It's an antenna probably only a Ham can love.

This one has a 12" extension above the coil, a capacitance hat, and a 3 foot whip. Gene, W9NMX, sent it with a capacitance hat, custom mount and MFJ 907 in a waterproof case.

With the MFJ 907 there's no need for a shunt coil.

Why On the Front?

I installed the Hi-Q 5/80 on the winch mount of my 2006 Hummer H3. The old Tarheel 200A I had mounted on the rear bumper did a great job, but when towing my camper I couldn't use it.

With the Hi-Q 5/80 mounted up front there should be less shadowing effect from the camper, so I'm hoping this works good. I'll know in the spring.

Hi-Q 5/80 Mobile HF Antenna

Lower Mast: 1.5" diameter and 2' long. This one is stainless steel. They also come in a black anodized version.

Coil Size: 5" diameter x 11.5" long, lexan polycarbonate housing. This one is semitransparent and I can see plunger inside.

Weight: 8 lbs.

Total height: With 3' whip, 11' 4".

EB8 Capacitance Hat: All aluminum hubs and extension rod, with stainless steel rods as radials. All hardware is stainless steel.

Hi-Q 5/80 Antenna Mount: Custom mount (Gene, W9NMX) that fit perfectly on the winch mount plate. It includes attached ferrite cores wound with the control cable. There is also a brace about 18" up to hold the mast securely.

Controller: I'm using an old Tarheel controller (no model number) that does not have memories, but it does have a counter.

Grounding and Bonding: I ground the paint off the winch mount where the Hi-Q mount is bolted on and the bottom of the Hi-Q mount base. I had to use a little copper braid between the Hi-Q mount base and the winch mount . There is also copper braid attached from the Hi-Q mount to the brush guard.

The winch mount and brush guard is bolted directly into the frame of the Hummer. I did some grinding to make a good connection. For bonding, see my vehicle bonding article.

Currently I'm using a 3' stainless steel whip. There is a whip quick disconnect between the coil and 12" mast. This allows a quick way to remove the upper part before entering a car wash or drive through.

I'm looking forward to using it this summer when traveling. I have a couple of trips planned. One to the Hamvention in May and another trip to the Breakfast club picnic in July.

I hope to hear you on the air!

More to come on this and on the Icom 7300 and Icom 7610.

73's - Rich, K0PIR

UPDATE: 4/14/2018 - I tried ordering a 2' mast extension that is shown on the Hi-Q website, but they don't make it anymore. Now I'm looking into the Breedlove mounts. Without the 2' mast extension I need to move it higher up on the vehicle. I'm mounting it on my roof rack.

Sources:

Excellent Presentation (K0WJ) on HF Mobile Installations (Large 79MB file)

N9LVS Mobile Installation Video Playlist (8 videos)