RadioShack thru glass mobile antenna,.. Does it even work?

ryangassxx · #1 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 09:28 PM

I've been using this antenna for a few months now, and today I tried a little experiment.. I tuned my scanner to NOAA weather radio. Then, I got out of my car leaving the door open and the volume up pretty high, and proceeded to unscrew the antenna from the mount on the rear of my vehicle.. To my amazement, the signal didn't really degrade at all.. It seems that the 15 feet or so of coax that runs from the antenna mount to where it terminates to the scanner is acting as more of an antenna than the antenna itself...

Is this antenna just a dummy antenna or what? Because it never really did work very well...

stateboy · #2 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 10:21 PM

Most glass mounts will yield the same results. I had that same RS antenna on my first car years ago as a teen ( it was still owned by parents, didn't want NMO mounts on it) and ended up just leaving the inside half on the glass and using it that way...poor man's "covert" antenna. It worked fine for me, but most things I listened to were local and covered very well.

hoser147 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 11:17 PM

I never had much luck with thru the glass mounts always seemed weak on both RX ahd TX whether a cb or commercial radio. Hoser

RolnCode3 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007, 12:17 AM

I made the same mistake when I first started. Learned my lesson the hard way.

ryangassxx · #5 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007, 12:30 PM

Update:

Well I'm starting to feel a little bit better about this antenna now.. I brought my AOR 8200 to my car and tried the same experiment all over again.. The only difference is that the 8200 has an Signal strength meter.. I found that although audibly, disconnecting the antenna made no noticeable difference, having it disconnected or connected was a difference of 3 bars (on a 5 bar signal meter). So there was a substantial difference after all.

I also have a question though.. I have this antenna installed on a mid sized SUV (2003 Explorer to be exact). The antenna is mounted on the upper rear window, and I have the wire run under all of the seats. At one point I sort of coiled the wire around a part of the seat under neath, just so that it would stay in place, and to shorten the length because there was a bunch of excess wire left after I was done routing it.. Does having the wire coiled like that adversely effect the functionality of the antenna?

scansomd · #6 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007, 02:12 PM

My advice: Locate another weather station you are capable of monitoring, but farther away (usually, one can hear two or more NOAA stations). If you can’t hear more than one NOAA station, then another frequency in the next county will do. Then, while listening to this weaker station, repeat your antenna experiment. I suspect your local NOAA frequency is so strong, you can hear it with or without an antenna.

Whatever your results, I highly recommend you replace the glass mount antenna with something (ANYTHING) outside your vehicle on a mag mount or NMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryangassxx

Update:

Well I'm starting to feel a little bit better about this antenna now.. I brought my AOR 8200 to my car and tried the same experiment all over again.. The only difference is that the 8200 has an Signal strength meter.. I found that although audibly, disconnecting the antenna made no noticeable difference, having it disconnected or connected was a difference of 3 bars (on a 5 bar signal meter). So there was a substantial difference after all.

I also have a question though.. I have this antenna installed on a mid sized SUV (2003 Explorer to be exact). The antenna is mounted on the upper rear window, and I have the wire run under all of the seats. At one point I sort of coiled the wire around a part of the seat under neath, just so that it would stay in place, and to shorten the length because there was a bunch of excess wire left after I was done routing it.. Does having the wire coiled like that adversely effect the functionality of the antenna?

LEH · #7 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007, 03:26 PM

My experience with the through the glass antennae has been they are better than nothing. For strong systems, they do an adequate job. For simplex or weaker systems, you may loose the signal.

I have one on my Explorer, but hardly ever use it any more. I have a mag mount Larsen scanner antenna on the roof. I just refuse to drill holes in my vehicles. Did it once and because I am not real handy with power tools, wound up with some water leakage (even after sealing and such). So it is a mag mount or lip mount (and the Explorer doesn't have a good lip).

N8DV · #8 (**permalink**) 10-03-2007, 07:41 PM

I have used my RS thru the glass antenna for 6 years and it works just fine. Granted, a car mounted antenna is the best. A mag mount antenna is fine also. I also use a mag mount. At this past year at HamVention in Dayton, Ohio, I picked up surplus cellular phone antennas, brand new in the 900 mhz range, for $4.00 each. These have about 4db gain. They work fine without any tuning. Hope this helps.