's SUV using a trunk-mount with an NMO fitting.  Went to the extra

step of running heavy, 1" wide flat braid between the hood and the body

at the hinge area on both sides.  Chose a 1/4 wave due to garage 

clearance problems, a 5/8 wave would also have worked.  Took care to 

scrape the paint from the area where the setscrews were and then 

covered the area with grease.  This way, the setscrews go through the

grease and make good contact but the grease acts as a seal to prevent

rusting.  Used this method many times in the past with good results.

73

Tim Colbert  K3HX



-- "Walter Cang" <walter.cang at halcyoninc.com> wrote:
A couple of questions regarding antenna setups for 2m & 70cm mobile use on a Chevy Blazer 4x4.

1.  Has anyone used those thin antenna cable for mobile antennas?  Remember seeing them in the store although rather pricey.  supposed to be easier to route through holes, weather strips, etc.  Is it worth using considering it can be lossy?  

2.  Any suggestion on where to install a permanent antenna mount?  The door frames have very thin gaps when closed so the traditional gutter mounts won't do.  Can I bolt one of the reinforce plastic luggage rack?  

3.  I see a gap in the engine hood when closed so I am considering this.  Does anyone know where I can route the antenna cable?  They say an antenna there may pick up too much electronic noise.  Comments?

Thank you.

Walter
VA3WYC
----
Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, mobile-portable-owner at mailman.qth.net


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