N3BXV, did the silicone work?
KI4LIV Shack on wheels
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n3bxv
Member
JWhipple said:
I havent had a chance to test it yet, I've just got a couple of layers of black 100-mph tape over them right now...
The SG7200 transmits EXCEPTIONALLY well! I purchased mine off of Ebay , new in the package for $40 (I believe they normally run a bit more). I have a near perfect match on SWR - close enough that I didn't change a thing. I honestly don't think though that they make that model anymore...
My previous antenna, which I still have, was made by Antennex, and also did a very good job.. Dual band - and that ran me $40 brand new from AES.
The only gripes about the SG7200 is that it uses a UHF mount - I prefer NMO type connections, as they seem to be more stable to me, and the fact that it's bending... It has a backwards swoop to it because of me driving at highway speeds daily.. My antennex never did that!
I hope this helps!
My previous antenna, which I still have, was made by Antennex, and also did a very good job.. Dual band - and that ran me $40 brand new from AES.
The only gripes about the SG7200 is that it uses a UHF mount - I prefer NMO type connections, as they seem to be more stable to me, and the fact that it's bending... It has a backwards swoop to it because of me driving at highway speeds daily.. My antennex never did that!
I hope this helps!
One more bit of info - the scanner antenna... It's made by Larsen, and even though I have never used it for transmit in this case, I have heard nothing but rave praises pertaining to their antennas...
All the local PDs in my area use their antennas on their patrol vehicles, as well as a vast majority of commercial radio users around here.
All the local PDs in my area use their antennas on their patrol vehicles, as well as a vast majority of commercial radio users around here.
NOTICE TO ALL - THE ASTATIC MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACED ALREADY DUE TO RUST!!! YES, RUST!!!
I went with the Diamond branded equivalent - I guess you get what you pay for - at least here in Florida where it's finally starting to rain!
I went with the Diamond branded equivalent - I guess you get what you pay for - at least here in Florida where it's finally starting to rain!
K0AZV
Member
JWhipple said:
That sounds like the 5/8 wave 2M mag mount I bought from Tower Electronics at a hamfest a couple of years ago. 4 months after I bought it the coax at the mount had completely rusted to nothingness. Meanwhile the MFJ 1/4 wave I got to replace it is still kicking and being used on my wife's van. Course the Comet RS-270 I bought a year ago is still holding up well too.
Max...
JWhipple said:
There are quite a few recreational * hams up here that run various Diamond lip mounts, some for 5+ years, that have held up very well in the salty road spray we have up here.
* Recreational meaning those who don't do thru-hole mounts
stateboy said:
I bought the Diamond ones at the suggestion of several fellow members the IRARC (Indian River Amateur Radio Club) - they have been using the Diamond branded ones in the same fashion as I on their hatchbacks and trucks for years - none of them have a lick of rust.
I made the mistake of trying to rustoleum paint the astatic mounts , nothing thinking about grounding.. Sure , for the scanner that's fine, but the SWR on the hammy was off the charts! So, I stored them away for scanner use somewhere down the line since they are now painted nicely...
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http://www.rfparts.com/diamond/k400.html
I went with the Diamond K400 - looks exactly like the Astatic mounts, but not a hint of rust even after all the downpours we've been having!
I went with the Diamond K400 - looks exactly like the Astatic mounts, but not a hint of rust even after all the downpours we've been having!
KB3JUV
Member
Clean professional install, nice.
bluesman905
Member
Very nice install....
I think the best installs look like they could have rolled off the assembly line already equipped with the radios.
Yours falls into this catagory. Well done man!
Be careful with your coffees though
oops.....
I think the best installs look like they could have rolled off the assembly line already equipped with the radios.
Yours falls into this catagory. Well done man!
Be careful with your coffees though
oops.....
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Permanently Affixed NMO Antenna Mounts
I've had several cars in the 30+ years I've been driving, each and every one having no less than FIVE permanently mounted NMO's on the roof and rear deck, and in every case, no concessions were made when I traded in or sold the vehicles. I capped them with rubber plugs, and in one instance the dealer said, "Cell Phone, Ehh?" I just agreed with him and had no problems.
I'm personally tired of hearing stories such as: "My wife won't let me drill holes in the car," etc., ad nauseum. Don't sacrifice performance for vanity. Do it the right way, and you won't be sorry you did it from the get-go.
My current Crown Victoria has six NMO mounts. I've had several people ask me to notify them when I plan on upgrading for a new(er) car. In the case of a radio enthusiast, a good deal of the install work is already done since the coax cables terminate under the dash in band-appropriate connectors. Although Blue Book value is appreciably less than what I think the car is worth, I've had a few interested parties offer me a few thousand dollars if I left the antenna mounts in place. I even offered to leave EVERYTHING in the car (radios, antennas, emergency lighting, etc.) to increase the value of the car's resale. Of course the emergency devices would be "disabled," and the purchasing party would be required to sign a waiver when they take possession of the car at point of sale.
My point is that if you want maximum performance with your radios working with their appropriate antennas, put in permanent mounts, or have them professionally installed for you if you're squeamish about drilling holes.
JWhipple said:
I've had several cars in the 30+ years I've been driving, each and every one having no less than FIVE permanently mounted NMO's on the roof and rear deck, and in every case, no concessions were made when I traded in or sold the vehicles. I capped them with rubber plugs, and in one instance the dealer said, "Cell Phone, Ehh?" I just agreed with him and had no problems.
I'm personally tired of hearing stories such as: "My wife won't let me drill holes in the car," etc., ad nauseum. Don't sacrifice performance for vanity. Do it the right way, and you won't be sorry you did it from the get-go.
