Ham Radio Antenna Mounting

[Tom W8JI]

I made an HF antenna system mount for my 2025 ranger. It is all stainless steel hardware that uses existing bed holes (with some resizing). I have different top mount brackets and adapters so I can use any antenna style in any bed tie down hole. I'm working on a 48V battery system that is "trickle charged" with a 10 amp charger so I can run an 800W LDMOS modified ALS606 amplifier. That is one of the HF amplifiers I ran in my F250 PowerStroke trucks. In the PSD trucks with dual batteries I just mounted a dual 50V switching supply right near the batteries and ran 50V into the truck. Can't do that with the small Ranger system, but the PSD system let me run an ALS-1306 1200W amplifier. I'm limiting it to ~800W in the Ranger and using a Lithium-Ion 48V battery system to spread the amplifier load power out.

Mounting the radio head in the smaller interior is a bit more of a challenge than anything else.

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[Sparkherd]

Mounting the radio head in the smaller interior is a bit more of a challenge than anything else.

What radio?

 

[Tom W8JI]

What radio?

An IC-7100 Icom and modified ALS606 LDMOS amplifier.

 

[Sparkherd]

An IC-7100 Icom and modified ALS606 LDMOS amplifier.

I'm going to put my 7100 in my 26 XLT, when(if?) it gets built. I say (if?) since it took 14 months to get my 22 Bronco.
No amp tho; I ran 500w HF mobile from my '85 F-250 for about 18 years, but I don't trust all these cornfuzers in these new vee-hick-ells.
73s de W5DGV!!!

 

[Tom W8JI]

I'm going to put my 7100 in my 26 XLT, when(if?) it gets built. I say (if?) since it took 14 months to get my 22 Bronco.
No amp tho; I ran 500w HF mobile from my '85 F-250 for about 18 years, but I don't trust all these cornfuzers in these new vee-hick-ells.
73s de W5DGV!!!

I have run up to a kilowatt or more PEP using a 12-volt inverter supply right near the battery. I used 50V MOSFET amplifiers.

My trucks have not liked CW at all, the electrical system bounces all around as the alternator is unable to follow the high load changes of a hundred amperes or more key down and a few amperes key up at Morse code rates.

I really have had no computer issues in anything from 1996 to 2017 Power Stroke Diesels once the large sheet metal panels and cab were all properly bonded. The rubber mounts under the passenger area electrically isolating the passenger area for RF currents are the bulk of RFI problems.

DC wiring is easy to cure ground loops by using a floating negative on the inverter power supply (almost all 12Vdc amplifiers and radios cannot do that).

Most of the RF current is topside flowing away from the antenna base, excited as displacement current from antenna capacitance to the upper sheet metal. The RF current "wants to stay" up top on the upper metal skin. The frame and bottom is the worst spot to pack RF antenna currents.

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