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United We Stand |
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Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club, Inc. |
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"Ham Tips" PT Cruiser Antenna Mount |
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Here is a custom built antenna mount for a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Shown, in this photo, is a 2 M/70 CM base loaded antenna on an almost flat bracket. That bracket is screwed to the horizontal inside lip of a car engine hood. You can see that the bracket dips down as it leaves the car. This conforms to the car body and just barely fits between the body and the engine hood. There is black electrical tape on the bracket to keep it from scratching the car paint. Those are 10-32 machine screws. The holes were carefully drilled and tapped because there was no way to put nuts on the underside. A red sealant was put over the screws used to hold the bracket to the car fender. The sealant is an attempt to keep the screws from rusting. RG-58A/U cable, feeding the antenna, is shown in the foreground.
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You can see the antenna just ahead of the driver door on the left side of the car. The license plates proudly declare this is an "Amateur Radio" car. The license is WØHA. |
The antenna, mount, and cable can be removed from the car and there will be no outward damage when the engine hood is closed. The downside is that the antenna is lower in elevation than a roof mounted antenna. Also, the ground plane in at least one direction is poor. Remember, these antennas work best when mounted on a sheet of metal that is at least 1/4 wavelength in every direction. 1/4 wavelength at two meters(147 MHz) is about 18 inches. At 70 CM(440 MHz) is is one third of that. Regardless, this type of antenna installation works well and causes the least problems when selling a car.
Thanks to Paula WØHA for letting us use her car as an example for this article.
Story by
Mark WØMH 
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