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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/

if after 360 some odd days, i think it would be easier and faster to apply for a new license.

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?

Call customer support at the FCC

@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.

Lots of threads already on this radio. USe the search above and type in your radios. Here is the first that popped up for me

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

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.

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

@WRYZ926 Great information here. Thanks!! I was aware that the different ground plane clearances of the various conductive sections of my truck (Hood, Cab & Bed) would alter the reflective properties of the RF counterpoise. I was not aware that the vertical distance between the antenna on the cab and my truck bed, although more than a wavelength at GMRS frequencies, would effectively nullify all effectiveness of my truck bed as a ground plane!! I'll certainly need to research and read up on that... My current magnet mount has been placed very near the 3rd tail-light location and suffers from the same ground plane issues and so far the performance has been acceptable to me. I currently use a 5/8 wave GMRS antenna (although I'm not married to it - on rare occasions I swap it out for my 2M/70cm antenna) and at GMRS frequencies only about 15" of surface area is needed for an effective ground plane. So, if RF optimization were my ONLY consideration, shifting that GMRS antenna forward a few inches from the rear of the cab would probably be close to as good as it is going to get for my vehicle... Many of the comments thus far suggest just biting the bullet and drilling that 5/8" hole in the roof of the cab of my truck and installing an NMO mount as the best approach. I really do appreciate the feedback and comments! But OUCH... I just have a real aversion to that, and most likely will never do so and would rather just live with a magnet mount. Perhaps I should have mentioned in my OP that my truck has a retracting moon roof which significantly complicates things as far as drilling and mounting anything in the roof of the cab more than a few inches forward of that 3rd tail-light because of the sliding glass, retraction motor, etc. of the moon roof inside the roof of the cab. And yes, the moon roof glass too impacts my ground plane to some degree. If it's not one thing, it's another... But still I'm seeking the convenience of some kind of permanent mount, even if not optimal from an RF perspective, which as stated in the OP, is why I'm looking at whatever alternate mounting solutions I can find. Hood/fender mounts are often a no-drill option but those too often force you to route the coax thru an RF noisy engine compartment. They also tend to force you to mount them on either the right or left side of the vehicle which alters the radiating pattern to the sides, not to mention that you usually end up with the antenna being lower than the cab of the truck thus causing a certain amount of unwanted RF reflection if not some signal blockage. I conceded that there is no perfect solution, and things are never as simple as they may sound. So, while I'm not yet SOLD on this 3rd tail-light mount, and it is very expensive, thus far it seems to be a path to solve my specific problem. This is why I'm looking for folks with first-hand experience specifically with these 3rd tail-light types of mounts, even though any and all feedback is much appreciated! Thanks again...

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.

There is not a lot of room in any newer vehicle. I know space was very limited in my 2020 Ford Ranger and even more limited in my 2023 Ford Escape. I ended up going with radios with removable head units since I run multiple radios. It was either radios with removable head units or radios where everything is in the hand mic.

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

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.

Interesting. I have a DB-20G and 2 UV-9Gs, and never had a single problem with any of the 3. Well, aside from my own mistakes programming.

Yep, I think that’s the problem. I programmed it on 53 and then again on 55. It works on 53 but walked on 55.

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

Never accept failure when the power of getting the ultimate base setup is in easy reach. If all the great innovators and inventors throughout history used this mentality they would have simply went to Radio Shack to buy blister pack crap and feel sorry for themselves. Short answer, you're on the right track by learning how to build antennas. Since you have the skills you will be able to perfect your station with a little more research and persistence.

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

Well it came in. The packaging freaked me out a bit. It said 70cm which I know is 440MHz, but it also had a "C" sticker put on the end of the original printed label. I wrote Jim and he assured me it was the correct antenna and said it came that way from the manufacturer. After I got a response from Jim from Chatt Radio I noticed the antenna had a sticker on it saying it was indeed the CA-712EFC antenna On top of that the stated 9.0dBi gain listed on all the websites I've seen but the gain is listed on the package and in the literature as 9.8dBi gain. Not much of a boost. But going from 7.2 to 9.0 vs 7.2 to 9.8 is 1.8 change vs 2.6 additional gain. Nice.

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!

I agree, but it’s a different situation. HK went from being a British colony to being basically given to the PRC by the British. Taiwan has considered itself the rightful government of China (Republic of China) since 1947, and thus part of China. The PRC considers Taiwan as being part of China also, but obviously disagrees about whether they’re the rightful government. The United States has implicitly (and occasionally explicitly) stated that they would protect Taiwan from PRC aggression. Nobody except Taiwan is in a position to negotiate away Taiwan’s independence, but a change in philosophy by an incoming U.S. president could signal less commitment to protecting them which would result in a takeover by the PRC. I worked in Taiwan and grew to love the people there. I would hate to see them betrayed by our government.