Easy Tripod Antenna Mount For Portable Ham Radio Use / Parks On The Air!
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- Опубликовано: 8 июн 2023
- Make an Easy Antenna Mount for Ham or CB Radio Portable Use. Can't Disturb the Earth, I got you! An easy Parks On The Air Antenna Mount.
In this episode, I have fun while showing you the Tripod / Antenna connector. Why pay 100$ + When You can do this under or around $20.00 USD! And hey, this project should be simple and fun, make sure it stays that way.
1. Tripod from Goodwill
2. Trucker L Bracket / Mount - amzn.to/3MWKHFT (This is an affiliate link. I appreciate the support and if you purchase through this link, I may make a commission based upon the sale, which means, hot damn, I can go to goodwill and buy more tripods and bags)
3. Watch the rest and ask questions if you need help
Another thing I could have done (I believe), is mounted the radials onto the bottom screw on (metal) feet of the tripod, but ultimately I did not.
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Развлечения
I prefer the tripod solution to a ground spike personally. It has the added benefit of being able to setup on a vehicle rooftop. I bought a relatively cheap one off amazon that has adjustable leg angles and replaced the center pole with 3/4 in conduit that I cut into sections that fit inside the tripod bag. I put the mirror mount directly on the top section and leave it there. I can get the feed point up 10ft or so with ease and the whole thing goes together in less than 10 minutes with only a screwdriver... including any tuning that might be necessary, and if I'm running the half wave vertical set up I don't even need to worry about a radial field.
Rather than sand bags to weigh the tripod down you might hydrate it down 😝
Appreciate you reminding us of potential source of antenna mounts.
Thrift stores specifically Goodwill stores.
73 Steve AA4SH
You have a better Goodwill store than I do. Never find anything remotely useful like that tripod. Just clothes and baby stuff. 😂
The one by me is okay. There is one store, Savers, that is really decent. It's always worth a quick stop. Thanks for watching.
I used the same trucker mount and just clamped it to the center section of the tripod. works good. also attached my radials to the bolts of the clamp via power poles
Heck yeah!!
great idea. Thanks 73 from VK. I'm off to hydrate!!
Good! Summer's coming for you and you got to start hydrating early 🤣
I made a 2 Meter / 70 CM, ground plane antenna, mounted to a $5.00 tripod. It even has 4 radial arms. It Works great for field & emergency use.
Very nice. It's awesome how easy and inexpensive things can be!
I already have a couple of tripods I got at second-hand stores that I use with verticals, but that I also plan to use with mag loops I'm building. With their ability to both rotate and tilt, they are perfect for small loops. I hang a bucket (with a 12 Volt 30 ah back-up battery in it,) from the tripod so it won't tip over.
Both are great ideas, Thanks!
Sand bags work too. That's what photographers use since they don't often have 12V backup batteries with them.
Great vid. Thanks, and 73!
Thanks!
The other thing I just received was a 2" flagpole hitch that becomes an alternative mount also. It appears to be large enough to accept my one-inch, 21' carbon-fiber fishing mast - so many possibilities. The main limitation of this method is it limits my ability to use my truck tailgate as a ham bench in those primitive POTA locations where I can't back up to a picnic table. Being a full-time RVer I have all of the camping chairs and tables, but it sure is easy to make life complicated, LOL. Cheers, Davey - KU9L
I have a similar setup but I run my radials differently. I took the four bolts that form the clamp and ran them the opposite direction. My radials end with ring terminals so I just put the radials over the bolts. I then tighten them down with a wing nut, so the ring terminals are clamped between the nut that came with the clamp and the wing nut.
That works great too. Also, I believe the bottom of these feet were showing continuity, which means (in theory), they could just screw into the bottom of the tripod feet. pretty sweet.
Here in Colorado I have been sucking down coconut water like it's going out of style even though it has been raining & lightning enough to not allow me to play hooky from work to play with antennas lately.
Expanding on your ideas, my QRPGuys 3-band vertical is on a circuit board with a BNC connector, so I don't have to get as fancy.
I tried inserting fiberglass electric fence stakes to suspend my radials, but even the sand here can be hard as a rock or have school bus sized rocks one inch under the ground, so I have been installing little plastic carabineers on the far ends of the radials and then typings small ropes around rocks I move around to position them correctly. It's not like I am creating more trip hazards to the billion already there.
Okay, so I rubber band or bungy the small circuit board to the tripod, insulated in some easy way. Then the MFJ 1979 telescoping antenna can screw onto a 3/4-24 adapter of which is going to be 8nsulated from the tripod, then a ring connector also on the top is going to go directly to the vertical terminal on the circuit board.
