Window mount antenna

[V70r]

Are there any window mount antennas out there and if so are they worth a s##t? I need something that I dont have to drill into my car or will scratch my paint. And I read that you are not suppose to put anything under the magnet. Anyone????

[methusaleh]

Do you mean on-glass adhesive, or a BNC jack on a little u-shaped thing that mounts on the edge of the glass?

On-glass ones are a compromise at best. I would stay away from them.

I have used the window clamp style with rental cars, and they work decently, about as much as the average handheld would work outside the vehicle. I used a larger dual-band ham HT antenna with mine when I needed to go that route.

[Arvetus]

Window mount antennas do not work well. If you are using them at all, I would recommend them for receive only, but don't expect it to work well.
Magnetic mount antennas form what is called a "capacitive ground" to the body. The more you put between the antenna and the metal under it, the more standing waves you will have under it: i.e. higher SWR. High SWR = extremely inefficient, and could possibly cause damage to your transmitter.

What causes you to not want to drill or put a magnet on the car? Are you planning on selling the vehicle soon?
If you are not, there really should be no reason not to drill or use a magnet (drilling is better).
There are many benefits to a permanent antenna installation (drilling). For one, they form a REAL ground to the vehicle, which is more efficient than a magnet mount, capacitive ground. Installed correctly, they do not leak (while with a magnet mount, you could get some leaks in the weather seal where the coax enters the vehicle). The holes are easily plugged if you want to get rid of the car, and don't hurt the resale value of the car as much as you may think. But since when did you buy a car for the resale value? Most people don't buy a car for resale value as looking at a vehicle purchase in this manner is absurd as they will NOT appreciate, unless you have CASH to buy a RARE, LIMITED or NON PRODUCTION vehicle whose value will do nothing go up. Most people cannot afford this.

Depending on what type of vehicle you have, you may be able to find a trunk or hatch lip-mount, or if it's an SUV/truck, you may be able to find a fender type mount that uses already pre-drilled holes and bolts that attach your front quarter panel to the rest of the body, and are located under the hood. If you have an SUV/truck, I would not hesitate to drill as you will never see the antenna mount unless you're 7' tall.

Just a thought...

[V70r]

I figured they didn't work all that great. I have decided to go with a hood mount bracket that way I can bolt it to the inner part of my fender. Thanks

[dr_King]

You didn't say what you were going to use it for. As stated above, A thru-the -glass mount is JUNK. Get a ham catalog. There are different types of mounts for anything imagineable. A trunk-lip mount will not scratch the paint and it works great.