Jeep antenna mount

[Elkhunter521]

After my 2001 Superduty F350 was stolen, I replaced it with a 2019 Jeep Wrangler 2 door. I never realized how problematic mounting  antennas for GMRS & CB was.

50 watt GMRS  and a CB (with a little extra).

Suggestions with pictures would be appreciated. 

 

 

 

[OffRoaderX]

The GMRS antenna on both my Jeeps is at the rear-passenger corner. Its not the most optimal location, but it works just fine.  SWR on the LJ is 2.1:1, and on the JKU is 1.6:1 .. Range is great and I regularly get simplex fars of 20+Miles and can hit one of my repeaters from 98 miles.. So dont let any of the "experts" tell you that this mounting location "wont work"... Both Jeeps have Motorola XTL5000 radios.

CB (when I used it) was same location, but dont use CB anymore.

[marcspaz]

What CB antenna are you trying to use? Something like a 104" whip or a Firestick, or something more like a Willson 1000/5000?

 

I can share some detailed images of how my Gladiator's GMRS is setup (would be the same for the Wrangler).  I used a lip mount on the hood and it works fantastic. 

 

For the CB, i would recommend a 104" whip and a heavy duty stud mount that will bolt to the swing gate. It will require running a ground wire to the swing gate and the mount for best performance.  Other antenna styles haven't worked for me in the past, on the Wrangler. 

[marcspaz]

Issue resolved.

Edited August 15, 2022 by marcspaz
Issue resolved.

[Elkhunter521]

GMRS antenna  is a Pictel MUF 4505. The CB antenna  is a either  4 ft. Firestik,  or a 4 ft FireFly.

[marcspaz]

 

You can definitely use the mount style that Randy showed on the swing gate or the lip mount on the hood, like I have.

 

You can mount all of it on the swing gate too, but I went with the hood for GMRS and swing gate for the CB to keep them far enough apart that one radio wouldn't blow-out the front end of the other.  The swing gate is a good place for the higher drag and heavier CB antenna because is more sturdy than the hood. 

 

 

This is my last Wrangler...

 

I'll take some new pictures of the Gladiator in the morning so you can see the cabling option from the hood.  Been raining all afternoon/night here.

 

Randy pulled his cable through the seals, which works fine, I did that for a bit with no leaks.  If you want to hide the cables (which eventually I did), you can run the antenna line inside the swing gate and inside the fabric tube at the hinge, too.

[marcspaz]

@Elkhunter521, the rain finally stopped, so I was able to take some pictures.  I figured I would provide details for the hood mount, both for you as well as other Jeep JL Wrangler and JT Gladiator owners... but I don't currently have access to a JL Wrangler to get pictures of the swing gate routing.  This is just the hood mount. 

 

Possibly someone who has a Wrangler (2018 JL/U to current) who has run the cables through the inside of the swing gate can get some quick pictures for you.

 

My apologies if this is a bit long.  I'll try to let the pictures do the talking.

 

NOTE:  You can do this on either side.  I selected the driver's side because it keeps the GMRS radio antenna away from my factory FM radio antenna, and away from the but-plate of my farm jack.

 

First, make sure the mount is at least 7 inches away from the windshield, so the A-pillar has minimal impact on performance (if any).  On our generation, that corner cap is plastic.  I put mine where I did since I have metal reflective surface from the light bar mount.  However, if you have trouble getting a good SWR in the same location as where mine is, push it forward so there is 7 inches of actual hood, trailing the antenna down the hood line (about 14-15 inches forward of the windshield).  This will be ideal for a 1/4 wave reflection.

 

 

I ran the wire so I had plenty of room to open the hood and have cable to spare.  It is literally just the cables natural spring tension holding it in place.

 

 

 

You are going to want to route the antenna cable behind the fender, following any factory cables that are there.  However, I ran mine under the cosmetic cover of the windshield seal on top of the tub, instead of cutting the seal where the factory wires go inside the tub.  So, on the other side of the fender, have the cable come out into the area of the door jam.

