Leaderboard

Well, unless your using this product, your antenna won't be top notch

A cup holder mount is not the only option. A seat bolt mount usually works too. And there are plenty of other options available. A radio with everything built into the mic or a radio with a removable head unit will definitely make install easier.

No.

I have done handheld antenna testing and it's not that easy. I wouldn't recommend an SWR meter, either. You can't replicate the ground plane of the chassis and the effects of having the radio in your hand, which makes taking the measurements difficult. The closest I have come without literally building a sampling circuit onto the radio was by making small metal table into a ground plane, mounting an SMA connector on it with proper length cable between the base of the antenna and the VNA. Depending on the cable type, you will want the cable to be almost 7 feet (6.9) to be sure you are outside of the near field while testing.

I was answering his question, not baiting you.

I tried one of these on a SAR members vehicle, 2021 3500HD DEnali with the sliding roof as yours. It was on a trunked system and on the system with a 1/4 wave worked ok. Simplex was misserable. Since then I dropped 2 NMO mounts in the roof and that mount was given away. There is plenty enough room for a NMO on each side. He runs a 1/4 wave VHF and UHF. At times he does swap out to the Larsen NMO puck on UHF but 90% of the time the 1/4 wave is on the truck.

I would be very surprised if the final output transistor in your radio would let its smoke out even if full power were reflected.

Exactly! I believe I only received 2 posts from people who have actually used that specific type of mounting device and provided some feedback about them. Nobody actually addressed my original questions, which were "Does it leak?" and "Are they strong?". The other posts that provided alternative mounting solutions, alternate recommendations or general antenna considerations regarding ground plane etc. were all valuable answers or comments to different questions that I did not specifically ask. I am still appreciative and thanked those people for their contributions to the topic. Looking at my OP I did not ask "what is the best way to mount an antenna?" Sorry if my communications sounded dismissive of others effort to help as that was not my intention.

Yeah, I had a GMRS callsign 12 years back which i let expire... and in the past year decided to give it another try. I looked into trying to resurrect my old callsign (although I was not really attached to it) but found it easier to just register for a new one on my existing FRN. not sure how you go about getting your $35 refunded though... hope you can.

Call FCC on the phone, they are pretty good to work with. Best to just apply for a new license, you will not be able to get the old call sign issued to you. (been there done that when I forgot to renew mine a few years back!)

A little update on my station: I switched back and forth between my 40 watt and my 20 watt (actually 15 watts) with nearly zero differences in capability. There's a huge difference between the 5w handheld and the 20w, but very little between the 20w and the 40w.

This (A-Pillar Antenna Mount) is another option to try that won’t break the bank. I have a version of this on my Tacoma and despite what some might think it works for me. I used to have a Midland MXTA 26 which worked great, now I’m using a Comet SBB5 (ham) also good results. Sure it might work better in the center of the roof… until it gets snapped off with a kayak. Sometimes there are compromises and good enough is just that.

There are molle panels that can be attached to the center console side. These allow installation of a radio there. There one for the Tacoma, and likely others, that has a panel on each side of the console with a bridge between. This give a lot of mounting options.

When I was going to engineering school I worked on the loading dock for a major retail store chain. They would periodically get credit for items that were either defective or had been recalled by the vendor. In a few cases they didn't want the items back, BUT the main caveat the items had to be PHYSICALLY destroyed. The store loss prevention guys would stand watch as the stuff was thrown in to the trash compactor and crushed just to make sure.

My brother had a 2014 Ford F150 Lariat. Your only option will be getting a radio with a detachable head, mount the brick under the center console, (he center console comes out pretty easy) and mount the head unit in the front cup holder via a cup mount.. You can either print one or buy one. The Midland MXT 575 is another option for GMRS only. mount the brick under the center console and throw the mic inside center console.

You're right. It probably wasn't even worth the few minutes it took me to type out.

