Topic: Antenna mounting question for ham AND CB radios

[Spectre]

So soon I'm going to want to pull my FT-8900 radio/ Diamond CR8900A antenna out of my hardbody and mount them into/onto the Xterra. I'm fairly certain I want to mount the antenna on the rear right side of the Xterra.  I'm thinking of going with a behind the tail light mount like I saw on another forum.  I need an opinion on 2 things.  That will only have roughly 1 foot of my antenna sticking above the roof line.  Do you guys think that will be effective or will I kill my transmitting ability?

From my wheeling experiences in the past I've been on the trail and people don't have ham radios and rely on CB's.  So I'm thinking of getting a inexpensive CB setup and do a similar antenna mount but on the left side of the Xterra.  Am I safe to assume that the antennas shouldn't interfere with each other?   I know in directional antennas they have multiple poles that work of each other but I wasn't sure if vertical polarized antennas will use each other to try and broadcast..   

Unless you guys have better ideas on where to mount them. However my Diamond antenna is $100 so snapping that off would not make me a happy camper.  Especially if the wife decides to take my Xterra and goes into a parking structure without putting the antenna horizontal.

Then again I'm more then likely overthinking the whole thing..   Though I think the hardest part I'm having is where to mount the radios.  =(   

Or if I'm going to wheel with the guys here do you all have ham radios and I shouldn't even bother with a dual setup? =)

[Spectre]

Though I just saw the Diamond mount that I can put on the hatch and not drill.. Hmmm  I think I might go that route with the ham antenna.

[Celt]

In my opinion being able to get the antenna as high up on the vehicle the better. I have mine mounted onto the hood and get really great reception with that configuration. Knightrider and Jayrat helped me install it one night at a food truck meet up. I have no plans to move it anywhere else. I know some of the guys mount them on the rear hatch and have reported very good radio reception as well. I have a swing out carrier so I don't want that to interfere with it depending on how I mounted it. As to the CB radio, if I use mine I have a magnetic antenna on a little handheld I put up top and take back down after the trip if I use it at all. It's mostly to have commo with the guys who don't have HAM but I've never been very impressed with the CB as a whole which is one of the big reasons I made the transition.

  Here is the linky with some pics: http://www.sccxterra.com/smf/index.php?topic=3291.0

[Spectre]

I think I like the idea of a CB hand held with a magnet mount antenna..  I just hate being on the trail on only hearing half of what's going on.. Plus it makes it hard to have 1 person relaying everything..

 I would love to put it high and up on the roof rack, but that just opens up a can of worms on hitting it on stuff.   I've seen the hood installation like yours but for someone reason I'm not a fan of it. Maybe if I did it on the passenger side so it's not right in my field of few..

[RikRong]

I have my CB antenna mounted in the hood channel and my HAM antenna on the top lip of my hatch. I had a good discussion with GreenGoon about mounting the HAM antenna on the hood and the issue with RF radiation. Modern HAMs put a lot of power out and I'm not comfortable with having the antenna there. I'm an aircraft maintainer and I'm sure I've had my fair share of exposure already and I don't want to add to it during my leisure time. The CB doesn't really concern me. Here's a good shot of my antennas.


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[Spectre]

Your ham doesn't have any contact issues with the basket when you open the hatch?

[Spectre]

Also in the description of my Diamond antenna it says to use the diamond K400 or K600 trunk lid mount.  I wonder if it would be to much for the diamond K412C mount I want to use.

[Celt]

I think I like the idea of a CB hand held with a magnet mount antenna..  I just hate being on the trail on only hearing half of what's going on.. Plus it makes it hard to have 1 person relaying everything..

 I would love to put it high and up on the roof rack, but that just opens up a can of worms on hitting it on stuff.   I've seen the hood installation like yours but for someone reason I'm not a fan of it. Maybe if I did it on the passenger side so it's not right in my field of few..

I have the option of folding that antenna down if I need to very easily so you can explore that option. At first, I thought the antenna might be in my field of vision but after the first day I don't notice it's there. It was a logical placement for me running the antenna and power lines through the firewall. Over on the passenger side there is less through holes.

[Celt]

I have my CB antenna mounted in the hood channel and my HAM antenna on the top lip of my hatch. I had a good discussion with GreenGoon about mounting the HAM antenna on the hood and the issue with RF radiation. Modern HAMs put a lot of power out and I'm not comfortable with having the antenna there. I'm an aircraft maintainer and I'm sure I've had my fair share of exposure already and I don't want to add to it during my leisure time. The CB doesn't really concern me. Here's a good shot of my antennas.

