Puck mount radials

[BammBamm]

Went to the radio shop tonight and on my way out I seen a full size van with a puck mounted predator antenna on the roof but...it had four 2' whips screwed into the outter puck ring as ground radials laying about 1" off roof..I tried to get a pic but being the location I didn't want to draw attention to myself (Gary,Indiana). Picture was a fail..interesting thought but would it help?

 

[fourstringburn]

Went to the radio shop tonight and on my way out I seen a full size van with a puck mounted predator antenna on the roof but...it had four 2' whips screwed into the outter puck ring as ground radials laying about 1" off roof..I tried to get a pic but being the location I didn't want to draw attention to myself (Gary,Indiana). Picture was a fail..interesting thought but would it help?

I've been thru Gary Indiana several times and not a good place to hang around.

That puck mount with radials sounds like a homebrew. Too bad you didn't get a good pic.

Although I can't see where radials would benefit much being it's an ideal mobile setup with a puck mount on a large metal roof such as on a van.

 

[BammBamm]

Yeah I only venture to Gary to go to Overclocked Electronics located in the truck stop...The tech there knows his stuff!

 

[M0GVZ]

What is the point? The roof is already providing an infinitely better RF ground than those stupid bits of rod are. They're doing nothing at all other than emptying their owners wallet.

They're about as stupid as those stubby ones which claim to be a ground plane but you screw into the antenna side of a magmount so quite how they work as a ground plane I don't know.

 

[DJboutit]

Your talking about something like this it does not to improve your receive one bit it is just for looks. It does change your swr a little since it makes your antenna a little longer.

 

[Road Squawker]

Ya have to take ONE of those black plastic caps off,..... and replace it with a RED one............... instant BEAM antenna

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Kale made a few "Ground Plane Kit's" for the Predator 10K a few years back, that had 4 - 2' radials. The kit went under the coil...You just unscrewed the coil fro the lower shaft, then screwed on the ground plane kit...I have one somewhere around here...Only benefit I seen with it was it gave the birds another perch to sit on.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Couldn't remember where I stashed that ground plane thing...But finally found it! The radials are shorter than I remember, about a foot on each side...Kale only made a few of these...So guess you could call it a "Limited Edition".

 

[fourstringburn]

Couldn't remember where I stashed that ground plane thing...But finally found it! The radials are shorter than I remember, about a foot on each side...Kale only made a few of these...So guess you could call it a "Limited Edition".

Those could be ground radials if they were mounted on the ground side if the antenna but they are not.

Instead those are more like improperly placed capacity hats. If the rods were at least on top of the coil they would be effective. Cap hats should be placed at the top of the antenna just as the name implies, you put a hat on top of your head, right? Not pratical with a coil/ whip antenna for stability though.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Those could be ground radials if they were mounted on the ground side if the antenna but they are not.

Instead those are more like improperly placed capacity hats. If the rods were at least on top of the coil they would be effective. Cap hats should be placed at the top of the antenna just as the name implies, you put a hat on top of your head, right? Not pratical with a coil/ whip antenna for stability though.

It can also be placed over top of the coil by unscrewing the top section from the coil...but doubt that would work any better...no way to use it like a cap since there's no way to attach it to a stinger...Like I said tho, he only made a few, and those never went on the market for sale.

 

[fourstringburn]

It can also be placed over top of the coil by unscrewing the top section from the coil...but doubt that would work any better...no way to use it like a cap since there's no way to attach it to a stinger...Like I said tho, he only made a few, and those never went on the market for sale.

That's basically what I already said. There is a reason why it wouldn't work better even if the 2 sections were reversed. Do you know why?

This guy is completely wrong with this design calling it a ground plane.

 

[StrangeBrew]

Those "ground planes" have been around for a long time and they've pretty much always used that name. Those things are common enough that you can't blame anyone in the antenna building business for wanting to see for themselves what was up, he probably came to the conclusion that they don't work. The fact that he didn't actually market them in spite of the fact that they probably would sell speaks well of his ethics.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Those "ground planes" have been around for a long time and they've pretty much always used that name. Those things are common enough that you can't blame anyone in the antenna building business for wanting to see for themselves what was up, he probably came to the conclusion that they don't work. The fact that he didn't actually market them in spite of the fact that they probably would sell speaks well of his ethics.

Kales made a few antenna's just to see what they would do just for the hell of it...This design was based on a "crutch" antenna built by a local that go's by "Judge" (this also never went on market)...Judge always brags that he can turn just about anything into a working antenna, so he made one using a old crutch and some Predator parts...It did work...also had one made out of a old aluminum lawn chair...

 

[543_Dallas]

Kales made a few antenna's just to see what they would do just for the hell of it...This design was based on a "crutch" antenna built by a local that go's by "Judge" (this also never went on market)...Judge always brags that he can turn just about anything into a working antenna, so he made one using a old crutch and some Predator parts...It did work...also had one made out of a old aluminum lawn chair...

Was that Judge Roy Bean? The man with the 10kw 2 pill.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Was that Judge Roy Bean? The man with the 10kw 2 pill.

Yep...Man has a bad ticker too, so he carries around a taser so he can zap himself if he starts having a heart attack!