Little Tarheel HF Mobile Antenna Install, Icom 7100, HF Mobile

Here is my latest setup in the mobile. I hope to be able to plan and work a lot of you guys and gals on HF while mobile. I removed my Icom ID-5100 and installed my Icom IC-7100, and installed a Little Tarheel GP screwdriver antenna, on an MFJ mount with an MFJ programmable screwdriver controller. Check it out. Watch the other videos uploading now about the Screwdriver controller and making a couple contacts on this setup in the yard.
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#hfmobile #tarheel #hamradioantenna

[@flyboybobio3431]

I agree with Ryan. Use silver braided copper. Much easier to use and bond EVERYTHING. Bigger the ground plane the better. It’s a lot of work but necessary for successful HF mobile.

[@fevo69]

Great Job and a nice set-up. To avoid damaging the antenna with the trees, you can consider putting it on the left side, where it is more difficult for any branch to impact it. Thank for the video!

[@kurtschulmeyer1041]

As you said,grounding is the most important part of your install. I used siver-plated ground strap in my atas 120 install: worked like a charm!

[@aceventuraaceventura2003]

They sell short premade braided grounding straps which is about 1" - 1.5" wide, which looks like multilayer fabric. That is the best way to provide a solid RF based grounding / ground plane / counterpoise on any vehicle. I bought a roll of about 25 feet many years and I custom size-to-cut on each of my ham projects. You can cut them using regular electrician's snips but the ends will start to fray over time and look ugly also. So I just put solder at the end so they stay put. You can then poke a hole at the end and put metal eyelets on them where you will use a star washer to screw it down directly to the metal part of the vehicle with dielectric grease. Perfection!

[@phildurall7466]

Nice Eric! I used braiding on my Volt for bonding everything. Used the same antenna and 7100. It worked great. Enjoy your mobile DXing. I was in California and made contacts to Finland and other Europeans often.

[@kb3ejw14]

Love this video. On my '14 Jeep Cherokee, I put a radio shack ground strap under mount and bolted the other end on the body.my ATAS120 worked flawlessly I love your setup.

[@MyTube4Utoo]

A very interesting, and informative video. I just bought a 7100 about a month ago, and I now know exactly what I'm gonna do with it, and how.

[@mitchellpurelife]

Wow Eric! That is a sweet setup! Your grounding thought process is right on the money! I know your repurposing supplies, which is great, but I'll echo the other comments about the ground strapping. Electrical supply centers carry nice braided flat copper grounding straps which would improve the grounding due to the multi-strands. Nice video! Thanks for sharing, 73s

[@RevGunn-jq3cq]

I used a weighted acrylic cup with a locking lid to mount my Kenwood 480 control head. I find it to be versatile, it fits all my van’s cup holders which really comes in handy when I move to a back seat

[@stewartperry7797]

Just passed my tech! Thanks to your motivating videos!

[@butterbean4195]

love my tarheel with the Dimond mount, its been to 9k2 and YI9 mobile and base still have it 12 years later just remember to wax it so it keep looking good and moving up and down easily. and your right a good ground is a must..now my XYL using that same mount on her 2019 Escape for her Dimond dual band ant. caution.. don't over tighten the Allen screws.

[@bruceforster3709]

I have one of those little Tarheel's with an FT-891 setup in my vehicle. Great combo that works VERY well! AC7AA

[@teddysphillips]

I use that same Ram mount for my Kenwood TS 480hx head, seems pretty solid. I use the Little Tarheel II on a Diamond lip mount on the hood of my Rav4, and a braided ground strap from the mount to a location under the hood. I chose the Turbo Tuner for driving the antenna via a button on the radio, having an auto tuning device is a must for tuning while driving. Thanks for your videos, and happy mobile HFing!

[@RonPurser]

Can you tell me what RAM mount you are using exactly in this video? I want to put mine in my cup holder too - and this looks like exactly the mount I need! WB9EGG

[@BoB4jjjjs]

You would be better using the braiding wire they use for grounding engines to the car/van body, it will bend forever without breaking and give a good ground.

