... Mast is mounted on post (not a car)with counterpoise. Any hints.. Please..
What are you using for a counterpoise?
Typically it would need to be elevated off the
ground and tuned to resonance on each of
the bands.
The counterpoise wire is part of the antenna,
and affects the resonant frequency just as the
length of the antenna itself does. The Hustler
resonators have a limited adjustment range,
so if the counterpoise isn’t resonant, you might
not be able to get a match.
A friend brought over one of those cute little
portable verticals because he couldn’t get it to
tune up properly. It had quarter wave radials
attached for 20m and 40m (one for each band).
I set it up, tossed the wires on the ground,
and it didn’t work at all. Best SWR I could get
was about 5 : 1, with the coil tapped way off
from the suggested setting.
I raised most of one radial off the ground by
tossing the end over a wood fence, and it did
much better. Then I noticed the end of the
wire was laying on concrete on the other
side of the fence: I got it off the ground by
running it along the fence, and the antenna
tuned up much better!
So, especially with just a single counterpoise
wire, the length and how it is installed are
critical for good performance.
(In this case, the manufacturer said the wire
radial could be wadded up and stuffed in a
backpack for use while hiking. I don’t expect
that would actual work very well...)