I'm using nearly the same setup for 6 month now, it's amazing. Especially during the colder month, when you want to operate from the car. Love it. Best 73 from Germany.
It is just so simple! No radials.....just the vehicle as a ground plane. Working on getting a way to use 40meters with the same setup. Best wishes to you in Germany.
The NMO mount is pretty standard and it would be up to you on what mount would work for your vehicle. The antenna is a Chameleon CHA 17' stainless whip. MFJ makes one too.....but from reports the CHA 17' is the better of the two. I'll add the links to the video description above. Thanks!
I can confirm his results. New POTA solution for the aluminum body F-150. Using a TRAM NMO to 3/8-24 mount and a Chameleon SS-17, 17’ whip. 20m, Fully extended SWR < 1.27 across entire band 17m, Down 2.25 sections, SWR < 1.29 across entire band 15m, down 3.25 sections, SWR < 1.17 across entire band 12m, down 4.5 sections, SWR < 1.240 across band 10m, down 5.25 sections, SWR < 1.2 across FT8 and phone and < 1.5 for entire 10m band. Loving it. Highly recommend the SS-17 whip, very versatile.
Very short. It's the feed line that came with the NMO mount......going just through the firewall to the front seat area.....13.5' RG-316 Teflon coax cable
Very cool! It's just soooo easy and works so well. I have plans to use this on a Rove Run in the future. Super fast setup in a parking lot....tear down and move to the next park. Sort of tough to get a Rove in the NorthWoods of Wisconsin where I live. Pretty dispersed parks. Have a great summer with POTA!
Well done guys! Good activation assumed nice little tactic for using the CHA 17' whip on the truck. I'll have to try that now. Thanks for sharing, enjoyed watching you guys operate. Cheers and 73! de W3LAM
Thanks for weighing in here! Not many that are hams near us but we have been friends for years and found out we both love amateur radio. Sometimes we get on and activation and I call it the Dan and Bob show! You gota have fun doing this. The wives think we are crazy sometimes.
Dan, I have another question. When your friend was helping with the antenna tuning, was he adjusting using the bottom sections where he can easily reach or at the top so the antenna has to be removed each time a length adjustment was needed? Thanks!
Interesting concept! Like you probably understand it will not tune to 40. Pretty much 20 to 10. Bob on the video has a WRC mini.....we might just have to try that and report back. Thanks for the comment.
@@off-trailseeking3965 I use a chameleon 17ft whip on top of a mini on a tripod. I have to use 67ft radials to tune 80. I would be interested if it would work using the truck as a ground plane. 73's
@@KO4GAR for sure the truck is the ground plane. I have recently using the 17' whip on a tripod, up about 4-5ft with 2 tuned radials which are also elevated. Check out the POTA Performer as talked about on the Parks on the Air Facebook site. Awesome results with the Performer!
@@off-trailseeking3965 I run only QRP for POTA. It's hard to beat a vertical antenna for QRP. I have a few short videos on my channel about my vertical set up. It's very similar to your tripod set up.
I've used that adapter for years using trucker mount to clamp on mirrors of tour buses, trucks etc. I had an old (4) mag loop with that adapter running it on an old Cadillac that I used with an old Icom 720 when I was newbie ham
Well, I thought of another question. 😊 Do you use any kind of choke/balun on the coax in your mobile setup? I never have for my 2 meter rig (maybe I should have?) but now that I’ll be using that same installation for HF as you’ve shown here with the adapter and whip, I’m wondering if it would be good to add a choke like we do in non-mobile installations?
Have not tried a choke/balun on this setup. Just worked too good. I do use a choke on the coax when I deploy a POTA Performer and any of the Chameleon antennas I use....like the CHA-8010
It's a simple quick setup. I used the MFJ 12 foot for many years when I would travel to Aruba. 5 inch mag-mount on top of the rental car. I would easily talk back to the States with QRP on the FT-817.
Hi Dan, thanks for this video. I just ordered the antenna and adapter you recommended here and am looking forward to trying it on my existing NMO front fender mount on my Wrangler. My question is because of the plastic removable roof on the Wrangler and its aluminum hood, etc., do you think it will be a sufficient ground plane? If not, could radials be attached to the mount and spread out a bit, like I’ve seen others do with a 17’ whip on a tripod or spike with no car? Thanks for any thoughts you might have.
