A while back I obtained one of the SAL Electronics VHF/UHF ground plane antennas (model SE-VUGP) because it looked like a fairly inexpensive antenna that could be put up and taken down easily. I was thinking about building or buying an antenna that would work better than a standard mobile antenna for my RV and not take up much room when storing it. Since the SAL Electronics dual band groundplane is only $65, I figured it wasn't worth building one myself.
Here's how I set it up for use on my RV:
I'm using a heavy duty fiberglass push up mast. The mount of the antenna uses a standard mast saddle clamp. The coax connection is available in either UHF or an N connector.
The top of my fiberglass mast is a small diameter, so I had to shim the U-Bolt with a few big washers.
As you can see, the radiating element uses a standard NBO connection. You could use any NMO mobile antenna for the radiator, but I went with the Opek dual band antenna that comes with the kit.
The ground plane radials are preformed for the proper angle with the ends filled with fiberglass to both keep moisture out and also provide extra strength for the mounting bolts:
Here is a picture of the completed antenna assembly (only took a few minutes) on the fiberglass mast sitting in the driveway:
I connected some coax, raised up the antenna and put a meter in-line to check the antenna. At first I couldn't get the SWR down below about 3:1 on either band. As a result, I inspected the UHF-NMO connector and found that mounting nut was just placed just a little off resulting in an open connection between the radiating element and the connector. A quick adjustment of the mounting connector had the antenna working properly:
UHF VSWR:
VHF VSWR:
And here is a picture of the final setup on my RV:
The setup is so light weight that the fiberglass mast has no problem with it at 25 feet or so:
I tried it out in my driveway and was easily able to communicate with a few locals around SoCal. This setup with the height above the RV is really a big improvement over the mobile antenna on the cab!
When storing it, everything except the mounting bracket fits back into the bag. This is important to me because storage space in an RV is at a premium:
This is a simple, low cost antenna that is very effective. I would definitely recommend it to someone who needs an easily assembled antenna or to someone who wants something fairly inconspicuous, inexpensive, and easy to put up. It's certainly a good choice for new hams or field day, as well! They're available directly from: www.sal-electronics.com
Here's how I set it up for use on my RV:
I'm using a heavy duty fiberglass push up mast. The mount of the antenna uses a standard mast saddle clamp. The coax connection is available in either UHF or an N connector.
The top of my fiberglass mast is a small diameter, so I had to shim the U-Bolt with a few big washers.
As you can see, the radiating element uses a standard NBO connection. You could use any NMO mobile antenna for the radiator, but I went with the Opek dual band antenna that comes with the kit.
The ground plane radials are preformed for the proper angle with the ends filled with fiberglass to both keep moisture out and also provide extra strength for the mounting bolts:
Here is a picture of the completed antenna assembly (only took a few minutes) on the fiberglass mast sitting in the driveway:
I connected some coax, raised up the antenna and put a meter in-line to check the antenna. At first I couldn't get the SWR down below about 3:1 on either band. As a result, I inspected the UHF-NMO connector and found that mounting nut was just placed just a little off resulting in an open connection between the radiating element and the connector. A quick adjustment of the mounting connector had the antenna working properly:
UHF VSWR:
VHF VSWR:
And here is a picture of the final setup on my RV:
The setup is so light weight that the fiberglass mast has no problem with it at 25 feet or so:
I tried it out in my driveway and was easily able to communicate with a few locals around SoCal. This setup with the height above the RV is really a big improvement over the mobile antenna on the cab!
When storing it, everything except the mounting bracket fits back into the bag. This is important to me because storage space in an RV is at a premium:
This is a simple, low cost antenna that is very effective. I would definitely recommend it to someone who needs an easily assembled antenna or to someone who wants something fairly inconspicuous, inexpensive, and easy to put up. It's certainly a good choice for new hams or field day, as well! They're available directly from: www.sal-electronics.com
...runna pile-up on 6m SSB
W4AXW in the air