WRTK502

At one point I had mine on a mag munt on the roof of my truck, but I have the factory roof rack that was surrounding it. Now it's on a basic bracket and it is possible that performance was lost since the ground plane is no longer there. Regardless we shall see soon how much improvement I can get with the Highland antenna at roof height for mounting. Best case scenario it improves quite a bit. Worst case it's no change at all.

That's the one. I don't have it installed at the moment, but I do have it. I have a different guy for my ghost antenna

Thankfully I won't have to worry about a spring loaded part for the fold over. I have looked into my options and will be using a antenna mount by FrontRunner on my roof rack to simply fold the antenna over. How does it work? It has its own locking pin with multiple holes to lock I to for having the antenna stand strait up and folded over for clearance and not being in use. This will not affect the spring on the antenna

Things to keep in mind for why I said what I said. For starters the spring base that the Midland Antennas(specifically the Highland 3dB for this discussion) is pretty heavy duty compared others like the 6dB antenna Midland offers(the super skinny whip). To specify that spring is more than capable of holding the antenna in a folded position just fine. If it wasn't, it would have problems holding the antenna upright while driving down the HWY. Next is to understand that particular antenna I'm looking at. Both the Highland and Canyon Edge that I mentioned above are still 3dB antenna's like the Ghost antenna. Of the 3 one actually requires a ground plane(something I wasn't aware of at the time) vs the other two that don't require a Ground Plane(though it would not hurt to have one). In reality the antenna wasn't stacked to get the signal. If it was stacked, it would be a different signal with frequency or gain. i will also add that the Highland antenna has a set screw to lock down the antenna down to the spring base. This will make it nice as the set screw will not let the antenna just vibrate and rotate off. It will also help keep others hands off if they don't have the tools. Last but not least and I this is more of a poke to the comments of wanting to talk to the Moon. I am choosing a 3dB antenna due to the use I have. I understand that the beam pattern is more of a ball pattern vs a stretched oval that a higher dB antenna has. With a quality antenna in combination of the 50 Watt Radio I have, I should still be able to get an excellent range in general. I also understand that the 3dB will be great for mountain type terrain that I usually travel on. If I was traveling more on open desert type terrain, then a 6dB or higher would be better, but I'm not on that type of terrain regularly. Let's also keep in mind that if my goal was to talk to the other side of the world, I would have a base station HAM radio with more power than anyone would ever need.

From what I can tell here, you have a little bit better setup than me with that antenna. To specify it comes down to having a ground plane of sorts. I myself do not have that with my antenna. It doesn't help either that I have a few other items nearby the antenna causing some interference as well. In reality it all depends on the setup. For myself I find that I will need a different antenna that isn't as dependant on a ground plane. That will be the advantage of the Highland antenna since it is more ground independent.

It certainly doesn't surprise me that there are differences. That is why I'm looking to get information now instead of later. Now I have done some reading, but haven't been able to get clear answers. I can also state that I understand that radios that are going to be used in Canada need to be IC approved. Then again this is something that each country will probably have a rule for.

So it has been a bit since I was on here and I can say I got a good amount of responses. That said the first one was a bit hilarious. I have a feeling that marc has not looked at the antennas mentioned let alone the antennas that the Australians use for those CB Radios. With that all said I found out that the Ghost Antenna is not meant for much if it isn't grounded well. That was something I found out recently from Midland. Because of that I decided to go ahead and purchase the Highland antenna. Why? Because that antenna does not require a Ground Plane. Because of that I should technically get better performance causing me to get better range(within reason). Now for those wondering why a 3dB antenna has been chosen over other antennas, I understand my particular use. I don't necessarily need to talk to the moon, but I know that a good antenna paired with a good radio you can get an excellent range in multiple terrains allowing you to speak to others and get weather information from NOAA(if there is a tower nearby). The antenna was just ordered today and I am looking to get it installed in the next weekend. Once that happens I will test the performance and report back.

Hello all, I have a question related to the rules for Canada specifically when it comes to using mobile radios like the GMRS or others. I myself do have a license to operate a GMRS Radio in the US and I currently have a Midland MXT575 Radio in my vehicle. I also have a Garmin Tread equipped with the Group Ride that uses MURS at 5 Watts at best. In the near future(probably in about 2 years) I see myself moving up to Canada for work and I'm curious if I will be ok to keep the radios I have(even if it means getting the appropriate license) or if I will need to change the radios on the vehicle. Any information will be helpful!

Hello to all as I am a bit new here, but not entirely new to GMRS. I had a question related to the Antenna height. So I personally use GMRS in my adventure vehicle for Touring/Overlanding. I currently have the Midland MXT575(50 Watt Radio) in it and I can say that is a nice radio with the power. I also have the Midland Ghost Antenna as well which is a 3 dB type Antenna. It is mounted on the roof to help clear any instructions on the vehicle, but here are a few things on the roof that are kinda in the way(recovery boards, fuel cans, water tanks and whatever else I may throw up top). Something I have been looking at and considering is the new Midland Highland and Canyon Edge 3 dB Antenna's(28-28.5 inches tall over the 3.5 inch Ghost). If anything they would be taller and still be mounted on the roof. I would also make sure to have the folding base for when I don't have it in use. My only question is would there be any benefits other than not having to worry about obstructions from item on the roof? Again I would be staying with a 3 dB so the projection pattern and range should be the same if not mistaken. Thanks in advance