Do you know the per hour burden rate is for each employee that item has to pass through before it lands on a service tech's bench? I'll give you a clue, it's way more than the simple hourly rate and benefits for each employee. For our company that could be around $100 or more per hour. Things like supplies, office space, furniture etc. gets lumped in that rate, at least for us. For people you have the receiving clerk's time. Next is the person in aftermarket that that has to generate the RMA paperwork, and track the progress of the repair order and then arrange shipment back to the customer. The shipping clerk's time. Shipping and insurance costs. Then the bench tech's time, from my experience sending in radios for minor work that gets billed at $125 per hour etc. The costs add up. For some items it's just not worth sending the stuff back. I've gotten a few digital mode bum radios on eBay I've paid $150 to $200 for. The seller refunded the cost just told me to keep the defective radio. I was told it wasn't worth the cost to them for the return. I did send those in to a repair depot. In the end I ended up spending about the same amount of money between the repair and shipping costs. Basically broke even.

I absolutely agree.

I mean, not really a surprise at that size, but I appreciate that they rate it honestly.

I considered buy one of those mounts for my 2020 F-150. It too had a sunroof that precluded installing a regular NMO mount. I installed a "Back Rack", which I use to haul canoes, ladders and lumber anyway, and mounted two antennas on the vertical bars at the sides. VHF on one side, UHF on the other. The Back Rack is bonded to the truck bed and the bed is bonded to the cab. I brought the cables in under the rear seat, under the carpet to the front seats, where my radios are hung. Works 'OK', but not quite a well as the NMO in the center of the roof on my last truck.

As mentioned, testing of an HT antenna is nearly impossible to get completely accurate results. It should also be noted that sometimes a "better" antenna will cause the radio to perform worse due to RF saturation. That being said, for the APX, the Motorola antenna will work the best for that radio.

First, don’t mistake SWR for antenna quality. If it were that simple we’d all use dummy loads. They typically provide a very low SWR but have no ability to radiate RF. Second, the SWR meter is not a sufficient ground plane for a VHF antenna. Typically you’d need either a planar surface of metal or an array of radials of at least a quarter wave radius or length to provide a decent ground plane. For VHF that’s much larger than the body of the SWR meter you’re using. The fact is that measuring SWR for handheld antennas is frequently futile and unnecessary. Instead hook up the antennas and see what kind of performance you get.

for 70cm i think all you need for a perfect ground plane is something in neighborhood of 6-8 inches and yes ground plane does help in radiation pattern for long distances . https://m0ukd.com/calculators/quarter-wave-ground-plane-antenna-calculator/

Putting your antenna dead center of the roof for that "perfect" ground plane is overrated and only matters to people that want to sound like they are smart. Sure, there's going to be lobes were you have a strong signal and others where it is going to be weak. Guess what? It doesn't really matter because you're not driving in a straight line +/- 1° 100% of the time. So your radiation pattern is always changing just as long as you are moving. I can understand your apprehension to drill, that's fine. You can use whatever mount you want and put it in a spot that's easy and convenient for you and your performance will be good. I put my 2m/70cm NMO antenna right above the 3rd brake light and it performs really well. Very easy install and didn't have to pull the headliner down. The Midland for GMRS NMO is close to center, not perfect and performance is good. Don't sweat it, enjoy it.

This is how this thread has gone: OP: Has anyone tried these? Others: Those won't have a very good ground plane, and that will hamper your signal propagation. OP: But this is what I want to do. Others: *shrug* then why did you ask?

