Least bad mobile antenna placement

[WSAK598]

Long-time listener, first-time caller. I got into GMRS handhelds a couple years ago to stay in touch with friends while hunting. Now I'm looking to build out a 15-20W mobile rig to get a little better performance and have a backup to my HT. As seems to happen in life, practical constraints are getting in the way of optimization. So, I'm hoping folks smarter than I am can give their thoughts on a few alternative antenna placements. For context, I drive a 3rd gen Tacoma with a fiberglass Leer cap. I'm not willing to drill the roof. I regularly carry a canoe or kayak up top, so I need something offset enough that it won't interfere with the boat (I know I could remove the antenna, but I don't want to have to choose between the radio or the boat if I can avoid it). 

Option 1: Hood/fender-mounted whip (MXTA26 or similar) near the passenger-side A-pillar. I know it will work, but I also know that getting the antenna higher would be better. I also don't love the idea of transmitting right next to my face. 

Option 2a: Ghost antenna mounted on my roof rack. My cap has Thule tracks installed, each approximately 58" x 2". I also have the WingBar cross-bars installed, which are oval in shape and roughly 50" x 3.5". I could mount the antenna on the track just forward or aft of the front WingBar tower. The ghost antenna is short enough that the boat would clear it. 

Option 2b: Ghost antenna mounted on a WingBar. I could mount on the outer edge of the forward WingBar, which would maximize height but would expose the antenna to some tree/brush impacts. 

Option 3: Folding antenna on Thule tracks. I could mount a folding whip or fiberglass antenna on one of the Thule tracks. I'd rather the antenna be in play all the time, but I could compromise on a folding antenna if the ghost just wouldn't cut it.

My very basic understanding is that Option 1 likely has a better ground plane but will experience more interference from the truck cab. Options 2-3 prioritize height at the expense of antenna gain. I don't want to run a tall antenna up top because the areas I hunt are extremely overgrown.

I think (please correct me if I'm wrong) that Options 2-3 have enough metal in the system from the Thule tracks and/or WingBars, but that the long/skinny shape of that metal could cause directional transmission issues.* For those of you well-versed in this sort of thing, I'm curious how big of a deal that is. 

*It's possible that there are enough metal-to-metal connections in the roof rack that the whole system could function and one continuous ground. But I don't know, so for the time being I'm assuming that the ground plane would be either one track or one WingBar. 

So with all that said, if these were your options, which would you choose? Or would you do something else entirely?

[AdmiralCochrane]

Option 3

[WSHT233]

What's your use case?

 

Are you trying for distant repeaters, running in vehicle convoys, or using the truck as a base camp?

A low commitment starting point might be to get an NMO mag mount for the roof of the cab and start with a ghost.

You could then experiment with placement and swap out other NMO antennas if you wanted something more.

Your best ground plane will be a continuous metal surface in direct contact with the mag base - I'm not sure you'd get much benefit from the rack mount or bumper condition.

Others here have a lot more experience and insight though, so wait and see what's worked for them!

I personally run a simple Nagoya mag mount ~16" whip on my roof and get good results with just my 5 Watt HH in the cab connected to it - easy contact with a strong repeater 30 miles away.

 

[WSAK598]

2 hours ago, WSHT233 said:

What's your use case?

 

Are you trying for distant repeaters, running in vehicle convoys, or using the truck as a base camp?

A low commitment starting point might be to get an NMO mag mount for the roof of the cab and start with a ghost.

You could then experiment with placement and swap out other NMO antennas if you wanted something more.

Your best ground plane will be a continuous metal surface in direct contact with the mag base - I'm not sure you'd get much benefit from the rack mount or bumper condition.

Others here have a lot more experience and insight though, so wait and see what's worked for them!

I personally run a simple Nagoya mag mount ~16" whip on my roof and get good results with just my 5 Watt HH in the cab connected to it - easy contact with a strong repeater 30 miles away.

 

99% of what I do is on simplex to stay in touch in a convoy or use the truck as a base camp while friends are hunting/foraging the same general drainage. My main goal in adding the mobile unit is to have something I can set and forget. I don't want to have to worry about batteries, whether I left my HT in the back of the truck, etc. If I can increase my range/clarity a little over what I get with my handheld that would be great, but I'm on the Oregon coast and the terrain is usually my main limiting factor. Repeaters are a bonus, but not a priority. 

A mag mount might be the move, I've just had bad luck in the past running things through the door in the rain and it makes me a little leery. 

[WSHT233]

36 minutes ago, WSAK598 said:

99% of what I do is on simplex to stay in touch in a convoy or use the truck as a base camp while friends are hunting/foraging the same general drainage. My main goal in adding the mobile unit is to have something I can set and forget. I don't want to have to worry about batteries, whether I left my HT in the back of the truck, etc. If I can increase my range/clarity a little over what I get with my handheld that would be great, but I'm on the Oregon coast and the terrain is usually my main limiting factor. Repeaters are a bonus, but not a priority. 

A mag mount might be the move, I've just had bad luck in the past running things through the door in the rain and it makes me a little leery. 

For sure - I've had to reroute my cable through the door gasket a couple of times once I realized the seal was compromised!

I did find better ways to tuck the cable and make use of the vehicle's existing furnishings/trim once I saw the vulnerability of my first efforts. 

[hopeinvalor]

A whip mounted to the hood/fender will probably sit as high as a ghost antenna on the rack, but will have a more reliable ground plane. If you’re going through the trouble of a folding antenna or even a mag mount on the roof to accommodate being able to transport a kayak/canoe, twisting off a whip and putting a rain cap over it is way faster than navigating a mag mount with a wire. The kayak/canoe, is it directly bisecting the roof? Would drilling the roof above the passenger’s head be enough offset where you can still load the kayak and clear? Regarding transmitting with the antenna directly in front of your face. . . . The windshield is one heck of an insulator. Think about how strong the signal is when you transmit with a handheld inside the car with the windows rolled up versus standing outside.