I'm wanting to mount a 2meter VHF antenna on my notchie. I have ideas about how to go about it mostly dealing with the ground plane for the antenna but just wanting to know how others did this. The easiest way would be doing something with one of the grills. Mounting the transceiver itself in the cabin will be another story, not much room to do that. Any input from others on this subject will be appreciated.
Btw, how many other hams are on this forum? My call is N0EE.

If your willing to work with a mag mount I found that this works well. This does not show the ground wire running from the plate down to the body. It's basically heavy sheet metal bent to form to the rear side of the engine vent.





The third pic shows one that I made with lighter metal. It does flex a bit with larger antennas.

The only time I carried anything bigger than a hand held in a Fiero I made a bracket that hooked into the ash tray on the passenger side and let the radio hang over the passenger side of the console with the controls facing up.

Dave, N5PNZ

I thought about hamming in my Fiero but the fiberglas(or is it a composite material??) is hard to stick my magnetic 2M mount to--LOL. HF, it seems, is out of the question so I decided to try glueing screen mesh under the headliner when I replace it. Another alternative would be to mount the antenna somehow to the magnesium vents just above the engine--they seen big enough for a 2M ground plane. For me, its all academic because I sold all my gear about a year ago but I plan to buy newer gear this year if the XYL doesn't veto the idea.

Another concern to me is QRM from the 3800SC--I have terric spark noise in my 3800 powered 1988 Buick sedan on AM radio and I think it comes from the ignition module. I got a lot of QRM from it with a portable radio. Glad to know there is at least one other ham here. First licensed as a Novice in 1954 at 16 years old.

73,

WB5GSA

Edit: It appears Dave beat me to it while I was hunting and pecking! I like his mount--better than my idea.

[This message has been edited by starlightcoupe (edited 04-10-2010).]

Surprisingly the ground plane is not an issue since the Spacefame of the car is metal. I use to run a CB in the car back in the day and had no issues with SWR.

A good friend of mine has a mount that's attached to the inside of his trunk. It's heavy flat stock that's bent to follow the contour of the body under the deck and slip right up between his decklid and body when the trunk is closed and the hinge allows him to fold it under the decklid when not in use or wants to hide the fact there may be something in the car. It really works well and can be hidden at a moments notice.

quote Originally posted by Firefox: A good friend of mine has a mount that's attached to the inside of his trunk. It's heavy flat stock that's bent to follow the contour of the body under the deck and slip right up between his decklid and body when the trunk is closed and the hinge allows him to fold it under the decklid when not in use or wants to hide the fact there may be something in the car. It really works well and can be hidden at a moments notice.

If you ever get a chance to get a pic of it please do so. I'd like to see how it's made and fitted.

Dave

I use thru-the-glass antennas . Work fine for my CB, cost about $40. I didnt care about long range, worked fine for at least 4 or 5 miles to talk to friends on road trips. On the Ferrari kit, it was on the rear window, on the Corvettes, on the top side of the windshields.

I too have a through-the-glass antenna for my CB. Probably doesn't get the best range, but good enough to find out where the cops are from the truckers

Hey there, N3OQM here. I used a 2 meter through the glass antenna and it did very well. Looked good to. I wish i had pictures of it but, have given up HAM. politics in my local community drove me out of it all. Repeater police as i call them. Best of luck to you on the antenna. Have you tried those 5/8 wave suction mount antennas? look like a BNC rubber antenna only has a suction cup on both ends... can mount those on the windshield inner behind the factory tint, barely noticeable and works great.

Sorry, N3OQM that your local community got to you. We're becoming an endangered species what with commercial services looking at our freqs and HOA restrictions. I am inactive too but I quit because the hobby just doesn't interest me anymore. When and if 10M returns, I might install my Rat Shack SSB rig in my truck or go CW QRP in the Fiero.

WB5GSA

I havent used them in years. What kind of hastles do you get for ham radio ? Far as I know, there are no laws against using them except for illegal purposes. They even done away with having to licence them in the 80s. If local officials are restricting them, theyre breaking Federal Laws. About the only thing I know they can do is restrict the size of outside home antennas or limit high output boosters.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: I havent used them in years. What kind of hastles do you get for ham radio ? Far as I know, there are no laws against using them except for illegal purposes. They even done away with having to licence them in the 80s. If local officials are restricting them, theyre breaking Federal Laws. About the only thing I know they can do is restrict the size of outside home antennas or limit high output boosters.

You are confusing Amateur Radio with CB... 2 different animals... Yes.. they did away with Licensing CB's back in the 80's.. Amateur Radio Licenses are still Issued by the FCC. ( by "repeater police" he means hams who try and dictate how "they" want others to transmit on "their" frequency...)
I had used a Larsen Kulglass Dual Band on glass on mine. but have always had bad reports when I was out of the local area of the repeaters.
I just recently replaced my mount with a regular little "L" bracket on my vent grill. snaked the cable in through one of the gromments for the fuel line or shifter cables. Am using a little Diamond NR72BNMO 2/440 Dualband. now. Great reports now...
Have a Kenwood D-700 in the cabin.. mounted on the firewall behind my drivers seat. remote head mounted on the front of my console.

73 de K9ZZZ / Greg

[This message has been edited by kyote (edited 04-12-2010).]

