Vehicle Antenna Placement??

[HHD1]

Where is the best location to mount a vehicle antenna for optimum performance?  It probably depends on the type of antenna.  The type of vehicle.  I'm not sure so that's why I'm asking.

My circumstances are on a 2024 Bronco Sport and I was looking at this antenna. 

 Amazon.com: HYS Amateur Dual-Band VHF & UHF Magnet Base Antenna for 2m/70cm Motorola Mobile Ham Radios & Repeaters with 3.5inchs Magnetic Mount, W/13ft RG58 Cable PL-259 UHF Male Mag Mount (Black) : Electronics

What are your thoughts.

P.S. SoCal, give me your best shot. 

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, HHD1 said:

Where is the best location to mount a vehicle antenna for optimum performance?  It probably depends on the type of antenna.  The type of vehicle.  I'm not sure so that's why I'm asking.

My circumstances are on a 2024 Bronco Sport and I was looking at this antenna. 

 Amazon.com: HYS Amateur Dual-Band VHF & UHF Magnet Base Antenna for 2m/70cm Motorola Mobile Ham Radios & Repeaters with 3.5inchs Magnetic Mount, W/13ft RG58 Cable PL-259 UHF Male Mag Mount (Black) : Electronics

What are your thoughts.

P.S. SoCal, give me your best shot. 

[tweiss3]

You are going to have to look for another option for an antenna. A bronco (not sport) will have trouble getting anything magnetic/ground plane on top. I'm not sure if the hood is aluminum, but if it is, a magnet mount is not going to work. You should be looking for a 1/2 wave (12-13") and something with a NMO or 3/8 stud mount. Location that has worked for others on a bronco are middle of the hood, side of hood, rear corner. You will need more than just the antenna, you need an appropriate mount for your location and the coaxial, some come packaged together.

[tweiss3]

13 minutes ago, HHD1 said:

It's supposed to be dual band, according to the description.  136-174Mhz&400-470Mhz  Is that an impossibility? Asking for the noob I see in the mirror.

Not impossible, but improbable. Stico has one similar, but it's a bit more narrow banded, and made much better. https://sti-co.com/magnetic-flexi-whip-tri-band-antenna/

I still have concerns with a magmount on your Bronco. From what I just looked up, doors hood and fenders are aluminum.

[WRUU653]

The shout out to So Cal had me rolling .
If the roof is metal then center of it is best but putting your antenna elsewhere isn’t going to kill your radio though. I use a bracket by the drivers side A pillar and it works perfectly fine and plenty of Jeep people put theirs in the rear off the spare mount. I agree with @SteveShannon on the antenna choices and would add the Comet SBB5 antenna works pretty good for Ham and GMRS as well. 

[tweiss3]

37 minutes ago, HHD1 said:

The roof is steel I believe. I can double check with a magnet.  But I was kinda thinking of mounting to the roof rack.  I'm not sure what a "ground plane" is, but I'm guessing that's a factor.

Do you have the Bronco:

 

or Bronco Sport:

 

As far as I'm aware (I'm not in the market, so I may be wrong), but the Bronco, even with the hard top, is not a metal roof.

[WRYZ926]

I've seen people use NMO mounts on fiberglass/plastic tops on Jeeps, Broncos and truck toppers. They will epoxy a metal plate to the underside of the top for a ground plane. That would be another option for you.

Mounting an antenna to a luggage rack will definitely reduce the ground plane. How much that affects things will depend on the size of the rack and how far it is above the roof. A expanded mesh metal roof basket will help increase the ground plane compared to just the rack.

Another option is the Midland MXTA38 plate. I have one on an aluminum toolbox that works well holding my Midland magnet mount and Comet 2x4SR on my SxS. You will still need some type of ground plane under the MXTA38 plate though.

[WRYZ926]

10 minutes ago, HHD1 said:

Yes, those are the ones.  I was thinking about clearing my garage door as well. Plus, they look like they'd draw less attention from those a-holes that like to mess with people's antennas. 

They do work and are great for those with height restrictions. They aren't high gain like the 38" or taller antennas but they do beat the Nagoya UT-72G. As you mentioned, they are more discreet too.

[tweiss3]

1 hour ago, HHD1 said:

LOL you made me double check my original post. Yup, I wrote "sport" 

DOH! My mind skipped that 1 word.

 

Anyways, UHF is great, you can use a 6" whip antenna and get great performance, plus be less likely to be noticed. I'll just say it, drill the hole and do an NMO mount. There, now I'll drop it. 

[TDM827]

If the roof is steel  and you are not keen on drilling into your new Bronco go with a good quality mag mount in the center of your roof.  I believe you can find ones under 20 inches tall.

If that is still too tall I second the recommendation for a low profile Midland. I personally like the Midland MXTA26, but its pretty tall and looks kind of ridiculous on a compact car. Believe it or not I have had good results with the small mag-mount that came with the mid-land. Of course it's not dual band.

[WRYZ926]

6 hours ago, HHD1 said:

I don't know if I'm ready to drill a hole in my first brand new vehicle, that I just picked up 6 days ago...   The thought of it makes me pucker up a bit to be honest. lol

I have owned my 2023 Ford Escape for a year now and I have not gotten the courage to drill the roof for NMO mounts. Part of that is I hate messing with the headliner since there are airbags there.

