HAM Radio Install/Antenna Mount!!

I have Larsen installed on my Sienna and Prius. The manufacturer said, it is not recommended to be installed on vehicles glass with factory tint. My 21 Taco has no other spot. I would like to know, if the factory tint affected the performance of your antenna?

 

Great idea!!

Thanks for the tip. Was looking for a place to mount my radio.

N4BSH

 

I'm in the same exact boat! Anyone know how this is mounted to the dash? OP never replied.

 

Tint can degrade the swr so you might want to check it once you decide to mount it there. I would look at either Comet's stainless bolt on mount that goes on the hood and uses one of the bolts to mount it to a fender. I think they also make a 2021 mount that uses the bolts on the back of the tailgate. That is made for a LED light but you just take a step drill bit and enlarge it for the size of the antenna mount. What I am planning on doing with one of the mounts is doing each one in front for one dual band and one in back for another and eventually a Icom 7000. The rear mount will take a bigger antenna that the HF radio will use. If you don't or can't find one that is made expressly for your rig find someone who can bend 14/16 ga Stainless and have them make you one. I had a friend make one for a 72 datsun pickup I had years ago. Good luck if you haven't made up your mind and regardless hope things work out for you 73

 

@bandaidman I totally agree about the factory or aftermarket tint on glass windows. In fact, Cushcraft noted the warning on their glass mounted antennas. I have great success on my Sienna SE and Camry using half wave cushcraft, but my ‘21 Taco just have no place to install the antenna. I am looking at hood brackets that does not look to appealing to me on the truck...so my other option is a truck bed bracket from Caliraised. I am trying to stay away from mag mounts on the truck. I know, there is still a lot to explore. Thank stour for your input. For now, I am just using an HT whenever I’m in the Taco.

 

I’m interested in getting into HAM but I don’t want a big antenna. Are there any low profile antennas and if so how well do they work?

 

Go online and look at Diamond, Comet or Larsen antennas. The length of the antenna is a factor of gain or just how far can you hear and transmit. If you are in the plain states and talking simplex that is line of sight. In the forests of North Carolina trees can and do affect range because the green sucks up RF. Here in the Mountains of Utah we have repeaters on mountain tops some as high as 10,000 feet. I have a friend who used to work for a TV station that had a mountain top transmitter, to keep it running there were 3 engineers there schedules rotated you spent one week on the mountain, in the TV station, and off. When he was on the mountain, he could talk to stations in Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. The station was just West of Salt Lake city. There he didn't need a great big antenna. For a vehicle in areas that have good repeaters you can get by with an antenna as short as 12 inches. You won't hit distant repeaters however. Gain is how much the antenna will amplify your signal. The taller your antenna or the higher you are the further you can transmit. You can make an antenna out of an old tape measure some PVC pipe and a handheld radio and talk to the space station as if flies over you all you have to do is follow its path to keep your signal hitting their antenna. That is over 100 miles distance.
To get back to your question regarding how well do they do, it depends. Location, location, location then power then antenna. You can do what I do I have a medium length antenna that gets reasonable gain that is my daily antenna its about 3 ft tall but if I need gain because of location I put on my 5 ft tall antenna for almost double the gain( just unscrew the one from the mount and replace it with the taller one). Then if I really need to get a signal out ( I help with ultramarathons in the mountains) I have a tripod and a base station antenna and 20 foot of mast I put up. My wife says I over complicated this, if so I apologize, but with Ham radio there are different levels you can do simple or complex. Best thing to do is find a ham operator near you and tell him you'd like to learn. Most would jump at the chance to help someone in getting into the hobby. That's how I started 30 years ago.

 

I like using half wave antennas as opposed to the little quarter wave antennas. Antenna gain is much better. I limit my max transmit power to 80 watts and do mostly repeater operation while mobile. With that said, my choice is pretty limited. I am looking at the CaliRaised Antenna accessory bed for the Taco and while shopping around online, I found an advertised 3/8" NMO Hole Mount from antennafarm.com that MIGHT fit the Caliraised bracket...I am just not so sure on what type of whip I should get for 2 meters only. Still need to shop more on this. My other dilemna is the task on running the coax cable from the rear to the front of the truck. Any tips on routing the coax from the rear to the front. If the rear antenna bracket does not work to my taste, I probably may just have to settle for a small magnetic mount with PL-259 connector...which is my very last choice.

 

If you choose to use the caliRaised bracket and want to use a dual band antenna you can do what I am doing ( as soon as I can find my step drill bit.) I have a comet antenna mount with a small section of small coax that I am going to thread into the rear tail light and take it up to the cab and use the big grommet at the rear and on the bottom of the cab. I'll push it through and mount the radio behind the back seat. The comet coax (CK 3M5) comes with the connector that mounts to the radio it can be unscrewed or if you buy new comes without it attached so you don't have to make a big cut to pass the coax through the grommet you then you can screw it on and attach it to the radio. If your radio has a kit to separate the faceplate from the radio all you need to do then is run the cable from the radio to the faceplate figure out what you want to do with a speaker and set it up. I'd have it up and running but I don't climb under things very well now days and I have to wait for my son to have a day off. Good luck, installs are always fun.

 

ChrisK7UND,
Did you add a crossmember under that seat to attach the bracket for the radio? I have a 2020 Off Road and was looking for that bit of info before I take the seat out.

 

There are TONS of excellent options ranging from low-profile to undetectable. Sti-Co makes a "covert" antenna that replaces the stock antenna, but also lets you transmit on UHF and VHF without drilling a single hole or using a drop of adhesive. COMPACtenna has a few options that are a bit bigger, but wildly performant. Midland has one the size and shape of a saltshaker that's shockingly good. Larsen has some "hockey puck" antennas, and there are a bunch of "shark fin" antennas that look like the kind of thing that gets factory installed.

 

What's that cubbyhole mount and where can I get one? If it's printed, where can I find an STL file so I can print one myself?

 

Mounted onto the back of the head using double-sided sticky stuff. It holds on fine!