HAM RADIO Magnetic Antenna Mounts - Easy Mobile Option

[@alan4cars]

Very informative videos. I have been a ham for 63 years and I am still learning neat little tricks from you. Thank you sir. 73's WA6MOW

[@davidw3gzs55]

Peter, this video was very timely as I am configuring an ATAS-120a on my vehicle. I noticed the common mode issue and now I know the solution. Thanks and 73. David W3GZS

[@stevetelford2821]

Great video Peter. A bit of advice, as a driving instructor, I have a plastic film on the roof of my car so my roof box "L PLATE" doesn't scratch it. It's great for my 2m and 4m mag mount antennas too. For around £5 it's well worth the money to protect the car. Keep up the good work. Steve G7HUJ

[@nickmason279]

I do the same on my motorbikes to protect the tanks from the magnetic tank bags. It works really well.

[@Sue.242]

Hi Steve please could i ask do you mean you use the L plate or a plastic film. Do you have a link what to use please. Thanks Sue

[@I..cast..fireball]

4m?

[@davidlucas6837]

Great Video Peter, I got the Triple magmount from your store and use it on the bonnet of my campervan whilst portable. It works well, even on 80m. I added some rubber boots to the magnets as using the tilt method as described to release the mount, I found the edge of the magnet could still scratch the car! I also found RF foating around the van, which I cured using the ferrite ring as described, 73 G8XDD

[@watersstanton]

Hi David, many thanks for the info. Sounds like a good arrangement. 73 Peter.

[@WilliamParmley]

You need to tell us the make and model of the car! I love the story of the "make do" wooden coil form and 160m mobile operation. I love those old black, white, and red ARRL publications, too. I used to operate HF mobile in an MGB. I installed a ball mount on the rear (yes, I drilled a hole!) and used a Hustler mast and resonators. I built a shelf in the foot well of the passenger side and mounted my TenTec Argosy there. I ran mobile CW with the TenTec single-lever keyer by reversing dit and dah, sitting the keyer on the console with paddle facing toward the front of the car, put my hand on the top of the keyer and reached over the front edge to manipulate the paddle. Such fun!

[@GordonHudson]

My first HF mobile rig was an old TS520. This had a built in inverter and put out 50w from 12v. I fitted an ex army larkspur antenna to ladder bars fitted to the roof of my Mini. The sections were removable to allow a quarter wave on 20,15 or 10m as I built a small loading coil inside the base made from 2.5mm twin and earth mains cable. This was a big antenna! My best contact was ZL from the middle of town when I was actually driving along. That was on 20m. You can imagine the looks I got and also the number of bridges I had to avoid.

[@frankwc0o]

You said something very interesting! You said, if you have two mag mounts, you can connect their ground. Can't wait for you to discuss how to do that. Be safe.

[@watersstanton]

It really needs an engineering solution that is beyond my skill. Probably drill a tapped hole in each one. Sorry I don’t have an answer but othe viewers might. 73 Peter.

[@jackK5FIT]

Great story about the mobile radio in your youth! I have one of the 3 leaf clover (my name for it) mag mounts for my hamsticks but have yet to use it. I tend to use the hamsticks in pairs as a dipole up about 12 ft for FT8 portable. Works pretty well. Thanks. Jack K5FIT

[@mssippijim]

Those ARRL guides in that period of time were great.

[@watersstanton]

Maybe the price is now greater than the content!

[@kengrey7263]

Why pay gym membership, just get a 3-way mag mount HI. I was mobile back in the day with a KW2000B. Couldn't fit it in any of today's cars. Now use an FT-891, much more socially acceptable. Keep the videos rolling Peter.

[@watersstanton]

Yes the FT-891 is a better bet than K@2000B. But it was good in its time. 73 Peter.

[@nickmason279]

I had a mag mount on my 4X4 connected to an Anytone 578 that I used for 2m, 70cm and DMR via WiFi. I have recently sold the the 4X4 and now only have a car. I was going to transfer the radio to the car but It has an aluminium body so that project is on hold while I work out the best way to attach an antenna.

[@watersstanton]

I had rge same problem on an okd Range Rover. 73 Peter

[@pasixty6510]

Here’s an important piece of advice about magmounts with PL239 sockets after some months of use: Luckily I had my SWR meter attached to my radio and a Diamond NR770 for some time. So I noticed that SWR went up to 10 and more. The sockets have those notches on the top of the thread. So water can creep up the thread an the socket will be filled with water. Putting a 14mm o-ring over the SO239 thread and applying some vaseline to the o-ring and the whole thread fixed the problem. It might work with vaseline only and without the o-ring, but don’t trust the sockets to be waterproof without any of those measures.