[WRUU653]

Check out this Bronco Sport forum. Several different approaches to your exact situation. One drilled the roof and he gives measurements as to where. Anyway looks like a few options to consider. Good luck. 

[Lscott]

12 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

This guy has a few more.

 

[SteveShannon]

I wouldn’t use that antenna for GMRS.  If you really need an antenna that’s good for GMRS the mxta26 from Midland is very good. If you need an antenna that’ll handle both ham and GMRS the Comet 2x4 is what I would get.

I’m honestly trying to understand what this Hys antenna is supposed to be.  It looks like it might want to be a j-pole but the feed isn’t right.

[HHD1]

26 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I wouldn’t use that antenna for GMRS.  If you really need an antenna that’s good for GMRS the mxta26 from Midland is very good. If you need an antenna that’ll handle both ham and GMRS the Comet 2x4 is what I would get.

I’m honestly trying to understand what this Hys antenna is supposed to be.  It looks like it might want to be a j-pole but the feed isn’t right.

It's supposed to be dual band, according to the description.  136-174Mhz&400-470Mhz  Is that an impossibility? Asking for the noob I see in the mirror.

[SteveShannon]

17 minutes ago, HHD1 said:

It's supposed to be dual band, according to the description.  136-174Mhz&400-470Mhz  Is that an impossibility? Asking for the noob I see in the mirror.

No, that's not impossible but that antenna looks like a gimmick.  There are a lot of dual band antennas with narrower bandwidth.  The Comet CA-2x4SRNMO is a commercial quality antenna that advertises SWR under 2.0:1 from 140-160MHz / 435-465MHz:  https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/cma-ca-2x4srnmo?ppckw=dxedsa-br-comet-antennas&gclid=CjwKCAiAlPu9BhAjEiwA5NDSA391BAQ5nheA3lTesm2uL_RtcAxEGeTVdPk02M-JzNlz8vamfTEcAhoCnZgQAvD_BwE#overview

 

[HHD1]

8 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

Not impossible, but improbable. Stico has one similar, but it's a bit more narrow banded, and made much better. https://sti-co.com/magnetic-flexi-whip-tri-band-antenna/

I still have concerns with a magmount on your Bronco. From what I just looked up, doors hood and fenders are aluminum.

The roof is steel I believe. I can double check with a magnet.  But I was kinda thinking of mounting to the roof rack.  I'm not sure what a "ground plane" is, but I'm guessing that's a factor.

[HHD1]

1 hour ago, Socalgmrs said:

 You’re spending how much on a nearly new bronco () and want to skimp on the most important part of a radio set up? 

Good point.

[HHD1]

1 minute ago, tweiss3 said:

Do you have the Bronco:

 

or Bronco Sport:

 

As far as I'm aware (I'm not in the market, so I may be wrong), but the Bronco, even with the hard top, is not a metal roof.

It's the sport.  I'm not rich enough for the full size.  Actually, the same color as your picture, but a black roof cuz it's the Badlands

[HHD1]

4 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

Do you have the Bronco:

 

or Bronco Sport:

 

As far as I'm aware (I'm not in the market, so I may be wrong), but the Bronco, even with the hard top, is not a metal roof.

LOL you made me double check my original post. Yup, I wrote "sport" 

[HHD1]

Does anyone have experience with those short, fat, "chode" looking antennas?

[WRYZ926]

3 minutes ago, HHD1 said:

Does anyone have experience with those short, fat, "chode" looking antennas?

If you are talking about the Ghost antennas, The Midland Ghost MXTA25 and  Melowave Shadow are pretty good for being so short and they work better than the Nagoya UT-72G antenna. But they won't work as well as a taller antenna such as the Midland MXTA26 or Comet 2x4SR.

I have a height restriction since I park in the garage so I run a Tram 1174 tuned for GMRS on my Ford Escape.

[HHD1]

3 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

If you are talking about the Ghost antennas, The Midland Ghost MXTA25 and  Melowave Shadow are pretty good for being so short and they work better than the Nagoya UT-72G antenna. But they won't work as well as a taller antenna such as the Midland MXTA26 or Comet 2x4SR.

I have a height restriction since I park in the garage so I run a Tram 1174 tuned for GMRS on my Ford Escape.

Yes, those are the ones.  I was thinking about clearing my garage door as well. Plus, they look like they'd draw less attention from those a-holes that like to mess with people's antennas. 

[HHD1]

5 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

I'll just say it, drill the hole and do an NMO mount.

I don't know if I'm ready to drill a hole in my first brand new vehicle, that I just picked up 6 days ago...   The thought of it makes me pucker up a bit to be honest. lol

[SteveShannon]

6 hours ago, HHD1 said:

I don't know if I'm ready to drill a hole in my first brand new vehicle, that I just picked up 6 days ago...   The thought of it makes me pucker up a bit to be honest. lol

Make it yours! Of course I haven’t gotten around to cutting a hole in my 4Runner but I find myself wishing I had done it years ago. 

[tcp2525]

16 hours ago, HHD1 said:

I don't know if I'm ready to drill a hole in my first brand new vehicle, that I just picked up 6 days ago...   The thought of it makes me pucker up a bit to be honest. lol

Damn, you made it 6 days without punching a hole in it? That's got to be a new worlds record for having the willpower. You're going to drill, so get it out of your system now.