Anyone using a 10 Meter Ham Stick(r) as CB antenna?

[David Wheeler]

On advice of a friend (big into radio communications), I'm about to purchase a HF 10 meter Ham Stick antenna. Plans are to mount through bumper, driver side behind tail light. Anyone use on of these antennas? If so, anything special I should know about them other than they are about 7 feet tall when mounted #ad


Thanks!!

David

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2001 3500 SLT, 4X4, ETH Cummins/DEE, LSD, 3. 54, Quad Cab, Long Bed, Agate, Camper Special Group, Towing Group, Additional Body Molding on Bed, Line-X bed-liner.

"REAL TRUCKS RATTLE!!"

 

[The patriot]

Not sure what a HF-10 antenna is, but here goes...
#1 Mount it up as high as you can.
#2 Ground your mounting bracket.
#3 Hook your radio directly to the battery.
#4 Always use fuses.
#5 Check the SWR. Avoid anything over 2-1. If you cant get the SWR that low, move the antenna to a differnt location ant. try again.
#6 If youre running "power", dont skimp on the antenna or coax. You'll fry your radio equipment.
Generally the 102" whip is the best. It's big, and a PITA to mount, but will never burn out and takes a lot of abuse the other antennas wont. If you can bring yourself to do it, a Wilson 5000 mounted in the center of the roof would be excellent.
I know there are hams on this site,maybe they can add to this. I may have forgotten something. It's been years since I've messed with radios.
Sorry for the long post. I like to be thorough. #ad

Eric

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98 Quad cab 4X4 2500 12 valve,5 speed,3. 54 rears, 8' bed. Michelin 265 75 16 lr-E. Boost and egt gauges but basicly stock except for a "properly adjusted" AFC. Cat in the garage. Uniden HR 2510, Texas Star 1200 amp. 63,000 Mi as of 1/27/01.
NRA life member. High power/IDPA.

 

[Bob Stephens]

I use that exact antenna for my HF rig on 10 meters (CB is 11 meters). The only problem you might have is getting the SWR right. The Hamstick uses a fiberglass bottom section with a stainless whip. You adjust the SWR by loosening two set screws and moving the stainless up and down in the fiberglass until the SWR is correct. Don't know if the stainless section is long enough to tune CB freqs. The only advantage over a 102" stainless whip is that the hamstick won't bend as much in the wind.

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2001. 5 White 3500 Quad Cab 4x4 Sport SLT+, ETH/DEE, 4. 10 Anti-Spin Axle, Camper Special Group, Trailer Tow Group, Line-X, Tekonshsa Sentinel Brake Controller, ICOM 706MkIIG HF Radio, Guages, 15. 5 Pullrite Hitch, DEE-ZEE FX Running Boards, and BD Exhaust Brake. 2001 Alpenlite 35RK fiver arrives next week! Ham Call: AF9W/7

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

The Ham Stick antennas are designed to radiate primarily from the CENTER of the antenna where the coil is located - and is appropriately called a "center loaded" antenna. The 102" whip will be BOTTOM loaded, and will display the greater percentage of its radiation from the BASE, where it's fed. Obviously, the higher and in the clear an antenna is installed, the better it will function. While the HS antenna will perform better than the simple 102" whip, BOTH will do far better if mounted up higher and well away from surrounding metal. I run a PAIR (usually 20/40 meters) of HS antennas, one mounted on each side of the tool/fuel box in the bed of my truck - they are far enough back from the cab and high enough to work quite well. Mounts can be made to slip into a stake pocket, or perhaps on the inside of the sidewall of the bed. I use an ordinary Radio Shack mount made to fasten to a roof rack or outside rearview mirror support - they are sufficiently made to be quite durable, and if installed properly, CAN be quickly and easily removed at times when they are in the way of other activities. Proper *RF* grounding is EXTREMELY important for proper operation of ANY mobile antenna! Mounting either of the 2 antenna types down at bumper level is probably the WORSE place for them short of just dragging them on the ground... #ad


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http://community. webshots.com/user/davison71 Early '91 250, 727 AT, 307 rear... Banks Stinger exhaust, intercooler... US Gear OD... Tweaked pump, upgraded radiator... MORE than a match for every new PS Ford encountered so far...

"Dura" WHAT? NOW I know where all those recycled beer cans go...

 

[EMDDIESEL]

I have my 2 way antenna mounted in the center of the cab roof. I just puller the dome light down, drilled a 3/4" hole fron the inside out,(used the dome light location as my guide). And thats it. They make 3/4" antenna hole plugs if you ever decide to remove it. Just an idea.

 

[Forrest]

David,

Is there any way to try one first? You may not be able to get the SWR down on it. A 10 meter antenna is shorter than a 11 meter antenna, therefore, you'll need to add length to the adjustment. It may not have enough adjustment or stretch in length to get the SWR down.

