HF autotune antenna mount

Mounting the HF autotune antenna is a bit tricky because of legislative considerations , RF interference and propagation issues, protecting the antenna from damage and theft, and mechanical stability.

People used to always mount the antenna on the front crowd control bar, but here it attracts police attention in some parts, and is prone to damage in even the mildest frontal collision.

Mounting on the roof is too high, and the whip will foul branches and roadhouse rooves, not to mention the overhead cement slab in multilevel carparks.

That pretty much leaves the back of the vehicle. It is possible to use the spare wheel mounting points, and there are brackets available that use these. I believe they cost about $150. I made one from a strip of heavy bracket steel and it worked better than it looked. I used it for a tapped whip, but I thought the extra weight of the autotune would be too much for it.

So the solution I have adopted is to mount it in the Hayman Reese towing slot. I was going to buy the steel and make it up but I just bought a towing hitch (with a long stem and a long offset flange) and bolted the antenna mount where the tow ball should go. The flange faces upwards to raise the base of the antenna. Security is improved with a locked cable running from the safety chain loop through the base of the antenna. The earth strap connects to the chassis. The control and RF cables run out the back door.

The problem with this simple setup is that it has to be removed to open the rear door (pretty easy but inconvenient). The next developement will be to mount the antenna on a heavy duty hinge so that it can fold down to the side below rear door height. The hinge will have a spring loaded locking pin.

Apart from having someone run up my date, the antenna is in a comparatively safe position. No need to leave it on for town use. When I travel with the trailer I just mount it on the trailer instead.