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for info

[@glenhoff1443]

Great info here. Mobile antennas will be a good topic to cover. All hints & tips are welcome! Perhaps begin to stock those ferrite cores when you can, even if the price may be a little higher. These are a great idea to keep handy but not always easy to get in a top quality. Ferrites can only enhance our operating experience! 73

[@nickmason279]

I buy my ferrites from either Amazon or eBay and haven't had any quality issues. I compared them to more expensive ferrites that I'd bought on my gear and there was absolutely no noticeable difference in performance.

[@danny_mixmandan_james]

Hi Peter, another great video - I must admit I had a 9ft whip on my old Vauxhall Cavalier and no mag mount could hold that on going up the M3 so drilled the roof. Nowadays you get a three mag base.. sadly not in the 80’s! Also was wondering with the music you do when are you coming out with - not a Freemasons remix dance track but a Walters and Stanton Dance mix haha! Also you should open up a KZbin store selling a line of nifty and stylish jumpers you wear in the videos! LOL - keep the great videos coming - love them all! Cheers. Dan VK4MIX

[@watersstanton]

Hi Danny, some nice ideas but I think I will stick with ham radio. I know my limitations! Thanks fir yiur support. 73 Peter.

[@marvintheandroid100]

I used to work HF mobile on my last car with my FT857 and ATAS120 mounted on a boot lip mount on the hatchback horizontal section. I treat myself to an expensive new estate car and there is just nowhere to mount a lip mount. I use a small mag mount for 2m and 70cms. Thought about getting a triple mag mount for the ATAS but am extremely nervous about damaging the roof of my one off £50k car when removing the mount. I’d also be a bit nervous using the ATAS to remove the triple mag for fear of breaking the ATAS. I have thought of using a ladder rack bar with a clamp on mount but presume I would suffer grounding errors.

[@watersstanton]

Hi David. Thanks for sharing. I am not a fan of roof racks as the grounding is very poor, if at all and on HF the rack becomes part of the antenna and can cause all kinds of tuning problems. Shame bu5 true! 73 Peter.

[@Inkling777]

I just tried an experiment with a mag mount and a pizza pan that others might find useful. Magnets attract magnets, I thought, so a magnet on the other side of that pan must might make the mag mount stick better. It did and obviously so. That was with only a few pocket magnets. A powerful fishing magnet should work even better and is about the right size.

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks for sharing.

[@migry]

Where is the best place to position the choke along the coax? Today I was experimenting with a single 5inch base magmount which has had the magnet removed. Using Super Antenna parts I experimented with tuning the antenna (the coil part is adjustable). After some time I got an excellent match for 17m and 15m, but not for 20m Reason for removing the magnet is that I want to take the magmount on vacation to use on a rental vehicle, and magnets are apparently not allowed on planes (although I did "accidently" take a triple mag-mount to the USA in 2012 - perhaps the rules have changed?). This mag(less)mount has a simple choke loop, but I don't think it is effective. If I moved the antenna analyser around inside the car and re-scanned, I got a different SWR plot.

[@watersstanton]

I always use a line isolator at the analyser input. It all makes more sen se then.

[@MrJaz8088]

I Use a Diamond Triple Mag Mount and for a counterpoise use the: Diamond MAT-50 Magnet mat Magnet mat as couterpoise for HF mobile antennas Frequency range: 7 to 50MHz (3.5MHz with two mats)

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks for sharing. 63 Peter

[@barrywendon5168]

What was it Top Band? 10w in in them Day's Yes I remember the Command set. Going down memory lane Hi 73 Peter de G6JMX

[@watersstanton]

Yes interesting days!

[@G8YTZ]

Does anyone do a suction mount for cars, like mine with a glass roof? G8YTZ

[@watersstanton]

Don’t forget you will have no groundplane beneath the antenna.

[@G8YTZ]

@@watersstanton The heat insulating glass is highly metalized and has a fine mesh within. The other issue is the car is made from aluminium. My other thought is an attachment that will fit the roof rack mounting points which have 2 x M6 screws on each.

[@alanmelham8475]

Very helpful. Cheers. Alan G7VNM

[@AliReza-zx8km]

Nice....................... 💝

[@watersstanton]

Thanks

[@billmillar8148]

i used to use mag mount on my car running 60w on hf ,the rf fried the intake manifold actuator which then damaged the inlet manifold £1500 repair bill , best to use portable antenna away from car , so beware hams

[@watersstanton]

Hi Bill, I have never heard of that problem before. I would expect cars to be pretty RF proof these days. 73 Peter.

[@billmillar8148]

@@watersstanton i have a bmw full of tec ,i now use portable antenna and run coaxial cable in to car i will never put mag mount on any car again

[@markg6jvy135]

👍👏👏

[@watersstanton]

Thanks.

[@RickR69]

Big fan of your work in Game of Thrones.