Antenna Farm

The Shack – The Back Room – The Antenna Farm – 12V Power Distribution

Last Updated on 2/26/2026

I didn’t want to drill new holes in the roof for my first antenna; plus, a lip mount on the hatch is impractical due to its plastic trim pieces. I chose an EM-MG11006-SP, by Electro-Magwave (EM), and installed it over the existing “sharkfin” hole. Click here to learn more about this solution for adapting an NMO mount to the factory 40mm square hole. I think this mount almost looks like it could have come this way from the factory. I imagine that only fellow hams and VW enthusiasts recognize that this is not a stock antenna.

At first, my choice of antenna for the EM mount depended on how “cute” I wanted my car to appear. My most discrete antenna was a 19-inch Tram BR-179. When I wanted better performance, I would mount a ½-wave Diamond NR770HBNMO that’s 40 inches tall. Either option allowed me to blend-in without being noticed as a communications platform most of the time. Eventually, the cute-factor got tossed out in favor of better performance, especially after I decided to leave my roof rack mounted full time. I’ll explain below.

I have a Scorpion SA-680 Black Widow for HF. The SA-680 can accept full legal power, has excellent adjacent frequency rejection, and stands up to the abuse of road vibration. I use a capacitance hat, which increases antenna efficiency and results in a shorter profile. Mounting on the hitch isn’t ideal, but it’s my best option when considering the low tree cover along my usual driving routes. So far, my most distant contact was to Slovenia, over 4500 miles (7200 km) away. I can work 17-80 meters with the caphat or 10-80m with a 67″ whip. See my latest Scorpion video here.

Eventually, I decided to throw discretion to the wind and just go nuts with my selection of antennas. I decided to leave my roof rack mounted full-time when I began planning a VHF contesting setup, then I added antenna mounts to the ends of each crossbar. My setup grew to include Superstrut channels and Diamond K9000 motorized mounts for my ½-wave VHF/UHF antennas, ATAS-120A, and WeBoost Drive Reach cellular signal booster antenna. The K9000 mounts are attached using Superstrut accessory brackets that I drilled to match the bottoms of the mounts. I use the EM mount for my GMRS antenna since the stubby antenna fits beneath my rooftop cargo box.

“Why an ATAS-120A antenna?,” you ask when I have a Scorpion SA-680? I bought my ATAS in 2007 as my first mobile HF antenna. While it’s not the best screwdriver antenna, it’s very convenient and a breeze to learn. Today, it’s an “easy button” for when I don’t want to mount the huge Scorpion. The ATAS also tunes 21-54 MHz, frequencies that my Scorpion cannot touch with its caphat mounted. As a result, the ATAS is still useful even when I have the Scorpion mounted. I replaced the standard chrome whip with a black Larsen whip.

I connect a variety of antennas to my FT-891 by using a 4-port coaxial switch by Alpha-Delta. The switch is glued to the B-pillar beside my hip. Connected antennas may include an M2Inc 6m horizontal loop, 6m Moxon, ATAS-120A, Scorpion SA-680, or a dummy load. I cannot see the switch as I operate it; so, I have the antennas ordered on the switch according to their height on the car so that it’s easy to recall the applicable switch position. The switch is most often connected to the ATAS-120A; the seat belt often snags on the switch and forces it to select the ATAS! 😀

I have two antenna mounts on my hood. My original plan was to use them only for contests when the Yagis are mounted since they can collide with my rack-mounted antennas. The K9000 antenna mounts mitigated that concern. Instead, I use one for an SDR receiver and the other for a Citizen’s Band radio. “Settle down, OM!” CBs are useful when investigating traffic problems or for the occasional chat with a truck driver. Oddly enough, I’m reminded of why my CB stays OFF each time I turn it on. 😀 Still, I’m not too prideful of a ham to have a CB in my car. I’m not committed to mounting the hood antennas full time. So, these mounts usually are just capped with their antennas in the trunk.

My last full-time antenna is something that’s not often found on passenger cars: a WeBoost Drive Reach cellular signal booster. The WeBoost uses an outside antenna to bring cellular signals inside for amplification, and then retransmits through a smaller antenna inside the car. It does the opposite with signals from my phone. It can make the difference between no signal in the car and a good signal in some areas. Even in my populated area, the WeBoost has proven very useful for maintaining my connection with the D-STAR network when driving in low-lying areas with intermittent 4G/5G coverage. The splicing tape shown on the mast eliminates wind noise at highway speeds. Also shown in this photo is my solar Meshtastic node and a pipe that looks like a “Compactenna.” The pipe is actually used to assist me when I mount the Yagi array shown below.

In 2022, I decided to try my hand at VHF contesting as a “Limited Rover.” I mounted horizontally-polarized loop antennas for 50, 144, 222, and 432 MHz. Polarized for SSB activity, I’ve gained ~20+ dBd of signal strength when compared to my vertically-polarized antennas. I’m told that I’m outputting a much better signal on local SSB nets. I added a rotator and Yagis in 2023. CLICK HERE to learn more about my growing Rover setup. I’ll leave you with a functional block diagram of my RF paths and other photos below.