jharv

Thanks for all the recommendations on different radios, I do appreciate it. I've been kinda wondering which are better than others and which may have some features that mine just isn't capable of. I may eventually replace the radio, but I'm in no rush - for my specific case of wanting something small in the jeep with limited space, I like the idea of the controls on the mic... the lack of "no PL on RX" is an issue, but not too big of an issue just yet. Since I don't [yet] have access to any local repeaters it's not a big issue... hopefully one day I can find some repeaters, then I could see it being an issue, and then may swap out the radio. So I'll take my time and research the radios now, so if/when the time comes I'll have a better idea of what I'm looking for. For a long time I was thinking to move away from CB to GMRS or HAM, but didn't really compare different radios - and didn't know enough about them or the technology. Going with the Midland micromobile was somewhat of a hastly decision I made, but while I am learning more and more of what it's missing, so far I don't entirely regret it. I'll keep an eye on that other thread as well... thanks again to everyone for all the advice! As for my original topic of antenna performance, for now i'm happy with the no-ground plane antenna that I have. Eventually (time-permitting) I'll add another NMO mount to the top of the tire carrier, and will compare the performance and post the results.

Keith - thanks for the update. i agree, that's very sad news.

i do have an update on the antenna, but it's not a "final" configuration yet! i got my hands on a Laird no-ground plane antenna and did some comparison testing. in my opinion, it's slightly better than the Midland - but not by very much. i'll explain... the midland is sold as "pre-tuned to 462 mhz". the laird is ufh 450-470 - it's tuned to 450, and to better tune to 462 i should cut it a bit shorter. i've been afraid to do that - fearing that if i cut too much off, i could make things worse. right now my SWR is exactly 1:1 - i'm assuming because the anteanna is slightly longer than ideal for this frequency. but before cuting / tuning, i wanted to test it as-is. so i road tested the laird and compared to the midland. the first thing i noticed was the laird no-ground plane definitely had more "reach" than the midland, by a few blocks. maybe about half a mile to a mile farther. so i drove in and out of where i thought the range would end, and noted on a map where coverage was good, bad (meaning no receieve either direction), or staticy (receive but with static).where the range ended wasn't a hard cut-off. i found spotty areas just a bit father away that worked pretty decent. but overall, i was happy with the no-ground plane antenna being that it might have little better "reach" plus the spotty areas.i then retested with the midland anteanna, driving the same route. this time the midland performed better than my test a few weeks ago, and i also noticed more spotty areas where i had signal but didn't expect to. so the midland was better this time than last time, but still not as good as the no-ground plane. i think the different results with the midland were just more thorough testing and different topography / weather.in my test results, there were some spots that the laird worked and the midland didn't, and others that the midland worked and the laird didn't... but overall it seemed the laird worked better. i probably need a few more days to know for sure... but i guess that indicates there's not a huge difference. the mxt275 also came with a mag-mount antenna. i road-tested that one also, having it sit on the very top of my tire carrier (where i'm thinking to move my mount to). it performed better than i expected. within a mile it sounded crystal clear, but after about 1 - 1.25 miles it cut out pretty hard. really makes me wonder how a 1/4 wave would perform mounted at that point - one day i will try that, but might take a few weeks for me to find all the parts i need and to make sure i have enough coax. i found something else interesting with the two midland (mxt275 versus handheld gxt1000).if i configure a PL tone on a channel (which is applied to tx and rx) and run channel-scan, it stops at a channel that has signal, and operates as carrier squelch. if i change to that channel manually, with PL set, I don't hear anything. but as soon as i scan, it'll stop and that channel and i hear the transmission. i was surprised at this - and tested it again using my handheld with no PL configured. the mobile 275 stopped and i could hear it (only in scan, not when just sitting on that channel).i did the same test using the handheld as the receiver, with a PL set on the handheld, using the mobile to transmit with no PL. when the handheld is in scan mode and i transmit with no tone, the handheld stops at that channel, but i still hear no audio. so it more "pauses" the scan until there's no signal, then it moves on.i just thought that was odd, especially on the mobile.... but admittedly, i probably should check the manual, but it was more fun to just try it.

berkinet - thanks for your intense googling. i searched also, but didn't find anything. Hans - i agree (to ask Midland for this). i've seen their post on their product site saying they're considering it... i'll try to contant them as well, at least to show there's more interest. Jones - the monitor function on the mxt275 basically turns off squelch completely, outputting (very loud) static until someone transmits.