[@N2LRB]

Thank you for putting together this video. I use the Tarheel 100A as my HF antenna in my bedroom. It sits in front of the window with 4 radials coming out of it. It works well. I am 12 stories up.

[@weslewis8748]

How long radials?

[@N2LRB]

@@weslewis8748 I have four 8 foot radials that go from my window to underneath my bed.

[@James_Bowie]

In my neck of the woods, removing paint from a vehicle's body is an invitation for it to rust while you watch.

[@bruceallen4456]

Does pr781need phydom with ic246pro

[@denelson83]

Maybe need to add some additional zinc-plating.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

I just purchased a LITTLE TARHEEL HP Yesterday from a friend but due to all of the rain here in North Florida I have not gotten it mounted yet. I already have a mount on my Ram 1500 Quad Cab from previous antenna installs but I will need to drill a small hole in the mount for the ground bolt for the copper coil to connect to. I will be running it with my ICOM 7000 & I have no doubt that it will perform just fine for me. I had a TARHEEL II several years ago & it worked very very well so I'm sure the LITTLE TARHEEL HP will as well.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

My TuneMatic Lite is out for delivery today.👍🎙

[@WJ6FRadio]

Killer set up!! Cut that silicon bead and ran a ground strap under my antenna mount then screwed it to the body of the car.

[@jgwimmer]

Ok, here's what I did, similar to what you did but see what you think about this. I trimmed a few copper strips, about 1/8" wide, 4" long, and soldered ground braid to them. I placed a copper strip between the allen screws and where you have the bare metal, with some copper anti sieze for protection of the bare metal, and anti rust protector. I then tied one of the ground braids to the side of the mount where the coax terminates on the mount, another ground braid I grounded to one of the bolts on the door hinge, or in your case, wherever you place your copper flashing, tie the ground braid directly to it. You'll have a very good ground, but as others have said, put some ring terminals on some strips of ground braid and mount one end on a hinge bolt on the door after you've scraped away the paint, and used copper anti sieze (it's conductive) and the other end on the body of the van, maybe another hinge bolt where you've scrapped away paint and put anti sieze on it as well. You can never have enough ground braids tying the back door to the body of the truck. My Yaesu ATAS-120 works perfectly the way I have it mounted. Regarding your curiosity of the reason for the coil, it is to match the feedpoint impedance for 80m. Some inductance is needed on 40m, but none is needed higher in frequency, but is very necessary on 80m. The symptoms will be, high SWR at resonance and you'll be saying WTH....by adding inductance, and I tried this by using an MFJ inductance switch box, by getting the antenna to resonance, then switching in inductance until I had the lowest SWR. Trust me, it works. Without it, your feedpoint impedance will be between 15 to 25 ohms and you'll never get the SWR lower than 1.5:1 to 2:1.....

[@alvarogaitan2529]

good job Erick nice set up 73 and good luck and good dx enjoy my friend

[@papajaystinkershop75]

Back in the 70's there was a heavy braided copper ground strap that I used when installing CB, Ham and stereo systems for friends.

[@James_Bowie]

www.amazon.com/Quick-Cable-7901-001-Braided-Ground/dp/B01MR2ZIV3

[@lukekeller6774]

Thanks for another great video!

[@davidsradioroom9678]

Really nice video. thanks for sharing.The noise blanker on my 7100 doesn't seem to work. Glar yours does. I tried three times to install a mag mount on my Toyota van. Apparently the seal on the doors is so tight it ruins the coax. Hope you do not have that problem. 73

[@neilspencer8079]

I use Yeasu,s version of this Aerial the ATAS120. It too is reliant on a good earth but covers everything my 857d does. HF VHF and UHF.. And one less cable to run as the ATAS gets its signal to move through the coax. Nice video though.

[@JRaynor99]

Be sure to ground the engine as well! That turned out to be the 'fix' for my mobile noise! A mech friend told me engines are just not grounded any more....

