How to route coax cable from roof of mobile antenna to inside of car?

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ManyReason

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Hi RR community,
I am looking to increase my reception while driving so I ordered the SpectrumForce wideband BNC mobile antenna. It comes with a mag mount and coax. I am looking to mount this on the roof, but without drilling any holes or anything like that. How do you guys route the antenna cable from the roof to the inside of the car? I am thinking maybe find a small area in the door area I can push the cable in and shut the door, or under the weather seal. Can this create leaking problems (rain getting inside a small opened, etc?)
For information, my car is a 2011 BMW 5 series sedan

Any help appreciated as this is my first mobile install on a car. Thank you
 

mmckenna

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Can this create leaking problems (rain getting inside a small opened, etc?)

Yes, there are a couple of risks.

1. It can create a path where moisture can get in. If you are careful and leave a "drip loop", you can avoid some of it.
2. The coaxial cable can be pinched which can cause two issues:
-2a. Cable gets pinched and it changes characteristic impedance. Not really a big deal for receiving.
-2b. Cable jacket can be damaged, which lets moisture in. Water + Copper + Oxygen = corrosion. The cable can be destroyed in short time if this happen.
3. Cable can flap around on the roof and damage paint.
4. Mag mounts can collect fine iron particles kicked up by other vehicles and lead to rust marks on the roof.
5. Mag mounts can collect fine iron particles, dust, etc. and cause scratching to the paint.
6. Long term use can result in the paint fading, except under the mount.

Mag mounts can work fine for temporary use. It's a good idea to remove them and clean very well frequently.

I understand the desire to not drill holes in a car, don't get me wrong, but it really does prevent some other issues.
 

ht396jm

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Most communications companies who do installs on police, fire, and EMS are more than happy to do installs for civilians, mine included. I would recommend going to one if you have a few hundred bucks burning a hole in your pocket.
 

iMONITOR

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Normally BNC connectors are a poor choice for outdoor use as they're not inherently waterproof. I've seen people use them with mag mount as a temporarly solution on fair weather days. Not good in rain and snow especially if road salt is used.
 

a417

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safest way to route coax into your vehicle is....

...thru the mounting hole you drill. (y) I'll stop now.

Trying to wrap coax around a bend will either be a pinch/compression point, an area where abrasion will occur, or you will get to the physical minimum bend radius of the cable. You will inherently cause a potential leakage path, create wind noise, all things your BMW doesn't have from the factory. You're talking about an 8 yr old saloon car, drill a hole, mount an NMO and be done with it. Mag mounts thru door jams are used when ferrying a vehicle and you will only have it for several days and the like.
 

ofd8001

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You might check with: https://www.theantennafarm.com/cata...t-mounts-268/nmo-vehicle-specific-mounts-297/

They might have a bracket you could use that would fasten to the inside of a fender. Then mount the antenna to it and run coax through firewall. Having a BMW is probably unusual for vehicle specific brackets. Something "close" may have to suffice.

It won't be a roof install, but still outside. Plus you won't have water issues to worry about.
 

ManyReason

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Thanks guys, I decided to go through permanently mounting an antenna by drilling a hole. Are there any tutorials that walk through this installation? Thinking of a comtelco antenna with a hole mount from scannermaster. Also, where can I find the rubber plug incase I decide to take the antenna down?
 

mmckenna

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Thanks guys, I decided to go through permanently mounting an antenna by drilling a hole. Are there any tutorials that walk through this installation? Thinking of a comtelco antenna with a hole mount from scannermaster. Also, where can I find the rubber plug incase I decide to take the antenna down?

Make sure scannermaster is selling you a Larsen or Laird NMO mount. Beware of Tram/Browning/Cheap Chinese antennas.
A good source of this stuff is the Antenna Farm: The Antenna Farm, Your two way radio source

As for installation….
You need to have a 3/4" hole saw that is designed for drilling sheet metal. There are specific antenna hole saws which can be a good investment if you plan on doing this more than once. If not, you can use a standard hole saw or 3/4" chassis punch. Be -really- careful if you feel tempted to use the "Uni-Bit" style "Christmas Tree" bits. They can grab the sheet metal and make a quick mess of it.

If you can, remove the head liner, especially if not using the NMO specific hole saws, which have a depth limiter that -usually- will prevent it from hitting the headliner.
Not sure how your car is set up but on some you can remove the dome light (if it's near the center) and access the underside that way.

As always, measure twice (or thrice) and drill once.
Use a couple of strips of 2" wide masking tape on the roof. This gives you a place to make your mark, and protects the immediate area around where you are going to drill. Measure again just to make sure….

Drill baby, drill. Go slow, it's not a race. Pretty much light pressure, slightly more than the weight of the drill itself.

When the hole is done, carefully clean up all the metal shavings. Don't leave any of them on the roof. This prevents scratches, and if you live in a location with high humidity, fog, coastal climate, etc. the steel chips will rust quickly and leave marks that need to be buffed out.

