Anyone mount an Ham Radio antenna on the bed ot the truck?

[9zero1790]

i wanna add a small antenna for vhf but im so tired of running wires in the 5g... and its flippin hot.

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[DrPerez007]

Why not not drill the roof of the cab if you can clear your garage (or buy folding antennas)? Nobody really sees up there and when you go to sell it, just cap the holes. Impact on resale will be near zero. Best ground plane on the vehicle. I had no problem drilling three 3/4” NMO holes on my roof.

 

[Sgt York]

Why not not drill the roof of the cab if you can clear your garage (or buy folding antennas)? Nobody really sees up there and when you go to sell it, just cap the holes. Impact on resale will be near zero. Best ground plane on the vehicle. I had no problem drilling three 3/4” NMO holes on my roof.

I have a screwdriver antenna. Not sure I want to mount it on the roof. But thanks for the sugestion.

 

[JonB]

I don't like holes in my truck so I built a custom mount which attaches to the frame below the rear bumper. Coax is run under the truck and through the rear of the cab. The antenna is a fold-over so I can still park the truck in the garage.

 

[DrPerez007]

I don't like holes in my truck so I built a custom mount which attaches to the frame below the rear bumper. Coax is run under the truck and through the rear of the cab. The antenna is a fold-over so I can still park the truck in the garage.

Out of curiosity, where did you enter the cab with the coax?

 

[Msfitoy]

Out of curiosity, where did you enter the cab with the coax?

I know you're not asking me but I ran my Weboost coax through the cab vent in front of the bed...

 

[JRRangerAZ]

I have a bed cover installed on my 2021 Ranger. My problem is I'm tring to install a ATAS-120A inside of the bed. I attached an L shaped bracket to the side bed rail lip and it too flimsy. Want to beable to quickly remove the antenna and close the bed cover when not using the ham radio. Anyone have any suggertions? I do know that I do not want to moutn it on the hood/front fender. Thanks

You didn’t mention what kind of cover you have. If metal, take a look at my installation. I mounted a Comet RS-720 directly to a stationary portion of the cover. The cover is the ground plane. I have two of these mounts now; one on the passenger side to support a Diamond 8900 for UHF/VHF, one on the driver side to support an ATAS-120, like yours, for HF.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/diamondback-ham-vhf-uhf-antenna-mount.12412/#post-244026

There are third-brake light options, too. Big caveat, that ATAS weighs just over two pounds and has an ample cross section to the wind.

https://bulletproofdiesel.com/colle...pf_t_vehicle_make=Ford&pf_t_vehicle_year=2021

All these Bulletproof solutions have an NMO connection so, if you go this way, you’ll need an adapter:

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-001411

 

[Sgt York]

You didn’t mention what kind of cover you have. If metal, take a look at my installation. I mounted a Comet RS-720 directly to a stationary portion of the cover. The cover is the ground plane. I have two of these mounts now; one on the passenger side to support a Diamond 8900 for UHF/VHF, one on the driver side to support an ATAS-120, like yours, for HF.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/diamondback-ham-vhf-uhf-antenna-mount.12412/#post-244026

There are third-brake light options, too. Big caveat, that ATAS weighs just over two pounds and has an ample cross section to the wind.

https://bulletproofdiesel.com/colle...pf_t_vehicle_make=Ford&pf_t_vehicle_year=2021

All these Bulletproof solutions have an NMO connection so, if you go this way, you’ll need an adapter:

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-001411

Thanks for the reply. I have a soft rollup bed cover. I decided to go with the ditchlight mounts.

 

[Sgt York]

Here you go, Earl...the last link is for the bracket...

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/project-msfitoy-v3-0.2804/post-36948

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/project-msfitoy-v3-0.2804/page-31

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/project-msfitoy-v3-0.2804/post-359988

https://fordrangerlifts.com/shop/ols/products/a-pillar-ditch-light-brackets-2019-ford-ranger

Sid I got the ditch light mounts that you suggested, thanks. Any tips on how to install them? BTW I thought about it too long. They went ftom $90 to $110 before I ordered them.

 

[JesseS]

I have a bakflip bed cover, where the front 1' is fixed. I drilled a hole in that section and installed a MNO mount for my center load 1/2 wave duel band folding antenna. Seems to work fine as I get really good range back to the ground plane on top of the RV. I still have access to the bed, and I have a screw on cap for the mount when the antenna is under the rear seat when not needed. I have a short 1/4 wave when long range is not needed like in a group run.

* didn't see where you have a soft cover.

 

[Sgt York]

I have a bakflip bed cover, where the front 1' is fixed. I drilled a hole in that section and installed a MNO mount for my center load 1/2 wave duel band folding antenna. Seems to work fine as I get really good range back to the ground plane on top of the RV. I still have access to the bed, and I have a screw on cap for the mount when the antenna is under the rear seat when not needed. I have a short 1/4 wave when long range is not needed like in a group run.

* didn't see where you have a soft cover.

Sorry, I did not mention that it was a soft cover

 

[JesseS]

Sorry, I did not mention that it was a soft cover

Oh, you mentioned it further down in the thread, I just missed it

 

[VegasRanger]

I have two mounts. One NMO I drilled through the roof right in the middle, the other I purchased a third brake light NMO mount. Looks great and low SWR. I too have been planning on installing an ATAS in my truck since I have a FT-891. Problem with ATAS you need really good grounding for it to work properly. Let me know if you end up installing one. I’m interested in being able to fold it down also.

 

[Sgt York]

Ended up buying a ditch light mount and mking the hole a little bigger for my antenna mount.

Thanks Misfitoy for the suggestion.

 

[TX_Ham]

How's that mount working out?
I just got a 2020 XLT and am thinking about mounting my ATAS 120.
Right now, I'm leaning more towards the bed cover mount -- nice and clean!

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