Why we tell people to NOT use magmounts

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03msc

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@gmclam,

Trying to justify mag mounts by saying they are an advantage over a properly drilled/mounted NMO won't get you very far here. It's just false. Mag mounts are a terrible option unless it is for a temporary install. Read the thread if you need some more explanation on why.

A great quote I once heard: "Magnets belong on refrigerators, NOT antennas." A good one to live by. Project25 nailed it, too.
 

gmclam

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As for point 3...you aren't using the right antennas if you are having that problem. The mag mount tipping over typically leads to more scratching and sometimes not just the roof. My dad threw several antennas on several vehicles back in the 90's including but not limited to his Grand Cherokee's and Bronco's. Today he typically gets to play with my lifted Cherokee more than I do...but it's never thrown an antenna nor have they ever been taken off the vehicle (roof to garage clearance is 6" and it gets parked in the garage).
My point is this: consider you have an NMO mount and drive/park somewhere there's a low branch you don't see. The collision with the NMO will not be near as nice as merely "tipping over" the mag mount.
 

03msc

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My point is this: consider you have an NMO mount and drive/park somewhere there's a low branch you don't see. The collision with the NMO will not be near as nice as merely "tipping over" the mag mount.

The antenna would give before the roof...unless maybe if you’re running some sort of low profile box and the limb is scraping the roof...
 

prcguy

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My final comment on this topic is there are antennas for every purpose and a mag mount is a viable option for many people. Like anything, you have to know its limitations and be aware of potential problems like an accidental scratch or paint wear from long term use or a damaged cable from being pinched in a door.

I use permanent NMO mounts on some vehicles and mag mounts on others. I have not had a mag mount accident in a very long time because I'm careful and I don't use them very often or for very long. Ymmv, bla bla bla.
 

kayn1n32008

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The antenna would give before the roof...unless maybe if you’re running some sort of low profile box and the limb is scraping the roof...

I had 3 or 4 company trucks with drilled NMO mounts. Always run a NMO-2/70B(open coil half wave on VHF, collinear on UHF) never had an issue working in the bush in 10 years. Guys like gmclam create problems to justify ****ty installs.
 

03msc

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Guys like gmclam create problems to justify ****ty installs.

That's what I was thinking, too...sometimes we're better off silently reading and learning and then applying what we've learned instead of trying to convince those who are right that our subpar method is somehow better. This applies to a myriad of things, of course.
 

kayn1n32008

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That's what I was thinking, too...sometimes we're better off silently reading and learning and then applying what we've learned instead of trying to convince those who are right that our subpar method is somehow better. This applies to a myriad of things, of course.

Yup. I know my magmount install is ****ty. In the spring I will do a proper, drilled NMO. The pictures are a good visual of all the reasons not to use magmounts.
 

03msc

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Yup. I know my magmount install is ****ty. In the spring I will do a proper, drilled NMO. The pictures are a good visual of all the reasons not to use magmounts.

Yeah, the difference is you aren't trying to convince others that mag mounts are fine. You have a plan to do it right and you know why it's right.
 

mmckenna

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My point is this: consider you have an NMO mount and drive/park somewhere there's a low branch you don't see. The collision with the NMO will not be near as nice as merely "tipping over" the mag mount.

Not so.

I had a Larsen wide band 1/4 wave whip on a permanent mount. These are thick/stiff whips with a spring at the base. This was on top of my personal 4x4 F-350 with the aluminum body.
I knew it was up there, but pulled into a parking garage in Las Vegas last year (or maybe the year before…) It went from plenty of room, to narrow ramp with a low overhead and a line of traffic behind me. There was about 3" of clearance between the roof of the truck and the overhead stuff.
The spring on the base of the antenna took a permanent bend to the stern, but there was -zero- damage to the NMO mount or the aluminum roof of the truck.
I went online, ordered a new spring and was good to go. In reality, it really didn't do much to the antenna, but I wanted to replace the spring just so it looked right.

I've got an F350 4x4 service truck at work with two permanent mounts on it. Aluminum body also. WB 1/4 wave VHF whip and a co-linear 800MHz antenna. I've taken that truck up lots of access roads with low branches. I've got permanent green stains on the headache rack from tree branches. I've had to run through two tracks that haven't seen a vehicle in years, very overgrown. I've bent the headache rack on a branch. No damage to the permanent NMO mounts or antennas.

So, no, a properly installed NMO permanent mount will not damage the roof in a low clearance situation. Use the thin 1/4 wave or 5/8 whips and they just happily bend over and go on with their day, no issues. The thicker antennas with the springs will take all but serious hits.

