Antenna height question

[WRTK502]

Hello to all as I am a bit new here, but not entirely new to GMRS. I had a question related to the Antenna height.

 

So I personally use GMRS in my adventure vehicle for Touring/Overlanding. I currently have the Midland MXT575(50 Watt Radio) in it and I can say that is a nice radio with the power. I also have the Midland Ghost Antenna as well which is a 3 dB type Antenna. It is mounted on the roof to help clear any instructions on the vehicle, but here are a few things on the roof that are kinda in the way(recovery boards, fuel cans, water tanks and whatever else I may throw up top). 

 

Something I have been looking at and considering is the new Midland Highland and Canyon Edge 3 dB Antenna's(28-28.5 inches tall over the 3.5 inch Ghost). If anything they would be taller and still be mounted on the roof. I would also make sure to have the folding base for when I don't have it in use. My only question is would there be any benefits other than not having to worry about obstructions from item on the roof? Again I would be staying with a 3 dB so the projection pattern and range should be the same if not mistaken.

 

Thanks in advance 

[WRTK502]

Thankfully I won't have to worry about a spring loaded part for the fold over. I have looked into my options and will be using a antenna mount by FrontRunner on my roof rack to simply fold the antenna over. How does it work? It has its own locking pin with multiple holes to lock I to for having the antenna stand strait up and folded over for clearance and not being in use. This will not affect the spring on the antenna 

[SteveShannon]

7 minutes ago, WRTK502 said:

Thankfully I won't have to worry about a spring loaded part for the fold over. I have looked into my options and will be using an antenna mount by FrontRunner on my roof rack to simply fold the antenna over. How does it work? It has its own locking pin with multiple holes to lock I to for having the antenna stand strait up and folded over for clearance and not being in use. This will not affect the spring on the antenna 

This one?

https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/en/us/antenna-rack-mount.html
 

[WRTK502]

That's the one. I don't have it installed at the moment, but I do have it. I have a different guy for my ghost antenna 

[Northcutt114]

5 hours ago, WRTK502 said:

From what I can tell here, you have a little bit better setup than me with that antenna. To specify it comes down to having a ground plane of sorts. I myself do not have that with my antenna. It doesn't help either that I have a few other items nearby the antenna causing some interference as well. 

 

In reality it all depends on the setup. For myself I find that I will need  a different antenna that isn't as dependant on a ground plane. That will be the advantage of the Highland antenna since it is more ground independent.

I was running it on a mag mount in the middle of the hood and it sounded better, but I got tired of looking at the coax running back down the hood and was worried about paint damage, so I got the lip mount. The clarity suffers a little bit and there's more snow in the RX but it looks cleaner and my left eye doesn't twitch anymore.

 

[WRTK502]

27 minutes ago, Northcutt114 said:

I was running it on a mag mount in the middle of the hood and it sounded better, but I got tired of looking at the coax running back down the hood and was worried about paint damage, so I got the lip mount. The clarity suffers a little bit and there's more snow in the RX but it looks cleaner and my left eye doesn't twitch anymore.

 

At one point I had mine on a mag munt on the roof of my truck, but I have the factory roof rack that was surrounding it. Now it's on a basic bracket and it is possible that performance was lost since the ground plane is no longer there.

 

Regardless we shall see soon how much improvement I can get with the Highland antenna at roof height for mounting. Best case scenario it improves quite a bit. Worst case it's no change at all.

[nokones]

On 1/1/2025 at 3:00 PM, tcp2525 said:

I definitely agree! The ghost antenna is perfect for off-roading and can withstand the force of relatively small low hanging branches. Now, if you're a serious off-roader like me you really need to step up your game and get a higher quality ghost antenna. This is why I use this heavy duty model manufactured by Bird. It's rated at 50 watts and delivers the perfect antenna radiating performance, about equal to the Midland. The best part is the durability, with its DIN connector that adds extra holding power to the vehicle so it can withstand branch strikes up to 6" in diameter.

On a more serious note for the OP. If you're traversing through terrain where you're going to be grazing a lot of tree branches you might want to consider the famous and much loved 1/4 wave whip. It's perfect for rough service, just bend it back to shape after a fun day on the trail. It breaks, replacements are cheap. And you'll get better range than the ghost antenna you're using now.

