Shown is the N7EMW vehicle installation and antennas, and other installation ideas that have worked well.

Some of these photos show optional equipment and accessories that we or others sell,  to give you an idea how our products look in an actual installation and for other ideas about installint HF mobile antennas.

If you would like to enlarge or save any of the photos, do the following (Windows users): 

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INDEX OF TOPICS SHOWN IN PHOTOS BELOW

1. N7EMW HF-VHF-UHF Mobile Installation (most recent)
2. HF mount, load inductor, weather-proof PL259 quick disconnect
3. Examples of antenna insulating washers and quick disconnects
4. Antenna mount extension bracket
5. N7EMW mobile installation variations (ca. 2007)
6. HF antenna grounding method that works well

(1)  The following are updated photos of my current "N7EMW" HF-UHF mobile installation.

The following photos illustrate my current antennas, radio "black boxes" and major power wiring components, as of early July 2008. They show case some of my products as well as products by others that have worked well for me. Perhaps this also gives you an idea that "no detail goes unnoticed" with my products.

Some of the features in the N7EMW mobile include:

• radio power switching:  manual on, automatic on with car ignition, power on time delay, low and high voltage monitoring (if voltage goes outside of acceptable range all power is cut to the radio equipment).
• HF motorized antenna: fully automatic, all bands from 160m to 10m, "20 second antenna removal and layback" to get into trunk, antenna limit-of-travel LEDs (circuit plans: click > CIRCUIT PLANS ), Hi Q 5/160RT antenna does not change length as all tuning is done inside coil with fixed length (unlike screwdriver antennas which get longer as you tune to the lower bands).
• DC voltage regulation: regulates voltage to transceiver at 14 volts, from input of only 9 volts (e.g. voltage drop due to long power cable and limited space for larger gauge wire under door sills).
• Transceiver: Icom IC-7000, with external monitor mounted near windshield for "save viewing while driving", covers 160m to 70 cm (exc.1.25m band).
• Non HF antennas: 1/4 wave 6m, multi band V/UHF and 3db gain cell phone antenna.

(2) Various photos of our UHAM mount, SHUNT-100 load inductor, CNCT-PL259 WXQD.

Photo below shows the new UHAM-150 mount, SHUNT-100 (left side of mount) and CNCT-PL259 (round dark gray object right of mount, with antenna coax disconneccted). The antenna is a Hi Q 5/160 motorized antenna.

 (3)  Examples of quick disconnects and insulating wafers for the base of your ANY BRAND antenna, that can be used with our UHAM mount.

Photo below: Hi Q Antennas Giant Quick Disconnect (GQD in stainless steel) and black insulating washers on either side of the UHAM (former UHAM-100 shown) base (3/4 inch thick Type 6061 aluminum. This is only ONE method of fastening your antenna. Other antenna manufacturers have other quick disconnects and insulating washers. A quick disconnect is NOT required but if used enables you to install, remove or layback your antenna in approx. 20 seconds.

Photo below: Another view of the Hi Q Antennas GQD and insulating washers. Bolt shown is the "standard" 3/8 x 24 size

(4) SARM-100 Side / Extension Bracket for the UHAM-100 or "Other Brand" HF Antennas.

Photo below: SARM100 11-inch extension arms in black powder coated paint and bare aluminum. Also available in red, blue, white and clear-coat powder coat. The SARM is made from Type 6061 aluminum, is 3/4 inches thick x 2 inches wide. The SARM can be used with the UHAM or "any brand" mount that normally bolts directly to a trailer hitch. The SARM can be bolted under a trailer hitch ball, or bike rack mount (see photos below) so that you still run HF DX while pulling a trailer or with a bike rack on your trailer hitch.

Photo below: Black powder coated UHAM mount, SAM bracket and SARM extension - only one of many configurations you can use the SARM for (othters are below).

Photo below: Close-up of the SARM in black powder coat. In this example the UHAM is mounted parallel to the bumper - YES it can be mounted pointing back or to the side. The black cable below the trailer hitch ball is my vehicle ground connection (stainless steel wing nut not shown).