[@JRaynor99]

@@ZAR66 All I can tell you is adding a ground strap stopped the noise!

[@bobd.]

Then the factory ground may not have been adequate for radio use, only good enough for grounding as far as vehicle electronics are concerned. Or if the vehicle is older the ground strap may be broken, connections corroded, or it was removed during a repair or maintenance and not restored. Many reasons why the existing ground might not work for radio communication applications.

[@g4kfjve7kfj34]

Mech pal is CORRRECT always bond exhaust(muffler) to the chassis along with bonding too the engine or engine mounts

[@g4kfjve7kfj34]

@@ZAR66 No hes correct

[@davidmeale9572]

Really pleasant you tube video ...nice commentary ...unlike most !!!

[@gotobassmsn]

That is why, when I saw the Yaesu ft-991, I chose it, because it is an all band all mode base station that can be used as a mobile. And comes with a built in tuner.

[@RobPetty622]

Wondering if opening and closing the back door will weaken the solid copper strap or if corrosion of the copper is a concern? Would braid work better with more multiple paths for the grounding?

[@person12307]

Those are good antennas I have one my self

[@K4KWF]

Nice job on install love that radio, K4KWF

[@williampeacock9473]

I like the mobile setup with the Little Tarheel 2 HP and ICOM radio. You will enjoy the antenna I have several friends who says it is a great antenna for it's size. Keep up the good work and I definitely enjoy watching your videos.73 AE4OY WILLIAM Peacock EM-81UF

[@ryankc9oza118]

I would bond all doors and hood. Also few on exhaust. I would use brad as that copper may end up breaking from bending from opening and closing. I did that on my jeep when did hf and had almost no noise

[@Whitebear329]

Ditto, big time. There is a braid specifically made flat for ground bonding in vehicles. From around 1/4" up to maybe 2" wide. I use the 1" on my vehicles and have never had a failure. Love this video. Copper just work hardens like any elemental metal so we get cracking, :) Keep the great videos coming !

[@bobd.]

Are those pop-rivets on the bottom half of the antenna sealed? Or is there nothing down there that would be affected by exposure to salt spray (winter roads) or water in general.

[@Joe_HamRadioGuy]

That strap will break after awhile, good for a short time but definitely get a grounding braid.

[@tomw5vlt119]

Depends on how often/ever that door gets opened. Then easy enough to replace, no?

[@mplmpl7780]

Yer Braid would be better also putting some inhibiting compound inbetween the connections.

[@k2cjbradio]

Thanks for the video! I’m thinking about going to a Tarheel with my 7100. Did the copper strap hold up? And yes, the NB in the 7100 is awesome! My F250 ignition is noisy and the NB takes it right out. 73 de K2CJB

[@turtlekoff1]

Nice insall Eric. Always scrape or wire wheel away the paint to get to the bare metal for the ground. Ground is very important with these mobil mounts. Well done !!

[@arniep740]

Now that some time has passed, can you comment on whether you are getting much rust due to the installation?

[@Swoop180]

Ram Mounts would be well served to learn the concept of the expandable plug. P S. If they suddenly come out with this mounting option I want Royalties!

[@philipchandler330]

Great job

[@dirkamus]

I just got a 7100 for my house. What antennas and or tuners would I need to have access to the full range of this rig?

[@ghettotown4777]

How well do radios like the 7100 and 5100 hold up in Michigan winter type conditions? It can get to like -10 degrees depending on the time of year.

[@KE7HOP760]

Well In Alaska at -40° F The screen on my Icom 7300 was fine but the radio would refuse to transmit until the inside of the cab warmed up to about -20° F

[@radioroadmedia]

Guess I am going to have to put by 891 in the mobile now...LOL Guess I need to order a LT too! LOL

[@PrecisionGroupYT]

Hi Donald Katchusky Just wanted to let you know that I use my Yaesu Ft-891 with the ATAS-120a Mobile and they work fantastic! And I like that you don’t need an extra control box as the 891 Controls the ATAS-120a directly! 73’s K4BBC

[@OregonDX]

Curious how the copper strap has held up. Let us know! Maybe a whole mobile rig ___ month review. 73 N7ORG

[@joe-aj0yz]

Anywhere in the specs is there a wind load rating on this bad boy, Eric?

