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There is a simple, inexpensive solution to antenna issues, whether it is HOAs or not getting permission to mount an antenna on the chapel.I did this when I was living in an over-HOA'd community, which not only wouldn't permit antennas, but the HOA president routinely inspected all homes for compliance with Da Rulez.One day I realized that I already HAD a good antenna at my place -- on my car!The solution was to run an umbilical out to the driveway from the house. I mounted an SO-239 on the front of the car (in a Bell box mounted under the bumper), and ran a length of RG-58 to the box (with a SLIP fitting, for obvious reasons). A switchbox in the car set the antenna for the appropriate feed.For EMSCOMM, a 100-foot reel will let you park near the chapel and run the lead through a door or window.Another solution I've used is to use an extendable pole (intended for tree trimmers) as a mast for a VHF antenna.A roll of ductape can secure this to stair-railing uprights.These two tricks have worked for me for years.
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for ems com, chances are the power will be out or I would be using a phone, so its NVIS, I can put up an NVIS antenna from the light standards in the parking lot. the problem is having the plan in place so the right people are brodcasting and listening in the right place. Thats the hard part. It needs to be set up on a ward, stake, region and world system.
I have used several different temporary antenna supports. Some permanently installed and some just for a day or a few hours.For VHF/UHF antennas a long painter's pole or even a cheap harbor freight flag pole will do the job. To put up the pole, attach the pole to any safe structure, it does not have to be the building. Just tie it to a handy tree with a few bungee cords like the ones used to hold down truck tarps. Three or four long black cords can be quite secure if you spread them out over five or six feet. This works quite well for attaching an antenna mast to a chain link fence post, a guard rail around the A/C unit or a light standard, I would avoid light poles because of interference from the light if the power is restored. I have also used the stainless steel hose clamps to attach a shortened section of TV mast to a steel fence around an A/C enclosure. I cut the bottom of the TV mast off so the smaller top of the mast was just even with the top of the fence post and clamped the mast to the fence with three hose clamps. After the fence and the mast were painted to match, you'd have to know it is there to see it. To put up the J-pole antenna, just clamp it to another section of the TV mast, and go out and stack the mast sections on top of the one clamped to the fence. This place has 3 five foot sections so if they use them all, the antenna is up about 19 feet to the base of the antenna. Good enough for 15~20 miles on simplex at least. At this building, I have the coax fed through a louvered fresh air intake grid. Just put a double female fitting on the end of the outside cable and connect it up. When you are not using the feed line, just pull it back against the bug screen and the louvers on the outside hide it.TV mast will not withstand much wind if it isn't guyed but the less you use, the stronger it is in this case. I have seen antennas run up flag poles. On one relief mission, I saw a wooden contraption that attached to the flag lanyard and the antenna and could be pulled up the flag pole. What can I say? It worked and gave the net operator simplex coverage of the island where the work was being done.Serve safely, don't become a casualty!73 DE AC5WA
Any antennas or additions to the building must be approved by the area Facilities Manager and they are not inclined to be very helpful. You must have approval and I'm not very optimistic. My wife work as the Office Assistant for our FM and I've asked the question already. We have one of those building where the Church has added a steeple and if it's fiberglass would be a great place for hanging an antenna for emergency use ( like a j-pole) Then run the feed line down to a point over (in our case) the High Council room and coil it up and lay it on the suspended ceiling for future need. But I don't think the FM would go for it. See the comments of W0CEH for a better explanation.
In our meeting house, I was looking at the possibility of using an attic antenna. It seemed like a great idea until I found out that the roofing material was metal. I couldn't think of a situation where mounting the antenna inside a Faraday cage ( http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/Faraday-cage ) would be a good idea.
Our FM group won't allow roof mounted antennas either. My HF solution was to measure the distance between the parking lot light standards and then to put a kit together that includes a G5RV/2 antenna (see http://antennasmore.com/g5rv.htm), 550 paracord and a run of coax to reach inside the building. You only have to make a loop in the paracord on one end and lift it over the light support with an extension pole then toss the other end over another light support and tie it off on the ground after pulling it up. I built several J-Poles for 2 meter (http://thenorthmountain.blogspot.com/2011/10/copper-j-pole-antennas.html). They are easily attached to the same light poles with zip ties and a bracket. The bracket solution was simple too.. An aluminum lawn chart broke, so I cut up the frame saving the "U" with legs long enough to attach to the antenna on one end and along a side of the light pole on the others (our light poles are square). Add a little pad of coax sealer at the bottom of the legs to keep the bracket and antenna from sliding down and it works.... fast and simple and should stay up even in a bad Utah snow storm long enough to serve its short term purpose. Take down is even faster than putting them up.
