After months of waiting I have finally persuaded the Station Manager (She who must be placated) that a dual band collinear is not the eyesore she perceived it to be.
I have acquired an ex - military hf antenna which came with a very handy 8 metre mast. Last week I erected the mast and placed a Sharmans X-50 Collinear atop. Using a massive run of 30 metres of coax, I connected up my little cheap, cheerful and Chinese Leixen VV-898 and was finally properly on air. Having made a few QSO's I set off for my Radio Clubs Christmas buffet. I returned later to find the mast still standing and played radio for a while.
A week on and the mast is still vertical and the antenna is still in place. The mast is great and will form the mounting position for my mil-spec doublet once I have saved my cash and bought an HF set. I really like the Kenwood 480 sat but I will probably opt for a Yaesu FT-857.
The shack 2m/70cm radio is an Icom IC-E208 and is a huge improvement on the Leixen, which is now in the car. Finding a suitable PSU for the Icom was easy - 15a required and my existing one was only 3a (plenty for the Leixen) Amazon coming up with a reasonably priced 15a 200w unit.
So there you have it, no longer mobile only. Must remember not to neglect my domestic duties..........
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