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Best mobile antenna
- Thread starter KOK5CY
- Start date
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
"Best" can mean a bunch of different things.
Based on your mounting location, an elevated feed UHF antenna would get the radiating element above the vehicle roof. That would give you a better omnidirectional pattern as opposed to a 1/4 wave spike mounted down below the roof line.
Drawback is it's taller than the vehicle, and may strike things.
Some may say that 'more gain is always better'. Not always. Not sure which Collinsville you are in, but flat areas can benefit from more gain where the antenna throws more signal at the horizon. If you are surrounded by mountains, lower gain can work better.
I'm in an area surrounded by hills, so I found that simple 1/4 wave antennas work just fine for me. I install on the roof of the vehicle, so I don't have to overcome everything. Roof mount isn't for everyone, so you do you.
I've played around with gain antennas on VHF, UHF and 800MHz. In my application, I never noticed a difference between a simple quarter wave and a higher gain antenna. But that's me in my particular application.
The nice thing is that the NMO mount will let you play with different antennas easily. I'd start with your 1/4 wave and see how it does. The beauty of a 1/4 wave antenna is that it's really broad banded. It'll give you a nice low SWR across the UHF band, so no issues running the same antenna for GMRS or 70 centimeters.
If the 1/4 wave doesn't cut it, go with a higher gain antenna, or the elevated feed antenna.
Based on your mounting location, an elevated feed UHF antenna would get the radiating element above the vehicle roof. That would give you a better omnidirectional pattern as opposed to a 1/4 wave spike mounted down below the roof line.
Drawback is it's taller than the vehicle, and may strike things.
Some may say that 'more gain is always better'. Not always. Not sure which Collinsville you are in, but flat areas can benefit from more gain where the antenna throws more signal at the horizon. If you are surrounded by mountains, lower gain can work better.
I'm in an area surrounded by hills, so I found that simple 1/4 wave antennas work just fine for me. I install on the roof of the vehicle, so I don't have to overcome everything. Roof mount isn't for everyone, so you do you.
I've played around with gain antennas on VHF, UHF and 800MHz. In my application, I never noticed a difference between a simple quarter wave and a higher gain antenna. But that's me in my particular application.
The nice thing is that the NMO mount will let you play with different antennas easily. I'd start with your 1/4 wave and see how it does. The beauty of a 1/4 wave antenna is that it's really broad banded. It'll give you a nice low SWR across the UHF band, so no issues running the same antenna for GMRS or 70 centimeters.
If the 1/4 wave doesn't cut it, go with a higher gain antenna, or the elevated feed antenna.
prcguy
Member
This is the highest gain UHF mobile NMO mount antenna I've ever used or tested.
Vintage Motorola Mobile Radio Rooftop Antenna TAE6062B 5dB Gain 450-470 MHz NOS | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Motorola Mobile Radio Rooftop Antenna TAE6062B 5dB Gain 450-470 MHz NOS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
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mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
The police department in the city I grew up in had those Motorola elevated feed antennas.
On top of the cars.
I did a ride along. That antenna took a lot of hits.
On top of the cars.
I did a ride along. That antenna took a lot of hits.
I like the 1/4 wave personally but if you really need the gain the Laird is really nice. I run them on a few vehicles.
theantennafarm.com
UHF GMRS 450-470 MHz Antenna 3dB 5/8 Wave Black TE Connectivity BB4503
450-470 MHz Base loaded 5/8 wave antenna and load coil. Gain (dBi) 3, Maximum Power 200(Watts), Whip Length 12"
theantennafarm.com
Well I went ahead and got a Browning nmo 450 5/8 wave and trunk lid mount and placed it on the driver's side trunk lid about half way down the leading edge. I haven't had time to check everything but the radio shop tech cut the whip down to the GMRS band.
FKimble
Member
3 dbi gain minus 2.14 to get dB gain doesn't leave much real gain!
Frank sorry for large print can't make it small ???
The local shop didn't have the Laird.I like the 1/4 wave personally but if you really need the gain the Laird is really nice. I run them on a few vehicles.
UHF GMRS 450-470 MHz Antenna 3dB 5/8 Wave Black TE Connectivity BB4503
450-470 MHz Base loaded 5/8 wave antenna and load coil. Gain (dBi) 3, Maximum Power 200(Watts), Whip Length 12"
Living in a vally in AZ, all the repeaters are many miles away up in the mountains. I tried both 1/4 wave Laird and 5/8th wave colinear Laird antennas. The 5/8 wave won hands down, almost always hitting the repeater where the smaller 1/4 wave would not. All the AZ DPS runs 5/8th collinear UHF antennas on all their patrol cars as well. Mines the black Laird 5/8th with the spring at the base. Forgot the model number. Works great right out of the box, no need to cut it. Already tuned for 450-470. ( I called The Antenna Farm just to double check - they said you don’t need to cut it for the GMRS band since it’s already pre-tuned for it ). My SWR is just about perfect.
I took a road trip yesterday and it was right around 60 Miles and I had to make an adjustment for the mount ground to the rear deck of my trunk. 4 gauge battery cable from my trunk lid mount bolt to the rear deck and it cured the the ground issue and my TX signal increased way better than I thought. I'm sticking with my Browning nmo 450 5/8 wave .
