[VHFcontesting] Pick Up Truck Rovers

[nosigma at aol.com]

Darryl 
Not sketchy at all.  Very well described and easy to envision without looking at the citatations, which I will do after nets tonight.  

What you describe fits well with what I had in mind for the build.  It sounds like you run two rotors, one front, one rear, I am anxious to look at the pics and if you run dual rotors learn how they were, I assume, linked together for parallel pointing for fast QSY, a later discussion.

 It is fascinating to compare the set ups for the many replies I have had.  Each op area has slightly different configuration to take advantage of slightly different strategies for the NE, Plains States, SoCal and PNW.

Reflector Users and PU Rovers:
So as not to clog the reflector with stupid newbie questions I will be putting future replies direct to contributors and not cc'ing the reflector.  If contributors prefer I only reply directly to them so as not to make "secrets" public let me know.  We all work hard for the "unfair advantage" and I appreciate that. If contributors  dont mind the public discussion on the reflector and no reflector members mind i will keep the discussion on the reflector so others might benefit.

Darryl,
Thank you.  Incredibly helpful.

73
John
KM4KMU 
  


On Monday, January 27, 2020 Darryl J. Holman <djholman at uw.edu> wrote:
 John, 
     Perhaps the best way to see photos is to go to my QRZ page and click on the VHF contests and sprints from 2015 through 2019.   There are many pictures there of equipment, antennas, views, etc.  You can find even more photos by "directory browsing" (https://djholman.csde.washington.edu/ww7d/).  Directories have descriptive names and are a mix of VHF and HF mobile contests, SOTA activation photos, and a few construction projects.  Pick ones that seem like they may be of use.
  
    In Washington state, overhang limits are 4' off the rear bumper (without flags/lights), 3' off the front bumper, 0" off the driver side fender and 6" off the passenger side fender.  Therefore, my rear 6m 3el Yagi, has a 6' long mast and is stowed perpendicular to the direction of travel while in motion, and is "barely legal."  The rest of the rear antennas are pointing in the direction of travel (or 180 degrees from that).    When I extend the mast, the antennas are all aligned to the same direction, of course.  
  
    For mounting the rotor frame, I build a bracket that attaches via the tailgate hinge bolts. That bracket lives in the truck full-time (and sometimes it is a nuisance).   The rotor frame bolts up to that bracket.  There is a lightweight bracket at the front of the rotor frame, as well, that is connected to the truck bed sidewalls with some home made clamps.   But your pickup probably has much better options for mounting things than my Toyota has.  
  
   The front antennas all fall within 3' of the front bumper when being rotated.  They are held in a rotor that is on a custom built frame that bolts up to the front of the truck.  It looks like I built that for the Jun 2013 ARRL VHF Contest (https://djholman.csde.washington.edu/ww7d/JunVHFContest2013/).  I use short WA5VJB "cheap yagis" for all the front antennas except 6m.   For 6m, I use a classic hex beam.  I don't use a Moxon for 6m because it would not be legal unless pointed into or away from the direction of travel, as it would exceed the 3' overhang off the front.  The classic hex beam has a small enough diameter to be legal.   You can find pictures of the hex beam construction here: https://djholman.csde.washington.edu/ww7d/6MeterHexBeam/.  A full construction article for the hex beam is part of the supplementary materials for the  newest (24th) edition of the ARRL Antenna Book.  If you don't have it, send me a email and I can share a preprint.  
  
    My masts (for both front and rear) are highly modified Harbor Freight 20' aluminum flag poles.  One must modify them by pulling out the internal segment locks and building a simple external locking mechanism made out of two hose clamps and a small aluminum connector between them.  It is hard to describe, but basically, I loosen one hose clamp per segment junction to raise or lower the upper segment.  I also add a short thick-wall aluminum pipe inside the  bottom so the rotor can be tightened without deforming the lowest tube.   Finally I add a fiberglass segment to the top to provide a bit extra height.  The fiberglass segment is a replacement section of a JackKite fiberglass pole.    It takes me about 5 minutes to unteather my antennas and extend the mast.   I use parachute chord with carabiners on the front and back of the rear antennas to keep them from rotating while  in motion.  The other end of the cord goes to small c-clamps placed along the pickup bed rail.   
  
  This all might sound sketchy and/or random, but it has worked pretty well for me. 
  
  Best,   Darryl   ww7d
  
  
  On 1/26/20 21:01, nosigma at aol.com wrote:
  
 

Darryl
 
That is very helpful.  Having an aluminum bed and not being able to weld to it for mounting the bed mast would need to be similar to what you describe.
 
Do you have any pictures of your rig that you can share?
 
You gave me the idea of adding a front hitch reciever to mount VV omni's and loops for working on the move and reserving the bed mount (whatever that might end up as) for beams and the rotor.
 
Please describe the mobile moxon install.  
 
73
 John
 KM4KMU 
 
 
 On Sunday, January 26, 2020 Darryl J. Holman <djholman at uw.edu> wrote:
 
 John,
 
   I rove as a limited rover out of a 1988 Toyota pickup truck.  My 
 installation is done without drilling ANY holes.  I have an antenna 
 stack in the bed that extends up to 25', and another in the front that 
 has small antennas that can be used (legally) in motion.   For me, the 
 trick has been to figure out ways to build a frame to hold rotors that 
 can bolt onto existing truck structures.  Welding skills are very useful 
 here (for the rotor frame...I haven't welded anything into the truck :-).
 
   You can see my approach in pictures and words here: 
 https://ww7d.wordpress.com/
 
    Good luck, and I hope to catch you rover-to-rover via sporadic E 
 during a contest.
 
 Best,
   Darryl
   ww7d
 
 On 1/26/20 19:10, John Young via VHFcontesting wrote:
 > John, KM4KMU here.
 >
 > I will be moving to Eastern Kansas this summer.  The FM Only Jeep Cherokee will get retired from contesting duties.  I plan on setting up my 2018 F-150 shortbed crew cab as a Rover, 3456 and down.
 >
 > Looking to trade ideas with anyone out there who has configured a pick up as a Rover.  Unlike the 92 Jeep that I could Butcher with a Saws-All and welder the XYL is not going allow that this time.
 >
 > I was in touch with a gentleman who Roves out of an F150 but lost the contact info.  Hopefully you and others will reply.
 >
 > 73
 > John
 > KM4KMU
 > Nosigma at aol.com
 > Text: 703 678 6795 
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