Hi Ken,

I appreciate the input and I just checked your website too, I like that.  More options to think about!  The back of the Rendezvous is similar to the back of yours.  Thanks!

Jerry

Hi Nick,
I used a borrowed 20 meter hamstick style antenna on a triple magnet mount set atop my Buick Rendezvous for a trip from Texas to Illinois in the spring of 2012.  My rig was my FT-817 with a Heil headset/mic.  With 5 watts then, I worked Canary Island, Honduras and around the U.S.  It was not set up to be a DX dream nor did I QSO the entire trip.  I threw it in the car to try it out and see how I liked HF mobile.
So my results are subjective, and I have nothing to compare to.  It worked well for me, I was happy.  I liked it enough to buy an FT-857D which I will use in my car and boat as well.  I too am considering which antenna type to use now, and the Rendezvous has drawbacks for anything mounted on the bumper, the antenna being right next to the body for much of the antenna length.  I was going to just buy some hamsticks or hamstick style antennas since they worked well enough and could be interchanged from car to boat and given what I have read so far on several sites, I don't see a reason not to do that.  It's also at least $300 cheaper than a screwdriver antenna, and since I won't be mobile forever I don't see an immediate need to change bands on the fly.  Rest/pit stops serves well enough to swap out a hamstick.
That's my current leanings anyway, but still looking at the info because I won't be mobiling for a month or two at best.  This thread did leave me with the impression that there was a lot of discussion but not many answers to your question, so I thought I'd toss in my subjective review.  "The best antenna is the one that works for you" or something like that!   
73
Jerry

Heaven forbid we would want to support the author by paying a few bucks!   

Our covenants state that "No buildings or improvements of any character shall be erected or placed..."
My searches for a definition of property improvement seem to indicate that it increases the value of the property.
If I put a SteppIR vertical up in the back yard (5 acre lot), is that an "improvement" in the real estate sense?
I doubt many people will be beating a path to my door to pay more money for my home and property because of it.
What do all y'all think?
Thanks for your input.
Jerry
N0JY

Greg,
My first dipole was an 80/40 meter and I used insulators to break the wire length on each side at the 40 meter size, which I jumpered over for use on 80 meters.  So the total length was ~130 feet (use your 80/75M frequency) with the dogbone insulators at ~65 feet.  Fed with RG-58 and no balun.  At one tree, I used a pulley and ran the rope all the way down with an old window weight hanging free at the bottom (not tied to the tree) so that the rope/wire could "flex" through the pulley when the wind blew.  When I wanted to change bands, I had to lower the thing by undoing the weight and feeding the rope out so it was low enough to add or remove the jumpers.  Maybe it's a bit more than you want to deal with to change bands, but it worked very well for me for several years!
73
Jerry

Thanks for the comments.  Given that most of the replies are in regard to noise generated from within the house, if all of the electrical wiring was in conduit, do you think that the noise would be all but eliminated by that?  Would it be any worse than to a yagi on a tower right next to the house, or a yagi on the roof?  I read the other subject regarding losses, but don't see enough to have a definitive answer as to whether the lumber and shingles actually attenuate the signal that much?  The yagi could be up 33 feet above ground (1/2 wavelength on 20 and greater on the higher bands).

I've looked through a lot of the topics here but don't see where this thought was addressed.  Please point me there if it was!
In planning for the design of a new home in an area where there are no specific words in the CC&R regarding towers, with the architectural committee indicating that a 50 foot tower would not pass the design approval, I'm thinking about building the antennas into the house.  More specifically, over the garage (because the garage attic doesn't have a/c ducts and a you could even eliminate any ceiling electrical wiring).
You could fit a reasonable multi-band HF yagi in a 30x30 foot "second story" or attic over a garage.  The wall material could be of wood or even possibly better, fiberglass.  Such a 30x30 foot area could also house other VHF/UHF verticals or yagis.
So what does the ham community think about this idea?  If the antenna were say, 25 feet above ground, you are at >1/4 wavelength for 20 meters.  If there is no metal radiant barrier stuff in the roof or ceiling of the garage (because I don't mind if the garage gets kinda warm or cold here in north Texas) you shouldn't have any big losses or variances to the radiation pattern?  Please air your thoughts about whether this would give a reasonable facsimile to the same antenna on a 25 foot tower just outside the house.  Understanding that a wet roof from rain could distort things a bit, would there be much influence outside that?