[ridders]

...The antenna is a comet SBB2, and will be attached to the roof rails via a custom bracket I made using scrap steel I had. I'll post a pic later, when it's installed.

Heres how I mounted 10M 6ft Firestick. Im looking at getting the new Yaesu HF rig and using the Yaesu auto tuning aerial on the bars (with good earthing) -

 

[ridders]

Great antenna and mount! Where did you put the radio? Which radio is it? Did you detach the face plate (if any)? Is there a remote speaker?

Its a Cobra 148 GTL, modified to cover 28 and 29 MHz, velcro'd in. Its Temporary fitting. I also have a 9ft steel whip for use when parked up (its a bit heavy for the mount when mobile and might snag wires).

Most of my portable operation is using FT450, battery in the boot and wires up on poles. (100w and a wire)

I am looking to get a yaesu FT-891, with remote head mounted and as mentioned changing the aerial to the auto tuning yaesu one. Nice example of an install here:

 

[ridders]

Hi both

I just acquired a Renegade myself and am looking to install my mobile ham gear too. ....

Have either of you come up with a successful HF install?

Thanks

Ian M0AAP

Hi Ian
Nice!
I now have the 891 installed in the front. The head is bolted to a metal bracket shaped and shoved between the centre console, above where the 4WD selector is. Speaker is sitting down in front of drivers seat velcroed to the carpet. It’s a Nokia speaker and works brilliantly. The rig is buried and bolted just in front of where the spare tyre lives in the back, it’s earthed directly to a massive seat bolt, into the body of the jeep. Power is off the rear cigar lighter which has the well known ‘fuse move’ in the front fuse box, to provide power from that cigar socket circuit all the time. I have cut the wires and spliced from them behind the left panel right near the cigar socket. The rig is set to 75W and the current draw is well below the wattage rating for the socket (and also well below the fuse rating) given by Jeep in the manual.

I have an Atlas 120 mounted on the roof bars, I had to earth the aerial mount to the roof rail rear mounting bolt (down through the ‘plug’ that covers the bolt) , with some braid. This tunes up from 7MHz up to 50MHz no problem, apart from 28MHz with SWR becoming a little high when it rains.

I’ve noticed that 40 meters is succeptable to noise from the jeep, specifically it’s coming from GKN’s finest transmission. When it’s in 4WD there is S3 static, once the jeep switches to 2WD the noise vanishes. It’s only on 40M, and when moving, all the other bands are fine. It wipes weak signals or at least makes them difficult to hear.
Also on 28MHz I occasionally hear QRN from steering system, on certain frequencies when the wheel is turned.... Clearly there are many electrical systems in the jeep communicating things, generating sprogs all over the place.

Some images:

this was working Malta on 20 from a sainsbury car park in Bracknell

I can get some closeups of the earthing etc if you want.

 

[ridders]

Pictures of how you did the earthing would be welcomed if you get a chance.
Is it just a bolt that comes out, put a ring crimp on a cable and slip over the bolt?
How did you run coax? - cable tie along rail and down into hatchside?

Yup, pop the plastic cap off, Allen key into the bolt and through ring crimp and bolt back down again. The plastic cap allows the earth braid to come up alongside it. That’s then bolted to the mount on another ring crimp.
Coax taped on inside down the bar to the end and into the tailgate right at the bottom of the opening looped upwards so rain can not get in.