Patrick Gardella wrote:

Thanks, Dave. The mount is on the trunk lip. I've got the
grounding strap running
from the mount set screws to the frame of the car.

I ran three different ground strap, 1.5 inches wide, from the trunk
lip/lid to the car frame. First, I burnished the finish off the lip
right under the antenna mount. I added a strap from that point to the
nearest point of metal connected to the frame at the wheel well.

Next I loosened the two trunks lip supports, hinges, and burnished the
finish off under them. A strap was connected from one mount to the metal
that houses the Saturn's speakers [rear deck]. The second strap was
fastened to a burnished surface under the latch for the trunk mount.

All burnished surface/strap locations were weather sealed with "Coax
Seal" from HRO.

Note: the radio, IC706 MKIIg, was bolted to the rear deck between the
speakers and the remote head was installed at the drivers seat. The bolt
locations were burnished to bare metal.



So you basically ensured that the trunk lid had good contact with the
rest of the car?

73,
Patrick N3EO


Dave Shrader wrote in message news:K1p8c.1594$w54.9895@attbi_s01...

I used to run mobile in a SL-1 using Hamsticks and the Hustler mobile
antennas.

Where and how did you mount the antenna?

I used a lip mount on the trunk hood [which is metal] and three
different ground straps from the trunk hood to various points on the frame.

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

Patrick Gardella wrote:


I'm stumped on a problem I've been having with a Comet UHV-4 quad band
antenna (10m/6m/2m/70cm). It's mounted to a Comet CP-5M mobile mount
on my Saturn SL1. The problem I have is that I cannot get it to
tune. I figure that it's an insufficient RF ground. I've tried
running braid from a good ground location in the trunk to the mount
(good metal to metal contact on the "car" end of the braid). Still
nothing.

So I was wondering if there would be a way to tune the antenna off the
car. I was thinking of creating a ground plane with several 1/4
wavelength wires on each of the bands, and then adjusting the antenna
to bring it into tune. That way I would know if the ground braid I
put into the car is working well enough.

Does this make sense? Or is it a wasted effort, and I should spend my
time on improving the ground in the car? What would you do?

73,
Patrick N3EO