When your car is aluminum...

[HCCFCA]

I use HT's when my car club goes on drives. Depending on the number of cars, the line can get pretty long. I recently purchased a 20 watt mobile unit to gain some distance. The dilemma is this: the car is completely aluminum so no mag mounts (or those base plates with the double sided tape) and I will not use a lip mount that might mar the paint or drill holes. Where could I mount an antenna and what antenna would it be. Does such an animal exist? 

[wayoverthere]

1 hour ago, tweiss3 said:

There is a window between the passenger compartment and the rear compartment where the engine is. I wouldn't recommend putting the antenna in the engine compartment. 

On a whim, I started looking a Dubai exotic police vehicles, and I don't see an antenna on a single one.

I know there's a divider under there between engine and passenger compartment..was thinking mounting bracket along the edge, with the antenna just outside, but that doesn't leave a lot of options on cable routing I guess.

Pairing something to one of those big suction cup GoPro mounts comes to mind, but I don't know how secure that would be.

[gman1971]

Where is the factory AM/FM antenna located at? Is it glass mounted?

G.

[HCCFCA]

The am/fm antenna is embedded in the windshield.

[gman1971]

1 hour ago, HCCFCA said:

The am/fm antenna is embedded in the windshield.

I was afraid of that, but was worth asking anyways.

The antenna @gortex2 suggested would be my first try, TBH. Requires no drilling, and will give you the most "stealth" look for such a beauty of a car. 

Glass mount antennas like@marcspazsuggested would be my 2nd choice, provided the whip is under 12 inches, that would be my hard limit. Anything longer than that might make your car look like a command vehicle... and not sure if that will be okay with you...

Lip mounting antennas on aluminum panels/frame seems bound to create unnecessary troubles. Fatigue on the AL metal if its too thin, and potentially opening the door for AL corrosion (not rust) due to breaking the AL treatment they did when they dipped the frame at the factory... etc. Personally I wouldn't drill a single hole on that Ferrari's AL frame If that was my car. 

G.

[wayoverthere]

42 minutes ago, gman1971 said:

. Personally I wouldn't drill a single hole on that Ferrari's AL frame If that was my car. 

 

G.

Ditto. The only way I was thinking a lip mount was if there was a convenient existing bolt to use.

[HCCFCA]

Nope, no drilling -ever. But I have been searching under the hood near the windshield as suggested for an existing screw/bolt. There are one or two that might be a long-shot possibility. And there is room between the windshield and hood.

[HCCFCA]

Chapter 2...

Thanks for everyone's input. Outside the car is just a non-starter. I looked at all the suggestions and none will work. If I wanted to drill a hole or use a fender mount, then this would be easy. But no damage to the car was the over-riding consideration.

It's either stick with an HT which is the opposite of what i was trying to accomplish, or I'm going to try the below arrangement. The antenna is in the interior at the window between the passenger compartment and engine. - Its a Nagoya window clip slipped over a piece of aluminum. The antenna is off one of my KG-905's but I have a Retrevis 20W antenna coming fromChina (thanks to the recommendation above). The radio is a Radioddity DB20. The cable if you can call it that is not much but it's fixed in place.

I was able to get 3 miles using the shorty antenna to my base which would be more than enough for my needs. I do have a Nagoya 771G that I use on my HT's. If I slant the 771, I might be able to use that. The caravan of cars never stretches more than 2-3 miles. HT's often exceed their limit when the roads are twisty or hilly.

Any Pitfalls? 

[Radioguy7268]

You might want to search up SAR - Specific Absorption Rate.  20 watts right at ear level and close to your head probably isn't a good idea. Dropping the power down to 10 watts should still get you 80-90 % of that 3 mile distance, and would be like moving the antenna a full wavelength further away.

[marcspaz]

Horrible idea.  The minimum safe distance for a 50% duty cycle at 20w @ 467MHz is 3.4 feet.  Even 10w is 2.5 feet.  You need to stick to an HT or get the antenna outside.

[MichaelLAX]

1 hour ago, HCCFCA said:

Any Pitfalls? 

Yes:

You have your Radioddity DB20-G upside down, so as to gain maximum volume from the speaker located on its underside, but...

With a heavy transmitting duty cycle, this unit will develop much heat and you have the top frame's heat diffusers directly on your interior leather!

Do you have the Ricambi cupholder installed? Perhaps this cupholder mount from Amazon might be a better option.