Hans - yes, thanks for the info. i came across that before, but didn't think much of it since i've yet to find a repeater within my transmit range. but i would like the ability to set a PL tone on transmit only and carrier squelch on receive, so that i could use a repeater and still receive local simplex (if the time comes where i can find/reach a repeater). i wonder if or how Midland could ever address this, other than forcing people to purchase a new radio with that capability, if they ever release one. as far as i know, there's no way to program or upgrade the units, at least the mxt275, other than what's available in the menu.

PastorGary - that's great, thank you! when i was thinking of how to mount the antenna to the very top of the tire carrier, i was trying to picture how to do it using some sheet metal and maybe some really thick washers. i never thought of a flange - i think it'll fit perfectly, and is exactly how i was picturing to make it! the top is triangular and the sides measure 4.5" on two sides and 5.5" on the other. even better is that there are already 3 holes through the top, about 7/16". i traced it out on paper yesterday, and will take that to some hardware stores. if i'm lucky enough, i might even find a flange where the holes will line up!

raven1390 - thanks for the info, that helps the comparison. about the mxt275: part of me wishes i would have gone with the mxt400 instead (just for the increased power - 40w), but i really like having the controls in the mic, which i have mounted close to the top of my dash. it's very convenient for changing anything (scan/channel/volume), and if i do need to look at it, it only takes a quick glance. i think the feel of the buttons and response is excellent. the only reason i didn't go with the 400 is that i would have had to mount it along side the center console, which would have taken up a small amount of space next to my passenger, but would have also been harder to see the screen or reach the controls (i have a manual transmission and also use the cup holders, especially when off-road). i did perform another test: from my mobile on top of a local hill to a handheld in the house. distance was about 6.2 miles, and we had fairly decent quality both ways. i did have better signal on the mobile as i was driving down the hill, perpendicular to the direction of home - but that could be because the signal was stronger towards the sides, but could also be because i was along the side of the hill as opposed to being about 100' from the edge - the signal being obstructed by the edge of the hill. either way, i'm pretty happy with the results! but that also tells me height (line-of-sight and less obstruction) means everything - which i knew, but actually seeing the results is very interesting (fun). as time permits (probably over the next few weeks), i'm going to do a few more tests, noting how far from home i start to loose signal. then once i get a different antenna, and/or add a second mount higher on the tire carrier, i'll do the same tests from similar locations. i'll be sure to post those results.

oh wow, this is great! and it gives me an idea. here's what my tire carrier looks like (not mine, but same one): http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/102794455+w660+h440+q80+re0+cr1+ar0/012-anvil-jk-wrangler-aev-tire-carrier-check.jpg my current mount is on the square part at the middle, which is at just about the height of where the tailgate meets the window. it runs 27.5" up, to about 2-3" just above the roof. my tire carrier has a steel platform that sits just above the tire - maybe about 6" lower than the top of the roof. it's meant to be a mounting location for rear-facing fog lights, which i'll never need. i think i'd be silly to not mount an antenna there! i thought of that when i first installed it, but the challenge was there wasn't enough material to drill through and hold a mount. and at the time, i thought having a longer antenna would be better. i should think about how i can attach a metal platform to the existing platform, raised up just enough to fit the coax between the two. that will get my antenna completely away from being wedged between the tailgate and tire carrier! the concept of running two mounts is a really good idea. i could use one for my on-pavement driving for greater distance, and another for when i'm off-road and need to avoid tree branches but probably won't need the distance (we're usually in a tight group). this is great - thank you very much!

PastorGary - thanks for the link, there's a lot of good info there! i feel bad for the person cutting their hood... they quickly abandoned that plan, said it wasn't going so well, and chose another spot. i'm glad i wont be cutting anything at this point.

