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| Amateur Radio Antennas Discuss all types of antennas used to transmit or receive on amateur radio equipment. This includes base, handheld, mobile and repeater usage. |
02-13-2013, 8:02 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Indiana
Posts: 3
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2 meter antenna
What is the best mobile 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna with a good magnetic mount. I have a jeep grand cherokee laredo and i want to place the antenna on top of the jeep.
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02-13-2013, 10:21 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,686
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Pick one. There's not a huge difference between them. Probably wouldn't hurt to find a fairly hefty mag-mount, but other than that, not much difference. 'Best' can mean a lot of things, what you you mean by 'best'?
- 'Doc
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02-13-2013, 11:33 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 2,158
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Well I use and like the Larsen brand for mobile antennas.
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02-14-2013, 1:23 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Westchester County, New York
Posts: 187
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I bought a MFJ 2m/440 magnet mount almost 20 years ago for only around 16 bucks new! Still works and performs wonderfully.
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02-14-2013, 1:34 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Westchester County, New York
Posts: 187
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSpaceMan
I bought a MFJ 2m/440 magnet mount almost 20 years ago for only around 16 bucks new! Still works and performs wonderfully.
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The one I bought is the MFJ 1724B, and it now sells for around $24. |
02-14-2013, 8:05 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,770
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Most whips are stainless steel, which is not a great conductor for antennas compared to copper, etc. Larsen whips used to be stainless steel plated with copper then nickel, which is supposed to improve radiation slightly.
prcguy
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02-14-2013, 11:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brucear
What is the best mobile 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna with a good magnetic mount. I have a jeep grand cherokee laredo and i want to place the antenna on top of the jeep.
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What's holding you back from doing a permanent mount? Even the "best" mag mount is still non-optimal. I've used them but their only admirable quality is convenience and they sometimes have a plus in keeping the XYL from squawking. Otherwise, grab the drill!! |
02-14-2013, 2:33 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,686
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-IF- you have the choice, doing a 'permanent' mount is 'better' than using a mag-mount. It's seldom a 'daylight/dark' sort of difference but there will be some. At the very least, it eliminates the differences in where you place that antenna, which can be good. Convenience is the biggy with a mag-mount, but that convenience can also turn around and bite you. Convenience always means you had to 'give up' something to get it.
As for 'looks' and the opinion of a 'significant other', you are on your own bud! I'm silly, but I ain't stupid, I'll agree with her in a 'New York' second! You know??
- 'Doc
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02-14-2013, 3:02 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Westchester County, New York
Posts: 187
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Quote:
Originally Posted by N5TWB
What's holding you back from doing a permanent mount? Even the "best" mag mount is still non-optimal. I've used them but their only admirable quality is convenience and they sometimes have a plus in keeping the XYL from squawking. Otherwise, grab the drill!!
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I once got 2 months of bloody hell by the other half for putting a permanent mount antenna on a Mercedes. I would have been better off buying a separate clunker just to do my hamming in! |
02-15-2013, 12:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSpaceMan
I once got 2 months of bloody hell by the other half for putting a permanent mount antenna on a Mercedes. I would have been better off buying a separate clunker just to do my hamming in!
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You're lucky it was only 2 months... lol.
__________________
John
KD8TZC
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02-15-2013, 12:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brucear
What is the best mobile 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna with a good magnetic mount. I have a jeep grand cherokee laredo and i want to place the antenna on top of the jeep.
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I have not set up a mobile yet but I have read that Larsen antennas are really good. Larsen antennas are used by a lot of police and fire departments, as well as ambulances. Good enough for them, good enough for me. |
02-15-2013, 1:01 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brucear
What is the best mobile 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna with a good magnetic mount. I have a jeep grand cherokee laredo and i want to place the antenna on top of the jeep.
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I am curious why you want a 5/8s wave antenna. Are you working simplex or repeaters?
__________________
73 de n8zcc
Bytes are cheap so drop those acronyms.
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02-15-2013, 1:26 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: In the 'patch
Posts: 1,476
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.600 Mobile Safari/534.8+)
Quote:
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Originally Posted by n8zcc
I am curious why you want a 5/8s wave antenna. Are you working simplex or repeaters?
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If I used a monoband 2m radio I would be attached to a 5/8wave regardless if I was using repeaters or simplex. I use a Larsen NMO2/70 (1/2wave on 2m) only because I have a dualband radio. Shortly my APRS(currently on a 1/4wave) will be diplexed with a 6m Alinco, I got at a fleamarket, to a Larsen 5/8wave.
__________________
Interoperatablity is not a technology it is an attitude!!!
Last edited by kayn1n32008; 02-15-2013 at 1:31 PM..
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