 (5)  REP DESIGN Mobile Installation Photos - UHAM mount, SAM second antenna bracket, and/or SARM 11 inch extension, ca 2007 and other installation setups tried.

Photo below: View of my antennas, former UHAM-100 mount with Hi Q Antennas 5/160, SAM bracket with OPEK 6m antenna (modified HF-UHF antenna) and SARM, all in black powder coat.  Note how the UHAM is mounted "sideways" - yes it can be mounted in any direction "to the wind". The left roof antenna covers 144, 220 and 440 bands. The right roof antenna is a gain-type cell phone antenna. The cable hanging below the Hi Q antenna is the motor control wire. Not shown are my 2 runs of coax with ferrite beads (future project, working on water proof under-the-car coax connector arrangement-stay tuned). With all of these antennas I can operate 160m through 70 cm without getting out of the car, and can still garage the car without removing anything. Yes, a longer ship works better but this is not shown here.

Photo below: Close-up of the former UHAM-100 mount, SAM and SARM shown in the photo above.

Photo below: UHAM "lay back" feature in use - in 20 seconds you can get into your trunk. Note that this works even with an antenna on the SAM second antenna bracket. You do NOT have to disconnect any coax or motor wire cable, or anything, to lay back your antenna. The former UHAM-100 is shown but this works the same way with the new UHAM-150 that was released in Dec. 2007.

Photo below: Close-up view of the "lay back" in use.

Photo below: Bare aluminum SAM in use with a bike rack. ALso shown is the bare aluminum UHAM (without a SAM second antenna bracket). Note how the UHAM is at an angle to the bumper - it doesn't matter how the UHAM "meets the wind".

Photo below: Back view of SAM and bike rack. You would use this configuration if you were to pull a trailer - replace bike rack with standard hitch ball (up to 1 inch shank).

Photo below: Close-up of SAM, UHAM -100 and bike rack shown in photo above.

(6) HF Antenna Grounding Method

The following photos show the traditional grounding method and what I am now using. By the traditional method, I had problems on one or more of the upper HF bands, especially when it was raining. Using the recommended method. I can reliably tune 160 - 10m, all the time, rain or shine. Grounding is one of the trickiest aspects of successful HF mobile antenna installation and can be very frustrating at times.

Each installation is different, and what works on one installation may not on another. I'd like to hear anyone who has "ground suggestions" that also work (CONTACT) .

Please be sure to completely weather proof your coax connection to your antennas, and all ground bolts. The photos below were taken BEFORE I weatherproofed the connections.

Photo below: Traditional ground, by running a braid from antenna/coax ground to vehicle ground, without ensuring that "non welded" metal components of the trailer hitch are grounded together. Using this method. I had problems on a couple of the higher HF bands, that were not consistent. Moving the braid up or down could "get me one band" but I would "loose another band". Basically, this was acting as an RF choke. Also shown is the copious application of Mix 31 ferrite bead filters ("black blobs" on the cables before weather proofed), to keep RF off of the coax braid, motorized antenna cables, and all cables between the automatic tuner and radio - VERY IMPORTANT!

Photos below: The current grounding method that I am using, that works great. I now am able to tune all bands, 160-10m, all of the time. The concept is to ground each part of the mount and trailer hitch/bracket to each other, instead of using a ground strap to "bypass" the metal parts of the bracket. To ground each metal part, I did the following (photos are in this order below): (1) used 4 inch flat aluminum, 1 inch wide, to ground my mount to the end of the receiver. I tapped 1/4x20 holes in the receiver, and the other end of the aluminum strap bolted to the existing ground bolt on the mount. (2) On the other end of the receiver, where it goes into the hitch below my bumper, I tapped another 1/4x20 hole and ran a short ground strap direct to the central vehicle ground. (3) This is the central vehicle ground, using aluminum brackets and bolts that go into the hitch, bumper area and rear unibody. Around each bolt hole I removed paint and primer down to bare metal, and used "teeth" lock washers and stainless steel bolts. Once tightened, I weather proofed the brackets.

Photo below: TO BE ADDED