Antenna Placement Suggestions

[QuickTrigger]

Hey guys i need help.....I need to find a good mounting location for an antenna. I am looking at the buying the lil wil but i am not sure if its a good antenna for an SUV. the suv i have is the same model as the pics but is green in color. If anyone else drives an SUV could you send me pics so that i can get different ideas and see which one suits me....

I tried searching around the site but didnt find much info to help me out. I do not feel like drilling a hole in the car.

toyota-highlander.jpg

2007-toyota-highlander-hy-9_460x0w.jpg

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[Stealth Stalker]

Little Wil is a fine antenna. And it's performance on the top of a roof is about as good as it gets without drilling a hole. The drawback is having to route a cable around from the roof to your front dash, which isn't always easy or pretty. It's better on an SUV like that though, because you can tie-wrap it to the luggage rail for a clean look outside. The problem comes in when you want to take it down to garage your car though.

An alternative is to get an L-bracket to put an antenna like the Maxrad MLB-2700 on your front fender, at the hood groove. The only holes are two or three small screw holes down inside the groove that don't show. Performance is not quite as good as a roof top mount, but with a good antenna, it's still great performance. That's probably how I would do it.

[Motor On]

Take a look at the CP5-NMO pictured here:
NCG Company

CP-5NMO

Universal adjustable lip mount, 16’ 6” deluxe cable assembly with NMO/PL-259 connectors.
Mount adjusts in 4 planes. The first 18 inches of coax is mini RG-188A/U type allowing easy entry through the weather seal into the vehicle without causing wind noise, water leaks or coax damage. The coax balance is low loss with NMO & PL-259 connectors. The PL-259 connector disassembles for easier routing or to shorten the coax length. Soft rubber pad protects the vehicle paint, 4 large set screws hold the mount firmly in place.

I'd take that and mount it to your hatch, high as possible so the antenna is clearing the roof with the hatch closed, then get a Wilson 1k or Maxrad mlb2700 with NMO mount, and screw that onto the comment.

Then you can just simply unscrew the NMO portion of things to fit in the garage without damaging your finish. Granted the price of going through all of that does double the cost over the lil wil but IMO it looks much stealthier and cleaner.

And here's how one guy from PA mounted a CB antenna to his jeep [ame=http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=609650]CB radio install location on cherokee plus Antenna mount - JeepForum.com[/ame]

So SUVs provide lots of options. If you go with the lil wil mount it as centered as possible on the roof for the best ground plane.

[QuickTrigger]

very useful information, ima look into it right now.....

do you think i can get a decent set up for around 100 dollars or so? ncluding the antenna and the mounts...

[supercowpowers]

Take a look at the CP5-NMO pictured here:
NCG Company

CP-5NMO

Universal adjustable lip mount, 16’ 6” deluxe cable assembly with NMO/PL-259 connectors.
Mount adjusts in 4 planes. The first 18 inches of coax is mini RG-188A/U type allowing easy entry through the weather seal into the vehicle without causing wind noise, water leaks or coax damage. The coax balance is low loss with NMO & PL-259 connectors. The PL-259 connector disassembles for easier routing or to shorten the coax length. Soft rubber pad protects the vehicle paint, 4 large set screws hold the mount firmly in place.

I'd take that and mount it to your hatch, high as possible so the antenna is clearing the roof with the hatch closed, then get a Wilson 1k or Maxrad mlb2700 with NMO mount, and screw that onto the comment.

The Wilson 1000 does not use an NMO mount. The permanent mount fits a hole for an NMO mount.

[QuickTrigger]

i tried looking into the NMO mounts but cant seem to find a price on the internet. Do you guys know how much would the mount be around.

[34Ford]

Im in the same situation finding a good antenna for a Ford Exploder.

I wished I could afford the Diamond motorized mount.

Diamond® Antenna ~ K9000LRMO Motorized Luggage Rack Mount

[QuickTrigger]

do you think the lil wil can hold on when the suv is travelling about 80-85 miles per hour. I do not want the antenna to become projectile.........since i am thinking about the lil wil i think when i am not using it i can just take it off the roof and keep it in the trunk.

[supercowpowers]

do you think the lil wil can hold on when the suv is travelling about 80-85 miles per hour. I do not want the antenna to become projectile.........since i am thinking about the lil wil i think when i am not using it i can just take it off the roof and keep it in the trunk.

It will hold against the wind, but not if something hits it like a bird. Something to think about...

[QuickTrigger]

birds......umm.....lol...

havent got hit by one so far. I will be mostly using this only during road trips not for daily use. My gf would kill me if i used it often....i dont think she would stand it. anywyas

These are the choices i have so far. prices are approx

Midland 1001z-30$
cobra 19 dx IV- 50$
Uniden 520-60$
Uniden 510- 45$
cobra 19 ultra 3-35$
midland 5001Z-60$

Antenna
Lil Wil ( i do not want to perrmanently mount it)

I would prefer staying within the price range of 60$ for the radio. Am trying to complete the setup with 100$, a little more if possible.....do you guys know where i could get a cheap SWR meter or any place i could order the Lil Wil. I plan on getting this installed before my road trip on the 20th of aug- Ohio-Texas....