GMRS antenna mount

Did you get to test your 4505 yet?

 

Yeah, I got it mounted and have just been listening. Haven't done any range test, don't have anybody to test with lol. My friend does have an SWR meter that I will borrow this weekend and test both my midland and the 4505.

 

So just got the ghost mount. Had been using the magnet antenna that came with my midland 275. I could hear people right next to me when we are wheeling but driving home it wasn’t that good. Just wired up the ghost antenna to my uptop overland rack and reached out to my buddy across town maybe 5 miles away but in Los Angeles so not exactly a clear line of sight. Haha. He said he could hear me loud and clear but for some reason I couldn’t hear him at all. I know next to nothing about these radios but if something obvious jumps out please let me know. I’m just starting to learn about all this.

do I need to sand down the powder coat so it’s grounded better? Maybe I can move it on top of the rack? Or maybe it’s something else. . Anyways at least it looks clean and no more wire out of my back window. Haha

 

I'm pretty new to this as well and have been trying to figure out what will work best. That mounting location is probably not ideal and I think you need a ground plane for that antenna to work best. Try center of the rack with some metal below it.

 

25+ years of ham radio, this antenna is one of the worst I've ever seen. It basically just turns RF into heat. Apparently it's all the overland rage, but overlanding can't circumvent the laws of electromagnetics and physics.

 

Just curious why it transmits signal well but reception seems poor. Does that make sense or could it be something in my buddies radio? I really only use it when we caravan to a spot for camping, so only need it for a few miles. Not trying to get like 35 mile ranges. 5-10 would be ideal.

do you have a good reference or something to help us newbs get up to speed? I did register with the FCC. Not trying to brag, but I’m basically a verified DJ now.

 

http://k0bg.com/

There's just no way that antenna transmits a signal "well". The "gain" stated in their ads defies the laws of physics. An example of an antenna that is likely to transmit a vhf/uhf signal "well" would be something like this

https://www.diamondantenna.net/sg7900a.html

However, this antenna is 62 inches tall. Life is all about compromises.....

 

I’ve heard it’s not about length, it’s about girth. Maybe that was for something else though.