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Shivaji · 11-28-2017, 06:10 PM

You might look into SGC.

Msherw · 11-28-2017, 06:37 PM

NO5Y here. Enjoyed this thread not realizing there were so many hams who Airstream.

I use Dstar while on the road to keep up with the home club and make new contacts. I have a Buddy Pole as well for HF. Onboard rigs are Icom 7100, 51A HT.

My friend likes to put up a vertical about 25 feet from his trailer. That works when he is parked next a large open area. Just about anything works if it works.

I would not put anything on, under, through, or in the AS coach framework. If you need to run a coax to the outside, find a way to run it outside via the back of the refrigerator setup. Once you get it to the back of the refer, you can run it outside through the side access panels.

GM Airstream · 11-29-2017, 01:34 AM

I would not put anything on, under, through, or in the AS coach framework. If you need to run a coax to the outside, find a way to run it outside via the back of the refrigerator setup. Once you get it to the back of the refer, you can run it outside through the side access panels.

Works great.. but then what you going to do with the coax ... lay it on the ground... to the back or front where the antenna is ?

Attaching the coax to the underside of the trailer pan... is the best and easiest... after all they do run the propane lines the same way... Then make your termination in a plastic waterproof outdoor electrical box.. and don't forget the balun... current choke type... (it fits in the same termination electrical box) at the antenna end...to keep the RF from finding you back inside... and your good to go..

I would run at least two coax from the radio location to the antenna area... that way you can have both HF and V/UHF... or use it for other things... by just doubling down the adel camps with the same attachment hardware.. you get two for the work of one...

With all the CB and other stuff that most AS people have for local commucations...in parks and ral's... It would seem to me that AS should put at least one coax line in and determine where a good place to put the antenna would be... but, I am sure they haven't thought of that YET...

Again never weld anywhere on the frame... you can do serious damage to it by what is called hydrogen embritlment... a product of the welding process...

Better to build up the mount.. and bolt it to the frame at a non high structural section... A lot are saying that the A frame section at the front... should never be messed with... although I have seen flag poles bolted to the frame members their... it is not recommended...

This then leaves the rear or a U bolt on adapter on the A frame member... to place the antennas...

We all know that the weakest part of the AS is from the wheel trucks to the rear bumper... as shown by the seperations problem that occured...

One other mount that I though was pretty good was where they put it on the ground and then drove the trailer wheel over it.. making the weight of the trailer stablize it in the center section. They claimed that it also helped to level the trailer... but I don't think the awnings would go well with this kind of setup... however.

So the search contenues for the perfict place to put the antenna... and how to place it.

As to power.. I use a astron switching 30 amp seperate power for the radios... as we found the others are just too electrically noisy...

While we have the 12 volt bats in the trailer... for boondocking power... when glamping better to use the astron SS30... and even it has birdies but, with good choke filtering... it works out...

A good guru on mobile is K0BG alan... He is the noted expert on mobile ham right now... might want to check his web out... http://www.k0bg.com/

Good luck in the contest...

G.M> WA6CDE

GM Airstream · 11-29-2017, 01:46 AM

Yes indeed... as one person wrote... do I need to put a coil of wire.... 10 turns 1 in dia from the antenna to ground... why ?

Well its to get rid of the static charge that can develop from the antenna and trailer... being that they are metal.. and insulated from the ground by tires... you need to provide a path to ground the static charge from the antenna to the frame...

This little choke is common on mobile antennas... and will not effect the signal strength.. but by placing it on the antenna to ground.. I have found that the noise floor goes down also...