The circuit board also contains the ground screw for the radials. The mystery yet to be solved is if I still need the trucker L-bracket since depending on the tripod screw size and the insulator it's all about solving the continuity requirements.
The original project required a 21' fiberglass fishing pole, but the MFJ-1979 is easier to work with if I want lighter weight and can't pound stakes into hard ground. Time to visit a local thrift store to see what I will find to work with. Thanks!
Using a tripod with a 1/4 wave whip is also a good way to experiment with 1 or 2 raised radials.
What about drilling the top of the tripod to fit the antenna connector without the trucker bracket. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for what you do
Should work! I do feel like there was a reason I didn't do it that way. However, I'm a little forgetful. Thanks! I appreciate it! 73
Ah... I think you found my old Sears tripod. I had when I was a kid. It was heavy, but very durable. I have no idea what happened to it... until now! 😢
Very good possibility. Thanks for mistakenly donating it :D
Great idea man, thanks appreciate the time and video. 73 NS9T
Thank you!
Have you tried screen wire instead of radials? It works great on my WRC with my FT-891.
Someone else mentioned that too. I am going to have to try the @KB9VBR method
Ham-tastic!
Thanks for watching
Once again, thanks for the great video. Question, where do you find those ring connectors that size, I’ve had a tough time sourcing those?
I got them on Amazon. (affiliate link) amzn.to/45WNrM3 . And thank you.
You can also find large ring terminals at a local auto parts store. Used for car battery terminals.
Great video.. Where did you get the thread converter to go from SAE to metric? I have been having difficulty locating this
www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804850719409.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.20.220e18022aqzMC&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa I believe that should get you there! Thanks!
where did you get the M10-3/8" adapter? I'll even take an affiliate link!
Aliexpress
Does the tripod height matter? or do the radials have be close to the ground. I have a 3ft tripod and a shark 20m mono ham stick and the radials(8ft radials for 20M) are half vertical and rest on ground. SWR very bad.
Maybe get a wire extension to get radials closer to ground?
Love to watch your videos. Keep them coming.
An angle shouldn't matter too much. I would maybe try a few things. First, disconnect the radials and see if the standing wave ratio changes at all. If it doesn't, you probably don't have them connected and making continuity or a good connection. If it does change, and it is even worse, maybe add a few radios onto the line again.. did you attempt tuning the shark hamstick?
I may stand corrected. Here's a bit of info on angled radials www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/s/U2vvqOiEmn
I added 4-8ft radials to the 3ft tripod as verticals but the SWR was very high so I added a wire with clips to extend radials to ground and was able to get an SWR of 1.6.
Tomorrow I will try the magic carpet(Faraday Cloth) that Michael KB9VBR uses with the same wire with clips to attach to mirror mount and than down to cloth and see if that will work instead of the radials same concept as window screen.
My tripod was made of metal but since it is coated it will not zero out the Ohm meter, so I added a piece of metal pipe and I was able to bring SWR down.
Thanks again ,73.@@HAMRADIODUDE
Nice video Dude. Now where's those 50 cent beers at?
I gave them brewskis up a long time ago. I actually forgot that was up there. LOL
You might try shopping at a Salvation Army store too if you have one near you!
Good luck with your endeavors in the future!
W5RDC
Thanks! Ours isn't great here and the pricing is through the roof. However, it is good for wire and I did find a cool mast mount / flag mount there!
You now have me walking around my yard carrying my water around saying, Hydrate. lol
That's the goal! It worked! 🤣
We'll be able to pick out anyone at a fest who watches, because they'll be hydrating
Close enough for governor work = measured w a micrometer, marked w a piece of chalk, and cut w an axe.
Haha, I never heard it like that, but yes. Hope you're well
Where did you get the M10 to 3/8th adapter?
AliExpress..I can get you a link later if you need
I need to photo my sunglasses to you
Don't worry, you won't lose credibility if they're green 🤣
In a hoa all antenna on tripods
I feel that. I was thinking of making a quick. video of my new setup for my home
That's an old Velbon photography tripod. I've had one of its brothers for 30 years.
It's solid for sure. I actually thought I had the screw for it
Yes, a good old Velbon tripod, I bought mine 52 years ago, currently supporting a 2 metre dipole.
Mikrit is a no-go in my book.... I stay away from them.
Sorry. I know this video is only a week old, but I don't know what you're referencing with mikrit?
My solution is to stop voting in Karen-ing politicians who want to prevent the people they supposedly serve, from driving a tiny stake in the ground.
Thanks for watching