GMRS Antenna Location

[trail_runn4r]

Hi all,

I got a new Midland MXT275 radio to pair to my handled one. The antenna that came with it is not great so I got myself a 3db gain low profile antenna to go with it.
I saw that midland offer multiple mounting solutions:

• hood lip mount
• ditch lights mount (hood)
• roof rack mount
• magnetic mount

I don't know much but I guess that for the antenna the higher the better (and less obstructions) so I was wondering if mounting the antenna on the hood would decrease range performance in a noticeable way.

Thanks!

 

[Ubiety]

Probably not significantly but that is likely dependent on a number of things. Give your preferred mount point a try and if that does not work out move it. My antenna, though different is essentially hood lip mounted, and before that mag mounted on the bed rail next to the cab and both positions worked well for me. Search through the threads already posted in the comm section of the forums - lots of good advice to be found there.

Nice 4Runner, almost bought a bright white venture special for my wife last weekend but it was not comfortable for her :( We ended up getting something completely different, miles away from a 4Runner but very nice for her.

 

[AppalachianGoat]

So it depends on what your using the GMRS for. Is it only for off roading convoys, trying to get help if your stuck or do you want to dabble in the radio side banter. Yes the higher the antenna the better and on the roof the ground plane is great. Also you must take into affect the terrain and where your trying to broadcast to sometimes a lower gain is better than higher gain due to the wave pattern. For out in town and random chatter I use the 36” whip antenna and also communicate mostly on a repeater that bumps my signal out to 30-40 miles because of its location. If I’m somewhere with low overhead or a lot of elevation gain/loss and my convoy on different elevations I’ll use the ghost (lower gain)

 

[ryanorr280]

I bought their ditch light mount for ours. I use the cheapy short stainless whip it came with in tight trails, and their 6db gain antenna on the road or at the lake. (We use handhelds/4Runner radio to talk to each other when on kayaks/driving to lake between vehicles.)

For what it’s worth though, the ditch light bracket I got from midland did not fit well at all. I modified it, as well as my plastic cowl cover to stop it from hitting my hood.

 

[M Rose]

Check out RagoFabrications they offer several different antenna mounts specifically for 4Runners.

 

[LostInThought]

Hi all,

I got a new Midland MXT275 radio to pair to my handled one. The antenna that came with it is not great so I got myself a 3db gain low profile antenna to go with it.
I saw that midland offer multiple mounting solutions:

• hood lip mount
• ditch lights mount (hood)
• roof rack mount
• magnetic mount

I don't know much but I guess that for the antenna the higher the better (and less obstructions) so I was wondering if mounting the antenna on the hood would decrease range performance in a noticeable way.

Thanks!

Generally a 3dB difference is the threshold of what is considered "noticeable". The attached diagram shows that there can be a small advantage to roof vs hood if all other factors (mount quality, SWR, etc) are the same - about 2.4dB. To put this in perspective, if both antenna locations had an unobstructed view of a very distant mountain top repeater, the one on the roof might be able to key that repeated from ~1.1-1.2x further away - hypothetically, if the hood mount could reach the repeater from 40 miles, the roof mount might hit it from as much as 48 miles. (Using that radio and the included magmount antenna on my roof, I was able to key a repeater 47 miles away.) At the same distance/conditions, you'll gain some signal clarity.

BUT, and it's a big BUT, it is rare that the radio signal is distance limited, and much more common that obstructions (hills, mountains, buildings, ground clutter, etc) block the signal and significantly limit the range. So even if you can reach 50 miles under the best of conditions, the "range" under "real" conditions might be more likely limited to 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 miles. However, even at these ranges, a better antenna can pay off in improved signal quality ("full FM quieting") or by allowing you to use a lower power setting.

 

[trail_runn4r]

Thank you everyone for the explanation, yes I use the radio mainly when on the trail or on the highway, more rarely also on long distances for example when the group is split on 2 separate nearby trail.