2018 Ford Escape No-Drill Install

[SmitHans]

A properly installed permanent antenna will not affect resale value. If you remove the antenna & put in a body colored plug in the hole, it'll go unnoticed 99.99 % of the time.

Magnet mounts scratch the hell out of the paint, even if you are very careful. Guarantee that will be noticed.

The damage to interiors from poorly mounted & installed radios is more likely to attract the attention of any buyer. And even then, unless you really hacked up the dashboard or have missing interior components, it'll only knock a couple hundred bucks off.

 

[Outerdog]

2014 Ford Escape install.



Easy peasy, no drilling!

 

[dlwtrunked]

...
Magnet mounts scratch the hell out of the paint, even if you are very careful. Guarantee that will be noticed.
...

I will say it again as I have to post this every time this thread come up. That is simple not true. My Toyota Corolla has over 400,000 and no scratches where I put the magnet mount (Larsen NMO). I remove it every couple month when I drive the car through the carwash, clean off the bottom of the magnet mount and put it back in the same place. This is not the first car I have had with the same experience.

 

[izzyj4]

I will say it again as I have to post this every time this thread come up. That is simple not true. My Toyota Corolla has over 400,000 and no scratches where I put the magnet mount (Larsen NMO). I remove it every couple month when I drive the car through the carwash, clean off the bottom of the magnet mount and put it back in the same place. This is not the first car I have had with the same experience.

Well you said it right there, you take car of your vehicle, clean i and mag mount. Most people don't do that, hence the scratches!

 

[dlwtrunked]

Well you said it right there, you take car of your vehicle, clean i and mag mount. Most people don't do that, hence the scratches!

Actually almost everyone I know does much more for their car (at least around her)--sometimes I do not wash it for 4 or more months-but many around here are members of car wash clubs getting their wash a couple times a month. But if one does not, one will have other problems.

 

[dlwtrunked]

Actually almost everyone I know does much more for their car (at least around her)--sometimes I do not wash it for 4 or more months-but many around here are members of car wash clubs getting their wash a couple times a month. But if one does not, one will have other problems.

The last sentence was mean to say "But if one does not ake proper care of their car, one will have other problems."
I get an oil change every 5000 miles. Worst problem is Toyota did not realize in 2006 that the Corolla would go over 299,999 miles sothe odometer stops there requiring a multi-thousand dollar repair to fix (replacing a circuit board) if you want to do it. That was about 8 years ago for my car. After the odometer quits working, the trip odometer has to be used to determine oil changes, total mileage etc. I did buy back then parts to make a hole and install the antenna that way but never got around to it--may be the next car.

 

[n0xvz]

2014 Ford Escape install.

View attachment 113653

Easy peasy, no drilling!

I've done a similar "install" for more years than I care to admit.

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I understand the reluctance to drill the roof. I resisted for years thinking that it would reduce the trade-in value (not to mention being a hassle). I'm not a very active ham, so I hesitated to permanently install radios in my vehicles. Earlier this year, I finally bit the bullet and installed a dual-band ham radio and a mount for my handheld scanner. @mmckenna had very good advice about antenna installs as well as technical advice. Locally, @n5rv helped with both technical advice as well as showed me the ropes for a proper antenna install!

So my advice, drill the roof. You'll be much happier with the performance.

 

[6079smithw]

View attachment 113594View attachment 113595

A couple years back I got a IMTS unit like the one in the picture at a storage unit auction. Packed in 3 boxes, it was complete right down to the
A/S base-loaded antenna. Pristine condition and no doubt in working order. Wound up selling it to a classic car collector/restorer for an
obscene amount at the Hot August Nights Swap Meet in Reno... Thanks for the Memories!

 

[SmitHans]

I've done a similar "install" for more years than I care to admit.

----------
I understand the reluctance to drill the roof. I resisted for years thinking that it would reduce the trade-in value (not to mention being a hassle). I'm not a very active ham, so I hesitated to permanently install radios in my vehicles. Earlier this year, I finally bit the bullet and installed a dual-band ham radio and a mount for my handheld scanner. @mmckenna had very good advice about antenna installs as well as technical advice. Locally, @n5rv helped with both technical advice as well as showed me the ropes for a proper antenna install!

So my advice, drill the roof. You'll be much happier with the performance.

The hassle of dropping the headliner is a far more valid reason for not drilling in the roof than for supposed resale value.

 

[n0xvz]

The hassle of dropping the headliner is a far more valid reason for not drilling in the roof than for supposed resale value.

It's not automatic that the headliner needs to be dropped. For example, we didn't drop it for my install. So, I would say it's not necessarily that big of a factor.

 

[bharvey2]

The hassle of dropping the headliner is a far more valid reason for not drilling in the roof than for supposed resale value.

