"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
In article ,

Take a look at

http://wwwcf.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/d...pg/0625sup.htm


Thanks, Dave, for the exact reference sites. They were helpful. And thanks
to all the others for their replies.

I think it's clear that finding one number-- one right answer-- is
difficult. I just called the California Highway Patrol office in Altadena
and found that there really is no right answer. The guy at the front desk
said that the "consensus" in the office was 14 feet. And of course he was
speaking only for California. He said that there's no separate regulation
for antennas, only the number for total vehicle height. There seems to be no
urgency on the part of the CHP to refer to a vehicle code to enforce the
height.

As you saw, the replies to my post ranged from 12.5 to 14 feet. It surprises
me that the standard deviation implied by this spread is that large.

All in all, this has been very surprising.

Thinking about it some more, perhaps the limiting factor becomes not bridges
and overpasses, but fast food drive-thrus and gas station roofs.

Al Lorona wrote:
I just called the California Highway Patrol office in Altadena
and found that there really is no right answer.

For one of the CA 75m shootouts that I prepared for,
I had a white PVC pipe extending up about 9 feet from
the tool box on my pickup. I was stopped by a Maricopa
County deputy sheriff who tried to give me a ticket
for violating some height limit.

I demanded that he put the law section number that I
was violating, on my ticket. After spending about an
hour on his radio, he couldn't do it and let me go.

To be truthful, I had outrun this guy on my Z1B Kawasaki
motorcycle and he was itching to give me a ticket. :-)
--
73, Cecil, IEEE, OOTC, http://www.w5dxp.com

On May 18, 1:28*pm, Cecil Moore wrote:


For one of the CA 75m shootouts that I prepared for,
I had a white PVC pipe extending up about 9 feet from
the tool box on my pickup.

On the truck with the highest antenna mount, "64 inches
from the ground", my 11 ft tall antenna is 16.3 inches at
the tip. In the parked mode with the extra 3 ft mast extension,
it's at 19.3 inches. And the loading coil is 8 ft above the
base.
The other truck has a lower mount which is maybe 1.5-2 ft lower
at the base of the antenna. It's mount is on top of the utility
bed side tops which are tool boxes, and fairly wide.
The first truck has the mount up on the cab just a few inches
below the roof.
But.. I've been trying to sell that truck..
But I could place the mount at the same place on the other
one if I really wanted to. I might once the other one is gone.
One thing.. my antenna sways back a bit at speed, so I
can clear objects lower than the actual antenna height if I'm
going fast enough. The most seen problem is whacking
trees in residential areas.. I have the mount on the drivers
side, and I still have to dodge some of the trees. Some
I can't dodge, so I hear the "whack".. But the top 5 ft is
thin flexible whip, so no big deal.
I don't think I've ever noticed hitting a bridge or overpass.
I've still been too chicken to try to mount an antenna on
my Corolla... Not too many ways to go, and most all
of them will end up buggering up the car before it's over
with.

My bugcatcher is way taller than the interstate limit.

I tie it off at the top, and have a knotted string that I can pull and
hook onto the coat hook inside the car. I let go of it when I stop, and
pull down to drive. Oddly enough it seems to work well enough while
pulled down too.

- 73 de Mike N3LI -

Al Lorona wrote:

"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
In article ,

Take a look at

http://wwwcf.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/d...pg/0625sup.htm


Thanks, Dave, for the exact reference sites. They were helpful. And thanks
to all the others for their replies.

I think it's clear that finding one number-- one right answer-- is
difficult. I just called the California Highway Patrol office in Altadena
and found that there really is no right answer. The guy at the front desk
said that the "consensus" in the office was 14 feet. And of course he was
speaking only for California. He said that there's no separate regulation
for antennas, only the number for total vehicle height. There seems to be no
urgency on the part of the CHP to refer to a vehicle code to enforce the
height.

As you saw, the replies to my post ranged from 12.5 to 14 feet. It surprises
me that the standard deviation implied by this spread is that large.

All in all, this has been very surprising.

Thinking about it some more, perhaps the limiting factor becomes not bridges
and overpasses, but fast food drive-thrus and gas station roofs.


