In a lot of cases, a fender mount was used for VHF frequencies on trucks, the trunk was the preferred location for patrol cars.  The only thing the fender mount will do is to skew the radiation pattern somewhat vs. a center roof mount.  The cab roof of a pickup isn't large enough for a proper VHF ground plane anyway.  

I've even seen a 2 meter antenna mounted in the center of a pickup truck hood!  Granted, the truck owner was a few french fries short of a happy meal, but the location worked, and worked well.  No excessive RF, either.

Anyway, if you have trouble with a mount next to the CB antenna, the front fender may be your only other option.  Good luck!

The reason Hi-Gain states no closer than 5 feet above ground is because of reactance between the antenna and the ground.  If you do mount the antenna that close to the ground, although it will be useable, you won't get any sort of range out of it when transmitting--to try to explain it simply, most of the effective power will be 'shorted' directly to ground.

Why not get a five to ten foot section of pipe and fabricate a foldover mount so you can 'hide' the antenna when it isn't being used.  You'll have a much better antenna system and will be much happier with it.

Good luck and 73.

Check to see if there are any clubs around where you'll be on field day.  One place to do this is on the ARRL website--although they list only the affiliated clubs, you still may find one close to you.  Depending on the setup the club uses, you may even be able to operate the rigs that will be there.

The other thing you'll find there is a group of people who are friendly and will help you, sometimes just by answering your questions.  Be sure you bring a small supply of food and drink for yourselves--you may end up staying the better part of the day.

Good luck and remember, HAVE FUN!!  73!

How about mounting on the front fender or the rear side bed edge?  Both locations will get the VHF antenna out of the pattern of the CB antenna and will minimize the potential interference between radios.

There are hams out there who would be glad to lend a hand, its just that they are fewer of them than in years past.  Unfortunately, the realities of todays world have cut down on the time people have to spend on hobbies, and ham radio is no exception.  Some of us find we have to work two jobs just to make sure we have the means to live life--never mind have the extra time for a hobby.  

I agree with the idea of joining a club, that is the best place you may find a willing elmer.  Good luck and 73.

Forget about a glass mount antenna--those are 'compromise' antennas, the compromise being a loss in signal strength.  Although they work, they will not work as well as a properly mounted antenna which is directly connected to the co-ax and the car body.  If drilling holes is a problem (the XYL objects, for instance) there are mounts that clamp over the trunk lid edge or are screwed to the inner metal of the trunk deck opening, just under the rubber weatherseal.  Use a little silicone sealer on those attachment points and there won't be any leaks.

Howard,

One option is to call the nearest Ham Radio Outlet (website is www.hamradio.com) and talk to them about what you need.  I would also go with a quarter wave whip, they're about 20 inches high, and don't buy one with a small 'hershey kiss' magnet.  Those may hold at highway speed, but go under a tree branch or some other low hanging obstruction and bang goes your antenna, the obstruction will probably rip the thin cable used with those things apart.

When I started, I got a quarter wave whip with a three inch magnet (disk type) mount with RG-58 cable from them for about $30. including shipping.

I also second the cable type adapter for the sma mount on the HT.  Loop the cable down the back of your HT and hold it there with a rubber band if you don't have one of the small PTT mikes used with the HTs.  It will save the SMA mount on the HT from breakage.  Good luck!

Mount your antenna as far away as you can from those lines, and if you can get it above the level of the lines, that may also help.  There isn't too much else you can do outside of expensive filters--which may not help too much anyway.  73!

You may also take a minute to check the "TowerTalk" section of this forum.  Just click on the "eHam.net Forum Home" you see above and scroll down till you see TowerTalk.  There may be a few individuals who check there regularly who don't look at the 'Elmers' forum.  73!

Just about any he wants--if he has a ham license.  Also, unless the President orders him not to!!

Steve, you say this is a twenty minute job?  Well, either you must move like the wind or you take a lot of chances.  Check with any antenna installer--any mast over ten feet should be guyed, with twenty feet of mast, guying is a must, FOR SAFETY SAKE.

It would take longer than twenty minutes to do this job and do it right.  Neglecting the guy wires most certainly is not doing it right.  If a mast like this were put up without guy lines and something happened--one of the wires got snagged or the wind blew it down, damaging the house or someone else's property--the insurance claim may be DENIED because of the lack of guy lines.  Just the fact of the wind load bearing on the brickwork of the chimney is reason enough to guy the mast to prevent damage to the chimney.

Do yourself a favor and do the job right.  An extra ten bucks and time spent is well worth covering your butt by doing it right!  73!

The mounts are all more or less alike, but the RS mount may use strapping thats thinner than others.  My experience with the mounts from RS is that they are made overseas and don't have the tactile strength of other brand mounts--I won't use them.  GC is better than that, but is not the best.  Your best bet is a local electronic jobber or supply house.  Those places may have two or three different sizes--usually the larger sizes are stronger.

Also, at the corners of the chimney, the edges of the bricks may make short work of any strapping.  There are plates made to go under the strapping to protect it--sometimes those plates are included in the same package as the strap mount.  If not, make sure you buy them and use them.

Finally, for a twenty foot mast you must always use guy lines--there are kevlar lines made to use if impedance changes are a problem.  It isn't necessary to get the guy lines bow string tight as long as they prevent movement of the mast.  Three guy lines are sufficient, four are better.  Good luck and 73!

If you can't change the per-programmed frequency, why not jusy by-pass it or lock it out.  Of course, I don't know the FT-8800-it may not be possible to do either--but it's a thought.

I was going to tell you to make sure the connecting co-ax and the connectors were ALL clean and tight, including the SO-259s on the rig and the tuner.  I've had an experience where the inner collar of an SO-259 was cracked, it didn't maintain good contact with the PL-259, and the tuner kept on tuning and stopping from one minute to the next.  The SO-259 was changed out and the problem disappeared.  

I'm glad you found what your problem was.  73!  

Tube testers, all too often, just check the tube filament.  Some of the more expensive ones do check the operation, but at a low steady level.  The only way to test a tube and find out if it is good for your intended purpose is to install it into the device it is intended to be used in and trying it.  

It used to be that every electronic circuit, no matter if visually identical to another, varied.  That is less true nowadays, but still a fact.  A tube that is used and worked OK in one circuit may be pushed into failure if used in another.  Most old time radio and TV repairmen who 'knew their stuff' knew a tube tester was a waste of time for that reason.

Its always better to get a 'new' tube than to chance a used, 'tested' tube--you won't take a chance that your old, valued tube rig will go up in smoke!  73!