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Need Advice for mobile install on 05 dodge Ram and 08 Chrysler Town and Country

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Hello I am new to the forums I have been looking for a good BB for my new hobby of Ham Radios. I have wanted to get my license for about 12 years now and just have not done it. I am going to be joining my local CERT and I am a believer in disaster preparedness so both vehicles will be set up identical for parts interchange as well as ease of use.

What I am looking for help on is which NMO mount everyone likes the most. I am also looking for opinions on antennas for dual band 2 meter and 440, I do not want either vehicle to look like a radio tower so the smaller antennas are more appealing to me. I also need to find out if there are anyone on here that have installed an external antenna for a Verizon cell card (has the ant. jack for it) Would I be looking for problems having the 2 on the same roof of the van (truck will not have the VZ ant.)

On the Ram I plan to have the NMO dead center of the roof and on the van a little rear of center as I have the sunroof. I was thinking of the cell antenna rear of that as it is smaller I believe.

Any suggestions are welcome and thank you ahead of time for everyone time and assistance.
 

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Grog

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I also need to find out if there are anyone on here that have installed an external antenna for a Verizon cell card (has the ant. jack for it) Would I be looking for problems having the 2 on the same roof of the van (truck will not have the VZ ant.)



You'll not have an issue with the antennas, where I work they have maxrad antennas for the aircards mounted about a foot from the 3db gain antennas for the 900mhz radio and they work fine.

I can get the model number for their data antenna in a few days when I go back to work, it is about three inches tall and you can get them in white or black. You can also find higher gain antennas as well if you really need to reach out from a remote area.
 
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Thank you so much for the info I was afraid maybe of the ham overloading the cell card or something so that’s some good news I am looking at the link above at some of the higher gain antennas and they are just what I was looking for... Black with a closed coil config I cannot stand the whistle of an open coil as I have very sensitive hearing.
 

Grog

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These are the antennas they install on the company trucks for use with the computers.

Maxrad WMLPVDB800/1900

Pic was taken with my cellphone next to my work radio for size comparison. Sorta crappy looking on a large screen, but you get the idea. I didn't open the package up either :lol:

Copyof08-03-08_1748.jpg



http://www.maxrad.com/product_overview_detail.cgi?id_num=10918
 
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jparks29

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If you want something low profile, go with two 1/4 waves, one for UHF, one for VHF.

If you want PERFORMANCE

Go with one 5/8ths for VHF, and one 5/8ths over 1/2 for UHF. You will be a porcupine though.
 

Grog

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If you want something low profile, go with two 1/4 waves, one for UHF, one for VHF.

If you want PERFORMANCE

Go with one 5/8ths for VHF, and one 5/8ths over 1/2 for UHF. You will be a porcupine though.


Different people have different views on what is "performance".

For many people a 1/4 wave on VHF would not only work well enough, it might work better than a 5/8 wave.
 

trooperdude

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For many people a 1/4 wave on VHF would not only work well enough, it might work better than a 5/8 wave.

Correct.

I took all of the 5/8 VHF's off of our fire apparatus (old thought was "bigger is better") and replaced them with 1/4 wave whips, since almost all of our operations use high-level repeaters, and the 5/8 radiation pattern was too much at the horizon.

Improved performance in a lot of our response area.

Just be aware of the radiation pattern of the antenna you want to use, and it's application.
 

jparks29

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Correct.

I took all of the 5/8 VHF's off of our fire apparatus (old thought was "bigger is better") and replaced them with 1/4 wave whips, since almost all of our operations use high-level repeaters, and the 5/8 radiation pattern was too much at the horizon.

Improved performance in a lot of our response area.

Just be aware of the radiation pattern of the antenna you want to use, and it's application.


I agree...

I'll have to watch my blanket statements in the future....
 

KC0QNB

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Correct.

I took all of the 5/8 VHF's off of our fire apparatus (old thought was "bigger is better") and replaced them with 1/4 wave whips, since almost all of our operations use high-level repeaters, and the 5/8 radiation pattern was too much at the horizon.

Improved performance in a lot of our response area.

Just be aware of the radiation pattern of the antenna you want to use, and it's application.
Where did you find this data?, I looked last night for a comparison, of 1/4 vs 5/8 I found some basic smith charts but nothing real tangible, link please.
 

Grog

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If you are referring to radiation patterns, the antenna makers usually have them available for some models. The point about the 1/4 VS 5/8 and how their signals radiate is widely known though.
 
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