My current Crown Victoria has six NMO mounts. I've had several people ask me to notify them when I plan on upgrading for a new(er) car. In the case of a radio enthusiast, a good deal of the install work is already done since the coax cables terminate under the dash in band-appropriate connectors. Although Blue Book value is appreciably less than what I think the car is worth, I've had a few interested parties offer me a few thousand dollars if I left the antenna mounts in place. I even offered to leave EVERYTHING in the car (radios, antennas, emergency lighting, etc.) to increase the value of the car's resale. Of course the emergency devices would be "disabled," and the purchasing party would be required to sign a waiver when they take possession of the car at point of sale.
My point is that if you want maximum performance with your radios working with their appropriate antennas, put in permanent mounts, or have them professionally installed for you if you're squeamish about drilling holes.
It's simply a matter of preference - I prefer to not drill holes into the roof of my truck. It's not that I don't have the money to pay someone to do it because I am not comfortable - I simply prefer not to.
I get excellent performance out of the way that I have everything mounted right now, so why mess with it? It looks clean, it does the job I want it to, so why change it?
I get excellent performance out of the way that I have everything mounted right now, so why mess with it? It looks clean, it does the job I want it to, so why change it?
I've had a few requests for photos on how I ran the cabling through the doors, but never broke down and did them until Stewart emailed me today and asked. I decided to get off my keester and take a few pics... I just wish I had done them during the day!
Anyhow, here's the steps that I sent him. Yeah, it's basic, but it gets the job done, no holes drilled
{START PASTE}
Ok - here's how I did it... I hope the pics are bright enough!
Of course, I came in through the door in one of the "slots" of the mount..
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...gerOutside.jpg
This is the part that I questioned how long it would hold up - but it has proven to be very reliable over the months! I used strips of 3M "Superlock" adhesives, that you can get either at Walmart or Radio Shack. It's like velcro, but MUCH MUCH stronger. I put a strip onto the inside of the door, ran the cable through it, then put another strip over it, locking onto the one that is mounted to the inside of the door. The trick is though, don't pull the backing off the strip that is not attached to the truck. Here's some shots of it.
This one shows the "Big picture" best...
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...BIGPICTURE.jpg
Here's the passenger and side door.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...lockstrips.jpg
I used 2 strips to guide the cable across the top of the door.
THEN, I ran the cable between the weather stripping at the front of the door and the door itself, going all the way to the bottom.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...rstripping.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...rstripping.jpg
Once at the bottom of the weather stripping of the door, I gave it some play for movement... Since the Diamond cabling is extremely durable as well as thin, I was not worried that it would get pinched. With the play in place, I then slipped it between the weather stripping of the cab and the plastic inside panel.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...ripintocab.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...intocabwea.jpg
I then ran it down, under some panels, under the seats and to the radio console.
It's a cheap and very easy solution, and as I said, it has proven to be very reliable. If I have to replace the 3m strips, it's not like they are expensive!
I hope this helps - or at least gives you some ideas! Let me know either way!
{END PASTE}
Anyhow, here's the steps that I sent him. Yeah, it's basic, but it gets the job done, no holes drilled
{START PASTE}
Ok - here's how I did it... I hope the pics are bright enough!
Of course, I came in through the door in one of the "slots" of the mount..
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...gerOutside.jpg
This is the part that I questioned how long it would hold up - but it has proven to be very reliable over the months! I used strips of 3M "Superlock" adhesives, that you can get either at Walmart or Radio Shack. It's like velcro, but MUCH MUCH stronger. I put a strip onto the inside of the door, ran the cable through it, then put another strip over it, locking onto the one that is mounted to the inside of the door. The trick is though, don't pull the backing off the strip that is not attached to the truck. Here's some shots of it.
This one shows the "Big picture" best...
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...BIGPICTURE.jpg
Here's the passenger and side door.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...lockstrips.jpg
I used 2 strips to guide the cable across the top of the door.
THEN, I ran the cable between the weather stripping at the front of the door and the door itself, going all the way to the bottom.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...rstripping.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...rstripping.jpg
Once at the bottom of the weather stripping of the door, I gave it some play for movement... Since the Diamond cabling is extremely durable as well as thin, I was not worried that it would get pinched. With the play in place, I then slipped it between the weather stripping of the cab and the plastic inside panel.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...ripintocab.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...intocabwea.jpg
I then ran it down, under some panels, under the seats and to the radio console.
It's a cheap and very easy solution, and as I said, it has proven to be very reliable. If I have to replace the 3m strips, it's not like they are expensive!
I hope this helps - or at least gives you some ideas! Let me know either way!
{END PASTE}
DOH!
Of course - now the picture links don't work... I'll work to get them posted...
Of course - now the picture links don't work... I'll work to get them posted...
jonny290
Member
Personally, I don't drill holes in my vehicles not because I plan to sell them, but because I plan to keep them forever. I might not want antennas on them in the future. I know it sounds weird, but that's how it is in my head.
I'm also jaded, though, because the previous owner of my 240sx drilled four huge holes in the trunk lid for an ugly fiberglass spoiler. After ripping that off on day 1, I've had to deal with these gaping wounds in various ways - and no, a simple plastic plug won't do much except trap water near the bare metal edge of the hole. So, I'm careful on any future holes.
I'm also jaded, though, because the previous owner of my 240sx drilled four huge holes in the trunk lid for an ugly fiberglass spoiler. After ripping that off on day 1, I've had to deal with these gaping wounds in various ways - and no, a simple plastic plug won't do much except trap water near the bare metal edge of the hole. So, I'm careful on any future holes.
emt_trav said:
I picked it up on Ebay!
Here's a link to the same item from the same seller - current sale of course!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-9...016QQitemZ260199560085QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
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