So indeed put it on... and leave it...

dick&claire · 11-29-2017, 03:21 AM

We had a ham radio station in our Airstream and it included an Icom 7000, a Tar Heel antenna with Tar Heel's Lift & Lay mount. It required a couple of holes in the roof but nothing serious. Good set up but not cheap.

jwgreen · 11-29-2017, 08:05 AM

Whether you belong to WBCCI or not, you can join the WBCCI Amateur Radio Club and then connect to the collective experience of hundreds of members. You can join at http://rvsvcnet.wbcci.net/membership...cation-renewal. There is also a thread on AirForums dedicated to all things amateur radio at http://www.airforums.com/forums/f452...-a-s-2577.html. I'm using a Yaesu FT-847 in my AS with the Yaesu ATAS-100 auto tuning antenna on the roof. The antenna is removed when travelling but it goes on the mount in a few minutes after parking and setting up. The mount is on the baffle next to the roof A/C and the coax is routed through the refrigerator flue cap about a foot away from the antenna mount.

frjeff · 11-29-2017, 08:32 AM

Have decided against anything welded or bolted to trailer frame, tongue, etc.

Will be using a "drive-over" flat aluminum plate with a vertical solid aluminum rod welded on one end of the plate as the antenna mounting mast.
I will not be securing beneath a tire however. Will secure it beneath one of the corner stabilizer jacks.

This gives me the option of using any corner of the trailer for antenna deployment and should give me a decent ground to the trailer via the jack and it will also be on soil.

Having it fabricated with the bottom plate 42" long (gets it out a distance from the body, etc).

Hope this works!

GM Airstream · 11-30-2017, 12:58 AM

Whether you belong to WBCCI or not, you can join the WBCCI Amateur Radio Club and then connect to the collective experience of hundreds of members.

Last time I checked... their was no more WBCCI radio club.. its now the RV net.. which is comprised of Good Sam and others... I think it would be nice to re-start the WBCCI segment within the time limits of the RV net.. but, no one wants to do the deed...so its just the RV service net... sort of generic group. out here in the left coast...

FRGEFF...

Sounds like a great idea... putting it under the stab jack.. but, will you get enough pressure out of it.. without effecting the trailer stability... or have enough to keep the antenna in place when the wind blows... is what I wondering... under one of the tires... clearly has some weight and the plate would be under the elephants foot kinda thing....

If one used that... then indeed going out through the Refrig opening.. is a possibility... or even putting the connection plate in the opening.. so that you open the refrig door and hook up the coax cable etc... to a connector plate... one could even put the antenna tuner in the same place if small enough...

Like I said before. its too bad that AS didn't make a basement locker that is radio frendly...

Don't forget the choke balun at the antenna point... it really makes a big difference in keeping the RF out of the trailer... and making some of the electronics inside go strange... I know of some who said that the LED's were acting up with they transmitted... without the choke balun... after the put it on.. it worked much better...

uncle_bob · 11-30-2017, 07:10 AM

Hi

Most newer AS trailers already *have* coax to the outside. There are two chunks. One is labeled "cable" the other is labeled "Sat". At least where we camp, it is very rare to find a working / useful cable hookup. The digital set top box has pretty much killed that off. We don't have a satellite TV setup, so that one also is "excess to my needs". Yes, they are 75 ohm cable .... so what... coax is coax. I would not run a full gallon through those connectors, but for normal stuff they should work ok.

At least on my trailer, there is a route out under the sofa through the floor to the tongue. Yes it's a bit interesting to snake a cable through there, but it can be done. There also is a hole under the fridge that heads down to the belly pan. There may be a way to get a cable out that way as well. If so, it's a bit more involved than the front access.

As I cruise through AS only campgrounds, I see a lot of older models with coax running out through a window. They just clamp it between the window seal and the edge of the glass when they close the window. I'm not sure I'd do that with foam coax, but it does seem to work with whatever they are using.

Lots of options ...

Bob

Msherw · 12-01-2017, 06:22 AM

Fellow Airstream Amateur Radio operators:

Is there a reason we couldn’t have a perma-link for Amateur Radio on the forum? Any way to query the Admins?

I think there would be enough interest, questions, equipment installation discussions to keep it open and relevant.

Thought?

frjeff · 12-01-2017, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Msherw

Fellow Airstream Amateur Radio operators:

Is there a reason we couldn’t have a perma-link for Amateur Radio on the forum? Any way to query the Admins?

