Portable base station antenna (camping/SHTF) recommendations

[WSHQ437]

I am looking for recommendations for a portable base station antenna.  I am building a camping base station that will be powered by my solar generator.  I am looking for recommendations for a somewhat portable antenna that I can set up in the woods or campgrounds fairly easily.  This could also be used in a SHTF type moment.  

Thanks, WSHQ437

[tweiss3]

This all depends on what and how tall you plan on using the antenna. Simple is a 1/4 or 1/2 wave whip with a ground plane kit, can be broken down quickly, and have the least problem with wind. A fiberglass antenna could be used as well, anything 4' or less would be ideal for packing and hanging on a telescoping mast. @marcspaz has a portable go kit with guy wires, he's posted it here a few times. It's a bit of work to balance portable and effective.

[WRUE951]

24 minutes ago, WSHQ437 said:

I am looking for recommendations for a portable base station antenna.  I am building a camping base station that will be powered by my solar generator.  I am looking for recommendations for a somewhat portable antenna that I can set up in the woods or campgrounds fairly easily.  This could also be used in a SHTF type moment.  

Thanks, WSHQ437

i use a home brew Cooper J-Pole for my portable repeater i use for my 5th wheel travel trailer.  I mount the antenna on a Harbor Freight telescoping flag pole which is mounted on my rear RV Ladder. (about 25-30' height)  The J-Pole (1/2"material) is light enough that it doesn't whip around much on the flagpole.  The J-Pole does not require a ground plane, or even a ground which makes it handy for fiberglass RV applications.  And it performs reasonably well.  I've talked about 90 miles base-to-base with this setup at Lake Crawley where i have wide open areas.  However the J-Pole does not perform well around trees or other obstructions.  

[Socalgmrs]

I’d go with one of the 4’ “off road antennas”. Midland and others make them.  They are no ground plane. Clamp on and light weight.  Also just about indestructible for storing, and putting up and down.  Also a great gain at around 6.6db.  

[TDM827]

36 minutes ago, WSHQ437 said:

I am looking for recommendations for a portable base station antenna.  I am building a camping base station that will be powered by my solar generator.  I am looking for recommendations for a somewhat portable antenna that I can set up in the woods or campgrounds fairly easily.  This could also be used in a SHTF type moment.  

Thanks, WSHQ437

Depends on how "portable" you want it to be. If camping means RV or car camping and packability or storage is not a huge consideration there are any number of sizes and styles available , (J-Pole, fiber covered mast etc...). Same for a reasonable mast. 

If you need it packable and light weight, you are hoofing it, a 19" roll up slim jim chucked over a tree branch or held up by a telescoping fiber glass rod might be just what you need.  

[marcspaz]

As @tweiss3 mentioned, I have a few portable repeaters and radio setups.  It really does depend on how high you want to get the antenna off the ground and what your mounting limitations are.

 

A few methods I use...

1.) I will bring my drone with an airdrop attachment, a fishing pole, and 200' of paracord.  I will use led weights with fishing string and drop the weight through the tree tops.  Some of the forests and parks I go to have trees 100"+ tall.  I use the fishing string to hike the paracord up into the tree, and the use the para cord to lift the antenna into the tree.  I tie the paracord to the base of the antenna and the coax acts like a weighted counterpoise. With a half wave antenna 100' in the air, you will get plenty of coverage.

 

2.) I have a 35' telescoping mast and I put an 9' tall 9dB antenna on it, unless I am in the mountains, then I use a 5' 3dB gain antenna.  The masts sits in a tripod and needs at least 3 guy line to keep it steady.  It takes about an hours to set it up correctly and safely.

 

3.) I also have a 20' telescoping mast with a built-in tripod.  I low wind days, I don't have to do anything to stabilize it with the 5' antenna on it... but I would still recommend using at least 3 guy lines to be sure no one knocks it over, or in case the wind picks up.  That one can be stood up in about 15 minutes.

 

I'll see if I can find some pictures of the 2 setups... If I can't find them, I'll get some fresh pics on Sunday.  I want to switch the 35' mast to a 4 guy line system. So I need to set it up anyway.