Anyone use HF in their Fiero or is it too much of a challenge or hassle? Other than the Pikes Peak repeater and some near Denver, 2M is a wasteland west of the Rockies Front Range. I get a particular kick from HF when a DA or DL comes back to me. The Hi-Gain 20M antennas are a little beefy, I would think, to be mounted on the vent but a 10M mount might work. I might try that after painting my little Ugly Duckling. It sat in a field for 10 years and looks it--but it has no rust; just tons of tumbleweeds underneath.

quote Originally posted by starlightcoupe: Anyone use HF in their Fiero or is it too much of a challenge or hassle? Other than the Pikes Peak repeater and some near Denver, 2M is a wasteland west of the Rockies Front Range. I get a particular kick from HF when a DA or DL comes back to me. The Hi-Gain 20M antennas are a little beefy, I would think, to be mounted on the vent but a 10M mount might work. I might try that after painting my little Ugly Duckling. It sat in a field for 10 years and looks it--but it has no rust; just tons of tumbleweeds underneath.

If I would go HF.. I would use my FT-100 and my ATAS-100 screwdriver antenna... that MAY be ok for an "L" bracket.. I'll have to maybe try it and see if it will work..

I have had the stainless "L" Bracket like Kyote on my DD for about 13 years now. It is attached to the side of the Grille on the drivers side and it just misses the side of the Notchie. I use a dual band NMO mount on it with a cheap 2M/440 from Opek. Get them from the local Tower Electronics here in Green Bay. Works real fine and have had no problems and good reports. The grille is almost perfect for a ground plane for an excellent SWR of 1.2:1. I use the same bracket on my Sportster with the same antenna. I just have that bracket on the sissy bar. I checked it the last weekend and I had less than a watt reflected and 8.5 watts forward on the FTM-10 Yeasu that is made for a M/C. de WØLFE

On my GT I mounted an angled piece of aluminum, bent to the proper angle, pop-riveted to the inner sail panel, then added a ground strap to ensure good grounding. I have one on each side for a dual bander VHF/UHF and a 220 on the other side. All are 5/8 wave w/ NMO mounts.

On the Electric, I did the same type of mount but beefed it up for the ATA-100. I run a Yeasu FT-857d mounted behind the passenger seat.

On my web page I relate how I discovered NOT to mount a 2Mtr antenna above the center of the decklid behind the widow. It would kill the Iron Duke when I keyed up on high power! I moved it to the side and had no more problems.

Not the greatest pic, but you'll get the idea,
www.evalbum.com/804

Thanks for all the input guys. Your ideas and methods used are along the lines of what I had in mind.

73, John N0EE

quote Originally posted by 2farnorth: If your willing to work with a mag mount I found that this works well. This does not show the ground wire running from the plate down to the body. It's basically heavy sheet metal bent to form to the rear side of the engine vent. The third pic shows one that I made with lighter metal. It does flex a bit with larger antennas. The only time I carried anything bigger than a hand held in a Fiero I made a bracket that hooked into the ash tray on the passenger side and let the radio hang over the passenger side of the console with the controls facing up. Dave, N5PNZ

whats the SWR on this aerial?

Not sure if I ever checked this after I replied the last time.. but.. lol.. was wondering how many of you guys have brothers who have Fieo's AND are HAM's..
FYI.. wolfwolf & ElectricFiero are my brothers....lol
I kinda think we are a rare breed....

73's de K9ZZZ

[This message has been edited by kyote (edited 12-12-2010).]

quote Originally posted by proff: whats the SWR on this aerial?

Depends on what radio and antenna I've got on. CB and 10 meter it runs anywhere from 1.2 to 2.0. The shorter the antenna the worse the SWR and the less bandwidth it has. At 144-148 mhz and 430 mhz I can keep it under 1.5 across the bands. The CB and 10 meter are base loaded mag mounts and the 144/430 have center loads

Greetings fellow Fiero amateur radio operators!

I don't keep a radio in my vehciles any longer, but If I ever put one in again I would give the through the glass mount, I "think" they may be 1/4 wave, maybe can get them 5/8 wave as well.

De John, N9GWV

If its just for occasional use, they also make a full length antenna that just slips over the top edge of the side windows. Of course that means you have to leave the window up. In the summer, im a windows down guy so its no good.

Another possibility is use a magnetic antenna on the plastic roof or trunk. You have to grind out a square or circle in the top of the panel where you want it like1/8" deep. Epoxy a piece of sheet metal in the recess, then a skim coat of SMC filler over it. If you keep the thickness minimal, the magnet should stick to it just fine...some of those magnets can lift 20 pnds, lol.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 12-13-2010).]

Since replying to this thread back in April, I have given HF antenna mounts a little more thought. I think I'd go for a with some 3/8" plate from the cradle to clear the rear bumper but still stay clear of the exhaust. This way I'd have the space frame for a ground plane plus a solid mounting point for the antenna.

I have a very good 20M home brew antenna plus a 10M antenna. Now all I need is a rig! Mounting a rig in the car may be a challenge but hopefully I am up to it. 2M, for me, came and went in the 1970s and it has no appeal whatsoever but if I did use it, I'd steal 2FarNorth's idea. My 2m mag mount is in the basement and I have a rig but no desire to use 2m any longer.

WB5GSA