 

 

Use a trim panel removal tool to remove the two push pins in the seal and the side panel of the dash,

 

 

Lift the bottom of the seal out, away from the body, to expose a gap between the windshield and the tub.  There is a second, main seal, and some foam rubber you want to put the cable in between.  Once it is in place, lower the cosmetic flap back into position and put the two pushpins back.  If the cable is in the correct location and placed correctly, the rubber should go back into place with no resistance and sit flat, as it did before you put the cable in place.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps. 

[Elkhunter521]

Thanks for the pictures.  It's  much simpler on a extended cab pickup with a headache rack. 

[SargeDiesel]

 

@marcspaz  I have my antenna cable ran the same as you, but I have my mount, mounted to the side hood cowl(plastic piece) it seems to be working well with the stainless steel mount and stainless mounting bolt.  I am getting sub 1:5:1 SWR between the Midland ghost(MXTA35) and whip(MTXA26) antenna .  I was curious about what antenna you and Randy @OffRoaderX have.  I would like to know how he is getting the stated 20+ on simplex and almost 100 miles to a repeater ??  I recently broke my whip and I am looking to replace it. Someone mentioned the Larson NMO04450CHW , because of my mounting location and because it is a 1/2 wave and does not need a ground plane(GP).  Some else mention my best performance would be from a 1/4 wave and even someone else said I should stick with the midland 5/8 wave...  so I'm more than a little confused and I really do not understand the differences (pro/cons) of the different wavelengths.  I have a lip mount, but it is a top hood style, so I would be willing to change mounts (to the side hood style) if it was absolutely necessary.   I don't mind running the ghost for simple close trail situations, but I would really like to have a powerful whip for just in case.  Lastly, Midland says my radio (MXT575) needs 13.8v to operate at peek wattage ( I watched Randy's youTube video testing it out, he was  using a power source providing the 13.8v and he was getting 49+ volts into a dummy load.  I noticed when testing mine in the Gladiator, while running , producing 12.8v (I still haven't figured out the IBS on our Gladiators and why at idle, I only was producing the 12.8v instead of 13.8v+) and the highest wattage I was able to obtain was around 38/39w using the whip and aout 35 using the ghost.... is this normal ?   Thanks for any help !

[OffRoaderX]

I'm using the Midland MXTA26 on my JKU and a Tram UHF (dont remember the model) trimmed/tuned for GMRS on the wife's LJ...  My 20+ and 98 miles is in good conditions with good/decent line-of-site, which we have in many areas in southern california.. Put a forest, hills, or houses full of fat-people between me and the other radio, and the fars will drop significantly.

Many/most radios are designed to operate at full power at 13.8V because thats what your car should be pumping out with the engine running - the MXT575 is one of those radios that craves 13.8V.  Also bear in mind that some radios will just transmit on the low side (luck of the draw) and it is also possible that your (inexpensive?) meter is not 100% accurate.

[SargeDiesel]

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

I'm using the Midland MXTA26 on my JKU and a Tram UHF (dont remember the model) trimmed/tuned for GMRS on the wife's LJ...  My 20+ and 98 miles is in good conditions with good/decent line-of-site, which we have in many areas in southern california.. Put a forest, hills, or houses full of fat-people between me and the other radio, and the fars will drop significantly.

Many/most radios are designed to operate at full power at 13.8V because thats what your car should be pumping out with the engine running - the MXT575 is one of those radios that craves 13.8V.  Also bear in mind that some radios will just transmit on the low side (luck of the draw) and it is also possible that your (inexpensive?) meter is not 100% accurate.

