NMO mount & RG8X

[MOONBOOTS]

I want to put a 900 radio in my car, & there's too much loss at 900 MHZ with the 58 cable. Does anyone make a NMO mount that comes with 8X, or can the 58 that comes with the mount be removed, & 8X added? Sorry, I've been a mag mount guy for years, but my present car came with a 3/4" hole already in the trunk.

[FFPM571]

we use LMR 195 for our MDTs that use dual band 800/1900 and it works great. Comtelco has it with an NMO. Its just easier to get the whole mount then trying to resolder new cable on to it.

[n5ims]

Most of the RG-58 that come with NMO mounts (well, the high quality ones anyway) are better than the standard Radio Shack grade RG-58 and should be fine for use at 900 MHz with the 18' or shorter length in a standard mobile install. If you get the "HF" version of the Larsen mounts, they're designed for better performance at 800 MHz and up. Larsen and others even has a version of the mount that uses LMR-240 for folks that don't like RG-58 or need less loss.

[MOONBOOTS]

Comtelco makes this. They also make the Antenna I would use for VHF/UHF/900.
"ASC" MOUNT ALL BRASS 3/4-3/8" K166 TYPE MOUNT WITH 14' RG8X SPECIFY CONNECTOR TYPE IF NEEDED
$22.99

[fineshot1]

Originally Posted by MOONBOOTS

I want to put a 900 radio in my car, & there's too much loss at 900 MHZ with the 58 cable. Does anyone make a NMO mount that comes with 8X, or can the 58 that comes with the mount be removed, & 8X added? Sorry, I've been a mag mount guy for years, but my present car came with a 3/4" hole already in the trunk.

I made my own nmo 3/4" hole mount with LMR240 which is better then RG8X.
I use it for 23cm and uhf using a Comet SBB94 - see pic.

[mmckenna]

Here are some figures that should help:

At 900MHz, and 16 feet of cable (pretty much average length)

Belden:
RG-8X = 2.12 dB of loss
RG-58 = 2.18 dB of loss
RG-174 = 5.03 dB of loss

Radio Shack brand:
RG-8X = 1.95 dB of loss
RG-58 = 2.37 dB of loss

Times Microwave:
LMR-100 = 3.7 dB of loss
LMR-195 = 1.8 dB of loss
LMR-200 = 1.6 dB of loss
LMR-240 = 1.2 db of loss

Truth is, you are likely not going to be able to tell the difference between RG-58 and RG-8X. When you are dealing with short runs like this, the difference is pretty negligible. True, ever little bit helps, and if you are purchasing a single unit the price difference isn't that big a deal.
One thing that will matter is how easy the stuff is to run. I had a mount once with the LMR-240 with solid center conductor and it was pretty stiff and not a lot of fun to route.