I'm getting closer to finishing my new rover set-up and I am being presented
with yet another quandary. As I'm sure you all know, I'm doing a "limited
rover" station. I have a tower section that will be bolted into the bed of the
truck with a rotator in the base of it. My current question has to do with
whether or not I put in a telescoping mast. With a non-telescoping, I would
not even have to step out of the truck at each operating location. Just turn
on the rotator and start calling. The maximum height off the ground would be
close to 13'. The 6 meter moxon would be at this elevation and the 144, 222
and 432 would be lower. The lowest one would be about 8.5' off the ground.
Alternately, I could make a telescoping mast. Depending on if I did a one or 2
section telescoping mast, the 6 meter could be between 17 to 21' high with the
others below that. The trade off is time to set-up and ruggedness. With a
single mast without sections, there is no shaking or joints to worry about.
I realize that the extra few feet isn't going to be enough to get me over
terrain. Would it affect the gain of the antenna to have it higher than 13'?
If so, how much? Is it enough to notice and is it worth the hassle? My
instinct says to keep it simple. Is that instinct correct?
As usual, thanks for the help you guys always provide.
Steve
K4GUN
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