[VHFcontesting] Rover Mast height, an experiance in Los Angeles....

[Tim Marek via VHFcontesting]

Something I learned while on the road in the outskirts of Los Angeles....
Rover Rule #7...  "Not All Gas Stations Are Created Equal", especially the older ones from the 60s and 50s...
Back in the mid 2000s I cruised into a gas stop to fill up my Mazda B4000 4x4 which was covered in antennas... Loops on the right, and yagi's on the left, on heavy wall masts bolted to a H frame in the front of the bed.
The tip of the fed of an original style KQ 2M Loop carefully dug a shallow trench in the soft aluminum ceiling of the overhang above the pumps. I had to deflate the tires a bit and slowly back out of the bay till the antennas were free, pump up the tires, and got gas on the end line of pumps where the overhang was not a issue....
The good news it the antenna was hurt at all... now had it been just 10 thousands taller it would have broke off rather than gouge the soft metal... makes you go mmmmmmm to think of the odds to such things....
73s de Tim - K7XC - EM12ur...l sk Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler…Albert Einstein
      From: Rick R <rick1ds at hotmail.com>
 To: vhf contesting <vhfcontesting at contesting.com> 
 Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 1:53 PM
 Subject: [VHFcontesting] Rover Mast height
   
My travel height is just above 12' and I have no trouble, except where there are low hanging tree branches--and especially in winter when they are loaded down with snow. You also need to be aware of the low gas station overhangs, drive-in food places and various bridges and tunnels that are low and marked. Rick, K1DS/R
                         
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