The mobile station consist of a icom 706 Mk2G and a DK 3 screwdriver by Don Johnson. The DK3 is a awesome antenna and it sells around $140. Here is a link for the DK 3 reviews. Rumor has it that the DK 3 can be Purchased direct from Don Johnson W6AAQ at around $120.
As you can see in the above photo I used a l bracket to hold the DK 3 mounting stud. I then swiped the wife's plastic cutting board and cut it up to make spacers. The plastic worked out great and allows some flex so the metal of the truck bed doesn't crack. Drilled out the holes, installed the 4 bolts and bingo. I drilled 1/4 holes in the cab and bed and used grommets for the cable runs. I do recommend using ferrite on the power lead to prevent any RF issues. The tuning switch is located on the dash. It's a DPDT momentary set up to switch polarity.
Pictured above is the upper support of the DK 3. Again very simple. The 2x4's are cut to fit the bed rail hole and a few well placed screws is all that is required. Next I added a short piece of 2 1/2 in PVC and attached it to the 2x4s. The DK 3 drops right through for quick installation and removal. A few wraps of electric tape around the DK 3 make the PVC fit snug. The nice part is if I have a senior moment and drive through something too low the PVC will break away. Finally I painted the whole thing black to match the truck. Isn't it just beautiful?
Grounding. I cant stress how important it is to have a good RF ground. I have about 45 feet of 1in grounding strap running through the system. I tried to use a star ground system where I could. Ground everything to everything. Finders, hood, tailgate, doors, engine, tail pipes well you get the idea.
Tuning the antenna with the 706 very easy. My method is to watch the output power and adjust for maximum output. On the 706 this will also be the lowest SWR.