Good question! I was surprised by the good results I had playing with this setup. I had the NMO mount on the truck (aluminum body) and just thought I would give it a try thinking if I needed to (like you might) I could just radials to make it work. I did run some braided ground straps from the NMO mount to the hood and the fender frames for added grounding to the body of the truck. Let us know how it works for you! Pretty cheap price to experiment with compared to the other POTA antennas I have.
Sounds like you had some really good luck with your set up. Just curious are all your panels bonded together on your truck? I’ve worked winter field field day from my truck using a Mag mount and a 17 foot whip on the roof. My truck is not bonded together yet but it soon will be, and I may try that NMO mount like you have instead of the mag mount
You know I really don't know if all the panels are bonded together. I did bond the NMO mount to the frame and engine hood with 3/4" flat braided strap.
Great video with some very good info. Now I have to look into that antenna system so I can get on the air as an 'activator' too. So that's what I sound like over the airwaves from Brooklyn!?!?!? FUGEDDABOUDIT!!! 😉
The NMO mount is pretty standard and it would be up to you on what mount would work for your vehicle. The antenna is a Chameleon CHA 17' stainless whip. MFJ makes one too.....but from reports the CHA 17' is the better of the two. Thanks for stopping by. I'll have to put together a video on the antenna mount.
That’s pretty cool, wondering if the antenna came with any guidelines as far as extending and retracting the antenna for the bands, I don’t have a antenna analyzer but definitely interested in this.
I would defiantly work on getting an analyzer like from RigExpert, Comet, or a Nano VNA. First thing I do after setting up any antenna is check the SWR and other readings to see where things are at or if they need a little tweaking.
Nice job. great video. I use the same adapter with mfj version telescoping antenna on a mag mount qrp on my work van with great results. The setup makes for a quick fun lunch break activation.
VERY interesting. I think I'm going to get this kit. Also, as a newbie Ham here in Belgium, I can see how useful your antenna analyser is to knowing the SWR reality P.S. I also have bought a Yaesu 891 as my first real transceiver Going out and doing mobile is something I'm building up as a real fun area of HF DX'ing ON3VCF
To me using the antenna analyzer is fun testing different bought and home made antennas. Then comes the real test using it with POTA as an activator. I log with HAMRS and it will produce a real nice map to view the QSOs from the log. Shows me if the antenna I used is directional and how far out I reached.
good report! I use my 17' whenever I'm parked, and short hamsticks in motion - same mount, so easy to switch. If you're really lazy, just extend it all the way and use a wide range tuner - my AH-4 and G90 will tune 40-10 no sweat.
I use a variety of antennas for POTA.....but there are times you just want to get on the air quick and easy. We used this for the 10-Park Rhino Run we did. Just did not know what issues we would run into and really wanted to accomplish the Rove. ua-cam.com/video/uzNAR8rWrO0/v-deo.html
I should clarify (not in reply, just for the record.) I meant *either* my G90 with its internal tuner, *or* my AH-4 with an icom rig. I've also used a SGC with success. My point being that a wide-range tuner will handle a 17' whip directly. If it's a remote tuner (AH-4, SGC, etc) at the base of the whip, the tuner loss is minimal.
I’ve been struggling with a quick POTA antenna solution since I got my aluminum body F150 a few weeks ago. On my prior truck, a mag mount and ham stick was super fast to set up. I have the TRAM adapter you used, tried it with the 20m Hamstick but couldn’t get below 2.0:1. I didn’t even think to try the SS17 whip I have. I’ll try it out and hopefully get similar results to what you got. If it works, this will be awesome!
I struggled weighing where to put the antenna on this 2022 Lariat too! Mostly for 2m/70cm. But just thought I would mess around with the 17' and the results totally surprised me. I have that NMO antenna mount bolted with just one bolt I took out of one of the fender mounts. Only think I drilled through was the small plastic corner. I did add some grounding straps to under the hood.
I actually went down this road with that exact thought in mind. But then the RigExpert's readings proved me wrong. I went on to activate the POTA park with 60+ contacts with good signal reports. It would be interesting to attach some radials and try things again.
