I was forever having to go behind equipment to change an antenna to another piece of equipment. I bought this antenna switch at a Hamfest. I connected the two commons together ( the bottom row switches rigs, and the top switched antennas). Now I can switch any antenna to any rig without breaking my neck.
I am real proud of this antenna. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see it is a mobile installation <grin>. The main reason I am proud is that I built this antenna from scratch. It is a "screwdriver" antenna. The bottom section is made of 2-1/4" copper (hard drawn) pipe. I purchased a coil from a ham in Austin,Texas who made it. He does it for a sort of hobby. There is a motor ( an old battery operated in-line screwdriver with the handle chopped off) installed in the pipe. A 1/4" diameter allthread is loosely connected to the motor by use of a cotter pin. The reason is simple, the centering of the motor does not have to be exact. The coil is wound on a grey pvc tubing, 10tpi and is about 2' long. One end has a threaded insert ( 1/4" ) to take the all thread. the other end has an insert that is tepped for 3/8" to take the whip. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to install finger stock inside of the copper pipe and make sufficient contact with the coil. There isn't much clearance between the coil and the inside of the pipe. I had it undercut a bit deeper than the thickness of the fingerstock. The fingerstock and the undercut were both pretinned with solder and fitted together and the pipe heated. Worked like a champ! Where can the fingers stock be obtained? I got mine from Nebraska Surplus Sales. The results on the air have been most gratifying.
This is a view of a neat little gadget called a "constant impedance transformer." I have it housed in a small aluminum box , sealed to keep the water out, and as close to the bottom of the antenna as possible. The picture looks as though the box contacts the bumper, but it doesn't. In the event that anyone is interested in getting one of these little transformers, you can e-mail me at : [email protected] and I will give you the address of the Ham here in Texas who makes them.
There was considerable concern about supporting the Heavy antenna, and still not drilling a hole in the Taurus. After some considerable head scratching, it was decided to try and use the heavy plastic piece attached to the rear light assembly. It seemed that the plastic was very tough and would withstand the lateral movement of the antenna. We were right. The antenna has been installed for over three years now, and the installation is as tight as ever. Stainless steel was used for the bottom support, and this was coupled onto the body frame. This makes a very good ground. All-in-all, I am happy with everything except noise that inevitably comes from the fuel pump. Oh! well, cest la vie.