I acquired a new vehicle, a 2019 Toyota Tundra 4WD DC Limited model. I plan to add a cap to its bed by spring so I needed a temporary mount for VaQP for VHF/UHF.
DIY Antenna Mounts for Toyota pickups with factory bed rails:
Parts:
T-slot nuts (Bolt Dropper, Amazon)
3/16" x 1" long hex screw
Fence bracket (I chose a black one, they also have plain metal)
3/4" bi-metal hole saw (for an NMO mount antenna)
Drill
c-clamps
scrap wood
I purchased all of these parts at my local Home Depot except for the T-nuts for the Tundra bed rails, I bought these on Amazon.
I build a jig to hold the part (fence corner bracket) for drilling, I am making a 3/4" hole for an NMO antenna mount.
After drilling I had a rough 3/4" hole to add an NMO mount to later. The jig kept the c-clamps from marring up the pre-power coated bracket finish. The small hole was already there, the NMO mount will cover it up when completed.
The bracket has it's hole mount for an NMO setup and a 3/6" hole for the hex screw into the T-nut from Amazon.
The completed mount, you can rotate it 180 degrees if you want the antenna to sit about 1" lower. I will de-burr the mount before use. It took me less than 20 minutes to design and build.
On this mount, due to it's position on the truck, I plan to mount an NMO 1/2 wave antenna as it does not require a ground plane. Do not mount a 1/4 wave antenna like this, you will have a poor setup being that far up from the pickup bed, a 1/4 wave antenna needs a proper ground plane and this mount type will not match!
73, david kk4zuu
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