Antenna Recommendations for a Jeep

[SublimeHiPpOs]

Hey all, I'm pretty new to GMRS and radio in general. I have a Jeep JK (which I know isn't the ideal vehicle for radios) and just installed a Retevis RA86, and am looking for suggestions for which antenna, mount, and location I should go with.

I was considering the Midlands MXTA25 ghost antenna possible with a lip mount, or the Rugged Radios mount: Antenna Mount for Jeep Wrangler TJ, LJ, JK, JL and Gladiator JT

I have a High Lift jack on the drivers side, so I if I go with the Rugged Radios bracket it'll probably have to go on the passenger side, near the AM/FM antenna.

I'm sure I could mount something the my spare tire carrier, but routing wire all the way back there is a pain and I heard grounding issues on the tailgate are common, so I'm leaning towards the front unless I could expect notably better performance from a whip antenna in the rear than a ghost antenna in the front? I'm curious about how much of a real-world difference there would be between a 3db ghost antenna and a 6db whip.

 

[mmckenna]

The Ghost antennas are not great performers. It's an option if you just want basic short range trail type communications. If you want better performance, there's a lot of good options for antennas that will work much better. The Ghost antennas will not give you 3dB of gain, unless they are comparing it to a broken/corroded piece of coaxial cable that doesn't have an antenna connected to it.

Grounding issues are not much of an issue on these higher frequencies. You likely heard about the grounding challenges from someone who was trying to get a CB antenna to tune up correctly. You should not have those issues on the UHF band.

It's really helpful to get the antenna up in the clear and away from body panels. There was a member on here that spent a considerable amount of time designing his setup for a GMRS radio as well as a CB and did bracket mounts off the front fenders. With better antennas he had really good performance. Those little Midland radios need all the help they can get.

 

[mmckenna]

Here are a few threads to check out on the subject:

Looking for a lot of advice: CB and GMRS install in a Wrangler

Hello. I have a Jeep Wrangler JK. I currently have a CB installed with the current configuration: Uniden CMX760 (box under the dash) 12 volt power adapter (Quadratec 12 Volt Power Adapter for 99-18 Jeep Wrangler TJ, JK, TJ Unlimited & Wrangler Unlimited JK) 3 ft Firestik on spring coil...

forums.radioreference.com

Multiple Antenna Question for 2M/70CM

I am looking at installing an ICOM IC-2730A mobile radio for 2M/70cm in my Jeep for off-road communications. I currently have both a Midland GRMS radio (MXT400) and an older Cobra CB. The MXT400 is connected to a Midland MXTA11 6db gain antenna which is mounted to my rear tire carrier and near...

forums.radioreference.com

 

[prcguy]

I've got a Jeep JT pickup and the roof and entire top end is fiberglass with removable roof panels. The only suitable place I can find is top of the hood using a trunk lip mount near the hood hinges. The mounts that go between the hood and fender put the antenna several inches below hood level, not that bad for CB but nearly a 1/4 wavelength below top of the hood on UHF or GMRS.
I have two NMO mounts on the hood and use various antennas for several different radios. Here are pics of the drivers side with a Larsen dual band amateur and a bare NMO on the passenger side.





On the drivers side there is an easy cable pass through point below the mount but the passenger side is much more difficult to bring an antenna cable in through the firewall. My passenger side cable actually goes into the frame and pops out under the rear seat where I have a couple of radios mounted.

I also have a bracket with NMO mount on the upper bed rail right behind the rear window but I don't recommend that for just any antenna due to the lack of ground plane. It seems ok for UHF or GMRS but it starts to be a problem at VHF and for CB its not recommended.

 

[SublimeHiPpOs]

I've got a Jeep JT pickup and the roof and entire top end is fiberglass with removable roof panels. The only suitable place I can find is top of the hood using a trunk lip mount near the hood hinges. The mounts that go between the hood and fender put the antenna several inches below hood level, not that bad for CB but nearly a 1/4 wavelength below top of the hood on UHF or GMRS.
I have two NMO mounts on the hood and use various antennas for several different radios. Here are pics of the drivers side with a Larsen dual band amateur and a bare NMO on the passenger side.

View attachment 149972

View attachment 149973

On the drivers side there is an easy cable pass through point below the mount but the passenger side is much more difficult to bring an antenna cable in through the firewall. My passenger side cable actually goes into the frame and pops out under the rear seat where I have a couple of radios mounted.

I also have a bracket with NMO mount on the upper bed rail right behind the rear window but I don't recommend that for just any antenna due to the lack of ground plane. It seems ok for UHF or GMRS but it starts to be a problem at VHF and for CB its not recommended.

Which lip mounts do you have? Would you buy them again?

 

[prcguy]

Which lip mounts do you have? Would you buy them again?