@@off-trailseeking3965 I have the MFJ 17 foot telescoping whip and tapped loading coil. Used it with Boy Scouts JOTA and it works great. I pound a 4 foot copper rod into the ground, clip on some radials, extent the antenna and go for it. I don't usually need a tuner since the elements can be adjusted to length.
POTA is suppose to be fun! Like my golf game… I’m a total hack, but I have fun! I often operate mobile in the winter months… and even in Summer, when it’s hot, and the A/C makes all the difference. Use the best equipment, the best practices, and make it enjoyable… oh, and bring a friend. A recipe for success. 72 de W7UDT (dit dit)
I'm using nearly the same setup for 6 month now, it's amazing.
Especially during the colder month, when you want to operate from the car.
Love it.
Best 73 from Germany.
It is just so simple! No radials.....just the vehicle as a ground plane. Working on getting a way to use 40meters with the same setup. Best wishes to you in Germany.
Please add links for the mount, the adapter, and the antenna you used. Thank you.
The NMO mount is pretty standard and it would be up to you on what mount would work for your vehicle. The antenna is a Chameleon CHA 17' stainless whip. MFJ makes one too.....but from reports the CHA 17' is the better of the two. I'll add the links to the video description above. Thanks!
More POTA contesters, you gotta love it. Coming soon to your favorite rag chew frequency
Excellent video there young man..............I have the 17 foot extendable antenna also, I really love how simple they are to use.
Very simple! I was surprised I did not need any radials to go along with the whip.
I can confirm his results.
New POTA solution for the aluminum body F-150. Using a TRAM NMO to 3/8-24 mount and a Chameleon SS-17, 17’ whip.
20m, Fully extended SWR < 1.27 across entire band
17m, Down 2.25 sections, SWR < 1.29 across entire band
15m, down 3.25 sections, SWR < 1.17 across entire band
12m, down 4.5 sections, SWR < 1.240 across band
10m, down 5.25 sections, SWR < 1.2 across FT8 and phone and < 1.5 for entire 10m band.
Loving it. Highly recommend the SS-17 whip, very versatile.
Isn't that just crazy easy? Thanks for sharing your results.
So easy it should be illegal.😅
I recorded the down sections vs. the SWR just like you did. I also looked closely at the resonance to see where things were at. Pretty good readings.
Are you taking the antenna down from the top or from the bottom
Pulling down on the bottom sections. Do you think there would be a difference if I pulled down from the tip sections?
Nice info to have! What length feedline are you using? Thanks!
Very short. It's the feed line that came with the NMO mount......going just through the firewall to the front seat area.....13.5' RG-316 Teflon coax cable
@@off-trailseeking3965 Many thanks! 73
I have the EXACT same adapter and antenna! I have done some pota runs with it here in Douglas County, WI. Seems to work amazing.
Very cool! It's just soooo easy and works so well. I have plans to use this on a Rove Run in the future. Super fast setup in a parking lot....tear down and move to the next park. Sort of tough to get a Rove in the NorthWoods of Wisconsin where I live. Pretty dispersed parks. Have a great summer with POTA!
Well done guys! Good activation assumed nice little tactic for using the CHA 17' whip on the truck. I'll have to try that now.
Thanks for sharing, enjoyed watching you guys operate. Cheers and 73! de W3LAM
Thanks for weighing in here! Not many that are hams near us but we have been friends for years and found out we both love amateur radio. Sometimes we get on and activation and I call it the Dan and Bob show! You gota have fun doing this. The wives think we are crazy sometimes.
Dan, I have another question. When your friend was helping with the antenna tuning, was he adjusting using the bottom sections where he can easily reach or at the top so the antenna has to be removed each time a length adjustment was needed? Thanks!
He was adjusting the bottom sections.
I would be interested to see if you can use a WRC mini coil and get 40 60 and 80m out of that setup. Thats a nice set up.
Interesting concept! Like you probably understand it will not tune to 40. Pretty much 20 to 10. Bob on the video has a WRC mini.....we might just have to try that and report back. Thanks for the comment.
@@off-trailseeking3965 I use a chameleon 17ft whip on top of a mini on a tripod. I have to use 67ft radials to tune 80. I would be interested if it would work using the truck as a ground plane. 73's
@@KO4GAR for sure the truck is the ground plane. I have recently using the 17' whip on a tripod, up about 4-5ft with 2 tuned radials which are also elevated. Check out the POTA Performer as talked about on the Parks on the Air Facebook site. Awesome results with the Performer!
