Easy Tripod Antenna Mount For Portable Ham Radio Use / Parks On The Air!

I prefer the tripod solution to a ground spike personally. It has the added benefit of being able to setup on a vehicle rooftop. I bought a relatively cheap one off amazon that has adjustable leg angles and replaced the center pole with 3/4 in conduit that I cut into sections that fit inside the tripod bag. I put the mirror mount directly on the top section and leave it there. I can get the feed point up 10ft or so with ease and the whole thing goes together in less than 10 minutes with only a screwdriver... including any tuning that might be necessary, and if I'm running the half wave vertical set up I don't even need to worry about a radial field.

Rather than sand bags to weigh the tripod down you might hydrate it down 😝 Appreciate you reminding us of potential source of antenna mounts. Thrift stores specifically Goodwill stores. 73 Steve AA4SH

You have a better Goodwill store than I do. Never find anything remotely useful like that tripod. Just clothes and baby stuff. 😂

I used the same trucker mount and just clamped it to the center section of the tripod. works good. also attached my radials to the bolts of the clamp via power poles

I already have a couple of tripods I got at second-hand stores that I use with verticals, but that I also plan to use with mag loops I'm building. With their ability to both rotate and tilt, they are perfect for small loops. I hang a bucket (with a 12 Volt 30 ah back-up battery in it,) from the tripod so it won't tip over.

I made a 2 Meter / 70 CM, ground plane antenna, mounted to a $5.00 tripod. It even has 4 radial arms. It Works great for field & emergency use.

Great vid. Thanks, and 73!

great idea. Thanks 73 from VK. I'm off to hydrate!!

I have a similar setup but I run my radials differently. I took the four bolts that form the clamp and ran them the opposite direction. My radials end with ring terminals so I just put the radials over the bolts. I then tighten them down with a wing nut, so the ring terminals are clamped between the nut that came with the clamp and the wing nut.

What about drilling the top of the tripod to fit the antenna connector without the trucker bracket. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for what you do

The other thing I just received was a 2" flagpole hitch that becomes an alternative mount also. It appears to be large enough to accept my one-inch, 21' carbon-fiber fishing mast - so many possibilities. The main limitation of this method is it limits my ability to use my truck tailgate as a ham bench in those primitive POTA locations where I can't back up to a picnic table. Being a full-time RVer I have all of the camping chairs and tables, but it sure is easy to make life complicated, LOL. Cheers, Davey - KU9L

Great idea man, thanks appreciate the time and video. 73 NS9T

Using a tripod with a 1/4 wave whip is also a good way to experiment with 1 or 2 raised radials.

You now have me walking around my yard carrying my water around saying, Hydrate. lol

Ham-tastic!

Here in Colorado I have been sucking down coconut water like it's going out of style even though it has been raining & lightning enough to not allow me to play hooky from work to play with antennas lately. Expanding on your ideas, my QRPGuys 3-band vertical is on a circuit board with a BNC connector, so I don't have to get as fancy. I tried inserting fiberglass electric fence stakes to suspend my radials, but even the sand here can be hard as a rock or have school bus sized rocks one inch under the ground, so I have been installing little plastic carabineers on the far ends of the radials and then typings small ropes around rocks I move around to position them correctly. It's not like I am creating more trip hazards to the billion already there. Okay, so I rubber band or bungy the small circuit board to the tripod, insulated in some easy way. Then the MFJ 1979 telescoping antenna can screw onto a 3/4-24 adapter of which is going to be 8nsulated from the tripod, then a ring connector also on the top is going to go directly to the vertical terminal on the circuit board. The circuit board also contains the ground screw for the radials. The mystery yet to be solved is if I still need the trucker L-bracket since depending on the tripod screw size and the insulator it's all about solving the continuity requirements. The original project required a 21' fiberglass fishing pole, but the MFJ-1979 is easier to work with if I want lighter weight and can't pound stakes into hard ground. Time to visit a local thrift store to see what I will find to work with. Thanks!

Ah... I think you found my old Sears tripod. I had when I was a kid. It was heavy, but very durable. I have no idea what happened to it... until now! 😢

Great video.. Where did you get the thread converter to go from SAE to metric? I have been having difficulty locating this

Have you tried screen wire instead of radials? It works great on my WRC with my FT-891.

Once again, thanks for the great video. Question, where do you find those ring connectors that size, I’ve had a tough time sourcing those?