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Hustler Mobile HF for 11 meters.

Watergate

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2011
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Has anybody here used the Hustler Mobile HF antenna system on 11 meters? I am getting a new truck, and the antenna mounting position is less than ideal. The antenna mounts lower on the truck so that any kind of coil would not be above the roof of the truck.

However the Hustler Mobile HF starts out with a 54 inch mast, and then the resonator. So it would be above the roof line.

Does anybody have any experience with these antennas? I have read some good reviews on them for the ham bands, but I have never read anything about them being used on 11 meters.

This isn't the truck I am getting, just a pic I dug up off the interwebs to show the antenna placement. The mirrors on these trucks have a rather large metal frame behind that fiberglass shell.
 

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Well, I got no responses to this, so I'm guessing that nobody had any experience with them. So I'll post my thoughts on the Hustler Mobile HF system on 11 meters.

First of all the construction of the antenna seems to be rather stout. I have an issue with the way the resonator mounts to the mast however.
nu8eraru.jpg
The resonator bottoms out on the mast threads. I would prefer that the resonator mounted flush with the mast.

This thing is tall. I got this new job and this new truck and got excited about the possibility of easily mounting a tall antenna on the truck. With the mast, resonator, whip, and mount, the antenna sits at 13'2" when mounted on my mirror and SWR matched.
aba2ahe8.jpg


I had begun this project with alot of frustration. I ordered the MO-3 mast. Solid non folding, and the RM-11S resonator from HRO. I got an email informing me that the RM-11S was out of stock, so I took a refund and the RM-11 resonator. The lower power handling of the smaller resonator didn't concern me, but the narrower bandwidth did.

After receiving the antenna parts, I flew to Omaha to pick up the truck and was informed that the maximum height for these trucks was 11'6" due to customer requirements. I called HRO and with shipping and the price difference for the foldable mast, I was looking at another $25. I found a folding mount at a truck stop for $10
ragy2use.jpg
I thought I would give it a try. The antenna folds nicely at mirror level, and will keep the customer happy.
u7yty9e6.jpg


When I first installed the antenna, I reached for my bag containing my cheap but effective SWR meter and my multimeter. It's nowhere to be found. Gone. Not in the truck, not at home. So I check it with the radio meter and peg the meter from 26Mhz to 29.999Mhz. Time to stop messing with it.

I drove to my uncles place, on my way to pick up a load, and borrowed his multimeter to check for shorts. No shorts, at least something was going right.

I folded the antenna over loosened the two set screws for the whip and slid the whip in to the half way mark. Calibrated the meter and checked again. My 2510 meter showed nothing on channel 1 or 40.

You got to be kidding right? One adjustment and it's flat, I don't believe it. Left my uncles place and stopped at a truck stop. Borrowed a rat shack SWR meter. It shows 1.1:1 across the 40 channels climbing to 1.5:1 at 27.5Mhz. I am happy with that.

Called out on 38lsb from Billings, MT and first response I got was from Atlanta, GA. So it is getting out.

On the receive side, I am hearing stations across the country today, some of them I recognize, they are booming in today compared to where I heard them before with just a 5 foot Firestick.

Overall for my first day running this antenna I am happy with it.

P.S. don't mind the dirty truck. It's brand new and not supposed to be washed until 45 days after delivery.
 
I was looking at the same set up but noticed the 27 inch mast that they offer. I believe it is the mo4 mast. I haul bulk cement so the terminals would have some height issues. I know at sometime I would forget to lower it. also is the quality of material good. I just cannot see spending 75 or 80 dollars on a wilson or predator antenna . I mean I just do not run that kind of wattage. 150 watt on sideband max. Did the antenna tune fairly easy. sorry for all the questions but ready to make a purchase.
Thanks, Mark
 
Yeah, the antenna was easy to tune. With the MO4 you'll need a longer whip. I ended up hitting a bird with mine and it snapped off the truck. With the taller mast, it was VERY unstable in wind at freeway speeds. You will probably have better luck with a shorter mast. I ended up building a new mast with copper tubing and using my RM11 resonator tuned for 10 meters.