@@off-trailseeking3965 I run only QRP for POTA. It's hard to beat a vertical antenna for QRP. I have a few short videos on my channel about my vertical set up. It's very similar to your tripod set up.
I've used that adapter for years using trucker mount to clamp on mirrors of tour buses, trucks etc. I had an old (4) mag loop with that adapter running it on an old Cadillac that I used with an old Icom 720 when I was newbie ham
Well, I thought of another question. 😊 Do you use any kind of choke/balun on the coax in your mobile setup? I never have for my 2 meter rig (maybe I should have?) but now that I’ll be using that same installation for HF as you’ve shown here with the adapter and whip, I’m wondering if it would be good to add a choke like we do in non-mobile installations?
Have not tried a choke/balun on this setup. Just worked too good. I do use a choke on the coax when I deploy a POTA Performer and any of the Chameleon antennas I use....like the CHA-8010
It's a simple quick setup. I used the MFJ 12 foot for many years when I would travel to Aruba. 5 inch mag-mount on top of the rental car. I would easily talk back to the States
with QRP on the FT-817.
Nice! Might have to incorporate something similar in my Jeep! -KC4PPS
Hi Dan, thanks for this video. I just ordered the antenna and adapter you recommended here and am looking forward to trying it on my existing NMO front fender mount on my Wrangler. My question is because of the plastic removable roof on the Wrangler and its aluminum hood, etc., do you think it will be a sufficient ground plane? If not, could radials be attached to the mount and spread out a bit, like I’ve seen others do with a 17’ whip on a tripod or spike with no car? Thanks for any thoughts you might have.
Good question! I was surprised by the good results I had playing with this setup. I had the NMO mount on the truck (aluminum body) and just thought I would give it a try thinking if I needed to (like you might) I could just radials to make it work. I did run some braided ground straps from the NMO mount to the hood and the fender frames for added grounding to the body of the truck. Let us know how it works for you! Pretty cheap price to experiment with compared to the other POTA antennas I have.
Sounds like you had some really good luck with your set up. Just curious are all your panels bonded together on your truck? I’ve worked winter field field day from my truck using a Mag mount and a 17 foot whip on the roof. My truck is not bonded together yet but it soon will be, and I may try that NMO mount like you have instead of the mag mount
You know I really don't know if all the panels are bonded together. I did bond the NMO mount to the frame and engine hood with 3/4" flat braided strap.
I added links to the parts and pieces in the description above! Have fun....don't forget the smash the 👍 and subcribe button please! 😃
Great video with some very good info. Now I have to look into that antenna system so I can get on the air as an 'activator' too. So that's what I sound like over the airwaves from Brooklyn!?!?!? FUGEDDABOUDIT!!! 😉
Cost is pretty reasonable especially if you have the 17' whip already from another antenna. Which I did.
What was the antenna you used? Can you list the parts list you used? Great video!!!!
The NMO mount is pretty standard and it would be up to you on what mount would work for your vehicle. The antenna is a Chameleon CHA 17' stainless whip. MFJ makes one too.....but from reports the CHA 17' is the better of the two. Thanks for stopping by. I'll have to put together a video on the antenna mount.
For reference the MFJ antenna model is the MFJ 1979
That’s pretty cool, wondering if the antenna came with any guidelines as far as extending and retracting the antenna for the bands, I don’t have a antenna analyzer but definitely interested in this.
The antenna came with no instructions. The amount of retracting will vary greatly for each person.....conditions, how the vehicle affects the band.
I would defiantly work on getting an analyzer like from RigExpert, Comet, or a Nano VNA. First thing I do after setting up any antenna is check the SWR and other readings to see where things are at or if they need a little tweaking.
Nice job. great video. I use the same adapter with mfj version telescoping antenna on a mag mount qrp on my work van with great results. The setup makes for a quick fun lunch break activation.
They sure do group quick!
VERY interesting.
I think I'm going to get this kit.