And parking structures.

Don't even think about going to Vegas with an antenna much over 8 feet
tall unless you plan on parking in the back 40 with the RV's.


--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

wrote in message
...
Al Lorona wrote:

"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
In article ,

Take a look at

http://wwwcf.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/d...pg/0625sup.htm


Thanks, Dave, for the exact reference sites. They were helpful. And
thanks
to all the others for their replies.

I think it's clear that finding one number-- one right answer-- is
difficult. I just called the California Highway Patrol office in
Altadena
and found that there really is no right answer. The guy at the front
desk
said that the "consensus" in the office was 14 feet. And of course he
was
speaking only for California. He said that there's no separate
regulation
for antennas, only the number for total vehicle height. There seems to
be no
urgency on the part of the CHP to refer to a vehicle code to enforce the
height.

..

Don't even think about going to Vegas with an antenna much over 8 feet
tall unless you plan on parking in the back 40 with the RV's.

I drive my Dodge Caravan to Las Vegas and my little MFJ dual-band mag mount
hits the overhead in some parking structures. I sometimes remember to
unscrew the element on the way in.

Fast food joints often have a pipe hanging on chains as a noisy warning that
_something_ won't clear their building.

Sal M. Onella wrote:
Fast food joints often have a pipe hanging on chains as a noisy warning that
_something_ won't clear their building.

OTOH, they often have a low awning over the drive
through window with no warning of the low height.
--
73, Cecil, IEEE, OOTC, http://www.w5dxp.com

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
Sal M. Onella wrote:
Fast food joints often have a pipe hanging on chains as a noisy warning
that
_something_ won't clear their building.

OTOH, they often have a low awning over the drive
through window with no warning of the low height.
--
73, Cecil, IEEE, OOTC, http://www.w5dxp.com

Yeah, I've seen it that way, too.

Years ago, I manged to run the right front corner of my pickup camper into
an overhanging tree branch. No, not at 2AM with a snootful. It was
noontime and I was pulling out a parking space in front of the post office.
That tree would have been an antenna-killer.

On Mon, 18 May 2009 11:09:13 -0700, "Al Lorona"
wrote:

There seems to be no
urgency on the part of the CHP to refer to a vehicle code to enforce the
height.

Depending on structural integrity, that would be self-enforcing,
wouldn't it?

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interst...hway_standards

Vertical clearance. Minimum vertical clearance under overhead
structures (including over the paved shoulders) of 16 ft (4.9 m) in
rural areas and 14 ft (4.3 m) in urban areas, with allowance for extra
layers of pavement. Through urban areas at least one routing should
have 16 ft (4.9 m) clearances. Sign supports and pedestrian overpasses
must be at least 17 ft (5.1 m) above the road, except on urban routes
with lesser clearance, where they should be at least 1 ft (0.3 m)
higher than other objects. Vertical clearance on through truss bridges
is to be at least 17 ft (5.1 m).

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

Al Lorona wrote:

Thanks, Dave, for the exact reference sites. They were helpful. And thanks
to all the others for their replies.

I think it's clear that finding one number-- one right answer-- is
difficult. I just called the California Highway Patrol office in Altadena
and found that there really is no right answer. The guy at the front desk
said that the "consensus" in the office was 14 feet. And of course he was
speaking only for California. He said that there's no separate regulation
for antennas, only the number for total vehicle height. There seems to be no
urgency on the part of the CHP to refer to a vehicle code to enforce the
height.

As you saw, the replies to my post ranged from 12.5 to 14 feet. It surprises
me that the standard deviation implied by this spread is that large.

All in all, this has been very surprising.

Thinking about it some more, perhaps the limiting factor becomes not bridges
and overpasses, but fast food drive-thrus and gas station roofs.


The very clear thing, at least here in Minnesota, is if you break it,
you bought it. A rig towing a large piece of equipment was a bit too
tall and struck an overpass on one of the I94 bypasses. Their insurance
company bought a nice new 4 lane overpass that traversed the 6 lane
bypass. Not cheap.

tom
K0TAR