On the other side, I had a friend who loved mag mounts and used them on top of his truck for the exact reason you do. He hit a low branch, knocked the mag mount off, and left a big scratch on the side of his truck and dragged the mag mount along the street before he stopped.


If you want to use mag mounts, go ahead, I don't have any problem if that is what someone wants to use. But they are not a superior solution by any means. As more and more vehicles go to something other than steel in the body, mag mounts are not going to be much of an option for newer vehicles. I do have mag mounts, but I use them for testing, or tossing on top of a file cabinet for indoor use.
 

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Here is why I started using Tram. I own two of these with the same base size with rubber boot. One is a CB antenna while the other is for my 436HP. My wife's car has absolutely no scratches. I have used these for several years. Yes, I can surely attest to the fact that my K40, WIlson 1000, and other scanner antennas have scratched and damaged the paint, but not with Tram, based on my experience. https://www.amazon.com/Tram-Magnet-Mounting-Rubber-Boot/dp/B00KFUTA4W

There might be one minor flaw with respect to my CB. A radio installer told me why my CB was triggering my Passport Max II radar detector. When I keyed up the microphone, it would show a false signal on laser. Since my CB has a rubber boot on the antenna and is powered through the power outlet, not directly wired to the fuse box, it is not properly grounded. I am going to install a grounding strap to the side of the radio and then to the metal below the seat. Maybe this will work better.

My scanner works great with the aforementioned antenna.
 

03msc

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Here is why I started using Tram. I own two of these with the same base size with rubber boot. One is a CB antenna while the other is for my 436HP. My wife's car has absolutely no scratches. I have used these for several years. Yes, I can surely attest to the fact that my K40, WIlson 1000, and other scanner antennas have scratched and damaged the paint, but not with Tram, based on my experience. https://www.amazon.com/Tram-Magnet-Mounting-Rubber-Boot/dp/B00KFUTA4W

There might be one minor flaw with respect to my CB. A radio installer told me why my CB was triggering my Passport Max II radar detector. When I keyed up the microphone, it would show a false signal on laser. Since my CB has a rubber boot on the antenna and is powered through the power outlet, not directly wired to the fuse box, it is not properly grounded. I am going to install a grounding strap to the side of the radio and then to the metal below the seat. Maybe this will work better.

My scanner works great with the aforementioned antenna.

This is an excellent page to read through and learn about mounting, various antenna mounts, and why issues can occur. I encourage everyone to read it and heed it: Antenna Mounts
 

Canyondan

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Been running mag mounts for 20 years without the problems that have been described here. Just lucky I guess
 

Project25_MASTR

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I knew it was up there, but pulled into a parking garage in Las Vegas last year (or maybe the year before…)

Is it bad I just realized I should probably start trying to send PMs. Also...I may need to grab a GoPro to help you prove a point if time allows.
 

rescue161

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I used to install equipment and radios in public safety vehicles for the Marine Corps. Trust me when I say that a Marine can and will break anything. We use the PCTel PCTWSLMR tri-band antennas (ones that have a huge base and spring and a 20" whip). On several occasions, trucks would come into the shop with the antenna hanging by the coax through a peeled back opening in the roof. They would try to drive these trucks through parking garages and although those antennas have a spring, they do not give at all and usually rip a long ~1" wide strip about 6 inches long out of the roof. Nobody ever owned up to the deed and truck went off to the body shop for repair. That being said, you have to know your vehicle and the height, including the antenna. Don't assume that if it has a spring that all is well on your roof.

An NMO mount is an industry standard vehicle modification. It is not considered damage. Scratches and rust from a magnet and coax is damage. Trying to justify using a magnet mount antenna to keep your vehicles resell value high is silly and wrong. We would have vehicles come in for install that were being used for a few weeks before we could do a permanent install and the end-users would have installed temp equipment with magnets and cigarette lighter plugs. Every single time, there would be significant damage and this temp install would only be for a few days or a couple of weeks max.
 

Project25_MASTR

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We use the PCTel PCTWSLMR tri-band antennas (ones that have a huge base and spring and a 20" whip).

There's the problem right there. If you get the top of the whip they are typically fine. That's also the OEM antenna Motorola went with for the APX8500...I'm not a fan of it to say the least. Personally, I much prefer the Panorama tri-band whip with the NMO adapter on it. Smaller, lighter and about the same price.
 

rescue161

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There's the problem right there. If you get the top of the whip they are typically fine. That's also the OEM antenna Motorola went with for the APX8500...I'm not a fan of it to say the least. Personally, I much prefer the Panorama tri-band whip with the NMO adapter on it. Smaller, lighter and about the same price.

Yep. It is the same one that Harris supplied for our system radios. I don't mind the antenna and it performs really well, but it is unforgiving with low hanging branches and parking garages.
 
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