Dodge Durango

[SouthernRoller]

Having a newer Dodge Durango and not wanting to drill any holes for a roof mount antenna and not really wanting a 6 foot antenna in the air. I'm wondering how this magnet mount PM5NMO - Twinpoint 5" Magnetic Antenna Mount Nmo, 17' RG58U Coax W/PL259 and this antenna MLB2700 - Maxrad NMO CB Antenna would work together to serve my purpose? As a added note will not be running a Golden Screwdriver tuned radio, will be a Anytone 6666 stock radio . Thanks in advance for any and all replies.

 

[jassing]

I have no experience with the maxrad, but looks like a typical bottom-loaded whip.
Magmounts, over time, will ruin your paint be sure roof & antenna base is completely clean of everything before putting on vehicle. And don't try to push more than the legal amount thru it. Magmounts can burn the paint if you push too much power thru them.

I know you said you didn't want to do it, you should just drill a hole & put a proper NMO mount up there. They are secure, easy to install, look better, and you will have less long term issues (like paint damage from the magmount moving or too much power). Besdies, if you sell the rig, you can just put an NMO cap on the mount making it look nice and clean, and just leave the cable run "Wired for CB Antenna".

There are other options, like a hood mount that bolts under the hood, but allows the hood to be lifted w/o issue. Still, there's some drilling for the mount, but nothing that would reduce resell value.

Don't forget however you end up mounting it (hood, roof, magmount, thru metal, etc) you will have to tune the antenna...

 

[Firekite]

I know you said you didn't want to do it, you should just drill a hole & put a proper NMO mount up there.
...
Don't forget however you end up mounting it (hood, roof, magmount, thru metal, etc) you will have to tune the antenna...

Both excellent points for @CarolinaClodhopper to consider

 

[mmckenna]

I used the Larsen NMO-27 for years. Similar antenna and worked very well.
I always did permanent NMO mounts in the roof tops of my trucks. Always gave me a nice flat SWR curve across the band. It really is the way to go.
Since the Anytone 6666 is a 10 meter radio and not a CB radio, these antennas will tune up to 10 meters easily.

Other issue with mag mounts is getting the cable inside the vehicle. If you run it through a window or door, you run the risk of crushing the cable, which will throw off it's characteristic impedance. Jacket damage from pinching/abrasion will let moisture in and that will corrode the cable from the inside out.

 

[Firekite]

Other issue with mag mounts is getting the cable inside the vehicle. If you run it through a window or door, you run the risk of crushing the cable, which will throw off it's characteristic impedance. Jacket damage from pinching/abrasion will let moisture in and that will corrode the cable from the inside out.

Yes, a mag mount can be very useful for temporary or only occasional use, but otherwise it’s not a good solution for continuous or long-term use.

 

[N4GIX]

Since the Anytone 6666 is a 10 meter radio and not a CB radio, these antennas will tune up to 10 meters easily.

This is the first "CB" radio I've ever seen that is so easily swapped between 10m and CB. Press and hold the "Band" and "Menu" buttons and turn on the radio. Turn the large channel knob to switch between CB and HF bands. Press and hold the "Menu" button until the unit beeps and exits the menu.

How cool is that?

 

[SouthernRoller]

Yes I love all the features the Anytone 6666 offers. It's a full featured easy to operate radio in a compact size. Mine is set to do 55 watts PEP AM and 70 watts PEP SSB. I don't have a single complaint with it at all and constantly get great compliments on how good it sounds...

 

[N4GIX]

Alas, I already have a CS800D (dual analog/DMR), a TYT-7600 V/U dual receive 2m/70cm, and an FT-857D all band HF, 10m, 6m, 2m, & .70cm in my car.

I have no more room in my car for anything else!

 

[FiveFilter]

That mag mount and antenna system looks to me like they will do the job, but I don't have any experience with them.

I use a Wilson 500 4.5-foot and a Wilson 1000 5.1-foot magnet mount antennas, and they reach out as well as any antenna with similar lengths. I've never had any paint issues from using a mag mount, but I remove the antennas after I use them. If the mag mount is left on for long periods of time, it is advisable to lift them off the paint periodically and gently wipe off the accumulated moisture underneath to keep it from affecting the paint. I only use HF 11 meter radios for specific purposes, such as long highway trips where they get me information on road conditions on truckers' Channel 19, and I remove them after use. This is their strong suit: use them when you need them, remove them when you don't.

It's true that very high power radios / amplifiers can bake the paint beneath a mag mount via overheating. But it takes several hundred watts and lots of talking to effect such damage. Certainly the stock Anytone 6666 will not cause any problems.

 

[Firekite]

It's true that very high power radios / amplifiers can bake the paint beneath a mag mount via overheating.

Even if you use it just for a scanner, no transmit at all, a mag mount will grind little bits of dust and dirt into the paint and leave a circle where it was. It’s never as clean as we think it is no matter how hard you try, and it will gather up as you drive.

For a temporary setup used only occasionally, it’s fine. But left on over time, you might as well do a proper NMO mount.

 

[FiveFilter]

Sure. As I noted, if the mag mount is left in place for long periods of time without drying out the moisture, there can be some paint affliction from moisture collecting there. I'm sure that any dirt collecting on the edges of the mount can add to the problem.

Since I remove the antenna when I'm not using it, I've experienced no such problems. I just have to be careful not to damage the paint when I'm putting it on and taking it off; but after years of experience I can say: so far, so good

I use a mag mounted antenna because I don't want a hole in my roof; or more specifically in my case, roofs, since I would actually be poking three holes: one for each of my vehicles.

I envision the difference in comparing mag mounts to punched holes is similar to comparing fried eggs to ham:

When creating the eggs, the chicken is involved.

When creating the ham, the pig is committed.

I like to think of my car as a chicken instead of a pig.

You pays your money and makes your choice. I'm glad we have one.