Remove the masking tape.

Install the NMO by passing the radio end of the coaxial cable down through the roof from the outside. You'll need to fish for it if you didn't drop the headliner. A long coat hanger can be handy. When you get all the coaxial cable in and not bunched up, you put the nmo mount in by dropping it in with the cable first, then move it back and drop the other side in.

The NMO install kit should come with a small tube of silicone grease. Put that on the O ring that is on the underside of the NMO nut. Take the O ring out completely and make sure it's got a light coat on all sides. This prevents the O ring from binding as you tighten the outer nut.

Using a small pair of needle nose pliers in the two holes on the center of the mount to hold it from turning, use a large adjustable wrench to tighten the outer ring. It needs to be snug and the nut should contact the roof fully. No white knuckles, but you do want it tight.

Wipe off any excess silicone grease that escaped and clean off the roof.

On the inside, you'll need to carefully route the coaxial cable. Make sure you don't get on the wrong side of any air bags. If your car has side curtain air bags, make sure you route the cable between them and the roof. If the airbags ever deploy, you don't want the coax in the way.
Route the coax down the side pillar to the floor and under trim to where the radio is. You want to be sure the coax isn't going to rub against any sharp sheet metal edges. Ideally you want the coax away from other vehicle wiring if you can. Do not run the wire under carpet where peoples feet will be. This will eventually damage the cable.

If the coaxial cable is not pre-terminated with your connector, you'll cut the coax to length, but leave a foot or two of extra, just in case. Ideally you don't want a big wad of cable shoved up under the dash board.

Install your connector and antenna and give it a try. Make sure all the trim is put back and the cable is safe. I'll usually wash the roof afterwards just to make sure I got everything off.

There are probably some videos or photo tutorials on line, just take them with a grain of salt. There are some seriously sloppy installs online and you don't want to do that. Important part is to make sure you have the right tools and all your parts ahead of time.

Done right, it'll look good. I've always felt that a properly installed antenna looks 100 times better than a magnetic mount trunk lip mount.

The hole plug that iMonitor posted above will work if you decide to take it out. You can spray paint them a similar color as your car to help them blend in, but hopefully you won't need to do that. You'll probably like the performance of the mount.

If you want to have the ability to remove the antenna for carwashes, etc. you can purchase an "NMO Rain Cap" which will screw in place of the antenna and protect the mount.

Only other thing I'd add:
Once the job is done and your antenna is installs, do not forget to periodically remove the antenna and clean the underside. You don't want moisture to collect and cause damage.
 

a417

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There are probably some videos or photo tutorials on line, just take them with a grain of salt. There are some seriously sloppy installs online and you don't want to do that. Important part is to make sure you have the right tools and all your parts ahead of time.

Done right, it'll look good. I've always felt that a properly installed antenna looks 100 times better than a magnetic mount trunk lip mount.

The hole plug that iMonitor posted above will work if you decide to take it out. You can spray paint them a similar color as your car to help them blend in, but hopefully you won't need to do that. You'll probably like the performance of the mount.

10 times out of 10, a black rain cap will be assumed to be a factory OEM device on a trade in, turn in, lease inspection or car sale and will not affect the price. Its the home depot step drill disasters, coat-hanger antennas with warped weatherstripping that they look at and say "WTF". I have purchased a bag of 3/4" rubber plugs for people in the past who indicated that they "may want to trade it in or sell it" and have yet to open it in almost 20 years.

If you have a slick looking professional install, and a well maintained vehicle, having a good looking OEM raincap on an NMO just means that the rest of the car is probably in as good shape as the outside is - to anyone who is eyeball assessing the vehicle.
 

a417

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Messages
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Make sure scannermaster is selling you a Larsen or Laird NMO mount. Beware of Tram/Browning/Cheap Chinese antennas.
A good source of this stuff is the Antenna Farm: The Antenna Farm, Your two way radio source

As for installation….
You need to have a 3/4" hole saw that is designed for drilling sheet metal. There are specific antenna hole saws which can be a good investment if you plan on doing this more than once. If not, you can use a standard hole saw or 3/4" chassis punch. Be -really- careful if you feel tempted to use the "Uni-Bit" style "Christmas Tree" bits. They can grab the sheet metal and make a quick mess of it.

If you can, remove the head liner, especially if not using the NMO specific hole saws, which have a depth limiter that -usually- will prevent it from hitting the headliner.
Not sure how your car is set up but on some you can remove the dome light (if it's near the center) and access the underside that way.

As always, measure twice (or thrice) and drill once.
Use a couple of strips of 2" wide masking tape on the roof. This gives you a place to make your mark, and protects the immediate area around where you are going to drill. Measure again just to make sure….

Drill baby, drill. Go slow, it's not a race. Pretty much light pressure, slightly more than the weight of the drill itself.

When the hole is done, carefully clean up all the metal shavings. Don't leave any of them on the roof. This prevents scratches, and if you live in a location with high humidity, fog, coastal climate, etc. the steel chips will rust quickly and leave marks that need to be buffed out.

Remove the masking tape.

Install the NMO by passing the radio end of the coaxial cable down through the roof from the outside. You'll need to fish for it if you didn't drop the headliner. A long coat hanger can be handy. When you get all the coaxial cable in and not bunched up, you put the nmo mount in by dropping it in with the cable first, then move it back and drop the other side in.

The NMO install kit should come with a small tube of silicone grease. Put that on the O ring that is on the underside of the NMO nut. Take the O ring out completely and make sure it's got a light coat on all sides. This prevents the O ring from binding as you tighten the outer nut.

Using a small pair of needle nose pliers in the two holes on the center of the mount to hold it from turning, use a large adjustable wrench to tighten the outer ring. It needs to be snug and the nut should contact the roof fully. No white knuckles, but you do want it tight.

Wipe off any excess silicone grease that escaped and clean off the roof.

On the inside, you'll need to carefully route the coaxial cable. Make sure you don't get on the wrong side of any air bags. If your car has side curtain air bags, make sure you route the cable between them and the roof. If the airbags ever deploy, you don't want the coax in the way.
Route the coax down the side pillar to the floor and under trim to where the radio is. You want to be sure the coax isn't going to rub against any sharp sheet metal edges. Ideally you want the coax away from other vehicle wiring if you can. Do not run the wire under carpet where peoples feet will be. This will eventually damage the cable.

If the coaxial cable is not pre-terminated with your connector, you'll cut the coax to length, but leave a foot or two of extra, just in case. Ideally you don't want a big wad of cable shoved up under the dash board.

Install your connector and antenna and give it a try. Make sure all the trim is put back and the cable is safe. I'll usually wash the roof afterwards just to make sure I got everything off.

There are probably some videos or photo tutorials on line, just take them with a grain of salt. There are some seriously sloppy installs online and you don't want to do that. Important part is to make sure you have the right tools and all your parts ahead of time.

Done right, it'll look good. I've always felt that a properly installed antenna looks 100 times better than a magnetic mount trunk lip mount.

The hole plug that iMonitor posted above will work if you decide to take it out. You can spray paint them a similar color as your car to help them blend in, but hopefully you won't need to do that. You'll probably like the performance of the mount.

If you want to have the ability to remove the antenna for carwashes, etc. you can purchase an "NMO Rain Cap" which will screw in place of the antenna and protect the mount.

Only other thing I'd add:
Once the job is done and your antenna is installs, do not forget to periodically remove the antenna and clean the underside. You don't want moisture to collect and cause damage.

this should be a sticky.
 

mmckenna

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If you have a slick looking professional install, and a well maintained vehicle, having a good looking OEM raincap on an NMO just means that the rest of the car is probably in as good shape as the outside is - to anyone who is eyeball assessing the vehicle.

I've done many leased vehicles as well as lots that have been traded in. Never once has any dealer or buyer said anything about the NMO mounts on the roof. Not once. Done correctly they will not leak, they will not impact trade in value. If a buyer is concerned, slap a cellular antenna on it and tell them it's for a cellular booster. Then add $100.00 to the asking price of the vehicle. Win-Win situation.
 

mmckenna

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Great tutorial mmckenna! The only thing I'd add is to (maybe) tape the end of the coax. Depending on how the coax is cut, it can have a sharp end which could snag the liner.

Yeah, that's a good option if it's a blind install. When I was young and used to install cabling for a living, taping cable bundles into a long tapered point would make them easier to pull through conduit and drop ceilings.

Other option is to just form a loop on the end. Makes it easier to grab with a hook when pulling it.


One of these days I'll do a video tutorial on how to do an NMO install. Next time I get my hands on a virgin vehicle… I've seen too much bad advice on the web.
 

kc2kth

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I've personally done NMO installs on three of my own vehicles. In two of these I used a Greenlee model 730BB-3/4" punch, very easy, clean, but not inexpensive to purchase the punch. In the third instance I used a drill with a step bit. Almost as easy but needed more care to not damage the headliner, not nearly as clean, but cheap. Depending on where you need the hole, the punch is my preferred option for doing this if you can get to the underside of the hole. As others have pointed out, on trade in it's generally seen as some OEM option if it's noticed at all. Never had an issue.
 

ab5r

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In years past I too have use the Greenlee punch method. Very clean install. I usually positioned the hole directly above the dome light fixture and then routed the coax under the head liner, down the side molding and under the seat & floor mat to the radio location. Nothing visible.
 

mmckenna

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Yeah, I've got both the hole saw and the chassis punch. Chassis punch does a nice clean job. It's handy to have options.
 
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