How do mirror mount scanner antennas perform on a car? and how do they clamp on the mirror?
mirror mount scanner antenna
- Thread starter scannerman200
- Start date
- Status
policeMonitor
Member
you car has trucker style mirrors?
N4JNW
Member
Regardless of what type of mirros he has, he asked a question, which is deserving of an answer. 
In response to your question, mirror mount scanner antennae are just a notch above the glass mount scanner antennae that are HORRIBLE for reception. So you're actually going from "horrible" up a notch to "bad".
In order for a scanner antenna to be efficient, it will need some sort of ground plane. Yeah it sounds scientific, but a ground plane is actually the top or trunk of your vehicle in a mobile installation.
Now, I'm not saying you won't recieve anything, because you will. You WILL recieve better with a mirror mount scanner antenna than the rubber duckie INSIDE the vehicle. Anytime you can get an antenna outside, you're in better shape.
Most mirror mount scanner antennae that I have seen use a two piece bracket that "clamps" over a rod extending to support the mirror. I have seen two styles, one with a twist screw that clamps the assembly down to the mirror support, and another style that resembles a CB antenna bracket, with four bolts and four nuts to tighten the bracket on the support rod.
I'll tell you, if you want a cheap but effective outside scanner antenna for your vehicle, check out MFJ's "MightyMini" magnet mount ham antenna. They're actually for ham radio, but also recieve quite well in my experience. I own one, and hooked my Pro-82 up to it just for fun, and I was pulling in all kinds of stuff from many counties away.
The antenna is small, magnet is about as big around as a nickel (honestly) and it's around 16" tall. The cable is super small, which makes it easy to snake through a trunk, or inside a pickup truck. It's really small, as I said, is is hardly noticeable.
It's cheap too.. about $15.99...
In response to your question, mirror mount scanner antennae are just a notch above the glass mount scanner antennae that are HORRIBLE for reception. So you're actually going from "horrible" up a notch to "bad".
In order for a scanner antenna to be efficient, it will need some sort of ground plane. Yeah it sounds scientific, but a ground plane is actually the top or trunk of your vehicle in a mobile installation.
Now, I'm not saying you won't recieve anything, because you will. You WILL recieve better with a mirror mount scanner antenna than the rubber duckie INSIDE the vehicle. Anytime you can get an antenna outside, you're in better shape.
Most mirror mount scanner antennae that I have seen use a two piece bracket that "clamps" over a rod extending to support the mirror. I have seen two styles, one with a twist screw that clamps the assembly down to the mirror support, and another style that resembles a CB antenna bracket, with four bolts and four nuts to tighten the bracket on the support rod.
I'll tell you, if you want a cheap but effective outside scanner antenna for your vehicle, check out MFJ's "MightyMini" magnet mount ham antenna. They're actually for ham radio, but also recieve quite well in my experience. I own one, and hooked my Pro-82 up to it just for fun, and I was pulling in all kinds of stuff from many counties away.
The antenna is small, magnet is about as big around as a nickel (honestly) and it's around 16" tall. The cable is super small, which makes it easy to snake through a trunk, or inside a pickup truck. It's really small, as I said, is is hardly noticeable.
It's cheap too.. about $15.99...
VernM
Member
What LJF is trying to tell you that the antenna needs a counterpoise, not a ground "plane." That is, it needs something to balance out the electrical needs of the radiator or, in the receive case, the recieving part of the antenna. With a Mirror Mount, which is a type of mount designed for truck antennas that have open metal braces for the mirror, the mouint becomes the counterpoise and will work quite well for what you are looking for. However, most of the fancy molded mirrors on cars leave you no place to screw that Mirror Mount to, so back to Square One. Your other choices, other than drilling holes in something, are gutter-clamped mount (if the top has a gutter) or clipped ove the glass of a window and let the coax provide the counterpoise, the Uniden suction cup portable/mobile antenna afixed to the glass on the inside, or drill a hole in something like the edge of the hood or trunk and go to a commercial mount that will fit there.
Good luck. Try! Anything is better than nothing.
Good luck. Try! Anything is better than nothing.
- Status
Similar threads