I have found several things that make great temporary antenna supports. Among them are: 1. Painter's poles for extending rollers to paint ceilings, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-7516-Two-Section-Extension--15-Feet/dp/B000L8EJPI/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1340654589&sr=8-17&keywords=painter+pole 2. Swimming pool net poles for reaching across pools to fetch out leaves and other debris, like this: http://www.amazon.com/8375-Adjustable-Commercial-Fiberglass-Telescopic/dp/B0032JSQHU 3. Telescoping or sectional flag poles, like this: http://www.ezpole.com/flagpoles-liberty.php or this: http://www.harborfreight.com/16-ft-telescoping-flag-pole-kit-92901.html4. Golf ball retrievers, these are extendable poles for retrieving golf balls that are over the fence, out of bounds, in the neighbor's koi pond etc. Like this: http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30030859/igotcha-18-ball-retriever?cm_mmc=bv-_-RLP-_-30030859-_-productname_link&tcode=bvreviewsite5. Purpose built temporary antenna support masts. Like this: http://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-push-up-mast.htm While you are shopping pay attention to the weight and how long the thing is when fully collapsed. It won't do you much good if you can't carry it in or on your vehicle or it is too heavy to carry to the operating site. The golf ball retriever is pretty weak. It would support a simple 2m/70cm ground plane or lightly constructed J antenna. It will not take much weight or it will collapse. Not much wind or it will bend over. I have one that works with a WT for small events like the kid fishing tournament that a conservation/outdoors organization puts on locally.The pool and painters poles are stiff enough to support a small gain multiband UHF/VHF antenna without any guy ropes needed as long as you can strap them to some sort of support to keep the thing up in the air.The flag poles are strong, relatively inexpensive, easy to put up and at least one company can supply a mounting bracket that will fit into a trailer hitch on a SUV. The locking types with the push button latches are less prone to collapse when guyed or heavily loaded. The ones that just use friction like the golf ball fetcher cannot be guyed or they will collapse. The ones that twist to lock are somewhat better but the push button latch seems best to me.The purpose built antenna support masts will usually require guys if you are going to use them at full length. 40~50 feet of fiberglass pole, feed line and a gain antenna like the Comet CX-333 up in the air makes a great sail and is heavy enough to cause damage if it falls on something. Guying at several levels with 550 cord should be good enough if you need to guy one of these and are not trying to hold it up in a tropical cyclone. These can support substantial antennas when they are guyed. Have FUN!DE AC5WA
I noted that someone mentioned putting an antenna in the fibreglass steeple. Not always a great solution because many if not all of the the fibreglass steeples have a lightning rod in them so that detunes what could have been a great antenna. We ran into a problem something like that but what I did is install a Comet GP-6 antenna on top of a length of steel pipe inside the enclosure for the HVAC equipment. It's surrounded with a hedge, so completely out of sight. The base of the pipe is on a hinge fastened to the pipe frame of the fence and can be tilted up and locked in place. There is a length of LMR-400 going down from it and rolled up when not in use. It has a BNC type connector on the end. When we want to use it we take out an Icom IC-208H radio from a locked cupboard c/w switching power supply and external speaker. We have an RG-8X coax cable to go from the radio to the end of the cable from the antenna and make that connection through an open window. When we are finished we roll up the coax's, unlock the antenna and lower it into a cradle (like a saw horse). Close the window,lock up the radio gear, go home. When the antenna is lowered there is absolutely no complaint from anyone. Most people don't know it exists. HF radio antennas are another problem. I suggest an end fed antenna c/w antenna tuner (I like the SGC autotuners). I found a nice end fed antenna on eBay and then looked it up on eHam for reviews and this one seemed to get good reviews. The nice thing is you don't have to deal with center feeding and minor problems that can be. Just haul one end up into a tree or the peak of someone's roof or up using a telescopic pole. The end being fed needs to be only about 10 feet or so up. That would make a sloper for you. Lots of ways to support that kind of antenna.When I searched for end fed antennas on eBay I came across QSO King and Easy Tenna. They are from the same place but the QSO King is for those people with a linear putting out lots of power and the Easy Tenna is almost identical but designed for lower power rigs like my old Yaesu FT-847. I bought the 53 footer which is supposed to support bands from 6m to 160 meters. It did have some good writeup for it on eHam. You will need an external tuner for those antennas, not likely a radio's internal antenna tuner would have broad enough range for some of the bands. I bought the 53 footer because I don't know where I may need to set up in an emergency and the space may be limited. If you want to get the most signal out you would want the maximum length available. I'd suggest that only if you have a specific site to set up.VA7DHldsradio.ca
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