@WSEZ864 Thanks for the suggestion about the back rack, and for the photo! Very helpful. That is certainly an interesting option worthy of consideration. @WRUU653 Thanks for the A-Pillar suggestion. I do understand compromises... Cost isn't a primary consideration for me, but even so the 3rd tail-light mount is in itself sort of a compromise, rather than following the recommendation of the "drill-baby-drill" enthusiasts who advocate for just installing that NMO mount. While an NMO mount installed dead center of the roof of my truck cab might be the best solution for RF purposes, that isn't necessarily the best solution for my purposes. I've been browsing YouTube videos about removing the headliner as was suggested by @WRUE951 and unless you are someone who does that sort of thing all the time, it appears like it could potentially be a PITA that is not without its own considerations and complications. In the process, I've also stumbled across a great many videos regarding replacing or fixing a 3rd taillight on these trucks. Some replace it for the purpose of a cargo/5th wheel bed camera, others for brighter or flashing LED lights etc. Many people with many different reasons. However, there are also folks that speak of damaged headliners as a result of leaks from a worn 3rd taillight lens gasket. Many suggest that it is not "IF" it will eventually leak, but rather "WHEN" it will leak, and they advocate replacing the gasket and resealing these 3rd taillight assemblies with silicone as a preventative measure. Something to think about... Interestingly enough that gets me back to my original post about this type of antenna mount where I asked those with direct experience using these devices: "Do they leak?" I'm thinking of an antenna being pushed by wind or by hitting trees, etc. and wonder how that might contribute to breaking or otherwise compromising that watertight seal around the mount? IOW, if these 3rd taillight assemblies are prone to leaking, maybe introducing an antenna mount there would be inclined to make matters worse. Absolutely nothing is without compromise!! Again, thanks for the comments and feedback on the topic.

I'd agree with the advice to use a radio with a detachable faceplate/control head. Lido makes a bunch of radio mounts. I had a 2012 F-140 4-door and used the seat bolt mount mentioned by WRYZ926. Worked great with a Yaesu Ft8900 remote head. Maybe poke around at the Lido site, click on "Radio Mounts" and see if something grabs you: https://www.lidoradio.com/ I've hung the radio body ("brick") under the driver's seat on all three of my F-150 installations ('07, '12, '20). Lido makes a mount that inserts into the CD slot, which I used in my newer truck with a home made block with a slot cut in it that sits in an unused console compartment.

They're very proud of those mounts. I know know someone who has one and it's very nice, but I don't know if I could bring myself to purchase one.

Now let’s talk about the origins of Covid! [emoji1787]

Maybe so, but it didn't look like it on mine. Mine has the retractable cover inside, side-curtain air bags, plus the regular glass window and by the time I avoided all of those items, I decided it wasn't worth trying to squeeze in there. The truck body is also aluminum and rather soft, so I was already on the edge of not using an NMO on the roof. https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Installing-Antennas-and-Radio-on-2020-F-150-Crew-w-Sunroof-Now-with-Moar-BackRack-/22-705121/

Sad ham.

Chinese refers to people, not all things from China. Citizens of Taiwan consider themselves Chinese. Millions of Americans are also Chinese. “Made in China” is different from “Chinese”. Using the term “Chinese” contributes to racial stereotypes. I agree with the fact that much of what is exported to the United States from China is poor quality. But it’s also possible to import quality goods from China if an importer is will to exert quality control on the goods, either in China or upon receiving them here. Making the mistake of assuming that all things made in China have little or no quality has already cost US manufacturing greatly. The truth is that they have as much or as little quality as we are willing to pay to own. Communist China is one of our two greatest adversaries, economically and militarily. To underestimate their abilities by subscribing to stereotypes is very risky. I may be more sensitive to this than others having worked in Taiwan in my past, but I believe it’s an important subject.

Thanks for the well thought out explanation, but it is wasted on deaf ears and it's not worth enabling him. Please let this topic die.

To any reasonable person, absolutely nothing. Here's an example. One of the directors in the company I work for ordered an electric power washer that was almost $400. It didn't work under load, so he contacted tech support and he went through all the steps he was told to do, still nothing. Call ended with them overnight a new one and told to toss the first one in the trash. I was asked to take a quick look at it and found the neutral wire under a screw that was never tightened. I looked at the tag and guess where it was made? I tightened the screw and they now have two power washers. No quality control and won't even take the defective one back to repair it. This is the true definition of disposable goods. Goes to show you the high profit margin.

I got a chuckle out of the rating of the Diamond SRH805S. You might have noticed that they rate the antenna gain as -2dB. That means a loss of RF radiation. Diamond says: So, basically, Diamond says the SRH805S will perform 2dB worse than the OEM antenna

Ouch, 359.65?!

