3rd Brake Light Antenna Mounts

[Alec]

7 hours ago, dosw said:

This is how this thread has gone:

OP: Has anyone tried these?

Others: Those won't have a very good ground plane, and that will hamper your signal propagation.

OP: But this is what I want to do.

Others: *shrug* then why did you ask?

 

Exactly! 

I believe I only received 2 posts from people who have actually used that specific type of mounting device and provided some feedback about them.  Nobody actually addressed my original questions, which were "Does it leak?" and "Are they strong?". 

The other posts that provided alternative mounting solutions, alternate recommendations or general antenna considerations regarding ground plane etc. were all valuable answers or comments to different questions that I did not specifically ask.  I am still appreciative and thanked those people for their contributions to the topic.  Looking at my OP I did not ask "what is the best way to mount an antenna?" 

Sorry if my communications sounded dismissive of others effort to help as that was not my intention.

[tcp2525]

4 hours ago, Alec said:

@WSEZ864 Thanks for the suggestion about the back rack, and for the photo!  Very helpful.  That is certainly an interesting option worthy of consideration. 

@WRUU653 Thanks for the A-Pillar suggestion.  I do understand compromises... 

Cost isn't a primary consideration for me, but even so the 3rd tail-light mount is in itself sort of a compromise, rather than following the recommendation of the "drill-baby-drill" enthusiasts who advocate for just installing that NMO mount.  While an NMO mount installed dead center of the roof of my truck cab might be the best solution for RF purposes, that isn't necessarily the best solution for my purposes.

I

@WRUE951

 

Putting your antenna dead center of the roof for that "perfect" ground plane is overrated and only matters to people that want to sound like they are smart. Sure, there's going to be lobes were you have a strong signal and others where it is going to be weak. Guess what? It doesn't really matter because you're not driving in a straight line +/- 1° 100% of the time. So your radiation pattern is always changing just as long as you are moving. I can understand your apprehension to drill, that's fine. You can use whatever mount you want and put it in a spot that's easy and convenient for you and your performance will be good.

I put my 2m/70cm NMO antenna right above the 3rd brake light and it performs really well. Very easy install and didn't have to pull the headliner down. The Midland for GMRS NMO is close to center, not perfect and performance is good. Don't sweat it, enjoy it.

[WRUE951]

2 hours ago, tcp2525 said:

Putting your antenna dead center of the roof for that "perfect" ground plane is overrated and only matters to people that want to sound like they are smart. Sure, there's going to be lobes were you have a strong signal and others where it is going to be weak. Guess what? It doesn't really matter because you're not driving in a straight line +/- 1° 100% of the time. So your radiation pattern is always changing just as long as you are moving. I can understand your apprehension to drill, that's fine. You can use whatever mount you want and put it in a spot that's easy and convenient for you and your performance will be good.

I put my 2m/70cm NMO antenna right above the 3rd brake light and it performs really well. Very easy install and didn't have to pull the headliner down. The Midland for GMRS NMO is close to center, not perfect and performance is good. Don't sweat it, enjoy it.

for 70cm i think all you need for a perfect ground plane is something in neighborhood of 6-8 inches and yes ground plane does  help in radiation  pattern for long distances .   https://m0ukd.com/calculators/quarter-wave-ground-plane-antenna-calculator/

[tcp2525]

6 hours ago, WRUE951 said:

for 70cm i think all you need for a perfect ground plane is something in neighborhood of 6-8 inches and yes ground plane does  help in radiation  pattern for long distances .   https://m0ukd.com/calculators/quarter-wave-ground-plane-antenna-calculator/

Yep, only proves my point. Way too much overemphasis on seeking the "perfect" ground plane when most people accidentally get it right without thinking about it.