tcp2525

Stick with the MXTA-26 on the mast and stop worrying about the angle. It's not going to make a hill of beans difference. I know mine really performs amazingly well whether I'm standing still or doing 8 or 80. MPH in the truck. Only thing to worry about is to change the black set screws to a stainless steel one as salt water will corroded them quickly.

Not true. I've had to change capacitors in one were they sustained damaged due to arcing. Never assume just because they are passive devices they can't even damage or abused.

Here ya go, can't beat this deal. If you want two, offer him $500 each and he'll take it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/166729055740?i

No problem with Randy if your skin isn't thin. Plus, he's the only one with balls to stand up to Mr. Chung for not supplying a programming cable with a new radio. Also, he lives by the rule, the more people you piss off with the truth you know your message is resonating with a low SWR.

No! Absolutely no. The NMO is designed to get its ground from underneath the sheet metal it's mounted to. The top side of the sheet metal is usually painted and will insulate. If you want to assure a good ground, rough up the bottom of the sheet metal with sand paper or wire brush. I've installed dozens of NMO mounts through the roof of vehicles and none of the above mentioned is really necessary. I never had grounding issues.

I ran mine through the firewall and mounted it to the hood. This would be best for his installation as he won't have to worry about parking garages.

That's the mount I was talking about in a previous post. Great mount!

You might want to get a trunk lip mount with NMO and cable. I used one on my Lincoln as the roof was glass and that was the only option. Easy to install and remove. Sorry, I don't have a model number, but I believe Comet or Diamond made it.

If you're worried about having good numbers and it turns into an insatiable obsession, just screw a dummy load on the mount and drool at those numbers. It's all about performance. If you can talk reliably, you got it good. Don't sweat it.

I know you're really against punching holes in the ol' truck, but the best electronically and to set-it-and-forget-it is to punch a 3/4" hole in the center of the roof and install an NMO mount. When it comes time to trade or sell, just put an NMO rain cap on the mount and chance are nobody will see it. Of course, it you don't own the truck, just ignore my advice and do what others have mentioned.

Sounds like they had a bad batch! I had to send the one I bought back as well. I'm waiting for anther production run to come in before I buy another. I take it Comet no londer has their antennas manufactured in the HungLo province of China?

Why spend $30 to make a J-Pole when one can be made from scraps? I've made many antennas over the years and have been happy with the results, but I sure as hell won't put that on top of my tower. As another poster mentioned, the Comet 712EFC is a highly recommend antenna with good gain and is well built for a consumer grade antenna. The OP is planning on spending some coin to do it right because, I'm assuming he wants it to work great the first time and not have to climb a tower annually to deal with corrosion issues from an antenna that was slapped together from a person that you don't know their fabrication skills. If he's on a tight budget, get the comet, which is only $150 delivered. On a side note, I tried a Comet and got a dud, which I sent back. I will buy another this fall.

He's looking for something that is of commercial quality. Saving a "crap-ton of money" to buy crap isn't really a savings, nor is it smart.

Grab this duplexer on eBay. It's brand new and the seller is great. I have tuned one of these for a local GMRS repeater owner and it's a high quality duplexer that meets or exceeds advertised specs. Plus, the price is good too. https://www.ebay.com/itm/166729055740?

I tend to buy the items I think I need instead of what they think I need. Best to do what you're doing, asking questions and research. I see you're also looking at the IC-7300, which is a great radio too. I lean towards Icom for my station. Just stay away from package deals and get the radio you desire, a decent power supply to handle the load should you get your license. I don't know your physical situation when it comes to deploying an antenna, but a great choice would be an end-fed wire with an UN-UN. If you are unfortunate enough to be in an HOA, this is an easily concealable antenna. Calling HRO or DX Engineering and give them an idea of what you want is one of your best options. And they will gladly help you as they are knowledgeable and willing to help.

Yes, I never had any issues with Comet. I will definitely be purchasing another this fall. Hopefully by then it will come from a different production run. Plus, I prefer tower climbing in the colder weather.

Very nice! And good advice as well.

WOW! Thank you for the compliment. I'll definitely wear that as a badge of honor as I've always looked up to you for your infinite wisdom.

Good points! I forgot about the SDRs. I have one here on the bench, an SDRplay RSPdx, I bought used over a year ago and really don't use it much. When I do, it works really well, all depends on the software and computer. You just have to add the antenna and computer. And believe it or not, there are actually people that don't own a computer, but have a smartphone. That's even better, no extra hardware needed as there are on-line SDR services for free that work really well. See what happens when you kick the hornet's nest and people come out and put multitude of options on the table. http://www.websdr.org/

Just trying to prevent him from falling for the classic "Textbook Sad" option of wiping his ass with $100 bills and flushing them down the toilet. At least if he buys a real radio that has a receiver that will exceed that Chinese abomination in performance he'll have something to show for his investment. At the end of his day he has another option. I won't apologize for someone that gets butt hurt by someone putting another option on the table. And it's not going to hurt my feelings if he doesn't take my advice.

Take the $500 you're going to flush on that crap and add $400 and get a real radio such as the Yaesu FT-710 and have a transmitter just in case you get your ham license. https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-018470

The best advice is to read a lot of threads in this forum and start learning what works and what doesn't. Ask a lot of questions as well. There are a lot of topics on improving range and getting the most from your installation on the net. There's so much to learn, just take it slow so you don't get overwhelmed. Again, it's all about research and not thinking any question is not worth asking. Most of all, have fun.

Agree, it's definitely less of an issue on 10/11 meters and VHF, but when you are in the UHF region, one has to put in a little more effort to optimize their installation as it not only affects transmit, it attenuates recieve. A lot of newcomers rely on us to get the most out of their gear. I feel it best to advise them how to achieve the best performance, but also give them the option to get it just good enough if they have monetary and/or technical limitations. It's all about compromise, but UHF doesn’t handle compromise without a fight. That's just my opinion.

Very nice! I have a 2013 Limited. I finally upgraded to 20" wheels from a 2023 F150 after ruining two 22" rims from Baltimore potholes. I love the 20s and wished I did it sooner.

That's my point. Why suffer with a preventable issue?