Jeep Wrangler Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Ham radio antenna and mount recommendations?

Jump to Latest
109K views 139 replies 40 participants last post by  mcgyver74  
A
#1 ·
Hello all, newbie jeep owner and licensed technician class ham radio operator here. I have searched through several threads but have not found a good answer to this question.

I would like recommendations about running a mobile rig on a wrangler, given the unique challenges afforded by the wrangler's removable plastic roof. From what I gather, people generally recommend an antenna that does not need a ground plane. but what antenna mount and antennas do you recommend that will give me good transmission distances with minimal interference from the vehicle's electrical system? Preferably something that blends well with the vehicle? (I live in san antonio, and a blatantly obvious rig will probably result in a busted window and a stolen rig)

Thanks!
 
A
#28 ·
Gary that rig runner is sweet! Right now the 2 meter is the only extra device I need to power, but if I need more later I am definitely getting that. and that antenna mount is NICE! Do you have any issues with noise caused by your antenna wire running through the engine compartment?
 
#30 ·
The coax goes through the drivers side firewall. So it really is never in the engine compartment? There is a small access by removing the dash panel ends. If you poke a coat hanger through the foam it will come out between the hood and fender. Just fish the wires through. Protect the power wires with 5/8" wire loom.
The power supply comes through the passenger side firewall.




Finger pointing to panel that you need to pry off to access poke through to firewall.
 
#33 ·
Humm....install a HAM.......:)

Yes, you're right. Just hook up your power leads to the battery of your choice, most likely the AUX battery.

As far as dual antennas go, you should only consider that in order to get on all the bands you have radios for. For instance, a 5/8 wave antenna for 2M and a separate 1/2 wave antenna for 440. But remember, whenever you have other metal objects within 1-2 wavelengths of your antenna, those objects will change your radiation pattern. For the life of me, I don't understand how all those law enforcement vehicles can communicate when they have 7 + antennas on the roof and trunk lid.

If you are thinking of using 2, 2M antennas to provide some gain and direction, it is a lot harder than you might think. The phasing lines must be VERY VERY close to being equal length. Being off by 1/4" or more on 2M can have your 2 signals out of phase enough to distort the radiation pattern. The spacing between the two antennas need to be exact. I don't know the exact numbers, but if the book says the spacing should be 1 wavelength, then that is what you need. If you only have space for .92 wavelengths or if you place the antennas 1.2 wavelengths apart, the phasing will be off and your radiation pattern could be really hosed up. Plus, do you really want to change the omni pattern of a single antenna to a front/back or side/side pattern? For most mobile operation, especially on 2M FM, an omni pattern is preferred.

HTHs.

Regards,
 
#38 ·
Glad I stumbled across this thread. I need to get a radio installed in the new JKR but hadn't given it much thought at this point. Thanks for the tips!

Tighe
NK4I
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#40 ·
CONGRATS Marc. Now the REALLY hard part starts.....as you asked, what should you get?

My recommendations are:

If you want 2M / 440 / APRS: Kenwood TM-D710. (Not cheap)

If you want 2M only: Kenwood TM-281A or Yaesu FT-1900R or FT-2900R

HT: Absolutely the Yaesu VX-8DR Quad Band and possible APRS options (again, not cheap)

As with owning a Jeep and joining an off-roading club, I would suggest that you at least attend a couple of meetings of one of your local Ham clubs. Lots of knowledge there and you might find an Elmer you can work with.

Congratulations again and 73......
 
M
#41 ·
n6hal said:
CONGRATS Marc. Now the REALLY hard part starts.....as you asked, what should you get?

My recommendations are:

If you want 2M / 440 / APRS: Kenwood TM-D710. (Not cheap)

If you want 2M only: Kenwood TM-281A or Yaesu FT-1900R or FT-2900R

HT: Absolutely the Yaesu VX-8DR Quad Band and possible APRS options (again, not cheap)

As with owning a Jeep and joining an off-roading club, I would suggest that you at least attend a couple of meetings of one of your local Ham clubs. Lots of knowledge there and you might find an Elmer you can work with.

Congratulations again and 73......
Click to expand...
Thanks Hal - I take it you're not an ICOM fan. I was thinking about that for D-STAR protocol. The Yaesu VX-8DR seems great - the get some knocks over ease of use and weak built-in Speaker

For HT I was looking at the Yaesu and the ICOM 92AD

For mobile the Yaesu FTM-350AR looks interesting

I'm now planning on getting the General Class license do thinking about HF too

It's all great in theory - in practice I still have to figure out how to install and use it

Do you also have a CB installed ?
 
A
#42 ·
Just FYI I'm installing a Yaesu FT-8800R with a comet SBB2 antenna. Antenna arrived today, however of course I forgot to order the cable to connect it with so I'm waiting for that. In the mean time I'm operating with a magnet mount antenna on my hood. Lots of static but eh its temporary.
 
#43 ·
We don't have any D-Star repeaters around this area of SoCal, so there's not much call to get those specific models from ICOM. Some locals may have D-Star capability, but none that I know.

Yes, I do like Kenwood and Yaesu mobiles better, but I did have an ICOM IC-2720H dual bander in my previous vehicle for about 8 years. And as far as HF goes, as their ad says, "YAESU Choice of the World's top DX'ers." The only way to go.....IMHO of course.