Over the years I've used many Laird brand trunk lip mounts, they are very high quality and last a long time. Other brands like Larsen are good but I don't have any recent experience with those or others. I would stay away from cheaper brands like Tram/Browning, Workman or Opek, you get what you pay for with those. The Laird mounts are expensive new but I catch them on eBay new in package for under $25, you just have to search every day to snag a good deal.

 

[SublimeHiPpOs]

What would you all think about a bracket like this, but with a 32-36" antenna? I was thinking that it would give me more flexibility to move the antenna farther forward, so it wouldn't be so close to the factory AM/FM antenna location. Being off to the side would also make it less obstructive to my view.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DKR22NW

 

[prcguy]

What would you all think about a bracket like this, but with a 32-36" antenna? I was thinking that it would give me more flexibility to move the antenna farther forward, so it wouldn't be so close to the factory AM/FM antenna location. Being off to the side would also make it less obstructive to my view.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DKR22NW

With a tall antenna its ok but the radiation pattern will not be as good as a top mounted lip mount near the hinges. I would recommend installing on the drivers side since firewall penetration is very easy there and its away from the stock AM/FM antenna. Plus over the years I've favored the drivers side which will hit less stuff hanging over the street and vandals are more likely to steal an antenna from the sidewalk side vs the street side in my experience.

 

[KK6HRW]

Over the years I've used many Laird brand trunk lip mounts, they are very high quality and last a long time. Other brands like Larsen are good but I don't have any recent experience with those or others. I would stay away from cheaper brands like Tram/Browning, Workman or Opek, you get what you pay for with those. The Laird mounts are expensive new but I catch them on eBay new in package for under $25, you just have to search every day to snag a good deal.

I have the equivalent of a ‘trunk lip’ that is 1/8” thick (made out of cast aluminium). Is a NMO “lip mount” likely to fit?

 

[prcguy]

I have the equivalent of a ‘trunk lip’ that is 1/8” thick (made out of cast aluminium). Is a NMO “lip mount” likely to fit?

I think so. i can measure a spare but I’m away from home for about a week.

 

[jeepsandradios]

What is your expected use case for the radio. If your talking to guys on the trail then the Rugged Radio mount and ghost antenna will be fine. If your goal is to talk to a repeater not nearby or simplex at a distance then the other mounts may work better. On my JK I run 2 radios. Midland 275 into a MSI LP antenna (similar to a ghost) on the Rugged Ridge Mount on the Passengers side of the JK. On the Drivers side I run a 1/4 wave UHF on a flat fender mount (similar to what you posted above) to my CDM for repeater use. Its not the best but works for me.

 

[SublimeHiPpOs]

What is your expected use case for the radio. If your talking to guys on the trail then the Rugged Radio mount and ghost antenna will be fine. If your goal is to talk to a repeater not nearby or simplex at a distance then the other mounts may work better. On my JK I run 2 radios. Midland 275 into a MSI LP antenna (similar to a ghost) on the Rugged Ridge Mount on the Passengers side of the JK. On the Drivers side I run a 1/4 wave UHF on a flat fender mount (similar to what you posted above) to my CDM for repeater use. Its not the best but works for me.

Trail comms were my main driver in getting something installed, but I'm definitely interested in diving deeper into the hobby and trying to hit local repeaters. According to MyGMRS, I'm several miles out of range of the closest repeater, so I'm not optimistic I'll be able to hit it anywhere near here, but hopefully when I'm closer.

 

[SublimeHiPpOs]

My head is still spinning from all the various options, but I'm kind of narrowed down to three general options (in no particular order)...

• Put a magnetic adhesive disk on my fiberglass roof so I can use the little ~12" antenna the radio came with. This is my only option that would get all, or even most, of an antenna above the roofline.
• Mount on or near the hood. On another forum I saw someone was able to remove one of the bumpers on the hood (see on the bottom right of my photo below) and mount an antenna there. I thought that was pretty clever. Otherwise I'd go with a lip or fender mount. Either way I'd use a ~32" whip so I'd only have a few inches above the roofline.
• I have a front bumper with a mounting tab about 1.5" in front of the grill and about 1" below the hood that I could mount something like this on.
  
  

  Retevis MR300 1200mm Heavy Duty Fiberglass Radome GMRS Antenna

  GMRS Rugged Mobile Radome Antenna, Weatherproof, and Fixed Fiberglass Radome, Super Gainer Low Loss Coaxial Cable, SL16J Antenna Connector best GMRS vehicle antenna mobile antenna Durable Antennas

  www.retevis.com

Any advice on which approach would yield the best results for my situation. I realize given my vehicle and priorities there are several compromises involved.

 

[ladn]

Any advice on which approach would yield the best results for my situation. I realize given my vehicle and priorities there are several compromises involved.

I think @prcguy has the best solution with the hood/cowl bracket and NMO mount.
NMO is pretty close to a universal mount and there's a tremendous number of antennas that will fit it. The coax for a quality NMO mount will also be better.