No reason to fully drop the headliner. In something like an Escape, you would likely need to remove the rear pillar facia enough lower the headliner to get a peek at where you're drilling. You can slide a cookie sheet or something similar to under your drill hole to catch any shaving and protect you headliner and pull the sheet out when you done. (I've done several that way.) Other than getting a grip on the coax which can be done pretty easily with a variety of tools, the NMO mount can be installed "blind" accessing it only from the top of the vehicle.

 

[mmckenna]

I haven't dropped a headliner in 25 years or so.

 

[slowmover]

Having the coax completely out of the way is spur enough to do it right.

Losing the ability to carry a full complement of passengers and gear is the “price” of loose coax.

THEN the inevitable damage to that coax.

Saying, “well, it’s just me using the car”, doesn’t take into account on one day it isn’t just the owner aboard — and that radio comms are HIGHLY desirable — that the whole thing is a failure.

It’s an emotional problem . . not one of reason in avoiding a proper install.

These vehicles go down an assembly line with 6th grade educated workers as a built-in assumption. There’s a simplicity that once understood makes the work manageable.

And give one’s self credit that the pull to do this — to be able to communicate with others OWNING the means — isn’t fluke or random in origin.

Cars go in and out of body shops all the time. “Expertise” re interior pieces isn’t a skilled job.

.

 

[n5rv]

I've never had to drop a headliner in 40+ years to install an antenna. I've only had to drop a headliner to install an inside the cab rear facing lightbar that is used for our staff and undercover vehicles.

Don't let your assumed ideas that it will reduce the value of the vehicle. Do expect better performance than a glass mounted or cowl mounted antenna.

 

[cpg178]

I orginally did not want to put a hole in my roof. Car is still under a year old and there’s now THREE holes in my roof. I went down to the local radio shop and they did it all for me in less than 45 minutes and it was just about 100 bucks out the door including parts and labor with cables run and properly terminated right to my radio. All I had to do was screw my antenna of Choice onto the mount. Prior to have the holes drilled I spent 60 each on 2 ham lip mounts and after 6 months of my trunk opening and closing there is permanent paint damage where it made contact, not only has my reception improved with a permanent proper NMO mount I don’t worry about damaging my car during normal use by having a generic aftermarket solution screwed into my trunk.

 

[iowajm780]

It ain't pretty but works great. 1/4 for 800MHz receive only using the trunk lip mount and it will only fit on the drivers side of the trunk lip. The puck is a Garmin 18X GPS. At some point I will bring it to a radio shop for a permanent NMO mount. This is on a 2014 Ford Escape.

 

[citiot]

Just my take. I've never seen damage NOT happen with magnetic or lip mounts.

Best one was a jerky co-worker fellow ham who had a fancy/expensive sports car.

I recommended that he drill the hole and put in a quarter wave whip (19 inch 2-meter) instead of the tall collinear on a mag mount. He made some snide remark about my low salary and not being able to afford a sports car and that I know nothing about resale values of exotic cars with drilled antenna holes.

A couple weeks later, I noticed a big scratch on the roof and trunk of his car and also a taped-up taillight when I parked by him in the lot. At the end of the day, we walked out together, and I made mention of the scratch. He mumbled something about the city and suing them for not trimming a branch. I felt warm and gleeful inside

 

[iowajm780]

This is a temporary mount. When the weather warms up here, I plan on having 2 NMO mounts professionally installed. I need for my XTL-5000 since just using a portable is not cutting it. The GPS puck will also go away since I plan to use a small one on the dashboard. So hopefully I will escape any damage until I get the permenant mount. Going to have this done by a radio shop since I can't seem to screw in a lightbulb properly.

 

[03msc]

Mag mounts always cause damage (whether admitted/perceived or not) and are a compromise over a proper mount (i.e. don't perform as well). There's an entire multi-page thread about the subject. "Works fine for me" = "I don't know any better" most often.

If you want the best results and best resale value, drill the hole. Period. Anything else is a compromise over a proper antenna install. If you want your install to look nice and operate at peak performance, drill it. Or have it drilled by a reputable radio shop. In the long run you will be happier with the performance and the appearance.

@mmckenna really needs to hurry and get that RV and his antenna install kit and get out on the road installing antennas for people the right way.

 

[mmckenna]

@mmckenna really needs to hurry and get that RV and his antenna install kit and get out on the road installing antennas for people the right way.

I'm gonna get a tool belt with cordless drill holsters on each side, tied down for quick draw action.
One will have a 3/4" hole saw for NMO's
The other will have a 7/8" for the multi-feed LTE/GPS/WiFi antennas.

I'm also going to have the theme from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" on loop. (I'm the ugly one….)

I'm gonna get business cards that say: