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In this picture you can see a couple of the Velcro wraps that I use to dress the coax up the mast. I found some "double-sided' Velcro at the hardware store -- the hook 'stuff' on one side, and the pile 'stuff' on the other. It may not be easy to find: I found A LOT of rolls of Velcro with "just hook" on a roll, or "just pile" on a roll. When the antenna is down, they store/stow pretty easily: They all stick together in a manageable wad!

Also seen here is the "Pull Back Arrestor" that I promised I'd explain. At 75-85 MPH I wanted something that would help the mast hold erect, and snub out excessive swaying from side gusts. I run a piece of 20 lb. braided fishing line from near the bottom of the mast stub bolted to the halo over to the tip ball on the vehicle's AM/FM antenna.

Now, I do not make this tight. I take the slack out of the line and maybe pull the AM/FM antenna down (and back) about and inch or two. I make up the fishing line with two large, knotted loops at both ends. It's easy to wrap one end around the mast -- above the Velcro strap -- and then feed the long end through that loop. Then, on the other end, you make a "loop-in-a-loop" to fit over the AM/FM antenna ball.

I think you can see it more clearly below:

The 20 lb. braided fishing line is attached to the mast and not the halo -- as this picture might suggest.

For one of my Quick And Dirty tests I put up the halo and wrapped the coax around the mast as you see here. That might be an option v-a-v using Velcro straps. But, I did notice that the coax pulled pretty snug up against the 'rough edges' of the two worm screw clamps on the mast. All that vibration and chaffing at 75 MPH.....
Probably not a Good Idea.

OK, my secret is out: I have two 1991 Mercury Tracers.

(Addendum Oct'2014: Both these vehicles have been replaced by Subaru XV Crosstreks.)

And, yes, each is identically set up for mobile. Both are 12V wired to the battery and coax'ed. Both have the homebrew antenna mount and the 2M trunk lip mount.

Only one has "W3DHJ".

Here we are as ROVER in DM87 during the 2007 ARRL VHF contest. My homebrew 6M Halo is still going strong!

Yes, I still had - at the time - the 16 year-old Mercury Tracer! I used it as my Rover vehicle up through 2013.

You see in this photograph the homebrew 2M Halo array attached to the mast. The 6M Halo is "pointing" forward, and the 2M Halos are "pointing" towards the rear. And, as described earlier, the 6M Halo is fully 'elevated' by using the extreme positions on the upper and lower detent tube sections.

The 2M Halo assembly is not designed for permanent attachment on the mast. Rather, the array is built on its own 3/8" fiberglass rod (mast). I have 2 'broom handle' clips fastened to the rod - at the mid-point and at the lower end. These, in turn, clip on to the 1" aluminum mast of the 6M Halo. That isn't secure by any means. So, I use several 1" wide, double-sided Velcro straps firmly wrapped around both the masts to better secure the lash-up.

Also, with this configuration, I use a different "pull-back arrestor" technique. I use Very Strong twine from the mast down to the rear doors. Inside the cab each section of twine is attached to a bungee cord that hooks to the headliner hand-hold on the other side of the vehicle. The bungee cords are placed under just light tension by adjusting the length of the twine. Scraps of cloth are wrapped around the twine where it comes in contact with the roof. Like I said earlier: "Hey, ya gotta protect the re-sale value of a 1991 Tracer!"

Even though the 6M Halo with the 2M Halo Array attached is not a permanent assembly, it does quite nicely at 65+ MPH rolling down US 50 out to my DM77,DM78,DM87,DM88 ROVER territory. It's also held up quite well rolling down I-25 on the ocassions I add DM79 & DM89 to the Rover route.

The coax for the 6M Halo has to be stowed when the halo isn't up. Unlike a 'standard' mobile HF antenna -- where the coax runs to the bottom of a ball-and-spring mount and can be left in place -- there is about 5 feet of loose coax that has to be stowed somehow when the halo is taken down.
Here's how to do it in a 1991 Mercury Tracer:

Early in The Project, when I was building the antenna mount, I had the bumper off several times. I noticed that there was a 'shelf' under the bumper lip -- the top of a plastic "box beam" that ran the width of the bumper and whose purpose was probably to stiffen the whole bumper. I also noticed that it was very clean along the top of that shelf even after 110,000 miles. Evidently there is little or no splash-up from beneath the car, and the trunk lid comes down over the bumper such that rain and the like will run onto and off the back of the bumper.

It was difficult getting even as good a picture as I did.

What I did was clean the top of the shelf very thoroughly -- using alcohol as a "last wipe down" --
and mount 3 or 4 adhesive-backed, adjustable, locking nylon cable clamps:

... along the top of the 'shelf' under the top of the bumper. They are each about 12" apart, and I loop the RG-8x back-and-forth about 3 times -- trying to 'capture' the butt of the PL-259 under one of clamps -- and trying not to make any Real Tight turns with the coax.

It's really not that difficult to stow away the coax, or to retrieve it for use. At first I thought the ratchet locking technique used by these clamps would be A Real Hassle. In actuality, it's almost a 1-finger operation going in or coming out.

Taa Daa! Now it's all done!!

I hope you enjoyed this little dissertation. And, I hope it got your "creative juices" flowing.

And, if you're interested, you can read through some feedback I've received by
clicking on yet   one    more     link      below:

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Last updated: 08-Sep-17 -- Now "Mobile Friendly"