Also, as a newbie Ham here in Belgium, I can see how useful your antenna analyser is to knowing the SWR reality
P.S. I also have bought a Yaesu 891 as my first real transceiver
Going out and doing mobile is something I'm building up as a real fun area of HF DX'ing
ON3VCF
To me using the antenna analyzer is fun testing different bought and home made antennas. Then comes the real test using it with POTA as an activator. I log with HAMRS and it will produce a real nice map to view the QSOs from the log. Shows me if the antenna I used is directional and how far out I reached.
Thanks ,I don't think it would make any difference, Pulling down from the bottom would make it easier to do KD9WTH 73
What antenna tuner do you have? Fc 50?
It's a LDG Z-11 Pro II. I don't hardly need it for this antenna setup but I always take it for when I use EFHWs
What was that antenna that you used? Thanks--KD9WJN
It's a CHA-SS17 chameleonantenna.com/shop-here/ols/products/cha-ss17
From the reports I see it's the most sturdy of the 17' stainless whips. Chameleon sells some real quality antennas.
good report! I use my 17' whenever I'm parked, and short hamsticks in motion - same mount, so easy to switch. If you're really lazy, just extend it all the way and use a wide range tuner - my AH-4 and G90 will tune 40-10 no sweat.
I use a variety of antennas for POTA.....but there are times you just want to get on the air quick and easy. We used this for the 10-Park Rhino Run we did. Just did not know what issues we would run into and really wanted to accomplish the Rove. ua-cam.com/video/uzNAR8rWrO0/v-deo.html
I should clarify (not in reply, just for the record.) I meant *either* my G90 with its internal tuner, *or* my AH-4 with an icom rig. I've also used a SGC with success. My point being that a wide-range tuner will handle a 17' whip directly. If it's a remote tuner (AH-4, SGC, etc) at the base of the whip, the tuner loss is minimal.
@@jeffkunce8501 Roger that.....
Great operating style, guys! 73 de M0SNR
Thanks for commenting! A lot of the fun is planning and coming up with new things to try,
That is soooo much better than my setup. I'm gonna get one.
Good luck and give it a try! Just make notes where the SWR and antenna readings are the best with lowering the whip's sections.
I’ve been struggling with a quick POTA antenna solution since I got my aluminum body F150 a few weeks ago. On my prior truck, a mag mount and ham stick was super fast to set up. I have the TRAM adapter you used, tried it with the 20m Hamstick but couldn’t get below 2.0:1. I didn’t even think to try the SS17 whip I have. I’ll try it out and hopefully get similar results to what you got. If it works, this will be awesome!
I struggled weighing where to put the antenna on this 2022 Lariat too! Mostly for 2m/70cm. But just thought I would mess around with the 17' and the results totally surprised me. I have that NMO antenna mount bolted with just one bolt I took out of one of the fender mounts. Only think I drilled through was the small plastic corner. I did add some grounding straps to under the hood.
Great vedio, awesome results, keep the vedios coming, kb0uzz, Missouri
Thanks for the encouragement!
Very nice!!!
Great setup. Is that a Diamond fender clamp antenna mount?
It's a Diamond lip mount.....I put links for everything above.
That will definitely work. But, if your not going to put it in the middle of a car or van roof, it really wants radials
I actually went down this road with that exact thought in mind. But then the RigExpert's readings proved me wrong. I went on to activate the POTA park with 60+ contacts with good signal reports. It would be interesting to attach some radials and try things again.
I like it....!!!!!
Thank you Ken. One more antenna to play with and utilize depending on the situation.
"Did This Antenna Ruin POTA for Me ?"
NO. (See Betteridge's Law of Headlines)
You are correct! Maybe made things a little too easy though.
@@off-trailseeking3965 I have the MFJ 17 foot telescoping whip and tapped loading coil. Used it with Boy Scouts JOTA and it works great. I pound a 4 foot copper rod into the ground, clip on some radials, extent the antenna and go for it. I don't usually need a tuner since the elements can be adjusted to length.
@@thomasmaughan4798 Nice!
POTA is suppose to be fun! Like my golf game… I’m a total hack, but I have fun!
I often operate mobile in the winter months… and even in Summer, when it’s hot, and the A/C makes all the difference. Use the best equipment, the best practices, and make it enjoyable… oh, and bring a friend. A recipe for success. 72 de W7UDT (dit dit)
Sorta sounds just like me! And my rookie videos......but having fun.😃😃😃