I've been using that mount for years I have a couple 102 inch whips on it and I can work 10-40 meters with it my best results have been with 15 and 20 I have worked 27 states and 33 countries with this setup it's a great way for people who live in appartments like me to get on HF
Hey Eric, I've used the MFJ-347 bracket with two 20 meter ham sticks (horizontally polarized) for a number of years when deployed in the field. I mounted the MFJ-347 to a 12 foot painters pole and it works great. Look forward to seeing more of your videos. You do a great job in explaining ham radio equipment. 73, Gary KB5AEB
Great video as usual. I'm looking at building one of these in both 10 and 6m... I have a few questions. 1. When setting this up Horizontal, does it need any counter poise or Ground radial? 2. Same question with Vertical? 3. Why would one want to go vertical vs Horizontal??? Dumb questions I know, but if you don't know, you don't know. Look forward to more interesting videos...
How well did it tune up and how well did it perform? Oddly enough, this video made me realize why my 20m hamstick dipole doesn't work. I bought two 10m sticks and didn't realize till just now that hamsticks are 1/4 wave verticals. So in order get on 20, you need two 20m sticks and NOT two 10m sticks LOL!!! DUHHHHH now that I realize it!!! I have already gone online about bought 20 and 40m sticks. I will NOW get that hamstick dipole on the air and it will work! :-D Thank you! 73 de N0BPS
+Brian Streufert tuned up fine.. it didn't perform nearly as well as the magnetic loop that day, but I made about 3 dozen contacts on it... was flat swr in the cw portion but they weren't my 20 meter ham sticks so I didn't retune. plus running 2 in a dipole will be different than a single on the mobile with the vehicle so they may have been fine on c the vehicle in the phone portion but on the mount horizontally they changed. The 10 meter sticks I have I tuned flat 1.14swr at 28.5 but 10 was 0 conditions on field day
Great! I live in Apt and use 2 HAMSTICKS on 40 and 2 on 20. Mounted in a camera tripod. The only thing I might suggest to you is to use a 1:1 RF Choke Balun AND if you have any matching issues, there is a capacitor box I use directly off the Antenna then the choke. It prevents Common Mode Currents from going down the feedline.. but in any event, it's a great way to get on the sir quickly. 73's. David K8KEM
Hey Eric you have been watching your videos a really good I'm laid up here with covid-19 yeah killing me man but thanks for sharing your videos really cool you're the man
Being in a temporary antenna-restricted situation, I just ordered the MFJ-347, and (2) each of 20 and 40 meter HamSticks. I had tried the MFJ-1621, but had horrible results, so it's going back to HRO. Thanks for the video.
Innovation and working with what you've got, the heart and soul of amateur radio. Great video, friend. Maybe I'll get you in the log soon working QRP with my MFJ-9440 and MFJ -2240 mini-dipole. 73's de K5SFC!
Real heart breaker for HOA spies. Where's the antenna? No you didn't see a antenna. Later I drag it out. Use it. Then a knock on the door. After a few cycles. The HOA PRESIDENT Stopped SHOWING UP. Good show om kv4li
Question... was your coax just random length or was it cut to length for the freq you are using. Im hearing some say go by wavelength and some say keep it short and direct cause excess equals loss. Also, i never done this on a dipole mount but what if you connected a 1:1 current balun to the antennas and connect the coax to it. Or would just a choke balun be more advised. Im always looking for more efficient ways in constructing mine..KG4GZW
Hey Eric, I enjoyed the video. What you are doing is what makes Ham radio so fun. Just be able to improvise with and antenna and make it do what you want to do. 73 Ham it up my friend. AE4OY WILLIAM EM-81UF
It is a cheap alternative to a Buddipole; especially when you only want to do certain bands. There are so many variations you can think of with this system. For people without a rotator, there is is always the strong arm rotator! You can get a piece of foam presentation board and draw compass directions--N, E, S & W...and variants of them. That is an easy way to know which way to point it. The mounting pole can go through a center hole. And 1/2 of it can easily be used with a counterpoise as a vertical.
8 yr old video but you didn't put the antenna studs on the plate or did they come preinstalled???? Looks (to Me) that the SO-239 is pointed up instead of down and the dead side of the other stud should be facing down when used as a vertical?Thanks for the content!
It would be great to show how much noise you get from a real contact . Does a dipole give you lots of QRM compared to say a portable vertical dipole setup? I use the same setup minus the rotator and hang it vertically . Noise is much less on 40m and 80 meters. Have not tried 20 but I am sure it works better
Please do a video on how to tune the mfj ham sticks.I have a crazy high swr while trying to tune it and I'm not ready to cut the whip without knowing if I'm going in the right direction.
