You're going to want to have some sort of metal ground plane under the mag for best results, the bigger the better... kitchen
appliances are great for that; refrigerators the best for height and mass. (Strongly suggest securing spouse/SO permission prior
to doing so if applicable... speaking from experience...
)
You are correct! I forgot to add that, thank you. But for a quick non-transmitting setup, I've used a minimum of metal. For instance, my mantle setup right now is a 19" "Hershey Kiss" mag mount on one of those metal electric junction box covers. For DPS, I'm receiving all the local districts including Metro West, which I usually have quite a bit of difficulty with.
I'd like to mention another external antenna idea for anyone not familiar with them that's working great for me: a small dipole I made from two of those Signal Stick antennas built and sold by a Ham club up in Utah. I used a 2" L-bracket, an SMA-F connector, and a 10-foot RG-174 coax with an SMA-M on one end and an SMA-F bulkhead connector on the other. The antennas, both with SMA-M connectors, are the dual-band whip model that they sell for about $20 each. I drilled out the two holes in the L, both on the same side. The SMA connector goes thru one facing "down" while the bulkhead SMA goes in the other facing "up" or the opposite direction. I soldered the center conductor of the plain SMA to the body, shorting it. I then used the included nuts to secure both connectors to the bracket, Finally, I screwed on the 2 antennas. The one on the bulkhead becomes the radiator and the other is the reflector. Works extremely well as a quick portable antenna that can be set up virtually anywhere and does not require a ground to use. I set it up in the bedroom, high up on the wall and connected to a radio on the headboard. We have dark paint on the walls, so the antenna pretty much disappears, so the Mrs. isn't offended. Hope this helps someone.