I think there would be enough interest, questions, equipment installation discussions to keep it open and relevant.

Thought?

I agree!

jwgreen · 12-01-2017, 06:53 AM

Last time I checked... their was no more WBCCI radio club.. its now the RV net.. which is comprised of Good Sam and others... I think it would be nice to re-start the WBCCI segment within the time limits of the RV net.. but, no one wants to do the deed...so its just the RV service net... sort of generic group. out here in the left coast...

OK, GM Airstream, if you followed the link in my post, it would also take you to the WBCCI ARC website. I am the past president of the ARC three years ago. We had 64 hams at the WBCCI I.R. in Escanaba, MI in July, 2017. We administered FCC exams at the I.R. as well as a seminar for new hams on how to get on the air. The WBCCI ARC is the sponsor of the RV Service Nets on 40 & 20M. We would welcome your membership and your participation in our events. I'll be in Salem, OR next June so stop by and look me up. There will also be an HF station active daily checking into the pacific RV service net. You can also check into our daily morning 2M net on 146.43 MHz at 7:30 AM local time.

SARGE/AF · 12-03-2017, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frjeff

Wanting to set up HF ham station in my AS. Looking for antenna options and pros and cons of each. Not sure where to ask in these forums.

Many good suggestions on here, there used to be a ham club on here that can also give you some Ideas. I used an extendable pole that had 3 10ft sections, a moble antenna that had multi band abilities, i had a pole mount at the bottom of the electric jack on the tongue. Removed jack had plate made with pole mount remounted jack, on the top of first section had a 3 sided clamp with extended poles that extended out to give stability. All I had to do was lower the pole extend it put it back up run out the guides, took all of 10 minutes, I also had a steal rod in which i drove into the ground for grounding, the cable i ran in through the battery box door and up through the box under the couch and to the end of it and out into the room. Works very well. When not in use removed antenna, shorten pole, and it only stood 12 foot tall.
Someone else i know had a plate under the tongue jack and used it in the same manner as i did, but i liked not taking mine up and down.

Mark Sarge Hutchens KG4KWP

AirParkOnly · 10-19-2020, 11:05 PM

I'm going to be the guy that tries to resurrect a thread from 2017. Got my license today.

KN6LNT

ke6gkv · 10-19-2020, 11:33 PM

congrats David! there are many ways to mount, rout coax into our AS. pick your poison. good luck and 73's kurt

OTRA15 · 10-20-2020, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirParkOnly

I'm going to be the guy that tries to resurrect a thread from 2017.
. . .

FYI there is an entire sub-forum dedicated to Ham etc.:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f452/

. . . including this long thread:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...-a-s-2577.html

. . . with over 500 posts.

SARGE/AF · 10-21-2020, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frjeff

Studying

there are many ways to enjoy your radio while on the road, first thing I have learned is that wire antennas are a definitely problematic. First you have the lack of knowledge or understanding and most are going to believe either you are going to set the place on fire or leak energy into everyones brains and I have heard both from those that dont understand, then there is the other issue of liability issue, you string a wire and someone or one of their kids running, riding, through your site get injured then there is the possibility of major problems for you and the park. SEE PART 2

SARGE/AF · 10-21-2020, 11:35 AM

Since my last post in this way back I have had 2 antennas in the AS, 1) was made with a Mag Antenna Mount that had the 4 pads which was changed out to rubber pads, and I sat it on top with straps off each corner for tie down, that one was not the best idea, 2) was a extendable antenna mast pole that had a plate on the bottom which could go under either the tongue jack or the tires, most of the time I kept it under the tires on the drivers side of the trailer, I could extend it 30 feet into the air and it worked the best. the cable I ran under the trailer to the front and in through the Battery box into the living room at the end of the couch and the radio set up on the table (we ate outside all the time). This way you can use what ever antenna pretty much that you want. By the way there used to be both a CB and ham radio clubs on here that was part of the WBCCI