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I used to take the mobile to work before I retired. Spent a lot of time playing radio in various ways, mostly on the lower HF bands, 80 meters in particular. I used a 'Texas Bugcatcher', but usually moved the radio inside the building running a coax extension to the car. I did quite well doing things that way. A lot of it had to do with where I was parked. Move ten feet in any direction and things really changed. Lots of metal in the ground for various reasons and it stayed wet a lot. Things would have been easier/better if I could have put up a usable antenna at the work site, but that wasn't possible. Did several WAS's from there, and several other things that were an accomplishment as far as I was concerned. Best way in the world? Of course not, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either. Probably did as much at work as I ever did at home where I did have 'better' antennas.
Tried 160 meters once or twice. That was probably the worst example of futility as I've ever experienced! Couldn't get 10 miles. Heard some people, but never could talk to them. Oh well...
Mobile antennas do work even if they aren't very efficient at all. Sometimes it just doesn't take much efficiency' to do what you want to do. And if it ain't big and ugly it ain't 'purty' anyway...
- 'Doc

<blockquote data-quote="W5LZ" data-source="post: 390416" data-attributes="member: 129">I used to take the mobile to work before I retired.&nbsp; Spent a lot of time playing radio in various ways, mostly on the lower HF bands, 80 meters in particular.&nbsp; I used a &#039;Texas Bugcatcher&#039;, but usually moved the radio inside the building running a coax extension to the car.&nbsp; I did quite well doing things that way.&nbsp; A lot of it had to do with where I was parked.&nbsp; Move ten feet in any direction and things really changed.&nbsp; Lots of metal in the ground for various reasons and it stayed wet a lot.&nbsp; Things would have been easier/better if I could have put up a usable antenna at the work site, but that wasn&#039;t possible.&nbsp; Did several WAS&#039;s from there, and several other things that were an accomplishment as far as I was concerned.&nbsp; Best way in the world?&nbsp; Of course not, but it wasn&#039;t as bad as it could have been either.&nbsp; Probably did as much at work as I ever did at home where I did have &#039;better&#039; antennas.Tried 160 meters once or twice.&nbsp; That was probably the worst example of futility as I&#039;ve ever experienced! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />&nbsp; Couldn&#039;t get 10 miles.&nbsp; Heard some people, but never could talk to them.&nbsp; Oh well...Mobile antennas do work even if they aren&#039;t very efficient at all.&nbsp; Sometimes it just doesn&#039;t take much efficiency&#039; to do what you want to do.&nbsp; And if it ain&#039;t big and ugly it ain&#039;t &#039;purty&#039; anyway...&nbsp;- &#039;Doc</blockquote>

[QUOTE="W5LZ, post: 390416, member: 129"] I used to take the mobile to work before I retired. Spent a lot of time playing radio in various ways, mostly on the lower HF bands, 80 meters in particular. I used a 'Texas Bugcatcher', but usually moved the radio inside the building running a coax extension to the car. I did quite well doing things that way. A lot of it had to do with where I was parked. Move ten feet in any direction and things really changed. Lots of metal in the ground for various reasons and it stayed wet a lot. Things would have been easier/better if I could have put up a usable antenna at the work site, but that wasn't possible. Did several WAS's from there, and several other things that were an accomplishment as far as I was concerned. Best way in the world? Of course not, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either. Probably did as much at work as I ever did at home where I did have 'better' antennas. Tried 160 meters once or twice. That was probably the worst example of futility as I've ever experienced! :) Couldn't get 10 miles. Heard some people, but never could talk to them. Oh well... Mobile antennas do work even if they aren't very efficient at all. Sometimes it just doesn't take much efficiency' to do what you want to do. And if it ain't big and ugly it ain't 'purty' anyway... - 'Doc [/QUOTE]

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