Unfortunately, the Gladiator with its multi battery system has an on-demand alternator and does not automatically produce the 13.8v like most other/old school vehicles do.  The whole electrical/battery system is a PITA...  So as demand is needed the alternators current rises, or on full battery, its stays at 12.8v or so....  a lot of JT owners have commented on the JT forum thinking they have an issue....  I freaked out the first time I watched my gauge while driving... 12.8 at acceleration, and then 13-14.2 while de-accelerating or coasting....   so It looks like in the Gladiator, I will have to be happy with the 35-40 watts I was getting , unless there is some sort of amplifier that justifies the additional watts vs. cost.

ALSO

Would you mind giving me you input on the different wavelengths....  of course , if you are using the MXTA26 , I'm sure it is good enough for me, but I don't understand the 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 function ..pro/cons..

Thank you... your favorite viewer.

[marcspaz]

1 hour ago, SargeDiesel said:

@marcspaz  I have my antenna cable ran the same as you, but I have my mount, mounted to the side hood cowl(plastic piece) it seems to be working well with the stainless steel mount and stainless mounting bolt.  I am getting sub 1:5:1 SWR between the Midland ghost(MXTA35) and whip(MTXA26) antenna .  I was curious about what antenna you and Randy @OffRoaderX have.  I would like to know how he is getting the stated 20+ on simplex and almost 100 miles to a repeater ??

 

I hope this doesn't turn into a TL;DR post.  LOL

Randy gave you some good info.  I'll try to expand on it a bit.  Just keep in mind that this is a Line of Sight service and height is everything.  If there was a GMRS user in orbit around the earth, you would be able to chat back and forth with 0.25 watts and have a perfect copy.  Start putting stuff in the way, and it becomes a problem, regardless of the antenna or the power you use.

 

1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said:

Put a forest, hills, or houses full of fat-people between me and the other radio, and the fars will drop significantly.

 

I belly laughed at this one.  LOL

 

First, low SWR isn't everything.  The metal in the body of the vehicle is actually part of the antenna.  Typical of most antennas, half of the radio signal comes from an electro-magnetic reflection from the metal panel.  Whatever metal the antenna is connected to needs to have a good ground and have between 7 to 14 inches of surface for optimal performance, as well.

 

Our corner caps being plastic may not cause you to have a "bad" SWR, but it will definitely cause performance issues.  On a recent offroad trip, I fixed two antenna installs (one on a Gladiator and one on a Wrangler) by just relocating the mount to the hood from the corner cap, and both people instantly started talking about how much better the performance was.  On the ride to the trail, we lost each other after about a mile of separation.  After the fix and on the way home, at one point we were close to 15 miles apart as we went our separate ways and still talking.

 

Also, I know a lot of people love those ghost antennas, but in my personal opinion, they are not good.  The different antenna wavelengths actually serve a purpose.  The bare minimum for a good quality signal is a 1/2 wave, and a ghost antenna isn't it.

 

A 1/2 wave has zero gain, but it can hear stations with significant elevation differences.  Say you are at sea level and another station is on top of a small mountain near you, say... 5,000 feet ASL.  You will both be able to talk to and hear each other.  While the 1/2 wave is a little taller than a 1/4 wave, it doesn't need a ground plane, so it can be mounted on plastic, fiberglass or even in free space.

 

A 1/4 wave performs just like the 1/2 wave, but because is smaller, it needs a proper sized metal surface for the electro-magnetic reflection to produce the other 1/4 wave of the signal, making the complete half wave needed.

 

A 5/8 wave antenna has natural gain characteristics to it.  However, it needs a metal reflective surface, and while it can hear and transmit further on the horizon and get a bit better penetration of obstacles in the line of sight, it is at the sacrifice of hearing in drastic elevation differences.

 

So, I have two antennas.  I use the Midland MTXA26 high gain antenna around town so I can get plenty of distance.  Then, I also have a 1/4 wave Tram 1126-b for when I head to the mountains or when I am driving someplace that is very hilly... such as pretty much any New England state I visit, WV... etc.

