Bullet Proof Diesel Antenna Mount Install

[wikolipr]

Outstanding install. Can't wait to see the radio end of the installation. I am taking the Ham Tech test in a couple of weeks and hopefully start on my HAM radio mobile rig.

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[WxNerd2015]

Outstanding install. Can't wait to see the radio end of the installation. I am taking the Ham Tech test in a couple of weeks and hopefully start on my HAM radio mobile rig.

Check out the radio setup here on my build journal. Been using it for a while now and really happy with it!

 

[Fawnbuster]

Looks great but I would tear them off in a minute with garage door

 

[WxNerd2015]

Looks great but I would tear them off in a minute with garage door

That is exactly why I have the short antenna setup! If you look, it is the same height as the stock radio antenna, which means it should clear all standard heights, like garage doors, parking garages, etc. And I have tested the short antenna setup and it completely clears! The short setup isn't the most ideal for performance, but on a daily basis, it works for mild usage and that was the main goal! To not hit lower height clearances and to be able to leave the antennas up! And then when I need more reliance on the radios, I swap to the longer setup!

 

[Fawnbuster]

That is exactly why I have the short antenna setup! If you look, it is the same height as the stock radio antenna, which means it should clear all standard heights, like garage doors, parking garages, etc. And I have tested the short antenna setup and it completely clears! The short setup isn't the most ideal for performance, but on a daily basis, it works for mild usage and that was the main goal! To not hit lower height clearances and to be able to leave the antennas up! And then when I need more reliance on the radios, I swap to the longer setup!

That's my problem brother, for whatever reason my garage was built with a 6.5 foot door. So even the stock antenna would go in but would've torn off when I backed out so before I took delivery of my truck I ordered the smallest Craven speed aluminum antenna they made. Once I have the level lift installed I will re-measure the gap between the door/frame and antenna gap and order a slightly longer one so I can get better reception in my area. I stacked up cement pavers the same height my level lift will be and ran them into the garage so I could drive up on them past my antenna to be sure I would still have clearance.

On my f150 I originally bought a motor cycle antenna but it rusted and the mount broke so I bought a new mount and put the oem antenna back on after I used bolt cutters to snip 6 inches off and reattached the ball with epoxy.

Trust me I've worked thru all scenarios with this stupid garage door. I can't enlarge the header to get a 7 foot door installed due to other joists being in the way so I'm stuck with it and I'm not leaving my truck outside all the time just for the sake of a lift or antenna, those darned starlings have a bullseye on my truck ?

 

[WxNerd2015]

That's my problem brother, for whatever reason my garage was built with a 6.5 foot door. So even the stock antenna would go in but would've torn off when I backed out so before I took delivery of my truck I ordered the smallest Craven speed aluminum antenna they made. Once I have the level lift installed I will re-measure the gap between the door/frame and antenna gap and order a slightly longer one so I can get better reception in my area. I stacked up cement pavers the same height my level lift will be and ran them into the garage so I could drive up on them past my antenna to be sure I would still have clearance.

On my f150 I originally bought a motor cycle antenna but it rusted and the mount broke so I bought a new mount and put the oem antenna back on after I used bolt cutters to snip 6 inches off and reattached the ball with epoxy.

Trust me I've worked thru all scenarios with this stupid garage door. I can't enlarge the header to get a 7 foot door installed due to other joists being in the way so I'm stuck with it and I'm not leaving my truck outside all the time just for the sake of a lift or antenna, those darned starlings have a bullseye on my truck ?

Ah...yeah, that sucks! I get that feeling! I also have a lifted Wrangler and when house shopping a few years back that was a big factor was if the Jeep would fit in the garage, as it clears a standard 7' opening by just a couple of inches! When we got the house that we are in now, within the first week, the project was a new garage door as the old style solid door hung too low in the opening to clear. So my door actually tucks up past the opening now to give maximum space and it still barely clears! But just does!

My Ranger also lives outside though as the wife has the other garage spot...and those dang birds around here always have a bullseye on it as well!

 

[Marco]

Lastly, I of coarse how some radios still to install, along with the mounting for them and the antennas. I am still working on the radio mounts. Those will be done soon, but I will cover my antenna setups that I will be using here and some links to what I have here.

First up, I needed to make sure the bases were NMO mounts, as this is what the mount included. I needed an antenna for CB bands, and an antenna for UHF/VHF bands. And lastly, I considered two setups, one for daily use, and one for heavier use.

First up, NMO antennas for Ham bands are no problem to find, as their are plenty of options, however the options for CB antennas are much more limited. So I decided, instead of limiting myself on antenna choices, I would use the Tram 3/8 24 antenna adapter (TRAM1295). This adapter basically allows you to attach a standard thread CB antenna (3/8 24) to an NMO mount.

With that figured out, I then set out on finding my daily antennas. My main priorities with the daily antennas were to keep them right around the height of the stock radio antenna, as they should then be able to fit into lower clearance locations without needing to take the antennas off, such as parking garages and such. I figured that if the stock radio antenna is that height, that should be a relative standard for most locations to be able to fit with extra antennas as well.

So for the CB, I settled on the ProComm 8" Base Loaded CB Antenna (JBC800)

And for the Ham, I went with the Comet B-10NMO

Both of these antennas end up sitting about 10" high and fit with the height of the stock radio antenna greatly!

Next up was the heavy use setup. This would be used for Amateur Radio Club and Emergency operations, Off Road Trips, Convoy trips, etc. where I know I will need better antennas to help get further range and make everything clearer. Here, I was only restricted by making sure they had the right base mounts. No height or other restrictions!

For the CB, I settled on the Mini Stinger Springer 90cm Antenna in Black. For CB a longer antenna will in many cases preform much better as the ideal length is 102", and with this base loaded antenna (the coils), it definitely should work out pretty well when I am utilizing it more heavily!

And for the Ham, I went with the Nagoya NMO-72 19.25" Antenna.

And this setup definitely gets some more height, but I have already utilized it some and it gets great reception for me! The antennas attach great to the mount and no movement or anything like that has occurred.

And lastly, I also do know there are times that I might remove the antennas completely, and especially with NMO mounts, you do not want to leave them exposed to the elements, so I got a couple of rain caps from Tram as well! They feel like a cheaper plastic, but should do their jobs fine, just make sure not to lose the o ring in the base of the caps as they were not seated very good when I got mine and I almost lost one!

And lastly, here's a few shots of the whole truck with the antennas on! Besides, who of us doesn't want to see more of the Ranger on here, it's a beautiful truck!

great advise on these antennas, i will be using almost the exact set up. thx Marco

 

[VegasRanger]

Nice install! I’m looking at getting this mount. Was wondering what your SWR readings are for the ham bands?

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