Early on, both of my tower trailers started out with fibre-glass vertical antennas. They have great gain, and you can get them in longer lengths to get every bit of elevation you want.
I am starting to re-think that strategy. I discovered that it’s alarmingly easy for a long fibre pole to be just long enough to get caught in the hinge mechanism of the crank-up and get crushed. How I figured this amazing possibility out is left as an exercise to the reader. š¦
Also, vertical antennas will lose their radials bouncing down the road unless they are kept separately.
If I were doing it again (or when these wear out) I may consider switching to a j-pole like antenna design. They’re metal, so they’ll fit well with the metal of the tower. They’re DC grounded. They don’t have radial elements that can fall off. They can deploy and go in less time. All good stuff.
Perhaps worth thinking about when outfitting your trailer…
73, KC0LQL.
Ham Radio Tower Trailers 