 

 

1 hour ago, SargeDiesel said:

I recently broke my whip and I am looking to replace it. Someone mentioned the Larson NMO04450CHW , because of my mounting location and because it is a 1/2 wave and does not need a ground plane(GP). 

 

That antenna needs a ground plane.  I don't have any experience with that antenna, but on paper it looks good.  As I mentioned, it can't hurt to have a gain antenna and a 1/4 wave antenna.  Especially because the 1/4 Tram antenna I have only cost like $10-$12.

 

1 hour ago, SargeDiesel said:

I have a lip mount, but it is a top hood style, so I would be willing to change mounts (to the side hood style) if it was absolutely necessary. 

 

Can you share a picture of the mount?  I think most lip mounts can be on the top or side of the hood.  I just picked the side so its not in my line of sight.  I don't even notice it in my peripheral vision.

 

1 hour ago, SargeDiesel said:

Lastly, Midland says my radio (MXT575) needs 13.8v to operate at peek wattage ( I watched Randy's youTube video testing it out, he was  using a power source providing the 13.8v and he was getting 49+ volts into a dummy load.  I noticed when testing mine in the Gladiator, while running , producing 12.8v (I still haven't figured out the IBS on our Gladiators and why at idle, I only was producing the 12.8v instead of 13.8v+) and the highest wattage I was able to obtain was around 38/39w using the whip and aout 35 using the ghost.... is this normal ?   Thanks for any help !

 

I have gone through this with a few friends.  The asked me to test their install to see what the power and SWR look like, and get very upset when they only see 32-35 watts.

 

Basically, what is happening is, you may have a power supply that is providing 13.8vdc at the output of the power supply, but you are going to lose voltage as the power cables get longer and/or thinner.  So, if you test on the bench and there is only 6 inches of power line, you get the full 13.8vdc and the radio will output 48-49 watts (its almost never 50). 

 

Then, when you install it in your vehicle, you may end up with many feet of wire between the radio and the alternator.  I have seen and done some installs that used 16'-18' of wire.  Wire has resistance and the voltage drops as the wire gets longer.  Plus, connections that are not soldered nor use a nut & bolt style connection are going to have noticeable voltage drops, too.  And the higher the current draw goes, the more heat is generated and the more voltage loss you have.

 

Sometimes you can prevent losses by making the wires as short as possible, soldering all connections, and using a heavier gauge wire.  But, you are still going to see losses.  Also, an antenna will skew the results too.  The only way to get the real value is to use a dummy load.

I gave you a lot to read... but I hope it helps.

[KAF6045]

27 minutes ago, SargeDiesel said:

Unfortunately, the Gladiator with its multi battery system has an on-demand alternator and does not automatically produce the 13.8v like most other/old school vehicles do.  The whole electrical/battery system is a PITA...  So as demand is needed the alternators current rises, or on full battery, its stays at 12.8v or so....  a lot of JT owners have commented on the JT forum thinking they have an issue....  I freaked out the first time I watched my gauge while driving... 12.8 at acceleration, and then 13-14.2 while de-accelerating or coasting....   so It looks like in the Gladiator, I will have to be happy with the 35-40 watts I was getting , unless there is some sort of amplifier that justifies the additional watts vs. cost.

A futile attempt maybe to save the battery it seems... 12.8 is probably just enough to float the battery once charged. 13.8 is a nominal level between float and a "cleaning" charge (with engine running in my rust bucket, my Icom ID-5100 shows 14.1V) I believe at float voltage, the plates can get fuzzy. I have had battery chargers that try to recover bad batteries by using up to 16V "shocks" to decompose the fuzz on the plates. It does cause thinning of the plates.

27 minutes ago, SargeDiesel said:

ALSO

Would you mind giving me you input on the different wavelengths....  of course , if you are using the MXTA26 , I'm sure it is good enough for me, but I don't understand the 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 function ..pro/cons..

Thank you... your favorite viewer.

