Best way to mount antenna on Vehicle

[Filmpros]

I am researching the best way to mount an antenna on a vehicle without having to drill a hole in the middle of my roof. My electric sliding sunroof prevents me from drilling the roof in the ideal spot anyway. I know that the middle of the roof provides best performance, so I am trying to stick with this location if possible.

I have a 1997 Lexus LX-450 and a 2006 Toyota Land Cruiser.

I have a Magnum S-680 Nitro radio. I plan on adding a Linear Amp most likely a Texas Star 4 Pill. I am upgrading my alternator and battery to accommodate this.

I have numerous antennas including an original Vanort Powerstick, a Vanort knockoff called a Powestick 2, a Predator 10K, a Wilson 1000, and a K40 all with a variety of vehicle mounts.

My current thoughts are as follows.

1 - Mount the Antenna to a quad magnet mount and route the wires through the roof rail and front driver's side roof rack mounting point. I can drill in to the vehicle and run the wires without any visible or permanent damage this way....or just run them though a window and call it a day. By the way, I use 3M Clear Film to protect the roof from scratches and nasty stuff that can get under the magnets over time.

2 - Mount the Antenna to the roof rack but this creates a variety of potential issues. One being the ability of the rail to handle the torque from the wind load on the antenna. The other being that I have to run a ground wire as the roof rail / roof rack system is not grounded.

3 - Mount the Antenna to the Bumper or Tow Hitch.


Any suggestions, ideas, or professional assistance would be appreciated.

Rich

 

[freecell]

how many dome lamps do you have in the ceiling's center interior?

 

[W5LZ]

Any free room infront of the sunroof?
- 'Doc

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

welcome to the forums filmpros

my 10k is on top of my montero (suv) which has no sunroof on a 4 mag mount , i just run the cable in from the drivers rear door (least used door...less potiental for wear and tear) . ive been told that i loose about %30 of the antennas ability on a mag mount because there is no physically conductive grounding . but..i do get complements on my transmission without asking for radio checks so it aint doing too bad .that doesnt keep me from wanting to get a bigger amp , although antennas make the biggest difference in system performance if everything is setup properly .
good luck .

i reciently herd of the powerstick 2 antenna and was wondering how you feel it compares to your predator 10k . which length do you have and have you had a chance to use it ?

 

[mopar2ya]

I mounted a Predator 10k on my Jeep Cherokee using a C channel aluminum rail and stainless U-bolts. I ran ground wires to each corner of the roof rack. I have an antenna that performs very well. There are no structural problems because it uses both roof rack rails at the same time.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Get a fender mount, and mount to the inside of the drivers side front fender. Then you can run your coax to the firewall, and back inside the vehicle without any drilling at all. (provided you can find a hole to use somewhere on the firewall)

This is how I did my work van. Sence it's a company van, Boss-Man would frown on me drilling holes all over his Vans roof top, so this way there was no drilling needed, and it works great!

You can buy these things already made. But this one I have, was one I made myself. (always trying to save a buck or 2!)

Antenna tuned flat. And is easy to remove when it comes time to trade in for a newer van down the road...

 

[Filmpros]

All great replies. There are two (2) dome lights and the front one would not be feasible for a roof mount as the sunroof gets in the way when it slides back....but there is no way I am drilling a hole in any of my vehicles...yikes..!]

The mag mount idea works best for me...will I get better performance if I run a simple 12 Gauge or 16 Gauge ground wire from the antenna to a point on the chassis or the back of the radio?

Thank you for you input.

Rich

 

[fatdude1]

The mag mount idea works best for me...will I get better performance if I run a simple 12 Gauge or 16 Gauge ground wire from the antenna to a point on the chassis or the back of the radio?

Thank you for you input.

Rich

12 gauge wire is just fine and run it to the chassis

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

will the 12 guage wire work as well as a regular stud or ball mount as far as grounding goes ? if it is could i just run it ( or tape it) next to my coax running into the vehicle to a internal grounding point ?

 

[Dealer]

will the 12 guage wire work as well as a regular stud or ball mount as far as grounding goes ? if it is could i just run it ( or tape it) next to my coax running into the vehicle to a internal grounding point ?

NO

I would not do that since it (Mag Mount) it is already grounded..

If it was needed then they would market the mount
as a mag mount + ground wire :roll:

It looks like crap and sometimes makes antenna hard
to tune out right.

What I did after spending an afternoon with Kale playing
around with antennas, and one of them just would not
tune out the way I thought it should is this...

Drilled and tapped a small hole on mount and threaded it
so that I could seperate the shield from center conductor
and use ring connectors .

This eliminated the spacer on the standard mounts.

I use Kales heavy duty mount with center going to antenna
mount as usual, and shield to mag mount via the small hole
that was drilled.

I have not run more than 1.5 kw through this setup,however
it is rock solid at those numbers.


Regards, John