[labreja]

I have a 2 meter version that I hung 50ft up in a tree for several years now in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Still works well.

https://n9taxlabs.com/shop

Good luck with your search.

[marcspaz]

I found this thread, to give you some visuals....

 

 

[Lscott]

2 hours ago, WSHQ437 said:

I am looking for recommendations for a portable base station antenna.  I am building a camping base station that will be powered by my solar generator.  I am looking for recommendations for a somewhat portable antenna that I can set up in the woods or campgrounds fairly easily.  This could also be used in a SHTF type moment.  

Thanks, WSHQ437

@marcspaz has already mentioned using a portable mast system. Here is one I've used.

https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/257-portable-mast-antenna-system/

For portable power this is one of several solar power systems I have. This particular one all you need is a lead acid battery. It does use one of those cheapo PWM charge controllers. Personally I would use an MPPT, but I got this at a swap really cheap. I was mainly interested in the panels.

https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/562-dokio-100-watt-panel/

I tend to use LFP, LiFePO4, type batteries now. They last much longer and weight significantly less.  To get the most out of a solar panel I recommend a good MPPT charge controller. The one in the photo I got used for $40, including shipping and sales tax. Normally they're around $100+ new.

 

https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/569-gv-10-lead-acid-mppt-charge-controller/

 

[WRYZ926]

One of the hardest parts is getting coax that won't have too much loss on GMRS and still keep it light weight. A lot will depend on how high you are planning on getting your antenna up in the air and also what type of antenna being used. Using a sturdy mast will allow you to use heavier coax. Some of the cheaper telescoping masts are thin and won't support the weight. Go with the lightest coax with the least amount of loss that is acceptable to you.

I actually have a couple of clothe roll up j pole antennas made with faraday cloth. One is for 2m and the other is for 70cm. The 2m j pole works fine for both 2m and 70cm with a SWR of 18 or less. And the 70cm j pole works fine for GMRS with a SWR of 1.7 or less. I am using 30ft of LMR400 equivalent coax along with a Sotabeams 7m/21 ft telescoping fiberglass mast. I hang the clothe j pole from the top of the mast and run the coax down, attaching it with velcro straps to keep things from flopping around in the wind. 30 feet lets me get 9 feet away from the mast.

I normally will use some type of stand or 3 guy ropes on the bottom section of the mast to hold it upright on calm days. I will add three more guy ropes towards the top on windy days. I also have throw line and throw bags incase I want to just hang either antenna up in a tree.

I can throw my dual band or GMRS radio into my go kit along side my G90 HF radio for any type of portable use. I am also setup for sending emails with Winlink on HF and VHF if needed. My go kit is one of the Hart rolling tool boxes from Walmart. I have a couple of 50 AH batteries in the bottom case and everything else (besides telescoping masts, fits inside the other cases.

I can also throw a radio or two, some throw line, and the clothe/wire antennas and 1 or 2 10 AH batteries into a backpack and go light.

 

[nokones]

I wouldn't overlook the use of a magmount. It is an antenna and it can be quick to get on the air. It's better than no antenna.

[WRYZ926]

11 minutes ago, nokones said:

I wouldn't overlook the use of a magmount. It is an antenna and it can be quick to get on the air. It's better than no antenna.

This is very true. And the side of a standard US military 50 caliber ammo can will give you a good ground plane for GMRS.

I've seen plenty of people use 50 cal ammo cans for dual band and GMRS go boxes. They will usually take the lid off and set the can on its side. You can then use a mag mount or drill the can for a SO239 or NMO mount.

Lots of possibilities for a go box or small backpack/sling bag.

Here is the ready to go Fara-J GMRS antenna  https://vfcomms.com/shop/antenna/fara-j-antenna-for-gmrs/

If you are handy with soldering and sewing then you could always make your own. The downside to this is if you hang the antenna from a rope. You will have to support the end of the coax to the clothe so it doesn't put too much stress on the BNC connector.