You won't go bad with most any choice of radio. They all work fine. I think the biggest issue is ergonomics, display in direct sunlight, and ease of use. The better the radio, the more features, the harder it is to use. Like everything else in life. Try to get a rig that has a "Nifty Guide" available for it. You can get the guides directly from Nifty Accessories Ham Radio Set-up Guides, Radio Pouches and Chest Harness Home Page or most every ham store. And, it wouldn't hurt to read the manual cover to cover at least once.

I don't have a CB installed. I've thought about it but everyone I go off-roading with are hams so we use those rigs.

You might be lucky and find your new callsign on the FCC's website tomorrow. If not by Friday then Monday for sure. That's providing your VEs sent the paperwork off the day after your test.

Be sure to post your new callsign here.....maybe even modify your signature.........

73
 
#45 ·
marc, check your local repeater directories before you spring for D-Star. If there are not any it's not worth having.

Look for a local club and attend some meetings. Talk with the members and see if they will show you their mobile setups. (It will probably be more difficult to get them to stop talking about what the have!)

N6HAL has it right, the more features, the tougher to operate. I miss my old RS HTX-252. Then memories, single band, very few features and an absolute breeze to operate. My Yeasu 8100 is dual band, 200 memories, multiple scanning modes, cross band repeater enabled, extended receive, and I need to look at the manual if I don't use it regularly.

Just about all the new rigs are very good, if you can get a chance to try them, either at a store or friends, that would be your best guide.
 
M
#46 ·
Update - I order some toys :)
A Yaesu FTM-350AR for the Jeep , and a Yaesu VX-8GR HT.
Still thinking about and antenna mount (the subject of the thread)
I did get a 1/2 wave (40") Diamond antenna - not sure how this will behave
either in front or back
I kind of leaning toward a front mounted solution - like this firestik mount

no love yet from the FCC on my callsign - checking every 5 minutes doesn't seem to help :)

I'm a little leery of drilling into my nice almost new Jeep. Need to think on it.
there are a number of rear tire carrier mounts -
 
M
#52 ·
ok - so I got the cooltech gate mount bracket - which is really for a CB radio with a PL-259 style connector - the Diamond NR770HB antenna which I bought , had an N style connector - so the cable and antenna base hardware for the N style , is too big to fit in the mounting hole for the Cooltech bracket :-(
also , incidental, but I'm apparently missing a mini-coax to N connector for connecting the feed from the back of the Radio (N connector) to the mini-coax.

No project is ever finished until 3 trips to the hardware store...
 
#53 ·
Marc,

Are you sure the antenna has an N connector? According to the specs on the antenna, it should be an UHF/PL-259. Also, on your FTM-350, that should be an SO-239 connector, not an N connector. BTW, the PL-259 is usually on the coax and the SO-239 is usually on the hardware, your radio or antenna. The PL-259 screws on to the SO-239.

You mention mini-coax. What is the nomenclature of the coax you're using? Something like RG-58, RG-174, etc. You DO NOT want to use "mini-coax" on 2M/440. Using just 20' of RG-174 (mini-coax), you will have 2.1 dB signal loss. That is almost half your power, send and receive. Using the standard RG-58/U that comes with most 2M/440 antennas has a loss of about .5 dB per 20'. Significant difference.

As far as connecting your coax to your antenna, I'm assuming that you need an SO-239 connector for your antenna, you can get something like a Diamond C101. I would suggest you contact your local dealer and tell them what you got and what you need. They should be able to figure out what you need.

The cooltech mount is designed for a 3/8"-24 antenna mount. That is the type of mount used on most CB antennas (include the 108" whip) and many HF ham antennas. Most, if not all, Ham 2M/440 mobile antennas use either an SO-239 or NMO (old Motorola style) mount. In order to adapt the cooltech mount to work with a SO-239 or NMO style mount, you should just be able to enlarge the hole. I had to do that with my license plate mount. I got hold of a step-drill bit (several) and enlarged the hole. Just be careful when drilling through stainless. You need to drill SLOWLY and keep everything cool. Take your time. Ask me how many bits I went through before someone told me to go with a sloooooow RPM rate and heavy pressure.

Good luck.

73
 
M
#54 ·
Hal you are right in that the antenna and radio use PL-259 /SO-239 connectors

But the mount I bought is for a CB radio and the connector and mounting hole on it are not compatible, they are smaller

Re the coax, point taken, although the run from the antenna to radio is short, I will try a lower loss cable
 
M
#55 ·
Hal - the mini-coax I have is RG-316 (from the Diamond C101 kit) which has similar loss characteristics to RG-174. I have a 6ft cable - it shows at 87% efficient vs 92% for RG-58 and 86% for RG-174.

Also discovered that I do have the connector/adapter for the mini-coax plug to attach the cable to the radio.

so while I could upgrade the cable - my main issue is the antenna mounting bracket.
I don't have a drill press - I could use a hand drill to widen the mount hole - but the bracket is pretty substantial...
 
Jeep Wrangler Forum
posts
9.1M
members
495K
Since
2005
A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
JK General Discussion TJ General Discussion TJ Technical Discussion JK Technical Discussion YJ Technical Discussion