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Indoor GMRS antenna

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DY2_TTY

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Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
23
Hi all,

I am looking for an indoor GMRS antenna that will work better than the one that comes with the Midland MXT105.

I have searched and could not find what I am looking for.

I saw Ed Fong's UHF antenna on ebay and I called him today to ask about it.

I am limited to having the antenna on the wall, and he said the antenna will not work and advised me the antenna needs to be a minimum of 5 feet away from the wall.

I can't put the antenna outside because I don't want to drill, and this set up is temporary anyway.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you
 

jonwienke

More Info Coming Soon!
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
13,416
Location
VA
Get a UHF mag mount antenna and stick it on top of your refrigerator.
 

amphibian

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
124
Location
Canton, Texas 75103
Hi all,

I am looking for an indoor GMRS antenna that will work better than the one that comes with the Midland MXT105.

I have searched and could not find what I am looking for.

I saw Ed Fong's UHF antenna on ebay and I called him today to ask about it.

I am limited to having the antenna on the wall, and he said the antenna will not work and advised me the antenna needs to be a minimum of 5 feet away from the wall.

I can't put the antenna outside because I don't want to drill, and this set up is temporary anyway.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you[/Q

Take the antenna that is shipped with the radio, then go get you the "largest" cookie baking pan (sheet) you can find (generally a 3" x 3") from the kitchen cabinet or buy one, then place that antenna in the middle of the cookie sheet, then just place it were you want it. The cookie sheet acts as a ground plane for any mag mount antenna. You can paint the cookie sheet so that it looks good --- just be sure to tape up the area where the antenna will be in the middle with masking tape before you do -- so that the antenna will have a good ground when you are done....

Make sure the antenna stands straight up when done --- in other words don't do like a friend of mine did and screw the cookie sheet to the wall and then stuck the antenna to it.... doesn't work very well.......
 

cmdrwill

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Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
3,984
Location
So Cali
I hope amphibian meant to post 3 feet, not inches. The ground plane needs to be a minimum of 1/4 wave length in all directions. So one would need a one foot by one foot cookie sheet for GMRS.

My boss at one of the MSS's had his UHF 1/4 Motorola NMO antenna on a mag mount on the refrigerator at home. So he could keep track of the 'night shift'.

I like the 1/4 wave NMO mag mount antenna mag mount upside down on a metal ceiling vent.
 
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DY2_TTY

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
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thanks all, I'm making a quarter wave ground plane instead, I'm just waiting for the parts.
 

amphibian

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Feb 27, 2017
Messages
124
Location
Canton, Texas 75103
I hope amphibian meant to post 3 feet, not inches. The ground plane needs to be a minimum of 1/4 wave length in all directions. So one would need a one foot by one foot cookie sheet for GMRS.

My boss at one of the MSS's had his UHF 1/4 Motorola NMO antenna on a mag mount on the refrigerator at home. So he could keep track of the 'night shift'.

I like the 1/4 wave NMO mag mount antenna mag mount upside down on a metal ceiling vent.

Just as long as it is one of the largest of the cookie sheets in the kitchen or store...

The ones I generally us are 20" by 20" in size and with a thunderchicken meter it shows no reflected at 50 watts on GMRS channels... That is with a maxrad gain mag antenna...
 

DY2_TTY

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
23
I just made a quarter wave ground plane, just need to bend the radials, but not sure of the measurement. Is there a "best way" from where the bend needs to start, like the distance of the "bend" from the reflector?

33168121291_deb0792469_k.jpg


32913287460_4444208c3c_k.jpg
 

aveighter

Newbie
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 6, 2017
Messages
1
I was referred to a company that makes GMRS specific products, dpdproductions.com, for a mobile mag mount. I noticed they advertise indoor antennas that can be wall mounted.

I haven't done business with them yet so can render no opinion but it does look interesting. I plan to purchase the mag mount.
 

movinon

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
May 23, 2008
Messages
142
Location
Oklahoma
I just bent mine down at 45 degreed. Works fine.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 

cmdrwill

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2005
Messages
3,984
Location
So Cali
Nice "groundplane" antenna.

6.05 to 6.4 inches on the 'elements'. And 45 degrees 'down-tilt' on the radials is good.
 

Delta33

Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Messages
328
Location
Clinton Iowa
Just as long as it is one of the largest of the cookie sheets in the kitchen or store...

The ones I generally us are 20" by 20" in size and with a thunderchicken meter it shows no reflected at 50 watts on GMRS channels... That is with a maxrad gain mag antenna...
DO NOT use a Swr meter designed for CB ! ... Thunderchicken ?? As mentioned previously, a 12" square steel surface works well like a refrigerator or file cabinet.
 

DY2_TTY

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
23
It's now up... a lot better than the rubber ducky. It's about 3 feet away from the wall, and 3 feet from the ceiling.

33327950195_8065fa0b92_c.jpg
 
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