SWR's on 4-wheeler

[TICKDOG]

"H-N-Y" everybody...I'm thinking about putting a pro510 and firestick on my atv. Just wanted to know if anybody out there has tried it and if so, what to expect as far as swr's, performance, etc....

[Ricky]

if you get ur swr down you should be good. i put a cobra 29 and 102 on my golfcart, and i talked skip with it. swrs were 1.3-1.5. try it, see what you get

[TICKDOG]

Thanks, I'm gonna try it today to see If I can get the swr's 2:1 or less. That'll be good enough for deer hunting

[Beybbear]

Cool topic. I'm wanting to put my 25 and 108 on my Polaris Sportsman.

[tireguy]

I mounted a Uniden PC55 with a 4 foot Firestick on my Polaris Ranger and it works great. SWR is at 1.3 top to bottom after I cut about 3 inches of the copper wire from the top.

I plan on putting a CB on my Polaris Sportsman, but haven't done it yet. Maybe I will do it when I mount the winch my sons got me for Christmas. How are you going to mount your antenna?

[TICKDOG]

Just finished the install. swr's 1.1~~1.3 across the dial with a 102". The firestick was bad...pegged the meter when I keyed up. Yamaha Grizzly has an eye hole on the right side of the rear cargo rack. I shined it up to bare metal and tighened down a heavy duty spring. I will be using firestick type 4 footer...102 flings around too much.

Hey tireguy where and how did you mount your radio?

[tireguy]

It's mounted under the steering wheel, and the antenna is mounted to the back of the drivers head rest. I haven't found a good place on the 4-wheeler yet. Where did you mount yours?

[TICKDOG]

Thinking about mounting it to a piece of 2x6 and then secure the wood to the rack...don't want it to be too permanent.

[rocketdeerdog]

Heres how I did mine.
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[rocketdeerdog]

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['Doc]

It can certainly work, but think about it for a minute. An antenna is affected by everything around it. On a typical 4-wheeler, the driver is going to be close enough to affect that antenna. If the driver doesn't move much, then how he affects that antenna shouldn't change much. But, let him get off and stand beside the 4-wheeler and things have changed as far as the antenna 'sees' it. So, if you get things really 'right', you'd better remember what shirt, hat (if any) and what you might have had in your pocket was...
- 'Doc

[TICKDOG]

That looks like the way to go, I never thought about a handlebar bracket I'll make one tonight...I got everything hooked up with the radio mounted on the back rack...swr's 1:1 with 102", 1.2:1 with firestick...put 5db on the camp base 4mi away!!!thanks for the info RDD

[Turbo-T]

It can certainly work, but think about it for a minute. An antenna is affected by everything around it. On a typical 4-wheeler, the driver is going to be close enough to affect that antenna. If the driver doesn't move much, then how he affects that antenna shouldn't change much. But, let him get off and stand beside the 4-wheeler and things have changed as far as the antenna 'sees' it. So, if you get things really 'right', you'd better remember what shirt, hat (if any) and what you might have had in your pocket was...
- 'Doc

Was thinking the same thing. Is there even enough metal on the 4 wheeler for a good ground plane?

['Doc]

Enough metal? Beats me. But then, the metal in that 4-wheeler isn't the only 'ground' that's used by the antenna. Whatever that 4-wheeler is sitting on ('dirt') is also used. Since it can be done, I figure there's probably enough 'ground' to be usable.
- 'Doc

[Turbo-T]

Ok.....thought that antenna needed a metal ground plane to work efficiently.

[TICKDOG]

hey ya'll, there seems to be plenty of metal to create the ground plane effect...mine's a 700 grizzly, seems likely performance would drop with the size of the bike...not much engine noise either, just hard to hear when moving above idle...works great when stopped on a hill

['Doc]

Turbo-T,
A metal 'plane' to work efficiently? Not really. An antenna , ground mounted, uses the conductivity of the ground for the 'other half' of the antenna. If that 'ground'/dirt isn't all that conductive, then you either put up with the reduced efficiency, or you make the 'dirt' more conductive, add radials. That's where the idea of a "groundplane" originally came from, using 'dirt' as 'ground' (not too sure that came out like I meant it). Since moving an antenna higher tends to make things better, moving those radials up with the antenna makes sense, right? And so, Ta-Da!, 'groundplane antenna'.
For mobiles, or a hand held, inductive or capacitive coupling to what's close to it also acts as a ground/groundplane. So the size of the metal 'plane'/plane can change (and so does the SWR because of that). For a hand held especially, the one holding the thing becomes 'part' of the antenna system to some extent. Eat stuff with lots of 'iron' in it, makes you a better ground. (Nasty thought, huh? Sort of 'lame'? Yeah, well...)
- 'Doc