The basic antenna is a half-wave dipole. It is considered a "balanced" antenna (so, properly to use with coax, one needs a balun to convert the balanced antenna to an unbalanced coax). It is half the wavelength at the frequency of interest and split in the middle -- which is where the feed line connects. For GMRS 465MHz (mid point of 462 simplex and 467 repeater) the wave length is ~64.5cm. A dipole would be ~32.25cm -- so each leg of the dipole would be ~16.12cm. This antenna form has a pattern that looks like a donut with the antenna rising through center of the donut. So signals are strongest perpendicular to the antenna, and essentially non-existent off the ends. When comparing antennas, a dipole is 0dBd (db relative to dipole) or 2.15dBi (db relative to a fictional point radiator "isotropic" which puts signals into a perfect sphere -- since such does not actually exist in nature, the energy going into parts of the sphere are "focused" by a dipole -- so more energy is "seen" on the perpendicular points of the donut as it gets the energy that would be off the ends).

A quarter-wave antenna is basically one half of the dipole, so only 16.12cm long... BUT it needs a ground-plane to create a "mirror" of the missing half of the dipole, and maximum gain is probably less than the dipole as the ground-plane sort of reflects the signal in such a way that parts may interfere (cancelling out at some angles) and reinforce (adding in at other angles).

I haven't actually studied how 5/8th wave works... by the numbers it is a half-wave with an additional 1/8 wave added to the top. Also, for vehicle/HT you are unlikely to see a true dipole, as the antennas are fed from one end. That also changes the behavior.

Longer (yet tuned for SWR) antennas should show a gain over 0dBd as they squeeze the donut top/bottom -- pushing the excess energy further out on the perpendicular (but you may lose access of some mountain top repeaters as less of your signal is rising on an angle to reach them)

I really should study my ARRL Antenna book again.

[KAF6045]

10 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

Then, when you install it in your vehicle, you may end up with many feet of wire between the radio and the alternator.  I have seen and done some installs that used 16'-18' of wire.  Wire has resistance and the voltage drops as the wire gets longer.  Plus, connections that are not soldered nor use a nut & bolt style connection are going to have noticeable voltage drops, too.  And the higher the current draw goes, the more heat is generated and the more voltage loss you have.

My ID-5100 came with a 9.8ft power cable. I had to splice in 10ft 12ga (I don't think it was 10ga, but it felt thicker than the Icom cable) to reach from the battery to where the 5100 main box was mounted (in a well under the cargo bed of the rust-bucket 2008 Liberty -- it wouldn't fit under the passenger seat due to the AirBag passenger-present circuitry and wouldn't go under the driver seat due to the bulge of the transfer case). So yeah -- basically a 20 foot run of power cable!

The low power MXT115, and even lower power ancient CB had cigarette lighter plugs. I cut off the plugs, keeping the in-line fuses, spliced them together, and then ran them to front splice point of the 12ga wire, and spliced them into it. Unless someone has three hands for microphones I don't think they'll overload the Icom fuses. Assuming 50% efficiency in the radios, the total would be 138W draw, on 13.8V that comes to 10A even. At 33% efficiency, it is a 207W draw, or 15A@13.8V; the Icom fuse is 20A.

After all, if I'm ever going to do a long haul trip, I'll also have a GPS navigator and an old radar detector. That would have made for four devices wanting one power socket (and even expanders top out at three sockets).

[marcspaz]

@KAF6045, 12ga was a good choice, for sure.  I have done a few multi radio installs where I brought 8 gauge to a 45amp distro block, just to keep everything clean.  Most of the time, its 10 or 12, depending on the distance and if its a 100w or 50w radio.

[SargeDiesel]

29 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

I hope this doesn't turn into a TL;DR post.  LOL

Not sure what this means... but thank you for the information.  You put it in terms that I understand. 

