Mobile Antenna for Hood Mount

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senduhelp

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I am having trouble finding a decent mobile scanner antenna that covers from low band through high band frequencies. I am planning on mounting a scanner antenna using a hood lip mount on my Honda Pilot. I am trying to get the best advice before purchasing. Thanks for all of your help.
 

SAR923

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If you really need decent low band coverage along with VHF-Hi and UHF, there's no antenna that will beat the Antenna Specialists Mon-R33. It's big and ugly but it wil get the job done when lesser antennas don't It's not cheapr either but worth every penny. You can get one at http://www.weisd.com/store2/ANTMONR33.html.
 

af5rn

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I second that recommendation. Those AS MON series antennae have yet to be beat for Low Band to UHF performance. Just be thankful you don't need 800mhz, as that really limits your choices to about one antennas.
 

Tommahawk

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I 3rd, 4th, and ate it!!!! The A/S line of monitoring antennas are the best. I had the Mon-51 & Mon-53 and have nothing but great things to say about them. Haven't tried the 33 but I'm sure its probably just as good as the other ones.

Just be ready to be blown away from things that you never existed on the radio. Very noticeable difference with A/S antennas!!!
 

senduhelp

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thanks everyone for the info. The antenna looks like it would be a great one. My only concern is the size of the whip. With having a Pilot I am looking at a hood mount because of 1. not wanting to drill a hole in the top of the vehicle and 2. hoping to still be able to travel in parking garages etc...and not worry with having the antenna fall off. Any shorter antennas or install suggestions (I know it's not the right thread for this one) would be appreciated. I am not real handy with my hands so I may have to get the scanner and antenna installed at a local shop. Thanks again guys!
 

SAR923

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You can mount the MON-R33 to your hood with any trunk lip mount. You shouldn't have a problem in parking garages although it may hit your garage door a bit. Not to worry, though, I had one for years on my Explorer with a trunk lip mount and you can smash it into things all day long and not hurt it. It's really not hard to install as long as you can use a drill for two holes inside the hood lip where no one will see them and can use a screwdriver. There are also mounts that only use set screws to hold the mount and antenna to the hood but I wouldn't recommend one because of the length and weight of this antenna.

If you seriously need the best performance on low band, this is the only antenna that I would get, especially since you need to ovecome the handicap of a less than ideal mounting location. There are tons of other antennas that claim the go from 25 MHz up and I've probably used half of them. None come anywhere near the R33 in performance.
 

N1BHH

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The hood is not the best place to mount an antenna, although, I have seen people mount them there. The very best location for any antenna is dead center on the roof, all other locations work, but not as good. Trunk lid mounting is a decent place to mount it. The Comet CP-5 series mounts are good, as well as the K-400 series from Diamond, Maldol has 3 mounts that do the job, as well. Lots of choices here: http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamantm.html
 

senduhelp

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Maybe I will check out the Mon-R33. I am just nervous about how it will look since it is so tall. The antenna is not cheap and I hate to spend the money on something that I will not end up using. Does anyone have pics of the antenna in use?
 

af5rn

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Again, you aren't going to get much shorter with an antenna that is specific for low band. But there are a couple of ham antennae that cover 6 meters (50mhz, which is close enough to low band) which are a little shorter and possibly better performing. More expensive, but at least it gives you options. Another option already mentioned is a shorter whip antenna (16 to 18 inches) mounted directly to your roof. The height will still be about the same as a full-length fender mounted antenna, but your ground plane and radiation pattern will be significantly improved.
 

SAR923

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I wish I had pics of my Explorer but the sheriff made me give it back when I retired. :) My MON-R33 was mounted on the driver's side hood, opposite the factory antenna on the passenger side. It really didn't look bad although it is tall. The ugliest part is the big ball on top. You can take that off with no noticeable degradation in performance. It helps not getting the antenna snagged on things like tree limbs.

If you don't want to to drill a hole in the roof, as af5rn rightly suggests you should, anything else you mount on the hood is going to give less than sterling performance on the low band. If you do want to drill a hole, a quarter wave whip of about 20" does suprisingly well on low band. It's much easier for an inferior antenna with height and a good ground plane to outperform a superior antenna mounted low with a poor groundplane.
 
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