I use Hamtennas as verticals on my car--stationary portable. I am using two ground radials coming off the car over each front fender--kind of looks like a peace sign. A shorter section is near them. This gives extra ground plane to 10/20/40m and 15m. I would try and get them as close as you can with an antenna tuner...or SWR meter. In-radio SWR meters usually are not as accurate as they would like you to think. The important thing is that it is a balanced dipole, so both sticks should be the same length. The higher off the ground, the better when it comes to tuning them. As an example, three chain link fence top rails end up being about 25-30 feet high, and cost about $30 at Lowe's. Start in the middle of where you plan to operate. I usually chat in the middle parts of the General band, so that is where I set my resonance point. Then, I make notes on the SWR at various places along the band.. Hope this helps! Also, read my comments to HamRadioConcepts. Those are also good pointers.
There isn’t any isolation for the ground side so the mount becomes part of the shield side. Makes it harder to tune. The new mfj mount has the isolator strip.
I have just bought this set up and am trying to use it camping (back yard first). How do you tune it ( have an analyzer)? In place, and if so how do you get at it? Each HF stick seperately and then mount? Tune them in horizontal or vertical orientation...how about a video on that. This may be obvious to many but not me. Have been a ham for a few years now (52 yrs) but have never really played with antennas and field operation so learning all over again.
and there should be an Allen screw, loosen it and adjust the radiator for minimum swr. The antennas should be somewhat in tune for the band, you can do each one on the mount one at a time in vertical position then fine tune once you get them mounted together
AND...do not tighten the two screws on each stick down until the SWR is set...and then, not so tight. Lightly tighten one down while tuning. Also, with each stick, you will get an allen wrench. Put one in a medicine bottle, etc. and keep it in your car. When you can't find the one you "thought" you brought with you, there is a backup. I keep allen wrenches, quick disconnects, etc. in a large (empty) Tylenol bottle in the back of my SUV. Solves "headaches" later on. :) Also, mark/measure the settings, so next time you will be close to resonance. Markers will eventually fade off any marks on your whip's stinger and the little identifier sticker will eventually fall off.
Start with deciding what part of the band you want to use it. Lower for horizontal and SSB, and higher for FM and vertical. Use an antenna analyzer. Set each antenna up identically, sweep the band for the frequency with best SWR. Adjust to move that center point where you want it. Either a favorite frequency, or perhaps to cover as much of the band as possible. I check to see where it has an SWR 1.5:1 or less. Figure out what the bandwith is for that. Or you can choose an SWR of 2:1 or less. Based in this bandwidth, chose a center frequency that suits you. If using CB antennas, you will have to shorten them. So the process it to shorten and check SWR bandwitch. Repeat. A some point you will over-correct and have to lengthen them again. It took me ten (10) tries to get my 80 M Ham Sticks tuned for the frequency I wanted. I had to shorten the stingers, because I wanted it resonant higher up at 75 Meter. A short antenna on 80 meter was, as expected, very narrow banded. On 10 meters two 102" whips will be more broadbanded. Those will droop some, but I'd rather have them long and drooping than shorter and less efficient. If you sweep the entire band, you can decide where you want it resonant to be the most useful for your purposes. Horizontal will perform better. If set up vertical, use a stand off post. The feed line should leave the antenna at right angles to the dipole.
I spoke with a fellow at Shark ham stick about making a more efficient larger sticks for these mounts or the multi stick, multi band They may contact you for a demo when or if they develop them. .
i tried that antenna the one for 20 meters my tuner shows HSWR how much to cut on the whip...the antenna says 14.000 mhz to 14.350 as advertized...I just brought mfj tech support won't pick up the phone or email.....
Half way through the video I was thinking "I need a 2khz low pass filter to get rid of the sound from the bugs..." then I realized there's a thing called "equalizer" on my sound cards' settings.
This setup is a good option for apartment dwellers, temporary use in HOA communities and field operations. Not the best antenna, but surprisingly decent. BTW are those MFJ Ham-sticks or the longer MFJ Ham-tennas? Thanks for your videos Eric!
Thanks for the info! Been looking at a similar setup!
I've been using that mount for years I have a couple 102 inch whips on it and I can work 10-40 meters with it my best results have been with 15 and 20 I have worked 27 states and 33 countries with this setup it's a great way for people who live in appartments like me to get on HF
excellent.
N9IBZED
102" whips for cb?
Hey Eric, I've used the MFJ-347 bracket with two 20 meter ham sticks (horizontally polarized) for a number of years when deployed in the field. I mounted the MFJ-347 to a 12 foot painters pole and it works great. Look forward to seeing more of your videos. You do a great job in explaining ham radio equipment. 73, Gary KB5AEB
Great video as usual. I'm looking at building one of these in both 10 and 6m... I have a few questions.
1. When setting this up Horizontal, does it need any counter poise or Ground radial?
2. Same question with Vertical?
3. Why would one want to go vertical vs Horizontal???
Dumb questions I know, but if you don't know, you don't know. Look forward to more interesting videos...
bamboo canes and wire make good dipoles too and you can also wind wire round the bamboo canes and reduce size for use in attic and loft.
