Antenna Mount Question

[teejnut]

So I just picked up a FT7900 today with a K400 mount and NR770 antenna. I'm going to mount it on the upper tailgate on my 80 but I have a question. So I do drive my rig to work sometimes or do need to go into parking structures sometimes. With the K400 mount it swivels if you loosen the screw. For the days I need to get into a parking structure would there be any negatives of me swiveling the antenna so its more horizontal then vertical? I know the negatives would be very weakened RX/TX but are there any negatives that would mess up my radio or anything like that?


Thanks,
TJ

 

[hillbillyjake]

some one with more experience will chime in later but i give you my take. as i have read and understand this will not hurt your radio. you start getting into trouble when you try to transmit with no antenna hooked up. thats when the radio gets fried. i see truckers on the interstate all the time with there antenna's on a 45* angle, so i don't see where horizontal would hurt any thing at all. like i said, just what i have read and heard, no personnal experience. good luck

jake

 

[Nadir_E]

I'm a HAM newbie, too, so I don't have much to offer other than agreeing with your thoughts about RX/TX impacts (primarily range, right?) from changing to anything but vertical antenna alignment.

In a similar vein, however, can anyone shed light on why there don't seem to be any spring-loaded mounts that would allow the antenna to strike a object and then bend over without breaking? I realize this wouldn't work too well in your case of a low-ceiling garage (it would take an awful beating moving around the garage) but it would work where there's the occasional tree limb hanging low over the trail...

-N

 

[Cabrito]

If that is the NR770HB antenna then it will fold over. You pull up on it and then fold over when going into the garage. You have to get out of the vehicle to do it. You don't really want to transmit with it folded but you can. One thing I would worry about operating while it's folded or if you rotate it is if it's touching the vehicle. There might be a ground issue that could damage your radio.

I carry two antennas one is the 770 for open road travel and then for city and trail use where there might be overhead clearance issues with Parking structures and low branches ect. I use the Comet SBB-1 because it is really flexible and works almost as well as the 770.

Here is a shot of the SBB-1 It's 16" long
Great for bumping into things because it's so flexible, and I can open the hatch with out folding it over like I have to with the 770

 

[teejnut]

If that is the NR770HB antenna then it will fold over. You pull up on it and then fold over when going into the garage. You have to get out of the vehicle to do it. You don't really want to transmit with it folded but you can. One thing I would worry about operating while it's folded or if you rotate it is if it's touching the vehicle. There might be a ground issue that could damage your radio.

I carry two antennas one is the 770 for open road travel and then for city and trail use where there might be overhead clearance issues with Parking structures and low branches ect. I use the Comet SBB-1 because it is really flexible and works almost as well as the 770.

Here is a shot of the SBB-1 It's 16" long
Great for bumping into things because it's so flexible, and I can open the hatch with out folding it over like I have to with the 770

yeah i have the one the folds over. but i was thinking for the days i need to drive to work just swivel over the mount since i don't really want to be driving around with the antenna folded over.

the sbb-1 sounds like a good idea. prob good for any wheeling with low hanging branches and trees. any other antennas out there similar to the SBB-1 that people would recommend?

 

[gary in ohio]

For parking/storage there going to be no issues with the antena. If your going to operate transmit with the antenna bent over your going to find your SWR will be high. The SBB-1 have there place but they will not take the daily meeting parking garages will give them. The base will give way plus they are not a good antenna to start with. If all you use them for is near by repeaters they work but for any distance they have very little real world gain.

For parking garages you might want to look at the Diamond motorized mount to raise and lower your antenna if you dont want to use a lift and lay system.

 

[Cabrito]

I'm sorry to hear Gary say that the SBB1 is not a very good antenna, but I respect his opinion on anything amateur radio related because I think he really knows his stuff.

I have been using the SBB1 for the past few years and it seems to work very well for me in the SF Bay Area, but like Gary says it will only really work for short distance stuff. I will agree that for longer distance it's not the best. That's why I switch to the 770 for the open road.

For the occasional whack on the garage at home and low branches on trails it's held up fine for me.