I like the idea behind the system, and when I posted this thread originally I was still studying for my ham license, so the ability to change bands was key for me.

You can get a spring from hustler to go between the mast and resonator, that would ease up some of the hits you'll take in the cement plants.

It's funny you have that issue to me, when I was hauling cement, I had stacks that topped out at 13'11". I had to start hauling liquid to find height issues.

Good luck with it, and have fun with the powder. I miss hauling it, but not the company I worked for.
 
I don't have any experience with the hustler on a big truck but I do remember a busy of mine back in the 90's ran a hustler on the back bumper of his ford ranger. He ran a TS 5010 and a little help and he got out VERY WELL. ...Just thought I'd put my 2 cents in.
 
Believe it or not, the smaller resonator and the narrower bandwidth is more efficient than the larger resonator, the increased bandwidth is as a result of loss, the metal cap of the larger resonator adds capacitance to the inductor, that's a bad thing.
 
Believe it or not, the smaller resonator and the narrower bandwidth is more efficient than the larger resonator, the increased bandwidth is as a result of loss, the metal cap of the larger resonator adds capacitance to the inductor, that's a bad thing.

The larger resonator on top of a thin walled 54" mast is SCARY in the wind as well. I ran the smaller resonator for 11 meters, then after I got my license I bought the larger resonator for the bandwidth. I won't do that again.

I know it's hard to judge anything about an antennas performance based on DX, but I have made more contacts on the smaller resonator than the larger. I have it tuned for the phone portion of 10 meters and use a tuner for 11 meters.

Big trucks are a pain in the ass to build an efficient system on. The roofs are fiberglass. Height is an issue. Mounting an antenna lower to allow for a taller antenna results in the coil being next to what little metal there is in the truck.

The Hustler system is as close as you can get to a top loaded antenna on 10/11 meters. It's a tall antenna, and the coil is clear of any part of the truck.

The mast is ok with the small resonator, but I would recommend using a stronger mast for the super resonators, or the multi resonator system they offer.
 
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Thanks for the input. I am studying to take my tech and general on the same day sometime this fall. I like the idea of tuning the antenna for 10 meter then using a tuner for 11. I have 2510 right now but I find with all the splatter boxes out there it just tears this radio up. So doing alot of reading on radios right now. I dont really know if much goes on 10 meter around here in Indiana Michigan and Ohio. So really in your opinion use the resonator but build my own mast to fit my needs, right.
Thanks, Mark
 
So really in your opinion use the resonator but build my own mast to fit my needs, right.
Thanks, Mark

Well, it all depends on how tall you want the antenna to be. The MO4 I think is a solid rod, like the mast on a Wilson Trucker. With the other masts, I would build one or, I found this one that I haven't tried, yet, but probably will sometime.

http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-mt-54
 
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I have bought Hustler products in the past, and they were built very well and performed just fine. Nice thing is, they still make them in Mineral Wells, Texas.

73,
RT307
 
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Hustler Mobile

Hello all I use the big one for 10 meters
but I don't use the Hustler bottom I got
my lower mast from DXEngineering.
My mounts from Breedlove mounts
By the way it tuned 11 thu. 10 meters
I can run 500 watts ok on it.

73s Al
 
I have used Hustler antennas on my mobiles for many years on many of the HF Bands & 6 meters & I had great success with them.I have never used the 11 meter model even though I did ham one in my collection because I knew it would not compete with the 102" Stainless Steel Whip.I understand the newer models are made in mexico & they lack Quality Control.I have a brand new 54" foldover mast still in the package standing against the wall here in my Shack/Man Cave but I will never use it but I'll sell it at a local Hamfest I'm sure.

SIX-SHOOTER
 
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