FINALLY someone has done a REAL video on this!!!!!
I haven't even watched it yet and I know it will be 500 times better than anything else out there!
Brought to you by yours truely, LOL, it's not perfect, but i'm having fun, and helping others. That's what counts.. Thanks for the love!!
How well did it tune up and how well did it perform? Oddly enough, this video made me realize why my 20m hamstick dipole doesn't work. I bought two 10m sticks and didn't realize till just now that hamsticks are 1/4 wave verticals. So in order get on 20, you need two 20m sticks and NOT two 10m sticks LOL!!! DUHHHHH now that I realize it!!!
I have already gone online about bought 20 and 40m sticks. I will NOW get that hamstick dipole on the air and it will work! :-D Thank you! 73 de N0BPS
+Brian Streufert tuned up fine.. it didn't perform nearly as well as the magnetic loop that day, but I made about 3 dozen contacts on it... was flat swr in the cw portion but they weren't my 20 meter ham sticks so I didn't retune. plus running 2 in a dipole will be different than a single on the mobile with the vehicle so they may have been fine on c the vehicle in the phone portion but on the mount horizontally they changed. The 10 meter sticks I have I tuned flat 1.14swr at 28.5 but 10 was 0 conditions on field day
Great! I live in Apt and use 2 HAMSTICKS on 40 and 2 on 20. Mounted in a camera tripod. The only thing I might suggest to you is to use a 1:1 RF Choke Balun AND if you have any matching issues, there is a capacitor box I use directly off the Antenna then the choke. It prevents Common Mode Currents from going down the feedline.. but in any event, it's a great way to get on the sir quickly. 73's. David K8KEM
Hey Eric you have been watching your videos a really good I'm laid up here with covid-19 yeah killing me man but thanks for sharing your videos really cool you're the man
Being in a temporary antenna-restricted situation, I just ordered the MFJ-347, and (2) each of 20 and 40 meter HamSticks. I had tried the MFJ-1621, but had horrible results, so it's going back to HRO. Thanks for the video.
Innovation and working with what you've got, the heart and soul of amateur radio. Great video, friend. Maybe I'll get you in the log soon working QRP with my MFJ-9440 and MFJ -2240 mini-dipole. 73's de K5SFC!
Real heart breaker for HOA spies. Where's the antenna? No you didn't see a antenna. Later I drag it out. Use it. Then a knock on the door. After a few cycles. The HOA PRESIDENT Stopped SHOWING UP. Good show om kv4li
Question... was your coax just random length or was it cut to length for the freq you are using. Im hearing some say go by wavelength and some say keep it short and direct cause excess equals loss. Also, i never done this on a dipole mount but what if you connected a 1:1 current balun to the antennas and connect the coax to it. Or would just a choke balun be more advised. Im always looking for more efficient ways in constructing mine..KG4GZW
By the way everyone, the volume is low, i need to buy an external mic.. Bare with me, and turn up the volume a tad.. Sorry
Hey Eric, I enjoyed the video. What you are doing is what makes Ham radio so fun. Just be able to improvise with and antenna and make it do what you want to do. 73 Ham it up my friend. AE4OY WILLIAM EM-81UF
It is a cheap alternative to a Buddipole; especially when you only want to do certain bands. There are so many variations you can think of with this system. For people without a rotator, there is is always the strong arm rotator! You can get a piece of foam presentation board and draw compass directions--N, E, S & W...and variants of them. That is an easy way to know which way to point it. The mounting pole can go through a center hole. And 1/2 of it can easily be used with a counterpoise as a vertical.
That was a really enjoyable video not to mention very informative!
8 yr old video but you didn't put the antenna studs on the plate or did they come preinstalled???? Looks (to Me) that the SO-239 is pointed up instead of down and the dead side of the other stud should be facing down when used as a vertical?Thanks for the content!
great info, just what i was looking for
What about performance?, this seems like a viable plan fro park activations...if it performs well.
It would be great to show how much noise you get from a real contact . Does a dipole give you lots of QRM compared to say a portable vertical dipole setup? I use the same setup minus the rotator and hang it vertically . Noise is much less on 40m and 80 meters. Have not tried 20 but I am sure it works better
Please do a video on how to tune the mfj ham sticks.I have a crazy high swr while trying to tune it and I'm not ready to cut the whip without knowing if I'm going in the right direction.
