2001 Grand Marquis Install

[WB4CS]

Drilling may always be an option but it may not always be the BEST option.

Drilling is always the best option for the best performance. It may not always be the best option for making the wife happy, but that's another story

In my experience, drilling does not negatively impact the resale value of a vehicle - at all. If done correctly, a drilled NMO mount will not leak and will not cause any damage to the vehicle. Mag mounts on the other hand, will cause paint scratches, rust rings, and the paint will not fade under the mount at the same rate as the rest of the car, causing a circle of brighter paint color after several years of use. Mag mounts are also not safe. A tree branch or fast speeds can cause the antenna to fly off the car - causing a safety issue for others on the road.

There's no doubt that many people use mag mounts for years without any issues. However, you cannot refute the fact that a permanent mount will create a better ground connection than a mag mount.

Mag mounts are designed to be temporary solutions. So for work vehicles or rental cars, a mag mount would be the better solution over drilling. On a personal vehicle a permanent mount is the best way to go.

 

[WD4JKH]

Drilling is always the best option for the best performance. It may not always be the best option for making the wife happy, but that's another story

My reply was directed to Mr. Z_F's blanket statement that drilling is alway an option. Tell that to a DEA or USM guy that you are installing a radio in his covert vehicle. Also, some contractors are supplied vehicles whose fleets are leased and the home office says "no holes" so a L bracket on the fender or headache rack is the option.

Agreed, best performance for an antenna is a permanent mount type in the center of the roof away from everything else. Anything else is a compromise. Even Mr. D_F put his antennas on the trunk lid on his Corolla, which is a compromise. Why not center of the roof? Doesn't matter, it was his choice.

Over the past 40 years I've installed hundreds of antennas on vehicles of every kind and probably 99% or more of these are standard drill the hole style. The rest have been a little of everything including, but not limited to, glass mount, lip mount, L bracket, patch antennas, stealth antennas from StiCo and yes, magnetic mounts. You can explain the pros and cons to someone about the different types but the bottom line is whatever the customer wants. The only time I ever argued with someone was a narc guy who wanted the antenna mounted INSIDE the trunk. No, it wasn't a Corvette.

Sometimes when reading these forums I get the impression that some folks think owning an antenna hole saw is some sort of a status symbol. It's just another tool in the toolbox. When I first started out I used a Greenlee 3/4" hole punch that would make an exceptionally clean hole. The only drawback was that it took longer and you had to have access to the bottom to put the cutter part on. It was also handy on thicker metal that gave the antenna hole saw trouble. Also NMO mounts don't like thick metal as found on the roofs of ambulance or diamond plate on the roofs of fire trucks. Sometimes you have to get creative.

While on the subject of drilling antenna holes, here are a couple of my suggestions that should be common sense but I will say them anyway:

- Double check underneath where the antenna will go. If you drill into a beam, then you have your work cut out for you, so to speak.

- After you drill your hole, blow the metal shaving off the car. Don't take your rag and wipe the shaving off unless you want the top of your vehicle to look like a couple of cats had a fight on it. Especially dark colors. Make sure the shavings are completely off and not caught in a crack on the edge or in the groove around the trunk or else after a night of condensation you could end up with little rust specs everywhere. Looks really nasty on a white car or truck.

Ok, on a personal note. Ol' Blue, my '87 S-10, has three antenna holes. Two are on the top for VHF and UHF and one is on the cowl by the wiper for 6 meters which should make the hole-drillers happy. The 2000 Blazer which is primarily the wife's ride has 2 mag mounts with 1/4 wave whips on 2 meters (actually 3 counting the GPS antenna). They have been on there for about 10 years and work fine for what I use them for. I don't know what brands of mag mounts other refer to but I never had a problem with rust, bubbly paint or scratches. The only issue I have is as Brandon pointed out is the paint under the mag mounts is in a little better shape that the rest of the top. No big deal. However, I would not recommend a gain or other type of long antenna on a mag mount since it would be easier to knock or be blown off. Besides, if I don't want to stand out I can always open the back hatch and put them inside.

As far a Mr. Z_F's statement about damage to the front end of the radio, my ham radio works just fine. Actually it's a commercial radio (100 watt) with ham frequencies in it and it still works just fine.

I didn't mean to hijack this thread with a rant but it irks me every time someone puts down a poster's antenna installation just because they didn't drill a hole. If someone asks for advice, give them your recommendations but don't criticize their decisions.

If folks are happy with their installs and satisfied with the performance, leave them alone..

David - WD4JKH

 

[Drachen_Fire]

Yeah, we have undercover cars around here. Most of them use those sharkfin style NMO antennas. Of course, a whole lot of them just use portables.

My antennas are on the trunk because I have a sunroof. The only spot to mount that clears the mechanics is less than 3" away from the XM antenna. Not a good spot.

I'm only going off of years of professional installation and technician experience. The simple truth is that a magnet mount antenna does not ground as well, and is not as effective as a hole-mounted antenna. Glass-mounts are worse.

You'll also notice that I suggested an L bracket.

 

[03msc]

For the record, since I commented on it earlier, I certainly have nothing against drilling and using nmo mounts. I agree they are probably better. I also know they aren't always an option. For example, I have a midsized SUV and a garage with a low door - mounting antennas on the room would result in them being bent or getting hung up in the garage door as it went up and down. Also, my SUV is equipped with side and room airbags and I had someone (works at a body shop) say he wouldn't advise taking that headliner down due to the airbags and sensors and that it was possible to mess them up if not done properly. I suppose I could take it to an install shop and let them do it but even then he said if they did something wrong it could cause the airbags to not function properly.

I am sure someone will comment about many vehicles having that these days and it isn't a problem but for me I prefer to not risk it. Plus the garage clearance is just another issue to deal with which kind of makes the airbags issue a moot point.

So...it isn't an option in all situations. Perhaps it is best if they can be mounted in that manner but it isn't always possible. That's the only point I was trying to make. And have made. I admire installs that do use drilled nmo mounted antennas.

 

[FFPM571]

Dropping the headliner does not affect the airbags if done properly and the cables are routed following factory wires. My shop does it all the time and has never had an issue. We do over 300 cars a year for all kinds of departments including .gov 3 letter agencies who don't use police package cars.

 

[03msc]

Dropping the headliner does not affect the airbags if done properly and the cables are routed following factory wires. My shop does it all the time and has never had an issue. We do over 300 cars a year for all kinds of departments including .gov 3 letter agencies who don't use police package cars.

Allow me to clarify...

I have no doubt someone who does it professionally could do it, I meant that I won't do it myself because of this...