Help Identifying Antenna Connection

[magnocain]

Hello!

I recently picked up a magnetic base antenna mount with a 16' cable at a local yard sale. It did not come with the antenna itself. I am having trouble identifying what kind of connection that this mount has. The connection has female threads that are bigger than SMA, and has no pin or pin receiver inside (unless it snapped off). The mount doesn't have any identifying marks or model numbers. See photo with a male SMA antenna included for reference. Does anyone recognize what kind it is? I would like to get antenna for it.



The radio end of the cable has what I'm pretty sure is a UHF connector, although the end of the pin is different from what I'm used to.


Thanks!

 

[mmckenna]

That is not now, nor never was an SMA magnet mount base.
You could try and see if it is a 3/8x24 mount, but it would need to be a small antenna to hold it up.

That is a UHF connector, crimp type.


Likely it was some low cost mag mount for a cheap CB antenna, maybe cheap VHF or UHF antenna. Even if it is 3/8x24 thread, that's not going to hold up a CB antenna. Hopefully you didn't pay much for it.

 

[cmdrwill]

3/8 inch x24 threads per inch female mount.

 

[magnocain]

Thanks!

I paid $1 for it, and plan on using it with VHF/UFH. I'll probably get an adapter to a more common antenna type.

 

[jonwienke]

The threaded hole is only the center conductor going to the whip, not the coax shield. It never had a center pin.

 

[prcguy]

You can get adapters for the cable end but a 3/8-24 antenna thread doesn't adapt to anything else. Its only useful for CB and some HF antennas.

Thanks!

I paid $1 for it, and plan on using it with VHF/UFH. I'll probably get an adapter to a more common antenna type.

 

[vagrant]

Hmmm...wouldn’t an MX stud antenna fit that magnet mount. I think that’s what it‘s called. I think I had an antenna once that would fit that.

Update: I found what I was thinking about. It is very short CB antenna, with a small magnet mount. It has some threaded ring near the base of the antenna to adjust the SWR.

 

[magnocain]

You can get adapters for the cable end but a 3/8-24 antenna thread doesn't adapt to anything else. Its only useful for CB and some HF antennas.

So it wouldn't be useful for VHF/UHF then? Is there a technical reason that it would not work, even if I found the correct adapters?

 

[prcguy]

You can certainly use a 1/4 wave whip that terminates in a 3/8-24 thread, but since that mount was made for CB the bare lead lengths inside the mount may be longer than satisfactory for VHF/UHF adding length to any whip you attach. Since the 3/8-24 mount is not a coaxial connection, there are no adapters to other types of mounts like NMO, SO-239 or N, only other threaded studs like 1/4-20, etc.

So it wouldn't be useful for VHF/UHF then? Is there a technical reason that it would not work, even if I found the correct adapters?