Are you seriously using the item you depicted in the picture as a Phantom (stubby) antenna?  If you are, you must be intellectually challenged just as much as that load terminator (dummy load) and it is pretty stupid on your part if you are and I'm pretty sure you won't be getting one iota of any gain since that is not an antenna, you dummy.  

I know I fell off the turnip truck at a very young age many many decades ago, but the last time I checked Bird did not produce any antennae. Did they just start producing antennae the day before you posted this to the forum?

[nokones]

On 1/1/2025 at 3:00 PM, tcp2525 said:

I definitely agree! The ghost antenna is perfect for off-roading and can withstand the force of relatively small low hanging branches. Now, if you're a serious off-roader like me you really need to step up your game and get a higher quality ghost antenna. This is why I use this heavy duty model manufactured by Bird. It's rated at 50 watts and delivers the perfect antenna radiating performance, about equal to the Midland. The best part is the durability, with its DIN connector that adds extra holding power to the vehicle so it can withstand branch strikes up to 6" in diameter.

On a more serious note for the OP. If you're traversing through terrain where you're going to be grazing a lot of tree branches you might want to consider the famous and much loved 1/4 wave whip. It's perfect for rough service, just bend it back to shape after a fun day on the trail. It breaks, replacements are cheap. And you'll get better range than the ghost antenna you're using now.

Are you seriously using the item you depicted in the picture as a Phantom (stubby) antenna?  If you are, you must be intellectually challenged just as much as that load terminator (dummy load) and it is pretty stupid on your part if you are and I'm pretty sure you won't be getting one iota of any gain since that is not an antenna, you dummy.  

I know I fell off the turnip truck at a very young age many many decades ago, but the last time I checked Bird did not produce any antennae. Did they just start producing antennae the day before you posted this to the forum?

[nokones]

On 1/1/2025 at 3:00 PM, tcp2525 said:

I definitely agree! The ghost antenna is perfect for off-roading and can withstand the force of relatively small low hanging branches. Now, if you're a serious off-roader like me you really need to step up your game and get a higher quality ghost antenna. This is why I use this heavy duty model manufactured by Bird. It's rated at 50 watts and delivers the perfect antenna radiating performance, about equal to the Midland. The best part is the durability, with its DIN connector that adds extra holding power to the vehicle so it can withstand branch strikes up to 6" in diameter.

On a more serious note for the OP. If you're traversing through terrain where you're going to be grazing a lot of tree branches you might want to consider the famous and much loved 1/4 wave whip. It's perfect for rough service, just bend it back to shape after a fun day on the trail. It breaks, replacements are cheap. And you'll get better range than the ghost antenna you're using now.

Are you seriously using the item you depicted in the picture as a Phantom (stubby) antenna?  If you are, you must be intellectually challenged just as much as that load terminator (dummy load) and it is pretty stupid on your part if you are and I'm pretty sure you won't be getting one iota of any gain since that is not an antenna, you dummy.  

I know I fell off the turnip truck at a very young age many many decades ago, but the last time I checked Bird did not produce any antennae. Did they just start producing antennae the day before you posted this to the forum?

[SteveShannon]

7 minutes ago, nokones said:

Are you seriously using the item you depicted in the picture as a Phantom (stubby) antenna?  If you are, you must be intellectually challenged just as much as that load terminator (dummy load) and it is pretty stupid on your part if you are and I'm pretty sure you won't be getting one iota of any gain since that is not an antenna, you dummy.  

I know I fell off the turnip truck at a very young age many many decades ago, but the last time I checked Bird did not produce any antennae. Did they just start producing antennae the day before you posted this to the forum?

No, he was sarcastically implying that a ghost antenna was equivalent to a dummy load.

[WRTC928]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

No, he was sarcastically implying that a ghost antenna was equivalent to a dummy load.

Yeah, well, he's wrong.

[Northcutt114]

12 minutes ago, WRTC928 said:

Yeah, well, he's wrong.

I think he knows that. I believe it's called being "facetious." 

[WRTC928]

7 minutes ago, Northcutt114 said:

I think he knows that. I believe it's called being "facetious." 

Ah. Sometimes that stuff doesn't come across well in writing.