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Upgrade NMO cable and 5/8 wave antenna?


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I currently have a Midland MXT275 in my Jeep with a MXTA26 6db 5/8 wave antenna and

MXTA24 NMO cable that is 6m long and a rather thin looking RG58u cable. I am swapping out the radio for a KG-1000 next week.

 

I was wondering if upgrading either or both the cable to something thicker/shorter would be worth it as well as going to a 1/2 wave antenna such as the Larsen NMO450CHW. It's mounted above the rear tail light of my Jeep so no real ground plane to speak of and there are no other good alternative locations. I'm not opposed to getting cable and terminating the ends myself although I've never done it. Is all this worth it considering the short run?

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Posted

You will not be able to tell the difference if you shorten the cable. The fraction of a dB you might gain is too small for you to perceive in real world use. Shortening the cable will only benefit you if it is bad/damaged in the portion you cut off, or if that little extra amount is in your way and bothering you.

 

I use the same midland antenna, only I use it in the center of my roof on mag mount. It has proven to be an excellent performer in my area. But again, changing to another with roughly the same gain is probable to lead to undetectable change, assuming again that both antennas are working properly. To top if off you will have less money in your pocket. Now, if the pattern of the antennas is different and you live in an area that is super hilly, maybe an antenna with less gain might yield more noticeable benefit when working certain stations.

 

To often we get hung up on the small differences that by themselves are meaningless. The small differences only become meaningful and beneficial when there are a lot of them that add up to big positive differences.

 

I made a point recently about the use of a larger antenna on my HT. I recently switched back to the use of a shorter antenna on my HT because in reality I found that the extra size provided me no real, practical benefit. While I have concluded it gives me about 5% or so additional range, I seldom every operate within the area represented by the extra 5% range to justify the full-time inconvenience of having that extra length.

 

 

Michael

WRHS965

KE8PLM

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Posted

I was wondering if upgrading either or both the cable to something thicker/shorter would be worth it as well as going to a 1/2 wave antenna such as the Larsen NMO450CHW. It's mounted above the rear tail light of my Jeep so no real ground plane to speak of and there are no other good alternative locations.

If you don't have a good ground plane for the 5/8 wave then the only alternative is using a 1/2 wave antenna, they don't require any kind of a ground plane. You need a really good ground plane for any 5/8 wave antenna to get a good match and realize the slight gain you get from using one.

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Posted

Thanks for the input guys. I guess how thin that cable was scared me a little, especially stepping up from 15w to 50w. And for the antenna, no ground plane but if the difference isn't significant, I'm not worried about it. Perspective on how much improvement I would see if I upgraded those also was what I was looking for. Sounds like the difference wouldn't be huge?

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Posted

Thanks for the input guys. I guess how thin that cable was scared me a little, especially stepping up from 15w to 50w. And for the antenna, no ground plane but if the difference isn't significant, I'm not worried about it. Perspective on how much improvement I would see if I upgraded those also was what I was looking for. Sounds like the difference wouldn't be huge?

If the antenna you are using requires a ground plane and you do not have a sufficient one then adding one or upgrading to an antenna that does not require one could make a night and day difference for you. On the other hand, a change in cable or decrease in length will be undetectable. I personally have never operated my MXTA26 antenna without one so I have no first hand experience on that front to share. It has always either been dead center on my vehicle roof, sitting on a metal trashcan lid or other metal surface.

 

 

Michael

WRHS965

KE8PLM

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Posted

No, I don't think so. It's not an electrical ground. It needs a flat metal surface to "push" off of. Think like metal trash can lid with the antenna on the might or something.

 

I just ordered the 1/2 wave antenna I mentioned above and I'll keep the same cable. Thanks guys! I am still curious to see if there is an NMO terminated cable stouter than RG58u out there if anybody comes across one.

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Posted

99% of the NMO mounts are RG58. There are some low loss ones that people have tried over the years but in a 15' cable you wont notice the difference unless you get up in the 2.4 ghz frequencies. If your really looking for a better mount and the bottom is exposed this is what I run on all my vehicles and SAR vehicles.

 

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=264_266_291&products_id=1125

 

The base is enclosed and helps with moisture. I still drop a piece of good heat shrink over the cable where it hits the base. I have them on vehicles in CNY winters for years. I run this on my JK (front fender mount) and on my JT (Back Rack mounted). 

 

Your antenna will make more difference on the jeep than the cable. 

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Posted

FWIW, according to Midland, the MXTA26 does not require a ground plane.  But its probably not 6db gain without it.  I'm running one with a Wouxun KG-1000G and so far I've been impressed.  My area is hilly and there are no repeaters here so I'm looking forward to getting out in the desert and testing it in more open country.  The SWR on it out of the box was very good at between 1.1 and 1.3 depending on the channel.

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