There are counterfeits of almost everything that is good. It is possible that you bought fakes. There are websites that show how to tell the difference between the legit Nagoyas and Diamonds. Directly speaking of the fake Diamond antennas, they are obvious if you have had a real one in your hand and know what the real ones look like. Going back to your testing. You did not mention testing across the frequencies/bands for each antenna. Most usually favor one side of the band more than the other. Ideally they would be tuned for center, but that is less than optimal if you end up using it primarily on one end of the band or the other

Yep! And that's why I just bought bought a shiny new 2025 Honda Goldwing 50th Anniversary before the next batch comes in with the attached tariff. I'm in the process of removing my radio gear from the 2018 Goldwing and transferring it over. I wasn't ready for this, but I figured I better jump on it before it's too late. In a couple days I'll be GMRSing in style.

Not easily overlooked with Parallels! Parallels pops up and asks if you want to allow it every time you plug in a device.

The bed will not act like a ground plane since it is lower than the cab of the truck. The ground plane needs to be directly underneath the antenna. Sometimes even mounting an antenna to a luggage rack is not enough of a ground plane.

i bought one on ebay for half the cost from a guy that never installed it in a Ram truck he had. It's a very nice quality setup up. Realizing i still had to lower one side of my headliner to run the cable, i was upset that i even spent $200 for it. Just drill tab a 3/4 inch hole and run the cable. in my case getting the headliner partially down was most of the work. There is no way i would spend $500 bucks for this.. Just my two cents, installed on a 2018 RAM 2500

For shame, making poor Granny come out of retirement and be a windows installer!

You’ll have plenty of gp on any skidsteer. OP get a mag mounted 1/4 wave if the height of a 5/8 wave is too much, put it behind the cab glass. Done. Prolly fish the cable through the left or right sliding window and carefully shut it on the coax. We do this with strobes and work lights on our skid steers. Could also lift the cab access the engine bay and run the coax along the foot plate up through the floor holes. Drill hole through the floor mat edge or something of that sort. Pretty awesome your trying to mount a gmrs mobile inside a skid steer. I’ve never been that brave cuz our skidsteer operators are absolute savages and not in a good way lol also the tid h3 is the only radio loud enough for me to hear in a work environment and I still have to wear it on a jacket with a nylon radio clip area right next to my ear

Yeah, he should have just said "Nope".

I'll put my DB20 against your Motorola any day of the week. Best radio on the market and I will have more than enough money left over to buy a six pack of laxative at Taco Bell. Why do you hate the DB2O so much? Did it hurt your feelings by beating you in a pissing contest?

OK, still waiting to get this antenna up for my repeater, but I've bought a second one for the house. I had a water infiltration issue in my coax and need to replace that. Since I borrow a bucket truck to get up there I am also replacing the current antenna with the 712EFC. What I'd like to know deals with waterproofing the system because I don't plan on going through this again. The 712 is a two pc antenna and it has a screw type grommet system to join the antennas. This is a possible water infiltration point. I got some marine type heat shrink tubing (1.5") and plan on wrapping the joint with 3M rubber splice tape that was recommended here someplace. And then cover that with the heat shrink tubing. It has an adhesive in it to seal everything off. On the top of the antenna is a cap, I plan on sealing this too just in case. Just want to make sure doing this won't affect the SWR or performance of the antenna. I don't think it should but I figured I'd ask anyway. I plan on wrapping the N connectors with the 3M and the heatshrink tubing also at all my connections at the antenna and the lightning arrester.

Isn’t that radio inhibited from transmitting above channel 54? Or am I thinking about a different radio?

My search turns up only a small handful of prosecutions, mostly hunters that didn't know about RDF and the fact that the Coast Guard has authority on all navigable waters, even far inland, so there isn't much inhabited land where they aren't within VHF range. It appears that in general, outside of prosecution for false distress calls their verbal threats on air are sufficient enforcement. Probably fear of uniformed guys with guns. FCC doesn't have that advantage.

Weird because the Coast Guard does not enforce radio regulations.. That is the FCCs job. Nope...

When I programmed mine, they were all set for NB on all channels, and I was unable to alter them to WB. But definately worth the 23 bucks for the pair. Just what Wifeypoo wanted, a basic, no frills turn on and use radio as she has no interest in my radiodorkness!