JimK

Thank y'all very much ! The MXT275 Midland radio is the first radio that I have ever mounted into a vehical. The small magnet antenna is already up on the roof with the wire simply going through the door just so I could get started. I have one more set of LED lights to go up onto the roof rails and when that install happens I will be running the antenna cord through the roof at the same time. I will be running the DC Power cables up to the lights on the passenger side, while antenna cable will be run up through the roof on the driver side. I really apprecate the comments and insights. I will be mounting the antenna in the center of the aluminum flat bar, spanning crosswise between the roof rails with a gap of 8 inches between the roof and the base of the antenna. Again, thank you for your comments and insights. I will grab and post a pic after the install.

Yes, I would use a piece of steel (or aluminum) running crosswise and stick the antenna base to it to raise the antenna 8 inches off the roof. I was wondering if you thought that an 8 inch gap between the surface of the van roof and the base of the antenna would reduce the performance of the antenna signifiantly. Or if the 1.5 inch peice of steel (or aluminum) running crosswise with the antenna attached to that would be enough of a ground plane.

Yes, the aluminum angle work is bolted to the van roof. Yes, I would use another peice of aluminum running crosswise to raise and mount the antenna off the surface of the roof by about 8 inches. Should I be concerned with an 8 inch gap between the surface of the van roof and the base of the antenna ?

Question about ground plane and mounting my MXTA25 Midland Ghost antenna to my Ford Transit high roof Van. Aluminum angle with 2-inch legs is mounted to the length of the van roof with mounting brackets in a roof rail configuration. Three solar panels are secured to the aluminum angle roof rails to the rear of the preferred antenna mounting location with an LED Light Bar spanning between the two roof rails to the front of the preferred antenna mounting location. For optimal performance the antenna should be mounted directly to the roof of the van, however, when mounting the antenna directly to the roof, the rest of the structure on the roof will effectively block transmitting or receiving signals from the antenna. Raising the antenna (on a stalk or mast) up about 8 inches would position the antenna clear of the roof structure obstructions. Although mounting the antenna 8 inches above the roof, the antenna will likely still function, but it may not perform as well as if it was mounted directly to the roof. In your opinion, would I need to mount a 19 inch ground plane, 8 inches above the roof on the stalk or mast that the antenna is connected to ? Do you have any suggestions to consider when raising the antenna clear of the obstructions and still get optimal performance from the Ghost antenna ? Thanks

Thanks for suggesting the accessibility suggesting ... I still see small font on this site but I now have really cool hi-vis yellow keyboard on the phone!

Yes, I was interested in increasing the font size for general reading. I am using Chrome and have my font size set to 155% and force zoom override. I should be thankful the sites font size default is as large as it is since you showed me how small it can go. Thanks

Does this site allow me to increase font size? If so, how is it done? Thanks