No drill Antenna!

TacticalOne · Post by **TacticalOne** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:13 pm

I know, I know, Drill the roof!

But if you wanted to put an antenna on the wifes 2002 Expedition for a all-Band scanner mount, where would you put it? Believe me I would just drill, my Suburban already has 6 NMO's in the roof! Pictures and comments welcomed!

glass mount vs. lip mount vs magnet mount vs etc....

Thanks all in advance...

EOppegaard · Post by **EOppegaard** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:30 pm

What about a L Bracket Style, you do need to drill small holes for a screw mount on the lip of the hood. I have seen that on a few different vehicles and it looks pretty nice.

What is she trying to pull in on the scanner? I am not a big fan of on glass mount type equip, however if the signals are all stronger...I guess It could fly.

Also I don't know if anyone has ever used one of the kits to use the FM stereo antenna and like the two together, seems like a deal if you are not transmitting, however I have never used one so have no idea how well they work. I am sure someone else on there has tried itt

thebigphish · Post by **thebigphish** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:44 pm

is this HER wanting to put a scanner in to pull stuff in, or is this YOU convincing her to put the scanner in HER car for when YOU drive it? If it is the former, i'd really try to push for an NMO, or at the least an L bracket mount like EOpp said, you might as well go for it. If it's for YOU in her car (like she'll never have it on when she's in it, and it only gets used on the alternating weekends that you take it to the bay to clean it for her) i would be as minimalistic as possible.
You need to look at the other operator of the vehicles usage of it, if it's a rare chance she'll use it, i'd put on a mag-mount (with a pad, or she'll scratch the hell out of that ford paintjob) or if she uses it all the time "L" bracket (or a thru the window), you need to push her towards the functionality.
Honestly, i'm suprised you got your wife to put a scanner in her car? who is gonna use it more? And, gotta be careful, she could take away the nookie if she doesn't like what you do to her ride.

TacticalOne · Post by **TacticalOne** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:24 pm

phish you are dead on with the use of the car with your second thought.

It will be used on the off occasion that end up taking her car. Actually I am not a Ford fan (please dont let this turn into a Ford vs. others debate) so I wont be driving this much. As for the magnet mount, I've never used one. Do you just shut the wire in the door? Maybe a glass antenna would be good???

As far as messing up her vehicle with a scanner, thats a whole new issue. Its gonna have to be fairly discrete and probably easily removeable. However I dont want to go with a handheld because I know it will end up lost or in another vehicle.

Thanks for the input so far, I also like the idea of the type that uses a splitter for the factory am/fm but the on the glass may work just as well. If anyone has used that splitter please let me know your results. The antenna is built into the side window kinda like a defroster wire. There will be no real worries about picking up signals, everything I wanna pick up is local and ususally pretty strong. The only question would be the possible AM aircraft listening???? ahhh this is gonna get tough.

thebigphish · Post by **thebigphish** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:34 pm

TacticalOne wrote:There will be no real worries about picking up signals, everything I wanna pick up is local and ususally pretty strong. The only question would be the possible AM aircraft listening???? ahhh this is gonna get tough.

Dude, you really gotta just give in to the handheld idea. It's not THAT hard, and it's probably the safest bet.
As for the wire on a mag/mount....Yeah, you can just close it in the door, or if you really want out the back tailgate window (my old standby for the CB when i need it). you won't really be using it that much to justify a whole install in a biweekly driver, and it's the bosses car...so cut your losses! this is one of those "swallow your pride" situations. Don't make the nookie mad. TRUST ME.

va3wxm · Post by **va3wxm** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 6:38 am

Does the Suburban have roof rack rails? There are some mounts (Comet, Diamond) that are designed for them.

No hole to drill and more secure than a mag-mount.

EC-7 · Post by **EC-7** » Tue Jan 11, 2005 5:58 pm

Try this antenna. Its good for scanner use, and it VERY small. Throw it on the roof near the back and hide the micro thin coax and your all set to go. I've never had a woman complain about these antennas cause they barely even see them. The magnet is the size of a Quarter and the whip is about 24 gauge size. They also hold on at 85+ MPH.

http://www.mfjenterprises.com/products. ... d=MFJ-1722

TacticalOne · Post by **TacticalOne** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:09 am

Thanks for the replies! The Suburban has 6 holes already! Its the Expedition that needs the antenna. I am going to check with those companies to see if they make a mount for the factory roof rack. I also really like that small antenna, I think that might be the answer to the antenna problem, now on to the receiver!

Thanks again!

abbylind · Post by **abbylind** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:50 am

I use a splitter on my AM FM antenna with my acanner.
Works great!
One less antenna to worry about

Fowler

abbylind · Post by **abbylind** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:50 am

I use a splitter on my AM FM antenna with my acanner.
Works great!
One less antenna to worry about

Fowler

TacticalOne · Post by **TacticalOne** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 6:10 pm

where do you get this splitter? Hows the reception??? Thanks!

abbylind · Post by **abbylind** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:31 am

I got mine from a scanner sales company (cant remember which one right now, might have been Grove Enterprises) It has female Motorola connector for the AM FM antenna and leads for the scanner and AM FM radio. The reception is compriable to a regular antenna. Ive had it in my Blazer for years, works great!

Fowler

Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:10 pm

Heres something we do for some of our customers that don't want a visible antenna and it seems to work pretty well. Get one of those antennas that comes with a Uniden mobile scanner, the kind that suction cups to the windshield.