I use Hamtennas as verticals on my car--stationary portable. I am using two ground radials coming off the car over each front fender--kind of looks like a peace sign. A shorter section is near them. This gives extra ground plane to 10/20/40m and 15m. I would try and get them as close as you can with an antenna tuner...or SWR meter. In-radio SWR meters usually are not as accurate as they would like you to think. The important thing is that it is a balanced dipole, so both sticks should be the same length. The higher off the ground, the better when it comes to tuning them. As an example, three chain link fence top rails end up being about 25-30 feet high, and cost about $30 at Lowe's. Start in the middle of where you plan to operate. I usually chat in the middle parts of the General band, so that is where I set my resonance point. Then, I make notes on the SWR at various places along the band.. Hope this helps! Also, read my comments to HamRadioConcepts. Those are also good pointers.
There isn’t any isolation for the ground side so the mount becomes part of the shield side. Makes it harder to tune. The new mfj mount has the isolator strip.
What is the new mfj mount part number please?
I have just bought this set up and am trying to use it camping (back yard first). How do you tune it ( have an analyzer)? In place, and if so how do you get at it? Each HF stick seperately and then mount? Tune them in horizontal or vertical orientation...how about a video on that. This may be obvious to many but not me. Have been a ham for a few years now (52 yrs) but have never really played with antennas and field operation so learning all over again.
You have to tune the antennas together on the mount just standard procedure, tuning for the portion of the band you
wish to work.
and there should be an Allen screw, loosen it and adjust the radiator for minimum swr. The antennas should be somewhat in tune for the band, you can do each one on the mount one at a time in vertical position then fine tune once you get them mounted together
AND...do not tighten the two screws on each stick down until the SWR is set...and then, not so tight. Lightly tighten one down while tuning. Also, with each stick, you will get an allen wrench. Put one in a medicine bottle, etc. and keep it in your car. When you can't find the one you "thought" you brought with you, there is a backup. I keep allen wrenches, quick disconnects, etc. in a large (empty) Tylenol bottle in the back of my SUV. Solves "headaches" later on. :) Also, mark/measure the settings, so next time you will be close to resonance. Markers will eventually fade off any marks on your whip's stinger and the little identifier sticker will eventually fall off.
Start with deciding what part of the band you want to use it. Lower for horizontal and SSB, and higher for FM and vertical. Use an antenna analyzer. Set each antenna up identically, sweep the band for the frequency with best SWR. Adjust to move that center point where you want it. Either a favorite frequency, or perhaps to cover as much of the band as possible. I check to see where it has an SWR 1.5:1 or less. Figure out what the bandwith is for that. Or you can choose an SWR of 2:1 or less. Based in this bandwidth, chose a center frequency that suits you. If using CB antennas, you will have to shorten them. So the process it to shorten and check SWR bandwitch. Repeat. A some point you will over-correct and have to lengthen them again. It took me ten (10) tries to get my 80 M Ham Sticks tuned for the frequency I wanted. I had to shorten the stingers, because I wanted it resonant higher up at 75 Meter. A short antenna on 80 meter was, as expected, very narrow banded. On 10 meters two 102" whips will be more broadbanded. Those will droop some, but I'd rather have them long and drooping than shorter and less efficient. If you sweep the entire band, you can decide where you want it resonant to be the most useful for your purposes. Horizontal will perform better. If set up vertical, use a stand off post. The feed line should leave the antenna at right angles to the dipole.
@hamradioconcepts how come you don’t have radials for your mfj mount??
I spoke with a fellow at Shark ham stick about making a more efficient larger sticks for these mounts or the multi stick, multi band They may contact you for a demo when or if they develop them.
.
What about the extra metal that clamp ADDS to ONE side of the two hamsticks?
i tried that antenna the one for 20 meters my tuner shows HSWR how much to cut on the whip...the antenna says 14.000 mhz to 14.350 as advertized...I just brought mfj tech support won't pick up the phone or email.....
Hello Young
my question, which are dipole? where buy
regards
By the way I do use an antenna tuner with them but I wanted to get the sticks tuned close using the analyzer.
Shorted MFJ-347 as a reflector?
Great job.
Coax (rf) running by the fuel container............. what could go wrong ?
Cute guy. Good video.
Half way through the video I was thinking "I need a 2khz low pass filter to get rid of the sound from the bugs..." then I realized there's a thing called "equalizer" on my sound cards' settings.
I wonder if this would work on 11 meters
If you brought 2 whips by ampro both for 11m it would work great, horizontal for skip dx work vertical for groundwave
good job, did you make any contacts ?
This setup is a good option for apartment dwellers, temporary use in HOA communities and field operations. Not the best antenna, but surprisingly decent. BTW are those MFJ Ham-sticks or the longer MFJ Ham-tennas? Thanks for your videos Eric!
why would you want to point the live antenna down MFJ
The MFJ-347 bolts rusted immediately!!
Tip: Replace hardware w/ stainless steel, or fabricate your own fixture.
If you can get those in town is for three or four bucks at the ham fest give me a call I’ll take a truckload
a big honkin’ rotor on a tripod for a rotatable dipole 🙄