Scorpion Screwdriver Antenna HOA Friendly Home Installation

Scorpion Screwdriver Antenna HOA Friendly Home Installation in a walled in backyard in Phoenix, AZ

[@pantograph]

I'm curious why you used ferrite chokes on your ground straps. The grounds should still work for 60 Hz and perhaps for the lower frequency components of any lightning discharges, but it would seem to essentially disconnect the grounds for RF and the higher frequency energy in lightning. Normally, you want the lowest possible impedance in ground connections. Ron, NI7J at Scorpion Antennas recommends wide copper strap to ground, but with chokes on the coax and control lines. Thanks for the tips on the control cable. It's probably not surprising that CAT5 cable would have too much voltage drop for the motor supply lead on the Scorpion antenna.

[@xlr8also]

Suggest remove chokes from ground cables. Install a quality common mode choke between antenna and shack. Noise level should drop.

[@N2LRB]

Thanks for the video and for sharing. I do recommend getting a larger whip for your setup. Check into 17 foot telescoping whips, like the MFJ-1979. It will increase your antenna efficiency on the lower bands. Good lucky with your setup. I love it when hams out wit HOAs! Again, thanks for the video.

[@MrFlyboy1701]

+N2LRB I took a look at it, I'll have to see what happens. If I do get it I'll do another video and talk about the results. I really like 80m too, so it would be cool if it worked better.

[@MrFlyboy1701]

Thanks for the tip. What kind of antenna are you using? Have you used this MFJ 1979 whip? How high off the ground is the base of your antenna? THANKS!

[@porkyfedwell]

@@MrFlyboy1701 I owned the MFJ whip, it works for a while, then comes apart. Everyone I've heard from who owns one has had this trouble. It's just the nature of stainless steel telescoping whips.

[@Scott-K7sce]

nice install. i'm in a hoa but are antenna friendly to us hams :-) anyhow the noise you have is because your antenna in to low to the ground and picks up all the racket from the houses in the community i have this same issue so i have my antennas on the roof the noise went from s9+ to a reasonable s1/s2 same as my mobile soon as i exit the community the noise drops off dramatically

[@MrFlyboy1701]

Do you mind if i ask where you love approximately? as in which HOA? Ham radio friendly is good - and rare! When you say: "PIcks up all the racket" what do you mean? do you mean the antenna is picking up wireless routers, Compact florecent lights, and all the other electrical noise? And what? if I raise the antenna that may go away? How high should I raise it? I was thinking of raising it 5 more feet, but I'm not sure if that would help?

[@Scott-K7sce]

i'm in arizona. my community has stray rf from all the pc's routers, all that stuff so on hf the static from all of it is s7/s8 all the time specialy in the daytime hrs. if it was me since you have a 2 story. i would get a 21ft fence top rail from a fence company do the guyed cables up, ad radials the more the better at 1/4 wave, lowest freq, of the band you gonna work, equally in all directios

[@Scott-K7sce]

height is king specially on HF. get it high as you can get away with add the radials ,, Watch that log book get filled in., the radials will up your antenna efficiency a great deal. long with the higher antenna.

[@Barracuda48082]

@@Scott-K7sce I could handle a hoa that is ham friendly . Im visiting now for ten days.. the new 60 completed to the hwy Im on just ten more east.

[@rjcarlson2000]

Did you ever try adding a longer whip like a 102" CB antenna, or 17' foot extendable whip like the MFJ-1979? I use a 17" whip with a remote antenna tuner mounted on a metal fence and it works great on 80-10m. -- N0AOT

[@AlienRelics]

Most cat 5 cable is plenum cable. Which means no, absolutely no sunlight. Even sun leaking in a window will destroy the outer jacket.

[@alvarogaitan2529]

my friend terrific job thanks 73 from kb2uew

[@reallybadaim118]

This is why I hate being a city dweller. I'm on the back 9 of my working life and will bail out of the urban life to get something more appropriate for antennas.

[@stevenlawhon3695]

RFI in the shack?

[@outlaw6595]

I'm in a very restrictive HOA and I'm looking at all options. I have a privacy fence to keep neighbors from prying. How visible is this antenna as are you still using it?

[@iz7geg]

why all that stuff in the garden for a simple mobile ant?? isn't better a base ant?

[@tomscott914]

Where do I buy one?

[@tangoseal1]

I hate HOAs and would never buy into one.

[@MrFlyboy1701]

+Eric Owens I certainly won't allow an HOA when I go to build the house I want, for now, I'm doing what I have to. The hilarious part is how the HOA rules say no antennas of any kind are allowed, and since TV antennas are protected by Federal law, the whole rule is Null and Void. I love these people who just arbitrarily write rules after doing no research. They make me laugh.

[@MrFlyboy1701]

I spoke with a lawyer about HOAs. In AZ if you buy a house with an HOA, it is impossible to get out of it, the HOA is legally attached to the land. The Good news is that if you buy a house WITHOUT an HOA, it is almost impossible to get forced into one, unless ALL of your surrounding neighbors agree.

[@Barracuda48082]

@@MrFlyboy1701 Know this about Az sux.. planning retiring soon to San Tan area..which house is in hoa contract..may change my mind now. Golf course closed in 2018..value may drop below market by my date of done slaving..but what if there was Indian blood line for the area?

[@dsonyay]

HOA friendly- yes. Wife friendly- not.

[@Jim-xz1ew]

Way over thought. You need to approach this with a simple design. You're getting in your own way. A good antenna theory book will take you along way. Shunts and chocked are not the answer. A single eight wound one inch copper shunt will be the answer. Get rid of all the rest. Keep it simple. The antenna can do the rest of the work.

[@Outdoors_with_kg4muk_Wayne]

Why did you cut a 8 foot ground in half now your not grounded true ground is at 8 feet deep and Lmr400 is 100 to 1 better,