The current mount I am using is a side mount that uses the hood cowl bolt to ground to the vehicle.  https://www.cooltechllc.com/2018-jeep-wrangler-jl/139-gladiatorwrangler-front-antenna-mount.html

The lip mount I have, that I mentioned is a Midland MTXA27, https://midlandusa.com/collections/micromobile-mounting-systems/products/micromobile-mxta27-universal-lip-mount .. you could put it on the side of the hood, but then your antenna would be a giant "curb feeler"... ha ha

So it seems I should search for a mount similar as yours ( side hood mount) and stick with the Midland MXTA26 Like I already had.

Thanks again.

[SargeDiesel]

18 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

Most of the time, its 10 or 12

The MTX575 uses a 14g power cable with two 10a fuses.  Maybe I just need to make my own out of 12g (50w radio).  I did have to add about two feet to the OEM power cable... I crimped and shrink tubed, but did not soldier....   

[SargeDiesel]

43 minutes ago, KAF6045 said:

I really should study my ARRL Antenna book again

Thanks for the great info and clarification....  I think I need to read it  at least once... ha ha  

[marcspaz]

5 minutes ago, SargeDiesel said:

Not sure what this means... but thank you for the information.  You put it in terms that I understand. 

The current mount I am using is a side mount that uses the hood cowl bolt to ground to the vehicle.  https://www.cooltechllc.com/2018-jeep-wrangler-jl/139-gladiatorwrangler-front-antenna-mount.html

The lip mount I have, that I mentioned is a Midland MTXA27, https://midlandusa.com/collections/micromobile-mounting-systems/products/micromobile-mxta27-universal-lip-mount .. you could put it on the side of the hood, but then your antenna would be a giant "curb feeler"... ha ha

So it seems I should search for a mount similar as yours ( side hood mount) and stick with the Midland MXTA26 Like I already had.

Thanks again.

 

TL;DR is internet slang for Too Long; Didn't Read.  It's kinda funny.

 

I see what you mean about the mounts. While they will work (as you're seeing) they just aren't ideal. The one I use isn't ideal either, but it allows for much better performance than the one you're currently using. The best involves drilling big holes, which I'm not doing.

 

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing what you get installed. 

 

1 minute ago, SargeDiesel said:

The MTX575 uses a 14g power cable with two 10a fuses.  

Yeah, 14 is too small if you are going more than a few feet.  When I had my MXT500, I cut the factory wires off and replaced them with 12, and 45 amp power pole connectors.

[KAF6045]

32 minutes ago, SargeDiesel said:

So it seems I should search for a mount similar as yours ( side hood mount) and stick with the Midland MXTA26 Like I already had.

Thanks again.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-003079 (short coax, the longer coax model is out-of-stock at the moment)

Don't think I'd recommend https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006521 as it doesn't seem to allow rotating the lower hinge. Once you've mounted it and hinged the antenna to a vertical, the mount might be hitting the hood if the rise isn't sufficient to clear. Rotating the lower hinge would let you put the offset to the outside, away from the hood. The K400 allows rotating the lower hinge, and then pivoting up to vertical.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006551 (hah "does not damage expensive or leased vehicles", yet most of them want the under-lip set screws to make contact with bare metal so one has to scrape small dots of paint off from the underside Has same problem as the previous.

[marcspaz]

7 hours ago, KAF6045 said:

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-003079 (short coax, the longer coax model is out-of-stock at the moment)

Don't think I'd recommend https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006521 as it doesn't seem to allow rotating the lower hinge. Once you've mounted it and hinged the antenna to a vertical, the mount might be hitting the hood if the rise isn't sufficient to clear. Rotating the lower hinge would let you put the offset to the outside, away from the hood. The K400 allows rotating the lower hinge, and then pivoting up to vertical.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006551 (hah "does not damage expensive or leased vehicles", yet most of them want the under-lip set screws to make contact with bare metal so one has to scrape small dots of paint off from the underside Has same problem as the previous.

