Antenna for Mobile Unit

[steveccwohio]

Hello all. What home and mobile antenna would you recommend to use with a Wouxon KG-1000G?  I plan on having the home antenna approximately 20' off the ground. Thanks in advance! 

[SteveShannon]

5 minutes ago, steveccwohio said:

Hello all. What home and mobile antenna would you recommend to use with a Wouxon KG-1000G?  Thanks in advance! 

Mobile: Midland MXTA26

Base: Comet CA-712EFC ($$) or CA-GMRS ($)

[Lscott]

57 minutes ago, steveccwohio said:

Hello all. What home and mobile antenna would you recommend to use with a Wouxon KG-1000G?  I plan on having the home antenna approximately 20' off the ground. Thanks in advance! 

I don't have any recommendations for a base antenna, but for a mobile there are a couple for high gain and wide band use, particularly if you plan on getting a Ham license at some point.

https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/615-ca-2x4srjpg/?context=new

https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/613-nr240ca-roof-rack-mount-swr-and-photojpg/?context=new

Don't forget the antenna is just part of the installation. You have to consider the type of mobile mount you want and how it's installed. For a base you'll need mast, low loss coax and some type of ground system for lighting protection.

Grounding Tips for the Shack.pdf Antenna System Bonding and Grounding Requirements in the USA.pdf

Edited November 17, 2025 by Lscott
Added shack grounding info.

[WRUU653]

7 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

Mobile: Midland MXTA26

Base: Comet CA-712EFC ($$) or CA-GMRS ($)

I would agree with this. I have heard good things about the CA-712EFC and as for the MXTA26 I can confirm this works well for a mobile. 

[OffRoaderX]

On both my Jeeps, which both originally had KG-1000G radios, I use a Midland MXTA26. On my base, which originally used a KG-1000G radio, I use a Tram 1486.

I have upgraded all three radios, but I still use the same antennas.

[HHD1]

6 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

On both my Jeeps, which both originally had KG-1000G radios, I use a Midland MXTA26. On my base, which originally used a KG-1000G radio, I use a Tram 1486.

I have upgraded all three radios, but I still use the same antennas.

Would you recommend a KG-1000g as a first Base radio? So far HT's are all I have.  Katie and I each have a KG-Q10G.  But I would like to have a "house radio".  I guess I just wanna know if you liked yours or not.  And why did you change? 

[WRTC928]

22 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

Mobile: Midland MXTA26

Base: Comet CA-712EFC ($$) or CA-GMRS ($)

I don't know about a mobile antenna because my mobiles are multi-band, but the CA-712EFC is a heck of a good antenna. If it's within your budget, I highly recommend you buy it. I'd even be willing to cut corners on the mobile antenna to get the best base antenna because replacing a mobile antenna when you can afford a better one is a lot easier than replacing a base antenna. 

You're going to want low-loss coaxial cable, but if your mast is only 20' high, the cost shouldn't be prohibitive, depending upon how long the run is from the base of the antenna to the radio. For anything less than 100', LMR400 is fine. A coax loss calculator is helpful in deciding the cost/benefit ratio. TBH, with a high-gain antenna like the 712, you can afford quite a bit of loss and and still communicate just fine. 

[WRTC928]

23 hours ago, Lscott said:

I don't have any recommendations for a base antenna, but for a mobile there are a couple for high gain and wide band use, particularly if you plan on getting a Ham license at some point.

 

Yeah, if you think you may want to get an amateur license someday, you may as well get a multi-band antenna now. It doesn't necessarily cost any more than a GMRS-specific antenna and some of them will perform quite well on GMRS.

On my truck, I have a Diamond SG7900 (4.85 dBd gain) which has good SWRs on GMRS, 70cm, and 2m and it really blasts out a signal. Mine performs quite well with essentially no ground plane (YMMV), but it's obnoxiously tall. That doesn't matter much where I have it mounted, but it might for you. 

On the car, I usually use a Comet CA-2X4SR (4.05 dBd gain), which is a very good performer on GMRS, 70cm, 2m, and even MURS (which I never actually use). It also gets a good SWR on 1.25m and performs reasonably well if I'm not too far from the repeater, which is a bit surprising, since officially it's only a 70cm/2m antenna. It does require a good ground plane, but if you can provide that, you'll probably be quite happy with the performance.

[GreggInFL]

On 11/17/2025 at 10:44 AM, SteveShannon said:

Mobile: Midland MXTA26

Base: Comet CA-712EFC ($$) or CA-GMRS ($)

Yup.