Elkhunter521: thanks for the sheet metal suggestion! i may actually have just enough room to fit something like that... will look into it and how to mount it. Matt: yes, that's my antenna. actually, i'm wondering if a no-ground antenna might be a good idea... i think i might just have to try one, and compare the results against my current antenna. it looks like laird makes a no-ground antenna (theantennafarm link) in both a 5/8 and 1/2. they're both slightly longer that what i already have (mine being 27.5", theirs being 31" or 33"). i'm thinking that slightly longer is a good thing - the top would be a few inches higher than the fiberglass roof. i like how they just screw on to the NMO mount... if i ever want to swap it out for whatever reason, that's convienient. i'm glad to see you think my results so far have been pretty good (distance-wise). it's good to know i'm in-line with expectations and not just hindering myself for doing something silly (like no ground at all). so my next minor projects will be to try to fabricate a ground plane and/or experiment with a different antenna. i measured my SWR, and it came in a roughly 1.4:1 on the GMRS channels (at 15w, measured 3W on the meter). on some channels it was closer to 1.35:1. on a lower-power FRS channel it was actually 1.2 - and surprisingly with the tailgate opened it measured 1.5 (worse)! i also checked my ground continuity from various points on the antenna base, mount, tire carrier, and tailgate. it seems like i have a pretty decent ground. i don't think i'm bleeding any RF back into the coax.... if anything, i may just be trapping it (or more like distorting the pattern) between the lower part of the antenna and the tailgate/wheel/carrier. to be honest, i don't think i really have a "signal problem", i just don't know how this compares to other setups, especially knowing mine is less than ideal. i'm starting to think my current setup isn't so bad... or at least not as bad as i thought... but i do want to test adding a ground plane or different antenna. thanks again for the suggestions!

hello all, newbie here, so i wanted to introduce myself along with asking a question about antenna placement. i few weeks ago i purchased / installed a midland mxt275 (15w) in my jeep. i also installed midland's -6db gain antenna. i also have a midland handheld. in the past few weeks i've been reading many of the forum posts and doing as much research online as i could find. i've also done some local testing to compare this radio to my old cobra cb. my initial thoughts are that i've very impressed! i love the feel of this mic and the quality is awesome. the one mistake i made was looking at the coverage circles of the repeaters thinking "oh wow, that's great" - not realizing at first that circle is the estimated range of the repeater's transmit... and my being able to reach that repeater is a whole different story! in my testing to the handheld, i got about 2, maybe 2.5 miles, through a suburban type area, with some trees and plenty of houses and buildings along the way. plus, the handheld was in the house, my daughter using it to test with me. in another test from my jeep to a buddy with a midland mxt400 (40w), we got about 3 miles, hearing each other clear as sitting right next to each other. so i'm pretty happy with this - compared to the cb - but i want to make sure i'm getting as good range as a should be (with 15w). here's the shameful part. i mounted my antenna on my jeep's tire carrier, between the tailgate and spare tire. i say "shameful" because i know it's not the best place, but i think (or thought at the time) that it was my best choice. i don't see many posts with pics here, but if anyone wants to see i do have two i can share. i knew mounting the antenna there would be shielded, which is why i went with the -6db loss antenna. it's 27.5" long and reaches up about 2-3" above the top of the jeep. recently i've been reading so many posts from people saying not to do this. my second choice for mounting it was at the base of the windshield, in front of the driver side mirror. i didn't choose that because i take my jeep off-road a lot, and it's going to constantly get whacked by tree branches. i think 2.5 - 3 miles under these conditions is probably what i can expect, but that's just a guess and wanted to ask your opinions. if it's normal, that's ok. but if you think i should easily get 10+ miles then i have a problem. i ordered a uhf swr meter that should be here tomorrow. i'm assuming my ground is good - which is somewhat questionable, since it's mounted to a metal swing-out tire carrier. will test that with a multimeter tomorrow as well. the other problem - i've read recently to not mount an antenna near many vertical surfaces.... my nmo mount is on an L-bracket, screwed into what is basically a 2-3" wide vertical beam. so my questions are: do you think my range is about what i should expect? and more importantly, if i am getting feedback from the antenna back towards the radio because of the lack of ground plane or all the metal surrounding the base of the antenna, would i see the result of that as a high swr reading? i wanted to ask in case the swr is actually good, i didn't want to assume the mounting location isn't causing a huge performance problem. i've read about non-ground plane antennas and am thinking to try one of those, based on the readings tomorrow and any suggestions you may have. thanks in advance for any advice or comments you may have!