Tram 1199 Glass Mount All-Band Scanner Antenna - Is it any good?

[Omega-TI]

A radio is only as good it's antenna. With that in mind, I'm considering << THIS ANTENNA >> I'll be getting an SDS100 within the next couple of weeks, and think this antenna may do the job without leaving any permanent damage to the car. Other than reception reports, how does it hold up to the "CAR WASH"?

 

[KC3ECJ]

Adhesive probably won't be good enough. I had one fly off.

I ended up using a cellular antenna to replace the exterior part.

 

[Omega-TI]

Adhesive probably won't be good enough. I had one fly off.

Thank you for the quick reply! I'll remove this as a candidate.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Larsen makes good antennas.

Glass mount is always a compromise, window tint can affect performance as well.

 

[Omega-TI]

Oh, yeah, I'm not a fan of mag mount antennas as they usually scratch the paint and the cord usually gets damaged.

 

[Omega-TI]

Larsen makes good antennas.

Glass mount is always a compromise.

I'll go take a look at what they have to offer, thanks again.

 

[KC3ECJ]

I'll go take a look at what they have to offer, thanks again.

The thing is the Tram inside glass receiver for the antenna works fine.

I had tried the stock cellular receiver in another instance and it didn't work well, that cellular one may have had some sort of RF notch filter.

 

[W9WSS]

Glass mount antennas are inferior in so many ways. Magnetic antennas do more damage than purported "good performance." I have 10+ NMO permanently mounted antennas on my car. I have never had issues trading in, or outright selling my previous cars with NMO mounts. Matter of fact, I sold two cars with antennas and a few radios intact. That provided extra value to the cars. The purchasers were Ham Radio operators or scanner enthusiasts like myself.

My last suggestion would be trunk-groove mounted antennas. Just make sure they are properly grounded with an extra grounding strap running from under the mounting screws to the vehicle's body/chassis.

Good luck, and let us know what you do, and by all means, take photos and post them here.

Happy Holidays!

 

[mmckenna]

I ran a UHF glass mount Larsen antenna (KG-450?) for a while on my wife's old car. For single band use, and knowing the limitations, it performed as I expected. No issues with the mounting.
Mounting is all about the preparation. Glass needs to be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol first.
Some metal film window tinting (factory type) will not cooperate with through glass coupling. Defroster wires can cause issues, also.
Getting the antenna off the window when I was done with it was difficult, and I was honestly worried about damaging the glass.

But a multiband glass mount antenna is going to be a pain. They are half wave by design (or should be) and will be quite long on VHF High frequencies.

If you are looking for an easy installation, tell us what kind of vehicle you have and we could make some recommendations.

As always, permanent mount NMO in the center of the vehicle roof is going to be the benchmark for performance. I know it's a hard decision for some to make, but once you do it, you never go back.

 

[krokus]

As for the car wash factor, any accessory antenna should be removed. Anything with a coil in it is likely to get tangled, and anything that is just attached to the surface is likely to be pulled off.

I used to have an on glass scanner antenna attached to a vent window of an XJ body Jeep Cherokee. I would take off the antenna, and even cap the mount with an "acorn" nut.

 

[Omega-TI]

Glass mount antennas are inferior in so many ways. Magnetic antennas do more damage than purported "good performance." I have 10+ NMO permanently mounted antennas on my car. I have never had issues trading in, or outright selling my previous cars with NMO mounts. Matter of fact, I sold two cars with antennas and a few radios intact. That provided extra value to the cars. The purchasers were Ham Radio operators or scanner enthusiasts like myself.

My last suggestion would be trunk-groove mounted antennas. Just make sure they are properly grounded with an extra grounding strap running from under the mounting screws to the vehicle's body/chassis.

Good luck, and let us know what you do, and by all means, take photos and post them here.

Happy Holidays!

<< This one >> isn't the best looking, but it comes with the antenna, I'd have to cover up the brand name though.
I've not seen any other mentions of this one, so it could be doggy doo for I know.

​

 

[KevinC]

I'm old....your antenna is just like the cartridge was for your turntable or the speakers for your stereo. You can have the best turntable and/or receiver in the world, but put a crappy cartridge or speaker on them and they will sound like crap.

 

[Omega-TI]

I'm old....your antenna is just like the cartridge was for your turntable or the speakers for your stereo. You can have the best turntable and/or receiver in the world, but put a crappy cartridge or speaker on them and they will sound like crap.

Yes, but a triband 33" whip will ALWAYS be better than a rubber duck inside of a metal vehicle.

 

[W9WSS]

Looks like the Hustler whip is 33" according to the product specs. It's not going to work as well as an NMO, but much better than a glass-mounted whip or magnetic mount antenna.

A friend of mine whose wife "wouldn't let him" drill an NMO, had a magnetic mount on his car. It cost him several hundred dollars to have the body damage the magnet mount caused to the finish, plus it had a dent where he placed the antenna each time he left the car wash. Obviously, he removed it before entering the tunnel.

When I was married to both of my (now ex) wives, I never got any guff for drilling holes in our car(s) for NMO mounts or bolting the radios to the underside of the dashboard. The last three cars were CVPI's, so they had regular radio consoles attached to bolts underneath the front seat mounts.

 

[mmckenna]

<< This one >> isn't the best looking, but it comes with the antenna, I'd have to cover up the brand name though.
I've not seen any other mentions of this one, so it could be doggy doo for I know.

Stick with NMO mounts. That gives you the option of swapping antennas easily as your needs change.
This mount:

PCTEL Maxrad T NMO Antenna Trunk Lip Mount Mounting Solution 17' Cable

NMO Antenna Trunk Lip Mount Mount

www.theantennafarm.com

This antenna:

https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=191_192_466&products_id=1050

Just keep in mind that mounting the antenna down below the vehicle roof is going to result in less than ideal performance.

 

[W9WSS]

mmckenna made excellent choices for a trunk lid mount.