Are We in This, or Not?

OK, I'll get off my high horse after this post! But I wanted to show off my mobile setup that I used in the NC QSO Party. In the fist pic you see the High Sierra HS-1800/pro and mount. Notice the custom bracket and you might be wondering how it is attached. The High Sierra bracket is bolted to a custom made 1/4" plate of the same footprint using the holes originally meant for the tube u-bolts. At the bottom of the plate there is a piece of 2x2 box beam welded to the opposite side of the custom plate. The box beam is about 23" long and reaches over to a "receiver box that was added/welded to the Reese hitch. The receiver box is nothing more than another piece of box beam 2-1/2"x2-1/2" six inches long that the 2x2 beam coming from the antenna bracket plugs into. Nothing is attached to the body except for the 1" ground strap which High Sierra talks about ad nauseum.

The control cable and RG-58 coax is routed under the vehicle along the frame member and enters the cab through an axillary hole with notched out rubber plug that Tacoma provided. (Nice touch, Toyota, Thanks!)

The IC-706M2G is mounted on the floor under the driver's seat along with the N2VZ Turbo Tuner. I made sure the Icom was oriented so I could get to the two tweak pots for side tone and ... I forgot what else. Anyway, I have the 706 control head and speaker mounted on a custom bracket which is bolted to the floorboard just below the gearshift.

Although there might be some very good mobile antennas out there, I am VERY GLAD I have the High Sierra. In my opinion, having that antenna mated up with the Turbo Tuner is the absolute best and safest way to go HF mobile.

It may be hard to see this in the pics, but I also have a Larson NMO 2/70 mounted in the middle of the cab roof. Yes, this NMO mount required a 3/4" hole drilled through body sheet metal but is the best situation for VHF/UHF RF radiation.

I drilled that hole for the 2/70 and installed this big HS-1800/pro antenna with the best RF performance as priority. I believe I have retained the good looks of this truck by the quality of the workmanship and don't feel I will make the Hamsexy rolls. Hey, are we in this, or not?

Roll on!