Mobile Antenna Options?

[Squad5]

Really not willing to drill a hole in my truck and really don't want the antenna on the top noticeable, so magnet mount is out as well.

Just wondering what other options do I have for a Motorola Mobile in VHF for my truck? I heard something of a windows mount/ cell look a like but havent found anything.

[Bill_G]

Look at the Sti-Co web site. They have a ton of disguise antennas that may suit your needs. They have on-glass antennas that work okay. If your rig has a standard AM/FM stick on the fender, they have fender mounts that look like OEM antennas with a coupler so your AM/FM and your two way share the antenna. Expect some loss, but overall, they aren't bad.

http://www.sti-co.com/

[Tom in D.C.]

Marv,

If you don't want to break the bank start with the ham catalogs from places like HRO and AES. There are all kinds of "other" places on a vehicle where you can mount an antenna. Along the hood division with the fender is one of them. The antennas that receive their signals through the glass also work well, although people who don't understand how they work will tell you otherwise; I used them for years with 1.2 and 1.5 to 1 SWR on VHF and UHF. I'm about to have two roof holes cut in my new Outback and the results will be so good that I won't regret it for a moment, so think carefully about cutting holes; it IS the ultimate way to go with a mobile antenna.

Regards,

[FireCpt809]

Marv,

Is it a security issue? I know some of the houses has not so secure parking in the city.

[Squad5]

I guess security is a part of it. I have my windows tinted to an extent but that won't stop them from looking in. I am looking into the cellular antenna option.

I wouldnt know where to look for the HAM ones. I am all new to the radio world and of course breaking the bank isnt an option!

[AL7OC]

Look for antennas with black whips if you want to obscure them. Black whips aren't as visible as stainless ones.

The first hole is the hardest to drill. You can't really beat a mobile antenna on the roof. You'll get the best radiation pattern up there if it is centered, and you will be shielded from the RF better. That's a consideration if you're running high power VHF/UHF radio.

-Pierre

[Al]

And, in addition, remember that physically short(for the frequency) antennas won't have the bandwidth that you'll see on a half or 5/8 wave antenna because the short ones have to be matched more carefully and the effective Q is higher. As someone else said, longer is better in terms of performance. The quarter wave is the widest at 10 Mhz bandwidth, 5/8 is about 6 Mhz, and a halfwave is 5-6 Mhz. On glass antennas are typically 1-2 Mhz wide at VHF.

[RadioSouth]

The 1/4 wave roof mount is just so much better than the disguise stuff. I use whips from Eur-Am, they're black and very thin making them almost invisible but don't care for their NMO mount, the NMOKHFUD from Larsen is a fully shielded NMO mount that should keep stray RF out of the cabin.