The best antenna is the longest one you can stand, located in the center of the truck. The 102" antennas, of different composition, are pre-tuned to the center of the CB band. If you put one on the rear corner of the truck, the strongest signal is off the opposite corner. It uses the metal of the truck for a ground plane. #ad
Not to say it won't work where you plan on putting it. #ad
If you really want a long one, consider a 102" right behind the cab, on the rail of the bed, centered from side to side. That baby may take out florescents in gas stations, but it'll work great. #ad


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Money Sink - 96, 5 speed, TST 380, HX40-16, 300 HP Injectors, Scourge BD 4200rpm Governor kit, McLeod, 4", CATless, straight out back, chrome turn down, ISSPRO Pillar, Delvac 1 & Amsiol, K&N, Mag-Hytec, 3:54, Michelin 235s on Alcoas, Rancho 9000's, Valentine One, Garmin.
Dutchmen 27' 5th Wheel.
GoldWing.

 

[Bob Stephens]

Hey, TwoPro, what's the brand of your mount for the bedrail? I'm looking at either GeoTool or homemade stack pocket mount by my machinist friend. Your solution sounds like it might be worth investigating.

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2001. 5 White 3500 Quad Cab 4x4 Sport SLT+, ETH/DEE, 4. 10 Anti-Spin Axle, Camper Special Group, Trailer Tow Group, Line-X, Tekonshsa Sentinel Brake Controller, ICOM 706MkIIG HF Radio, Guages, 15. 5 Pullrite Hitch, DEE-ZEE FX Running Boards, and BD Exhaust Brake. 2001 Alpenlite 35RK fiver arrives next week! Ham Call: AF9W/7

 

[TowPro]

Gary hit the nail right on the head!

There is a company that makes CB antennas called Fire Sticks. They are wound, but the coil is at the top, which moves the point the antenna radiates up higher. They are fiberglass all the way up, except the top has a small tip that looks like a finish nail in it, you can move to adjust the SWR. They are avalable in sizes from 3' to 7' and in many colors

I run the Ham Sticks on my truck (because I use the Ham bands). I have a mount that looks like a trunk mount. The bottom of bracket has a "U" that I clip to the underside of the side bed rail, just behind the cab with allen set screws to hold it on. I had to do some work to get it setup, I think I had to add a spacer (thin metal bar) behind the bed lip so everything tightened up well. You will see these type mounts can be spun in several directions so it faces up. Then I run the cable through the side of the bed into the stake pocket, under the truck and through a hole I drilled under the shifter console (manual trans)

Another type mount is just a "L" bracket that has a coax to stud mount adaptor screwed through it. These are the least intrusive looking, if you don't mind drilling a couple holes to mount the "L" bracket.

Keep a watch on these brackets where the steel mount passes through the alunimum, it will corrode, causing loss of ground where the coax attatches. One time this happened in my F0rd and the electronic dash computer blew up. lost all functions of the dash including total mileage!

I would avoid mounting it on the bumper, the antenna will move around and wack the paint on the truck. By mounting it behind the cab by the stake pockets, you have less chance of hitting the truck.

[This message has been edited by TowPro (edited 04-30-2001). ]

 

[FDziurda]

David,
I use one of the Ham Sticks on 75 Meters (3. 8 MHz) and have it mounted to the rack on my camper shell. The feed point is 6. 5 feet from the ground. It is right at max legal height (13. 5 feet) and seems to work reasonably well. The nice thing about it is it's low wind profile and flexibility. If there is any way you can mount it higher than your bumper, you should do it, as the performance will be noticably better.

I think it should tune into the CB band without any problem. If the adjustment whip turns out to be a little too short, just clip a small piece of wire, using an alligator clip, to the top of the whip. This will effectively lower the antenna's resonant frequency.
Good Luck,
Frank Dz

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Frank Dziurda - K7SFN
Carson City, Nevada
'99. 5 2500 4X4 6-Speed Quad Cab LWB 3. 54 LSD

 

[Gohon]

David simply put your not going to do any better than the 102" whip which is a continuos load and radiates from the tip. All you need is 2/3 of the antenna above the highest part of your truck and your in good shape. Stay away from Ham antennas for your CB use as they are more trouble to tune than they are worth. Next best is a center load antenna mounted on the roof of your truck but not very wind resistant so most go with something like a Wilson 1000 mag mount which works great, is flexable and very wind resistant.

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1999, 2500 QC 4X4, Driftwood,Auto, Stock, Cab High Shell, Tow Package, Camper Package.

 

[TowPro]

Here is a mount "like" I use. (I use 2 different ones, one on each side of the bed)
I think I paid about 1/2 as much. as you look at it, you see a "U" bend in the mount, on the backside of that "U" are 2 set screws. this "U" clips to the bottom of the bed rail, and the mount turns to allow the antenna to stick up. I had to put some shims behind the bed rail, because the rail has a little lip rolled into it, and the set screws would miss this lip, and cause the mount to not sit flat against the bed rail.

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