160 meter mobile

[AF4OB]

think about trying the 160-m band mobile this winter,any ideas about a antena ty Ron

[KR4JA]

If you want to easily operate other bands as well, I would suggest the Hi-Q-4/160 antenna (http://www.hiqantennas.com/). Check out the reviews on this 4" screwdriver. If not a screwdriver, then the largest Bugcatcher coil you can get, with capcity hats, should do about as well as anything.

73,

Dave,
Norcross, GA

[K0BG]

A short antenna (8 to 11 feet) for 160 requires a loading coil of about 500 to 700 uh. That's a coil about 3" in diameter, and nearly a foot long! At best, your efficiency will be in the neighborhood of .5 to .7% as the radiation resistance will be about .2 ohms !

If you do get on 160 mobile, you'll find out just how little radiated power it takes to talk across the state. If the noise level (the bane of 160 operation) is low you might get across 3 or 4 states. Don't expect DX to hear you even if you can hear them.

Alan, KØBG

Don't laugh at this one.  When trying to figure out what kind of antenna to use on 160m mobile,  I discovered that there really is no such thing as a mobile 160 antenna.  Most use what reduces down to a giant coil for an antenna.  For about a month I used a typical mobile mount with a home made loading coil attached to some #22 wire that I dragged behind the car.  Until another car ran over it or is got snagged on something,  it worked great.  

[N1KK]

I was thinking about mounting a Pro-am (Valor)
PHF-160B (160 meters) antenna on top
of my 80-10 meter Screwdriver antenna.
The lower coil of the screwdriver antenna
might help tune it on the 160 meter band.

Any comments