HAM radio antenna mount options

[rovert43]

My thoughts so far. Still waiting to try them out.

There's 48V power in the frunk. Not sure about access from the frunk through the "firewall" to the cab though. The power in the frunk is switched 48V, but there are a number of inverters on Amazon. 48V to 12V is a common need in golf carts, so you'll see some listed as Golf Cart inverters.
Another option as some one indicated is to install a smaller battery in the cabin and hook it up to one of the USB-C ports. The 18V output is definitely enough to charge a battery. I believe that it's also enough to run some radios. While the 12V option on USB is a little low (compared to nominal 13.8) you can probably find a 18V->13.8 inverter. Looking up one source indicated that the USB-C are capable of 65W, about 5A @13.8V.

Antennas? For VHF/UHF, the thru-glass seem like a great option, if the radio is in the cab. I've used some Larsen PulseLarsen, KG-2/70-CX-PL, Antenna Mobile Dual Band 2m-70cm, KG2/70CXPL (hamradio.com) thru-glass for years and was always happy with them. I believe that HRO still sells them.
I've come into favor of trunk edge mounts over the last few years. And if the radio is in the frunk, a trunk edge on the frunk sounds like a great answer. I've done this for a number of vehicles and they look like a classic FM antenna. Of course a maf-mount mounted center of the frunk would give the unicorn charging at you look

For HF antennas, I see a few options. For the smaller Comet/Diamond/MFJ antennas, the frunk lip still seems like a good option. They are multi-band and can get the job done.
The next option is to get the "luggage rack" bars and mount to them. This can take some much more substantial antennas, Hamsticks and Screwdrivers, but you've got to get the coax back to the radio. As sharp as the Cybertruck edges are, I don't th ink that you want to run between panels.
Another option is a hitch mount. TN07.com and others sell a mount that you can insert into the hitch receiver and put anything on. It would hold a 80M 3-el, but something tells me that you wouldn't drive down the road with it on. But it definitely will hold hamsticks and event the vnerable Hustler mobiles HUSTLER, MO-2, Antenna Accessories Masts, MO2 (hamradio.com) HUSTLER, RM-75, Antenna HF Mobile Single Band, RM75 (hamradio.com)

And if you are into roving or POTA from vehicle, create a H mount and attach it to the tiedown rings in the bed, probably add a rotating push-up mount. Arrive on site, open the tonneau cover, push up your antenna farm and you are on the air.

But I've got to get a truck, please make it before Dayton, to try it out.

Yes , I was considering L track antenna mount in the rear, something that rotates 90° and locks up or down.

Sponsored

 

[rovert43]

Yes , I was considering L track antenna mount in the rear, something that rotates 90° and locks up or down.

My use case would be meshtastic Lora, so I'd be utilizing the onboard starlink over wifi connection to the device mounted on the molle panels in the bed, then using the bed outlets for power.

 

[BrockN]

My use case would be meshtastic Lora, so I'd be utilizing the onboard starlink over wifi connection to the device mounted on the molle panels in the bed, then using the bed outlets for power.

If it's just a Meshtastic node that you need to install, why not just build up a small solar node with small panel and integrated antenna and mount it to one of the rack mount points along the edge of the truck? The little Xiao nRF boards Seemed sells are stupidly efficient in standby mode. Even a small battery and solar cell combination would likely keep it going indefinitely unless it's always parked in the dark.

I've been playing with MeshCore after having given up on Meshtastic... The T1000-E node I sometimes carry on a lanyard hangs nicely from the rearview mirror inside. The coverage is shockingly good in that position. However, there's one thing that has become apparent working on repeater sites and that is the effect of metal surfaces in the near field. Fresnel zone (or whatever it actually is) is not your friend in TX especially. Anything metal nearby partially obstructing or even adjacent to your path seems to have a much bigger impact on TX than RX. So elevating your antenna to clear the metal body panels will be important.

 

[rovert43]

If it's just a Meshtastic node that you need to install, why not just build up a small solar node with small panel and integrated antenna and mount it to one of the rack mount points along the edge of the truck? The little Xiao nRF boards Seemed sells are stupidly efficient in standby mode. Even a small battery and solar cell combination would likely keep it going indefinitely unless it's always parked in the dark.

I've been playing with MeshCore after having given up on Meshtastic... The T1000-E node I sometimes carry on a lanyard hangs nicely from the rearview mirror inside. The coverage is shockingly good in that position. However, there's one thing that has become apparent working on repeater sites and that is the effect of metal surfaces in the near field. Fresnel zone (or whatever it actually is) is not your friend in TX especially. Anything metal nearby partially obstructing or even adjacent to your path seems to have a much bigger impact on TX than RX. So elevating your antenna to clear the metal body panels will be important.

I've been using the tdeck from inside with the stub antenna upgrade and it's working pretty well, however the tbeam 1.1 with stock antenna doesn't get anything out (sitting on the dash). So my thinking (in order to have a clean aesthetic) is to put an 90° L Track mount, with a signal+ 8db antenna that I can just pop up and lock for my off-road adventures to track GPS and emergency comms. Otherwise I'd just rock the tdeck from the cab daily.

 

[BrockN]

I've been using the tdeck from inside with the stub antenna upgrade and it's working pretty well, however the tbeam 1.1 with stock antenna doesn't get anything out (sitting on the dash). So my thinking (in order to have a clean aesthetic) is to put an 90° L Track mount, with a signal+ 8db antenna that I can just pop up and lock for my off-road adventures to track GPS and emergency comms. Otherwise I'd just rock the tdeck from the cab daily.

Hmmm. Meshtastic doesn't let you set up specific repeaters does it? I think that was one of the reasons why I went to MeshCore. That and much improved routing capabilities.

My idea of the node outside would be to have it run as a repeater so that your node inside or anywhere nearby would bounce off of it reliably. That might not be a realistic scenario in the Meshtastic world. And if you required a constant Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to the inside that would draw your battery down quite quickly as well... So, so much for the solar idea.

Recognize that the dBi antenna ratings you see online are mostly fictional. And that as the claim gets higher numerically, if it actually is accurate, the lobes will be quite flat meaning you won't get much signal up or down from horizontal. If you're on the prairies that might be great but if you're on a mountain or in a valley talking to a mountain, that will be less reliable than a lower gain alternative. Frankly, you'll be better served by minimizing coax length and the number of connections.

 

[rovert43]

Hmmm. Meshtastic doesn't let you set up specific repeaters does it? I think that was one of the reasons why I went to MeshCore. That and much improved routing capabilities.

My idea of the node outside would be to have it run as a repeater so that your node inside or anywhere nearby would bounce off of it reliably. That might not be a realistic scenario in the Meshtastic world. And if you required a constant Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to the inside that would draw your battery down quite quickly as well... So, so much for the solar idea.

Recognize that the dBi antenna ratings you see online are mostly fictional. And that as the claim gets higher numerically, if it actually is accurate, the lobes will be quite flat meaning you won't get much signal up or down from horizontal. If you're on the prairies that might be great but if you're on a mountain or in a valley talking to a mountain, that will be less reliable than a lower gain alternative. Frankly, you'll be better served by minimizing coax length and the number of connections.

Using 2.7.18 Alpha, I set as client base for the vehicle/home, and client mute for my tdeck. I use well placed repeaters in client mode, then only use routers role to connect other meshes together.

Sponsored