Remove the plastic trim from the A pillar on the windshield and, after running the wire under the dash board, run it up along the A pillar and tuck the excess under the head liner. Replace the plastic and you have a vertical antenna that recieves pretty well and is completely hidden from momma. She will be very happy with you for being creative and for keeping it out of sight!

rickbuckner · Post by **rickbuckner** » Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:53 am

I know this doesn't apply to subject vehicle, but on my YUKON I disconnected the ON-STAR antenna, being I wasn't using it and hooked it to my ICOM scanner that I installed into the slot where I removed the cassette tape drive. Love it.

ESDA20 · Post by **ESDA20** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 4:22 pm

RISE FROM THE DEAD THREAD. RIIIIS... wait, sorry.

Does anyone know a good cheap place to buy them little wire antennas? I might just go buy a nicer scanner (I have a cute little BC350A that just won't handle the new Starcom system going in), but until then, I'm after one of those weeine antennas.

mancow · Post by **mancow** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:30 pm

I woudn't suggest the little hershey kiss looking antennas.
They are crap, physically and electrically.
The ground is just the braid laying against the back of the little magnet. The magnet is glued in the base and will come out after a little moisture over time. Or, it may just come out for not reason.

They use RG174 which sucks at 800.

For temporary light duty use in a decent signal strength are they ok I guess but I woudn't want to count on one. We have used them for body wire use where they will only be used for a few hours at a time and they work well for that.

mancow

EC-7 · Post by **EC-7** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:50 pm

MFJ sells them, dual band are about $15-20.
I actualy love them for scanner use. I haven't had much problems with them. I like how small they are and on a rood of a van or SUV, they seem almost invisable. I did have my magnet come off after 3 years, but that's not bad. I always leave my car outside and it has been covered in snow many times. If u do get snow, brush it off around the base, i did have it come off a few times. They do hold up good at over highway speeds. I live in a metro and rural area, and I've had decent reception with them, it was never a problem for me. It's not a high gain antenna, but for a simple 1/4 on 150Mhz and a 5/8 on 450 it does the job.

ESDA20 · Post by **ESDA20** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:47 pm

I should have been more clear. My appolgies. I meant the little wire antennas that come with Uniden scanners, with the two little suction cups.

TWL911 · Post by **TWL911** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:28 pm

Just do what I did:

Step 1:Tell the wife you are taking her car to "wash,wax,vaccum, change the oil, change the flux capacitor", whatever excuse you can use to buy yourself sometime. You may need to have a friend in on this that has the facilities to accomplish this. (that is why everyone should be join a volunteer FD, free use of the bay)

Step 2: take her car, go drill your hole, install your NMO, a 1/4 wave VHF works great for a scanner, or even a UHF if you aren't scanning much VHF. USE A BLACK MAST !!!.

Step 3:Make sure you wash the car, if that was the excuse you used in step 1, If you told her the Flux capacitor was acting up, you can skip this step.

Step 4: Return the car, advise her the objective Idendified in step 1 was completed. DO NOT mention the fact that you did a little more work than originally discussed.

Step 5: You wait,,,,,,, some women may notice the new addition in mere days, some may go months, some may NEVER notice it.
using a black mast on a large SUV makes it very difficult for most people to see. And then there is the fact that most women don't notice things like antennas. My wife went 3 weeks before she noticed the NMO on the TRUNK of her car. She has yet to notice the one in the roof !

ESDA20 · Post by **ESDA20** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 10:52 pm

You are incorrect.

Your wife noticed it many many weeks ago. What she has done is refrained from telling you she noticed so that some day when she wants to be mad at you, and has nothing to be mad at you about, she can pull it out of reserve.

Be wary of them women folk!

TacticalOne · Post by **TacticalOne** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 4:34 am

yeah, I could never pull that scheme off anyway. I was warned the day the vehicle made it to the driveway that I was "Not putting holes or antennas on the truck"! All good idea though!

Stay Safe!

wa2zdy · Post by **wa2zdy** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 12:26 pm

ESDA20 has figured women out. I hope your wife never knows, or she'll change the gameplan for you to ponder.

I got told the same thing when the new minivan came here last Sept. I am going to work up the courage to put the UHF quarter wave in the center of the roof one day. She'll never see that little six inch whip up there. Besides, she WANTS the GMRS radio in her van, just not the hole in the roof. So . . . heh heh

topcop1833 · Post by **topcop1833** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 4:19 pm

has anyone tried the trunk-lip mounted NMO mounts? i was woundering if they scratch the paint or what.....
-mike

va3wxm · Post by **va3wxm** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 5:27 pm

Eventually they will. They're better than a mag mount but not as good as drillin' the hole.

Zero dbm · Post by **Zero dbm** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:50 am

What kind of vehicle is it that you want the antenna into? I might be able to find a Compord disguised antenna. You replace your AM/FM antenna with this one, and it goes to a coupling box for the AM/FM deck and the radio. With this option, you can transmit on it, should you stick a radio other than the scanner in there, without blowing up your stereo.

Just let me know if you're interested and I might be able to find one for your vehicle in surplus. (that means you only pay for the shipping, as I have no use for it.)

No drill Antenna!

No drill Antenna!

to drill or not to drill!

Re: to drill or not to drill!

drill

splitter

Roof antenna