[HCCFCA]

This is what I needed to hear gents, Things I hadn't considered. Guess, in the end, I will have to stick with an HT as I've ran out of options.

[SteveShannon]

I’m curious why the vacuum mount wouldn’t work. 

[HCCFCA]

Did I miss this suggestion?: vacuum mount? I have one in a drawer somewhere that I used for a radar detector. Let me check it out.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, HCCFCA said:

Did I miss this suggestion?: vacuum mount? I have one in a drawer somewhere that I used for a radar detector. Let me check it out.

It was the twelfth post on the first page where I posted this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Radios-NMO-SC-Suction-Antenna/dp/B08177PQPH

 

[WRPD494]

The image you shared.   That mount is designed to go over the window, putting the radiating element outside the car...  will it not work that way on your vehicle?   Agreed with everyone else, wouldn't want that so close to my brain box.

 

[MichaelLAX]

2 hours ago, HCCFCA said:

Did I miss this suggestion?: vacuum mount? I have one in a drawer somewhere that I used for a radar detector. Let me check it out.

1 hour ago, Sshannon said:

It was the twelfth post on the first page where I posted this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Radios-NMO-SC-Suction-Antenna/dp/B08177PQPH

 

I think he is hoping that a vacuum mount that he once used for a radar detector, will now work to hold his DB-20G; so that the heat generated by the DB20-G does not harm his leather interior.

Other than my cup-mount holder for the DB20-G do any of you have any other ideas on holding the DB20-G so that the heat will properly dissipate?

[wayoverthere]

2 minutes ago, MichaelLAX said:

I think he is hoping that a vacuum mount that he once used for a radar detector, will now work to hold his DB-20G; so that the heat generated by the DB20-G does not harm his leather interior.

Other than my cup-mount holder for the DB20-G do any of you have any other ideas on holding the DB20-G so that the heat will properly dissipate?

At a minimum, I'd want to put the mounting bracket on it so it isn't sitting directly on the fins, or flip it right side up and it'll allow the sound out.

[HCCFCA]

Chapter 3:

Why didn't I see this earlier, Steve? I have LOTS of glass... 

Do any of these work guys?

 

 

[HCCFCA]

As for where to place the DB20, that's still up in the air too. The previous picture was just to test power. Italian cars are not know for their robustness, well robust anything (except maybe the engine . But she powered up with the car on and transmitted.

 

I have a cupholder with bracket but it's about an inch too tall, well, probably 2 inches to provide some air flow.

 

I feel I'm getting closer and will look forward to any and all suggestions. This may work after all.

[marcspaz]

All 3 pictures look like a much better situation.  If the back window positions the antenna higher than your head, that would be the better location for both health and radio performance.

[wayoverthere]

28 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

All 3 pictures look like a much better situation.  If the back window positions the antenna higher than your head, that would be the better location for both health and radio performance.

Agreed...imo, that side window is the best balance so far for getting it up and out, and still leaving an easy cable routing

[HCCFCA]

I'm going to do this right, so I ordered the specific-purposed suction mount for an NMO that Steve suggested -that I missed entirely - and will place it top center/hinge area of the glass over the engine compartment as Marc suggested. If I had seen this method it would have saved us all a lot of conversation once I realized nothing else would work. So now we have the mount figured out...

Antenna suggestions (I want to keep the antenna relatively short)

What do y'all suggest

Tram 1174? Midland Ghost? Other candidates?

Continue to appreciate all your help. We're almost done.

[MichaelLAX]

Will your DB20-G be GMRS only; or will you open it up to Ham bands: 2 meters and 70 cms?

So you may want to consider a dual-band antenna. 

[marcspaz]

5 minutes ago, HCCFCA said:

I'm going to do this right, so I ordered the specific-purposed suction mount for an NMO that Steve suggested -that I missed entirely - and will place it top center/hinge area of the glass over the engine compartment as Marc suggested. If I had seen this method it would have saved us all a lot of conversation once I realized nothing else would work. So now we have the mount figured out...

Antenna suggestions (I want to keep the antenna relatively short)

What do y'all suggest

Tram 1174? Midland Ghost? Other candidates?

Continue to appreciate all your help. We're almost done.

 

Tram 1126-B works fantastic and is very low profile.  I have been using it for years and love it.

[HCCFCA]

Strictly GMRS

OK, 1126B candidate