BUS Antenna placement

[gamegetter]

if you have a ladder on the rear or a rack on the top those might be some options at keeping coil above roof line and preventing de tuning from the sides of the bus.

the top would seem to be the best option to me, just need to find the right antenna height that won't be hitting bridges and over passes.

 

[Lord-Maniac]

what a pain pros 32 feet of metal / cons cant mount any good antennas unless leaning the out like a grass hopper ...frustrating

 

[Lord-Maniac]

looks like i might need something like the little Will antenna i read it was three feet that would put me at 13 feet anyone use one of these ?

 

[222DBFL]

Do not get the 3ft lil Wilson antenna. They are about as good as a coat hanger IMO. Very narrow banded and a pita to tune as well. Just my experience with them. Good for a mile or 2 of range. That is about it. I would really look into an antenna that is about 6ft tall or so and do what others have stated and mount it on the side of the bus or on the mirror mount. JMHO. Good luck.

 

[Robb]

And they perform like shit. The mirror arms provide no ground, the spacing of the antennas is barely sufficient for co-phasing and it turns your signal into one with a pattern that is from left to right and far less omnidirectional so you could be talking to someone with say a S5, turn a right corner and find you can't hear them anymore.

Ummm; no. They might not have optimal spacing for co-phasing, but that does not mean than that it will not co-phase. Furthermore, the problem here is overhead clearance, so the same trucker remedy would be the most practical way out for this person. Unless you can suggest a better, less pain-in-the-arse low-cost solution?

 

[Lord-Maniac]

well i do have 2 siro 5000 and 2 gutter mounts already lol bought that @#$T before i wised up and asked for help i guess i might just mount them like Robb said and lean them way out hell it might not perform that bad sense the roof is really rounded ..the other thought was use a hold over clamp to hold the wips bent over to the cab which would still be like 12 to 13 feet but i dont have any idea what the performance would be like rolling down the road.. thanks again guys for your time and invaluable info

 

[Robb]

So long as you have the kind of mirror mounts that will support a co-phase arrangement, this should be a no-brainier.

You shouldn't have the antennas leaned at all. What gave you that idea?

 

[Lord-Maniac]

because there so long and to get the coils some what above the roof line the driver side mirror is lower then the passenger by like three feet lower

 

[Lord-Maniac]

 

[Lord-Maniac]

the mounts i have attach to the gutter just above the windshield and i also have a mirror clamp mount

 

[222DBFL]

Try one antenna first mounted on the drivers side mirror. In order to properly get a working co-phase or dual antenna setup, you'll want to get the antennas to the same tip height of as close as possible. Unless you build a bracket or something to make both antennas the same level, it might be better to just use one antenna and make it best as you can. Another member, Fourstringburn, had a similar setup on a big truck, he used a longer bottom shaft and this brought the coil above the roof or that is the idea anyway. Get the coil of the antenna above and as close to the roof of the vehicle as possible. Your left mirror if it looks like the pic above appears to be a good place to mount to. Then do some bonding. Or like I said, build yourself a couple of brackets that will allow you to get a center load type antennas coil above the roof line for both sides. Or try your gutter mounts. But I would try one antenna first. JMHO. If done properly you shouldn't lose too much signal when turned away from it. JMHO. And be sure to use good coax, mount, and connectors. And also having an antenna analyzer is a nice tool when tunging antennas!! If you are just messing about then I wouldn't worry so much about one, but if you ever plan on messing with any amount of antennas, or even building them, an antenna analyzer is a great tool to have. A VSWR meter will only show you a portion of what all is going on with your antenna system. Again, JMO. Be safe and hope you find a good solution. You have a nice platform for a static mobile that is for sure!!

 

[gamegetter]

View attachment 18054

if this is what the bus looked like originally, you did a real nice job painting that!

looks cool in grey and black.

 

[Lord-Maniac]

just found a hole in the top of the bus that had a plug in it looks like it might have been an old antenna for gps or something what if a had a 3 foot base load ? its right in the center and on top that would put me at 13 feet ..?

 

[Lord-Maniac]

yup she was cool bus yellow thanks did it with a wagner power sprayer lol

 

[Lord-Maniac]

i just found a hole that was plugged like maybe for a gps antenna on top in the center do the make a 3 foot base load or any good antenna 3 feet long that would put me at 13 feet ?