I've run a mast at about 13' out of the bed of the truck, suspended on
an H-frame made from 2-1/4" galvanized irrigation pipe, and guyed.
Trees limbs are "whiskered" via a 40M hamstick mag-mounted to the roof
of the cab... if the sound of the whip clunking against something
resonates in the cab, it's a likely bet that the mast and antennas will
take on foliage if I'm not careful. (While the camouflage effect is
cool looking, akin to soldiers in the jungle with branchlings attached
to their helmet, it does little to further radiation efficiency.)
Forget going to the bank or McDonald's drive-thru.
True story: The worst impact to the antenna system came a few weeks
ago, while driving home from work -- a vulture took flight from a branch
a few feet in front of me. The 6 meter halo took the brunt of the big
bird, at 50MPH. Feathers and pieces of antenna flew. The mast's
structural integrity was, to say the least, compromised. Luckily for
me, I was less than a mile from home and had just completed a fantastic
mobile run on 6. Luckily for the bird, it staggered around in the
highway for a while, and then flew off to another tree and landed
without too much difficulty. Odd as it sounds, the same bird has had a
few more close calls... with my windshield and my 6M whip, in about the
same location, at about the same time of day. Dunno if it just has a
death wish or is being hazed, forced unwillingly (possibly while
intoxicated) to fly into oncoming traffic by some local fraternal order
of vultures.
I think I'll stay home for this upcoming contest, as vultures are
protected under some environmental law or something around here.
Good luck, and watch out for big birds....
73,
- Josh, KF4YLM
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