Antenna Mounting on new vehicle

[firetaz834]

I need some assistance before I put in some new antenna. Have just purchased a 2013 Ford Taurus and planning on installing 2 antennas on the trunk. One will be for a scanner, the other will be for my 2m/440 Kenwood TM-D700GA 50 watt mobile. I heard that if an transmission is too close to the antenna for the scanner it will blow out the scanner when transmitting.

Do you think I have to worry about that with how I'm planning on doing my configuration.

Putting in my final design on how the antenna will be mounted before I do any drilling.

 

[mmckenna]

Ideally, you want them as far apart as possible. If the antennas are too close there can be issues.

If enough of the transmitted RF couples to the scanner antenna you can damage the soft/expensive parts in the scanner. Usually this takes quite a bit of power or very close antennas.
Other issue is (more likely) that the scanner will not receive anything while your dual band radio is transmitting. This is pretty common, and the only fix is to move the antennas way apart, or install filters that will block the 2 meter and 70 cm band from reaching the scanner (probably not what you want).

I've heard all kinds of different opinions about how far apart antennas should be. Quarter wave length seems to be the most common, and what I have done. Father is better.

Still, you might get some de-sense on the scanner when your ham radio is transmitting. This is to be expected.

Ideal solution would be to mount the transmitting antenna on the roof of the car and the scanner antenna down on the trunk.
If that is totally out of the question, then put them both on the trunk. Just make sure you have appropriate ground plane for the dual band antenna underneath.

 

[firetaz834]

Thank you for the response, I will take that into account when I decide where to place the antennas. Since I'm in a metro area, I also may be able to set my transmitter to a lower power setting but will remember when transmitting I will get alot out of the scanner. but, I keep my activity on the bands very limited. Again, thank you for the response.

 

[madrabbitt]

Didnt i remember you saying that there was already an existing NMO hole on the vehicle somewhere?

Is it center of the trunk or somewhere else?

Our interceptors have the VHF whip (5/8 wave) dead center on the trunk lid, a 150/460/800 antenna for the scanner on an L bracket on the left side trunk groove (mounted to body, not trunk) and the cell booster antenna on the roof.

 

[firetaz834]

Thank you for that information, yes there is one nmo antenna hole on the vehicle. It is on the roof of the vehicle, located several inches ahead of the standard radio antenna. I was planning on utilizing that for a UHF radio that I may be installing.