An alternative would be similar to your first option, but with the metallic adhesive on the inside of the cab and an NMO mount through the roof. This will give you (probably) better range, but wouldn't be a good idea if you like to drive topless. It also subjects the antenna to getting whacked by low hanging branches, which is why a mag mount wouldn't be a good idea. IF you pursue this idea, look at one of the flexible EMWAVE 1/4 wave UHF antennas in NMO mount. These are less likely to sustain branch damage.

The scrawny little antenna you have pictured will technically work, but that spaghetti coax isn't very strong and will probably have a fair amount of loss at 462/467 MHz.

The HD 1200mm fiberglass antenna costs more than your radio and is sort of like a fishing lure--designed to catch more fishermen than fish. Stick to professional quality (Larsen, Laird, PC-Tel, EMWAVE) antenna products for best results in the long term.

 

[citiot]

I’ve seen someone remove a hood windshield rubber bumper and use the hole somehow. . Not sure if they put in nmo or so238.

I’m thinking of doing that or simply drill an nmo hole a little right of center on hood. Much better that damaging mag mounts.

 

[prcguy]

I’ve seen someone remove a hood windshield rubber bumper and use the hole somehow. . Not sure if they put in nmo or so238.

I’m thinking of doing that or simply drill an nmo hole a little right of center on hood. Much better that damaging mag mounts.

It sounds like you are having a problem with the hood lip mount. With my 45+ yrs of radio installing experience I think it’s the hot ticket for a Jeep. You can easily do worse and regret it.

 

[tomk62]

I was considering the Midlands MXTA25 ghost antenna possible with a lip mount, or the Rugged Radios mount: Antenna Mount for Jeep Wrangler TJ, LJ, JK, JL and Gladiator JT

Here's a reliable fact-based review of the Midland ghost antenna:

I sure there are "experts" though that will dispute his findings.

 

[mmckenna]

I sure there are "experts" though that will dispute his findings.

I don't know of anyone on this site that claimed that antenna is a "non-functioning dummy load", and I don't know anyone that would claim the Nagoya was a superior antenna. So, not sure where that is coming from, must be another site, or some comment I've missed.

On UHF and higher frequencies, those salt shaker work halfway decent. I use a similar design antenna on 800MHz for a few applications.

What's disappointing about that video is that they didn't take the time to compare it to a decent UHF gain antenna. Seems a bit like "confirmation bias" by not doing a full comparison, but from the guys snarky comments, I suspect that is what they were going for.

It's not hard to get a better antenna with more gain and a better radiation pattern. Unless one wants the "look" of the ghost antenna, that is.

 

[colodak]

I find that those little ghost antenna are fine for in town use, where they might be subject to parking garages, or other abuses, and then swap out for a regular mast when in the back country. I've been doing this swap for about a 6 months. One reason was my regular 18" GMRS antenna was trashed by someone attempting to vandalize my vehicle, having the tall GMRS antenna and a separate dual band antenna created a tempting target for someone. When I replaced everything, which was not easy, I installed ghost antenna's for in town or short range use, they also eliminated my need for weather caps, and then keep my regular length antenna for when I'm 4 wheeling.

 

[colodak]

My head is still spinning from all the various options, but I'm kind of narrowed down to three general options (in no particular order)...

• Put a magnetic adhesive disk on my fiberglass roof so I can use the little ~12" antenna the radio came with. This is my only option that would get all, or even most, of an antenna above the roofline.
• Mount on or near the hood. On another forum I saw someone was able to remove one of the bumpers on the hood (see on the bottom right of my photo below) and mount an antenna there. I thought that was pretty clever. Otherwise I'd go with a lip or fender mount. Either way I'd use a ~32" whip so I'd only have a few inches above the roofline.
• I have a front bumper with a mounting tab about 1.5" in front of the grill and about 1" below the hood that I could mount something like this on.
  
  

  Retevis MR300 1200mm Heavy Duty Fiberglass Radome GMRS Antenna

  GMRS Rugged Mobile Radome Antenna, Weatherproof, and Fixed Fiberglass Radome, Super Gainer Low Loss Coaxial Cable, SL16J Antenna Connector best GMRS vehicle antenna mobile antenna Durable Antennas

  www.retevis.com

Any advice on which approach would yield the best results for my situation. I realize given my vehicle and priorities there are several compromises involved.

View attachment 150152

Unless you plan to bolt a magnetic disk to the fiberglass roof, adhesive won't last long. To create space between the my GMRS antenna and my dual band antenna (about 6ft of separation), I attached a small steel plate to my fiberglass topper with heavy duty contact cement (supposedly weather and moisture resistant) and then stuck a magnetic mount on it. The setup lasted about 3 months, then one day at highway speeds, there came a loud thunk, then my antenna came rolling off the roof, when I pulled over and picked it up, the piece of steel was still attached to the magnet, but the contact cement had fully failed.