 If you are transmitting generally on low power does an issue still exist? I'm curious to see if it's any less through the front windshield  or rear hatch mount than say on a roof mounted option? Either way wouldn't it generally be of the same concern being in a vehicle and in such close proximity to the antenna? The reason I ask about this is in reality I know nothing about this and would like some input.

[RikRong]

Your ham doesn't have any contact issues with the basket when you open the hatch?

Yes it does, I just have to mindful when I'm opening the hatch with the antenna on. I'll probably move it to the basket, but I haven't got around to it yet.

If you are transmitting generally on low power does an issue still exist? I'm curious to see if it's any less through the front windshield  or rear hatch mount than say on a roof mounted option? Either way wouldn't it generally be of the same concern being in a vehicle and in such close proximity to the antenna? The reason I ask about this is in reality I know nothing about this and would like some input.

Honestly, it's probably nothing to be worried about, but I rarely use low power because I'm usually using repeaters around here. When I go out with you guys, I'll use low power. If the antenna is on the hood, radio waves are being reflected off the hood in all directions, including through the windshield. It might be using the roof, too, if it's tall enough. The rear mounted antenna should use the roof as the plane, if it's tall enough, so no concerns there. A roof mounted antenna will exclusively use the roof as the plane, keeping most of the RF radiation out of the passenger compartment.

I'm sure someone that is better at antenna theory will chime in.


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[Celt]

Why don't you use low power for your repeaters? If your antenna is solid the lower the power the better no? I only bump up the power on Simplex when I need to transmit over longer distances with shoddy coverage or when I'm nearing a shadow on a repeater. From my experience and I may very well be completely wrong it's all about what your antenna can see?

[RikRong]

I guess it depends on which repeater. If it's all the way across the valley, I'll use high power. If it's close, I'll turn it down.

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[JFanaselle]

I'm running a K412C with my diamond dual band, in exactly the location you're discussing (rear passenger side) and have had no issues at all. I've been running this setup since I first bought my Xterra and have been VERY pleased with the TX and RX capabilities, even with the antenna obstructed by the body of the car. I use my radio for GMRS TX and RX, VHF fire department RX, and 2M and 70cm TX and RX, and have had no issues with any of these functions.

I park in a low parking garage at work, plus my rig lives in the garage at home, so having the antenna stick up above the roof line was a no-go for me. I believe the tip of the antenna is just about level with the top of my aftermarket roof rack.

As I said, I've had nothing but good luck with the location when paired up with my FT-7800 (I used to run an FT-8800, and had the same success). During our most recent Death Valley group trip, I was able to TX and RX just as well as anyone in the group with antennas mounted out on their hoods. The few people in the group who had antennas sticking way up off the roof were only doing a tiny bit better than I was. For everyday usability, I'm quite impressed with how good of coverage I get from this location. Here's an old thread about my antenna location, please give it a quick read and let me know if you have any questions: http://www.sccxterra.com/smf/index.php?topic=2495.0

Just a note - I no longer use the K400 on the driver's side for the CB antenna. I've installed a Firestik brand 90* mount behind the driver side taillight for the CB antenna and run a 4' fiberglass firestik while out on the trail, then remove the antenna and CB when I'm not wheeling. The FT-7800 is permanently mounted and stays hooked up 24/7 (along with the diamond dual band antenna).

[PainRoller]

Or if I'm going to wheel with the guys here do you all have ham radios and I shouldn't even bother with a dual setup? =)

A serious chunk of the people here have hams, but you can't bank on it for larger runs.  So most run some sort of dual setup.  For this last Mojave trip, the group loaned their HTs to the CB'ers to help them stay informed and also to show them how awesome hams can be.   

Our setup is a Yaesu FT-8900R Quad Band Ham Radio w/ Tri Band Antenna and a CB Radio. 

The Ham Antenna is mounted on the hood so we get our dose of RF radiation (I do worry a little, but that's where it is):
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The CB Antenna is mounted on the passenger rear taillight (with a quick disconnect - don't keep it on the rig for DD):
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Ham Radio is mounted under passenger seat:
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CB Radio is mounted in center console:
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[Celt]

Hey PR, just a quick question. Why did you mount the CB in the console vs. the HAM? I might be answering my own question but it may be for cooling? My thinking was the HAM is a lot harder to program than just turning the dial on the CB to switch fixed channels.