Any radio wave propagation gurus on hand?

[loper]

Got a question about antenna ground planes.

We are adding a fiberglass high top to a van. We will also have a rack that mounts to the drip rails. When they cut out the steel roof for the high top, we are leaving about two feet of the original roof intact in front (over the driver/passenger seats) and about the same amount at the rear (by the back doors).

If I mount antennas to the rack in the front or back (where the original roof is still in place), will the antennas get a ground plane effect from the original steel roof, through the fiberglass top?

I've probably butchered this question, but hopefully someone can make sense of what I'm getting at.

 

[M Rose]

Got a question about antenna ground planes.

We are adding a fiberglass high top to a van. We will also have a rack that mounts to the drip rails. When they cut out the steel roof for the high top, we are leaving about two feet of the original roof intact in front (over the driver/passenger seats) and about the same amount at the rear (by the back doors).

If I mount antennas to the rack in the front or back (where the original roof is still in place), will the antennas get a ground plane effect from the original steel roof, through the fiberglass top?

I've probably butchered this question, but hopefully someone can make sense of what I'm getting at.

Bond the roof rack to the rails using braided ground strap on all for corners of the rack, Mount the antenna to the rack, and you should be fine.

 

[loper]

Thanks! I was thinking it worked like that, but I really don't understand the theory.

 

[Trad77]

Got a question about antenna ground planes.

We are adding a fiberglass high top to a van. We will also have a rack that mounts to the drip rails. When they cut out the steel roof for the high top, we are leaving about two feet of the original roof intact in front (over the driver/passenger seats) and about the same amount at the rear (by the back doors).

If I mount antennas to the rack in the front or back (where the original roof is still in place), will the antennas get a ground plane effect from the original steel roof, through the fiberglass top?

I've probably butchered this question, but hopefully someone can make sense of what I'm getting at.

Bond the roof rack to the rails using braided ground strap on all for corners of the rack, Mount the antenna to the rack, and you should be fine.

Yes! I 2nd this answer. Couldn’t have said it any better myself.