Performance issues aside...I wouldn't want that "expensive" box
and antenna hanging on the side of any of my vehicles, clinging-on for dear
life,
It's a mechanical nightmare of an installation that is just begging some curious
low
life to try and peel the thing off...it's one thing to be on a private safari,
on
a military
mission or roaming your 10,000 acre ranch and another to be parked in downtown
USA.
IMHO the SGC just doesn't appear to be a practical antenna for the average HF
mobile
operator.
Having been net control for a HF mobile net on 40m for manyl years I've yet to
hear
one SGC mobile antenna system. The majority of mobilers are using much less
expensive
base loaded whips (1%), screwdrivers (21%), helical whips (22%), BandMasters
(4%),
Bug Catchers (24%) and many old Hustler (21%) center loaded lumped inductance
jobs are still in use. Outbackers (6%) have been popular with truckers and
motorcyclists.
I have heard a very few Diamond (1%) mobile antennas.
When one thinks a bit, it makes good sense to not spend too much money on the
1st
mobile set-up
since the odds are good that ham will use the mode for a short time, his
interest
will dim or his situation
will change and the rig gets removed within the year. The number of hams that
are
full-time hard core
mobilers are a small percentage of those that try the mode.
IMHO it's a conscious choice to not spend a lot of money on the mobile antenna,
let alone the
transceiver. The trader nets are full of used FT-900s, 706s, TS-50s, Scouts,
and
the
older TS-120s, Atlas 110/115Xs, etc. Typically, advertised with the leading
comment that
the rig was used less than a year mobile.
The SGC system appears to be a rich boys toy...perhaps a good target for their
high-end product
might be the newly affluent or recently retired "X" military HRO (who grew fond
of the system while in
the service) who don't have the time to build their own mobile antenna or figure
out how to make the less
expensive antennas play...they can just throw money at it and conclude, perhaps
incorrectly, if it cost
the most it must work better than anything else available!
I'll stick with my HB Screwdriver and variable hair-pin matching system. It took
me less time to
resonate and match my antenna then it did to add up all the db gain I was
placing
at risk because I
wasn't using the SGC system, HAHA.
If I can hear 'em I can work 'em!
Dave
==========================
CQK8DO@aol.com wrote:
> As I see the strength of the SGC antenna system... But, put it against a
> properly
> installed full size (by mobile standards) mobile antenna, I doubt that it will
> generate as much field strength...
>
> Denny
>
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