" wrote in message
...

"Caveat Lector" wrote in message
news:PYs%f.12664$bm6.7806@fed1read04...
Since aluminum is non magnetic, I would assume a mag-mount vertical
would
not couple properly to a aluminum ground plane.

Thoughts ?
--
CL -- I doubt, therefore I might be !

I tried this on a 2M antenna and it didnt work so well. My theory was that
since the antenna was not firmly attached to the Al then the capacitve
coupling between the base of the antenna and the Al groundplane was off.
Fixed the problem by soldering radials to a coffee can lid and placing the
antenna on this.



I was able to make a magmount work OK with only a steel TV tray.

I decided I wanted an emergency 2M antenna, so I got a ladder and attached
the antenna whip from the high point inside my garage roof. The VSWR was
awful until I took an old TV tray up and -- *bonk* -- stuck it to the
dangling magmount base. Voila! Good VSWR. So, it doesn't take much. If
the coffee can lid is what works, then that's what you do!!