 

I use the CP5 on my Jeep.  It comes with clamping plates that go between the set screws and the body.  So, if you don't want the screws to break through the paint, you just insert the plates.  I have an aluminum hood, so I poke through the paint into the metal for proper electrical ground.

 

I have used the K400 on several vehicles with good luck, too.  But the Diamond has a tab to stabilize the mount for heavy antennas.  I stay away from that one unless I have a heavy antenna I plan on mounting, to avoid accidental damage.

[SargeDiesel]

9 hours ago, marcspaz said:

TL;DR is internet slang for Too Long; Didn't Read.  It's kinda funny.

Thank you  I definitely read every word, and I appreciate others that are willing to share knowledge with those seeking it.  I believe you have helped me out on the JT forum as well.   I  appreciate you. 

 

9 hours ago, marcspaz said:

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing what you get installed

I'm not drilling holes either.... I will reach out once I finally find what I am looking for and get it finished .

Thanks again. 

[SargeDiesel]

8 hours ago, KAF6045 said:

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-003079 (short coax, the longer coax model is out-of-stock at the moment)

Don't think I'd recommend https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006521 as it doesn't seem to allow rotating the lower hinge. Once you've mounted it and hinged the antenna to a vertical, the mount might be hitting the hood if the rise isn't sufficient to clear. Rotating the lower hinge would let you put the offset to the outside, away from the hood. The K400 allows rotating the lower hinge, and then pivoting up to vertical.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006551 (hah "does not damage expensive or leased vehicles", yet most of them want the under-lip set screws to make contact with bare metal so one has to scrape small dots of paint off from the underside Has same problem as the previous.

This is the one I was lookind at since I already have the Midland low profile nmo mount/cable.  Im just not sure about the fitment,  But it looks like it will work.   Look forward to your feedback. 

https://www.gigaparts.com/comet-antennas-rs-720nmo.html

[KAF6045]

1 hour ago, SargeDiesel said:

This is the one I was lookind at since I already have the Midland low profile nmo mount/cable.  Im just not sure about the fitment,  But it looks like it will work.   Look forward to your feedback. 

https://www.gigaparts.com/comet-antennas-rs-720nmo.html

Well... while it has "3 adjustment" points, it still doesn't allow rotating the NMO plate to the outside.. To avoid possible interference with top of hood if the lip to top distance is more than the mount lip-to-NMO plate, you'd have to tilt out at the bottom hinge moving the NMO plate away from the hood, then tilt in at the top hinge to set the antenna vertical. The Diamond allows you to rotate the top hinge and NMO plate so it sticks out on the side with the "support tab", and then use top hinge to lift the plate for vertical antenna.

The design worked well on my 1999 Jeep Cherokee, since the tailgate window sloped, and then the tail gate was vertical -- I could mount to the side of the tail gate just below where the slope/vertical transition, rotate the plate and tilt it to vertical, with the plate away from the body. The window slope meant the antenna was further from sheet metal (this was a screwdriver HF/6/2/70 rig). Pity the Jeep rolled over on a damp off-ramp. Other than some kinks in the whip, I think the screwdriver survived, but we lost a few of the remote mounting screws stripping it before the junk yard got it.

[SargeDiesel]

1 hour ago, KAF6045 said:

Well... while it has "3 adjustment" points, it still doesn't allow rotating the NMO plate to the outside

Not sure I understand.  It is the same mount that @marcspaz is using in the pic above except he has the RS-730 which is just a little bigger/heavy duty.  I wanted the same mount but the NMO version only comes with the coax and I already have it.  So I'm looking at the Comet RS-720NMO.

You are able to move the base (closest part to the lip) away from the hood and then adjust the plate(where the NMO attaches) back down to level it out.  If this wont work, I think I'm missing something

[marcspaz]

1 hour ago, SargeDiesel said:

If this wont work, I think I'm missing something

 

You aren't missing anything.  It works. You can position it at any angle you want. It's a 3 axis.