UHF Aerial Mounting Options

[DAVE07]

Hey guys.. Im looking at purchasing at this http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 3117wt_922 . i dont have a bull bar on my lux .. Just a nudge bar, but I was wondering if anyone has mounted thier UHF Aerial somewhere other than the front. I was hoping to have it somewhere concealed if possible (or less conspicous) For a cleaner look. . Or will that ruin the clarity/ range. Fyi the aerial is 950 mm high. i dont want to unscrew it when not in use as id enjoy scanning the channels and listening to the banter on the radio when im bored..

Cheers,

Dave

[ochre]

Mine is mounted on the SR5 roll bar, works really well. Easy to install with a Stainless steel "U" clamp from your local 4wd or marine store. only down side is its not undercover carpark friendly, I usually unscrew th aerial from the base.

[Putsy]

I've seen a few people have them mounted on the side of the tub between the 2 legs of the roll bar. Looks prity slick, there are a few items running around Brisbane running this. Will try and get a pic but I would think mounting it there may effect reception maby?

[Skrewdriver]

I had a 3mm plate steel bracket fabricated at my local metal shop. Absolute bastard to drill through, but it does the job. It pokes through the grill and is attached tot he radiator support panel. This is just a temp setup until I get a bullbar. If I was to do it again, I wouldn't have done 3mm, way to thick. It is in a Z shape. Will post some photo's today if I get around to it.

[DAVE07]

I've seen a few people have them mounted on the side of the tub between the 2 legs of the roll bar. Looks prity slick, there are a few items running around Brisbane running this. Will try and get a pic but I would think mounting it there may effect reception maby?

I was thinking about installing it there too as it is the only place that will fit and is out of the way. Not sure how or what to mount it on. And yep, i too wonder if it will affect reception...
Can anyone field that one?

[kickinback]

Get a ground plane independent aerial, won't matter where you mount it then.

[Steveyb]

I've seen a few people have them mounted on the side of the tub between the 2 legs of the roll bar. Looks prity slick, there are a few items running around Brisbane running this. Will try and get a pic but I would think mounting it there may effect reception maby?

I was thinking about installing it there too as it is the only place that will fit and is out of the way. Not sure how or what to mount it on. And yep, i too wonder if it will affect reception...
Can anyone field that one?

Mounting an antenna anywhere but in an open location will affect it's pattern regardless of it being ground independent or not, The antenna shown in that picture is an elevated fed 4.5db antenna, the sleeve balun at the base removes the antenna's requirement to have a direct counterpoise (image, ground, etc) The antenna pattern gets compressed somewhat due to the feed method. people refer to them as 6.5dbi which is the same as 4.5 db over a 1/4 radiator)

Now the juicy bit...... mounting of an antenna in the location such as between the roll bars does make for good aesthetics and it may well just perform fine for all intended purposes and as such people think not much of it. However, "performance" and "VSWR" in antenna systems are 2 entirely different aspects! the VSWR of a resonant antenna will be affected by it's surroundings in one way or another, it will either raise it or lower it, in most practical applications it will raise it... this will cause reflected power within the feedline and cause PA transistors within the radio to fail (how quickly this happens is generally in proportion to the ratio). GME radios are the worst offenders for failing under high VSWR conditions.

So in summary, if you are going to mount an antenna in a compromise location have someone with a watt meter or VSWR meter check and make sure no reflected power is present on the feedline (almost all 4wd shops, car sound places, auto sparkies do not do this and would not have the correct equipment or experience)... look up two way radio dealers in your local area and have them do it, it's just a quick check and most won't charge you. (if they are nice) you will then know if you should move it or not, they will also offer guidance as to what you could do.

if you were to mount the antenna on free area you should be ok as most reputable antenna manufacturers do a good job at pre tuning. RFI, GME, BENELEC for example are good. axis and the like I would not trust.

I hope this helps shed some light.

[DAVE07]

Well im just a whole lot more confused now... Lol. In summary will i hear breaker, breaker loud and clear with the aerial mounted on the tub or not? Haha

[10 luxxxx]

Put it on the nudge bar mate dosent look to bad this is mine before a propper bar.

[Qwerty]

bullbar for me. No idea if this is ideal spot in terms of transmission perfection, but its ideal in terms of where i wanted it.

only trouble with the rubber mounted bully is they vibrate like a bastard and ive shattered 2 uhf antennas ... so now I have heavier duty ones that can handle just about anyting.

Ones UHF , the other is a nextG antenna.




does not obscure drivers vision (passengers a little though, but so long as its not dead centre field of visin it doesn't affect passengers focus)




btw that's the same antenna and UHF i originally had. Snapped it though so went the heavier duty.

I love the uniden though .. or any UHF that is "all in the handset" design, very minimal in the cabin and the speaker is IN the handset (aswell as in the brain under the dash), here's where i put mine

[Steveyb]

Qwerty, how long did they take to break? I have an ARB bar with s/s coil whip antenna's. while it has been about a year and they haven't broken yet they sure move around alot! WhenI hit bumps one of them moves about one foot in either direction, and that's the middle section of it! I'm wondering when its going to fly off and hit the windscreen....

[Qwerty]

Was fine until I went up north and did the yardie creek road which was a bastard of a road , snapped within 30 mins. Same with the second one. Rubber mounted bully gets some viscous reverb going on.

New ones seem fine much more robust no flex in them.


** Sent from tapatalk**

[Qwerty]

From another thread ;

I snapped 3 small antennas in a day. When I went to the 4wd shp in Alice to get a new one, the guy serving me asked if it was for a Hilux or Prado. I now have a heavier style GME which has lasted so far.

We got these series of photos while driveing along the Finke Rd. Note the camera was on a fst shot mode so the frames are fractions of a second apart. Compared to the thicker GSM antenna next to it, you can see why the light ones snap.

** Sent from tapatalk**

[DAVE07]

That looks great guys. Thanks for the ideas. Think im just going to follow the herd and go on the nudge bar now

[Bullzye]

Theres allways the gutter mount option

[hylux]

Theres allways the gutter mount option

Yeah I mounted mine on the gutter of the bonnet just down from the drivers side of the windscreen on my older utes worked well and the pillar blocks it from view. Dead easy to install with an angled mounting bracket just used an existing mudguard bolt to mount

[DAVE07]

Would that create the same issues as installing it between the roll bars in the tub?

[hylux]

Worked well for 20 years on several utes and mates did the same and never had issues with normal use. I usually find when receiving the aerial position is not that critical, transmitting as long as the tip of the aerial is above the roofline and the main length is not butting against the car it works fine. I mounted my current one on the bullbar because the hole was there with my old 10 yr old aerial and it works the same as on the gutter. If you want great transmission drill a hole in the centre of the roof and mount it there.

[MarkYounger]

Yes, for best transmission/reception mounted center of vehicle will be ideal. The antenna you buy is only half of your antenna the other half is your car. So maybe mounted on roll bar or roof rack would be ideal, however it makes your car that much taller. The only place I would not mount a 1 meter long antenna to the bed directly behind the cab. As long as you are out in the open open you should be right. In my old ranger I had duals mounted on top to either side of my canopy directly behind the cab. That thing was like driving a satellite dish!

[DAVE07]

Guys finally bought my radio. Its the uniden with all the buttons in the mic. Im going to install it tonight. Quick question, i dont want to drill into the dash to fix the mounting cradle. Is there any solutions or ideas?