WS6L Ford F-250 ham shack and antenna farm...

I'm proud of my 1997 Ford F-250 four wheel drive truck. In fact, I'm so proud of it, my call sign, WS6L is on the license plates of the truck. I'm an avid outdoorsman, explorer and four wheeler, and my truck is my passport to adventure, along with the radio gear that I carry, when I'm out exploring the wilds of California, Nevada and Oregon.

Photo: My rolling ham shack, parked near the airport, while visiting Mojave, Ca. The high frequency antennas on each side of the truck stand out pretty well, and if you look closely, you can see the antennas mounted on the roof.

As I'm crusin' down the highway, my truck garners many stares, and I always receive an unsolicited comment or two at the gas pump from somebody, and most of the comments are directed at the antenna farm that the truck sports. Recently, in the parking lot of a home improvement store, I noticed a guy pointing at my truck and busting out laughing... I'm assuming he was laughing at the antenna farm, instead of me, the driver (I hope!) To the uninitiated, when they almost always ask my "Why do you have so many antennas on your truck," I simply tell them that "I like to keep in touch."

I'm proud that when I'm four wheeling, that I'm capable of operating on all bands, from 75 meters to 70 cm, with the exception of 220 MHz, and I'm capable of communicating using CW, sideband, AM, FM or PSK31. The only radio that is permanently mounted in the truck is a 2-meter Yaesu FT-2500M, the majority of the duty falls to my Yaesu FT-817ND, which is my Swiss Army Knife of radios. When I go on a trip, I simply bring the FT-817 from the house to the truck, and connect it to pre-existing antenna and power cables. From house to truck, it's a 30-second job. Since the truck isn't a daily, or for that matter, a weekly driver, I can't justify having a dedicated rig in it. The FT-817 fills the bill quite nicely.

Photo: The Yaesu FT-817ND is perched on the dash, and the FT-2500M is mounted to a floor mount. The '817 sits on the dash only when the truck is stationary, as 95% of my mobile operation is when the truck isn't in motion. When I'm moving, the rig is relocated to the seat, and secured so it can't become a missile, in the event of a crash. The C.B. rig is mounted below the '2500M, and not shown in the photo.

I also have a Uniden CB radio mounted in the truck, which I only use during organized four wheel drive runs, such as the CA4WDC sanctioned runs that I frequently attend. When I'm in "CB mode," I used the 10 meter antenna; more on that later...

Power comes directly from the battery, fused at both ends, and fed to a junction box on the passenger's side floor, via a 10-gauge stranded wire, which is more than adequate for the 15 amps that the radio requires on high power. The radio is attached to the junction box, along with a few extra cigarette lighter adaptors, which power an XM tuner, a GPS, and other accessories on an as-needed basis. I also carry a couple of 12-amp gel cells with me, which are charged by a solar panel, mounted on the tool box. To power the computer for PSK31 and other uses, I simply plug in an inverter, and then I'm in business.

The most recognizable feature about my truck is the antenna farm. Since I'm a high frequency junkie, I have two high frequency antennas, one mounted on each side of the truck, using a Hustler ball mount. The antenna on the left side is a dedicated Ham Stick 75 meter antenna, since 75 meters is my favorite band. I've found that I get about 40 KHz bandwidth, so I've got it centered at 3915 KHz to ensure good coverage on a couple of the nets I frequent. I have a Hustler stick antenna mounted on the right side, and a Hustler 40 meter stinger is attached most of the time, but I have stingers for 30, 20, and 10 meters when the need arises.

I have four antennas mounted on the roof, two Larsen 2-meter 5/8 wavelength base-loaded whips, a wide band 27-30 MHz whip, and a 70 cm quarter wave stick antenna. One of the two meter antennas is dedicated to the FT-2500M, the other tunes up quite nicely on 6 meters, and is used as a 6 meter antenna. I purchased a broadband 27 to 30 MHz antenna from a local radio dealer, and it features SWR of less than 1:5:1 across 3 MHz, and it's used for the CB rig, when in use, but more importantly for 10 meters. I've worked the world on 10 meters while exploring the Great Basin Country, running a whopping 10 watts or less. The 440 MHz antenna is rarely used, but future plans are to move the dual bander that I have in my shack to the truck, and purchase an Icom IC-7000, all-band rig, to replace the TS-430S, which then may be hard-mounted in the truck.

The two high frequency antennas, the 10 meter, and the 6 meter antennas are fed into a 4-position coax switch, which is then fed to the radio. Depending on which band you want to use, you simply switch the switch to the proper antenna, and you're on the air. On the low bands, the mobile bandwidth is quite narrow, so if I need to stray from the pre-tuned frequencies, I use an MFJ 945E antenna tuner, that I keep in my go-bag to help keep the SWR down, and the finals in the rig happy.

Photo: Close-up photo of my '817, cradled in a homebrew mount, to elevate the rig to a better viewing angle. I'm working a net on 40 meter SSB, as the photo is taken. Note the clock that reads 1857 Zulu time.

On 75, 40 and 30 meters, my set up is a compromise, at best, especially considering the fact that I'm putting out a whopping 5 watts of power, but it works, and provides reliable communication to the high frequency nets that I'm a member of. I'm good-to-go for several hundred miles, and that's all I really need for the low bands. I've found that 40 CW works especially well, and I've worked all over the Western United States, VE7 and KL7, using the Hustler vertical with the 40-meter stinger on it, and my FT-817ND, putting out only 5 watts. On the higher bands, 20 through 6 meters, I don't need the antenna tuner, as my resonators are good for the entire bandwidth at acceptable SWR. No, I haven't worked Midway Island from my truck, but I've worked my share of VK's and ZLs.

Besides offering fun and companionship, my rolling ham station provides peace of mind, considering the remote areas where I venture, where cell phones are afraid to tread. I used ham radio exactly twice to call for help, both times 2-meters did the job, but I go to many remote areas beyond the range of any VHF or UHF repeaters. But I have peace of mind, as I pack high frequency with me, which would help summon aid if I ever needed it.

Photo: Here's my 4-position coax antenna switch, mounted on the transmission hump, next to the transfer case lever. Each position is labeled, so I know exactly what antenna I'm using, which helps to avoid damage to the finals. When not in use, I leave it in the center position, which grounds the whole affair, in the case of accidental contact with power lines, or a freak lightning strike.

I also carry with me two Emcomm antennas, one for 40 meters, and another for 80 meters. These are simply a quarter wave piece of insulated, stranded speaker wire, with an eye connector at one end, and an insulator at the other end. To use one of the antennas, I simply unscrew one of the high frequency antennas, and attach the eye to the ball mount, using a 3/8x24 bolt. I tie a line to the insulator end, and using a fishing weight, throw it up in a tree, or anything where I can get a little height. This provides superior communications to the truck-mounted vertical antennas, and it has the added benefit of full bandwidth. Of course this won't work if the truck is moving, as you must be parked! If I'm going to be in one spot for awhile, and I really want to have fun, I attach both antennas, one on each side, and operate on the high bands using the 40 meter antenna, and the trusty antenna tuner.

The rolling ham shack not only provides a lot of fun, but it's a great way to stay in touch with the world when I'm exploring the outback, and the peace of mind it provides is priceless. Thanks to the solar panel, the time that can be spent on the air is almost endless.

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