[@butterbean4195]

have you had any problems getting on 80mtrs with yours TH? i got the tarheel extra long stinger and still doesnt tune 80 so not sure whats up.

[@kb7oke]

what 7100 setttings do I use for digital when using a Tarheel antenna autotuner?

[@denniskimrey4129]

Eric, what model on Ram mount are you using for the 7100? Thinking about selling my Ic-7000 and buying a 7100 so I will have Dstar. Thanks de W0HL

[@j.kendeblanck764]

where did you get the cup insert ?

[@MrAlphacallsign]

that's why when you put a antenna mount you have to check with a meter and check if the mount is making good ground is common sense

[@paulhastings3109]

After a year how does it work. Wanting to put it on my pickup

[@elainetaylor1516]

Good video it's the same in UK just not trying I do and get contacts on 11meters radio is radio all the time USB just av to triy 73s

[@papajaystinkershop75]

I would use a heat gun to soften those fins to straighten them out.

[@newtonraphsons]

Can I install Tarheel on a Condo balcony?

[@ericlessard6653]

Eric what did you pay for your screwdriver antenna? Also what is that cup holder device called? Do you have a link to the antenna and cup holder? Also how long have you had your 7100?

[@KE7HOP760]

Eric see the link. www.rammount.com/product-lines/x-grip & kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5_Gnoythqt7r9E

[@richardpalmer4471]

Dude, You keep costing me money. First Ram system mount now a tarheel?

[@beekeeper8474]

Cool antenna till I looked up the price gdmfob is costly.

[@MoTown44240]

Yes braided copper not solid unless you will never open the door again.

[@biggysground]

You could have ran a thick ground wire or braided ground strap with eyes on both ends and ran it inside the rubber tubing at the door jam area and grounded the door without adding those fat ugly straps. Many places inside the door to ground too, same inside the rear near the tail lamps.

[@biggysground]

Kool antenna tuner, works great.

[@Beowulfsurvival]

Sweet rig. KG5AUB

[@adrongarretson6195]

yep I would have used in a really nice piece of wire on there some 14 gauge cable or something rather than that big guy. He's stupid strap and it works but why are would work a lot better and I wouldn't get in the way

[@asherdie]

What?

[@HamRadioConcepts]

I dont understand.. But I did see you said I'm stupid.... Thank you.

[@asherdie]

@@HamRadioConcepts lol

[@nathantaylor680]

@@HamRadioConcepts I don't think english is his/her 1st language. Or a bad job at Yoda maybe? Lol thx for the video I'm looking at ordering that setup.

[@tomw5vlt119]

Hmmm, but what do u actually use for mobile? That’s HF, what about U/V? And didn’t I see u promote CB too? So u have three units in the vehicle? Didn’t I also see u promote for mobile the Yaesu 400, and use of Fusion? Trying to sort out options for mobile and you’re confusing me...

[@hp7093]

The problem with these expensive antennas is that they are very easy to steal. Won't talk about how I know about this.

[@Pieh0]

Never not use braided wire. Skin effect is a thing.

[@Whitebear329]

Guess my comment wasn't welcome. Sorry for the intrusion. :)

[@HamRadioConcepts]

What comment? No intrusion... Where is the comment?

[@Whitebear329]

@@HamRadioConcepts It apparently was one of the ones deleted. I checked after posting and it was here. Not a big issue others have said the same thing. The post may have got caught up in the undesirable posts. I know one guy was deleted for his user name. Mine was a reply "Ditto" and a couple of sentences to the Braid comment. Plus it said "keep up the good work" ! :)