HAM and CB mounts in new 4Runner

[MrGrimm]

I am going to be mounting Yaesu FT-8800R and Cobra 75 WX ST radios in my 4runner.

My questions are about the mounts for the 8800R. The antenna I am going to get is the NR770HB Dualband Mobile Antenna (Link) and I am trying to find a mount to where I can put it on the back hatch. So far the NCG RS-520 (Link) is looking like it will be the one I am going to use. Does this sound about right?

NCG-RS-520

Now for the CB I havent even found an antenna or a mount for this one yet. I was thinking about going with a firestik since I have an extra antenna laying in my garage. Any help on this?

 

[1911]

Now for the CB I havent even found an antenna or a mount for this one yet. I was thinking about going with a firestik since I have an extra antenna laying in my garage. Any help on this?

Depends on where you're going to mount it. In my experience, the regular Firestik antennas need a decent ground plane, so they do well on the hood or roof but not so much on a bumper or tire mount. However, the Firestik Firefly does not need much ground plane at all and will tune-up almost anywhere. Probably not as much gain though.

 

[MrGrimm]

The firefly is the one I have in my garage.

On the picture below I have circled where I would like to mount these antennas. The higher one on the drivers side would be the VHF/UHF antenna. The lower would be the CB.

Some searching brought me to the Diamond K400-3/8C mount for the CB

Link

For the VHF/UHF, it looks like the NR770HBNMO Dualband Mobile Antenna along with the NCG RS-720 NMO would be my best choice.

 

[1911]

Those both look like good solutions, but personally I don't have any experience with lip mounts.

You will get a little more range in front of your truck than behind with the antennas in the back. If your Firefly doesn't stick up above the roof line, it's going to limit your CB range. If it's only a 3-footer you would be better putting it up front on the hood or the front bumper. But if you're like me and only use the cb to talk to other ham-less trucks in a small trail group, then it won't matter as much.

 

[MrGrimm]

Yea the CB will just be for trail comms with other vehicles so I am not too concerned about range.

 

[xtatik]

Why not mount them both in the upper position on opposite sides of the hatch? There'd be enough distance from each other so that coupling problems wouldn't be an issue.

 

[MrGrimm]

That's what I was thinking about. I am probably going to end up getting another Wilson 1000 roof mount because there is already a hole in the roof for the XM antenna. The Wilson 1000 can fit with a little trimming.

 

[Hedge]

Yea the CB will just be for trail comms with other vehicles so I am not too concerned about range.

I am probably going to end up getting another Wilson 1000 roof mount because there is already a hole in the roof for the XM antenna. The Wilson 1000 can fit with a little trimming.

Would a NMO through-roof mount with its superior ground plane make more sense for your amateur radio, while using a lip mount for the CB?

 

[xtatik]

Would a NMO through-roof mount with its superior ground plane make more sense for your amateur radio, while using a lip mount for the CB?

The difference in counterpoise whether it were centered over the truck or lip mounted wouldn't amount to a perceptible difference on FM.

 

[Hedge]

Why is this, and what is your definition of "perceptible"?

I have read elsewhere on the interwebs that people swear by the NMO roof mount for max range at 2m and/or 70cm λ. I had pretty well decided to make the commitment and drill that hole in the center of my roof until you said this; now I'm second guessing between this and a front fender lip-mount. If you have further reading you would suggest on the subject, I would appreciate it, as I don't want to drill that hole only to regret it.

 

[DaveInDenver]

NMO in the middle of the roof is best. There's a reason why it's still the way 99.999% of all commercial antennas are mounted. Less pattern distortion, lower noise floor, mechanically secure, no pinched coax. Whether or not it's worth it, that's a question only you can answer. I punch holes personally.

 

[4RunAmok]

I have had 3 of those Diamond lip mounts, and I would NOT put a Firestick on them.

If I recall correctly, firesticks are those CB antennas that are approx 3/8" to 1/2" thick?

The only thing that holds those lip mounts to the body are two small allen set screws.

Putting a heavy, sturdy antenna on a lip mount, and then driving through brush like we do, you're going to break the mount or bend the body where the lip is attached.

I have two NMO mounts up on top of my 4runner, one for ham, one for CB. Both antennas are Larsen; NMO2/70, and an NMO27B. Both are whip type antennas, so no breaking on the trails

 

[trump]

The only thing that holds those lip mounts to the body are two small allen set screws.

I picked up a Diamond lip-mount the other day that has 4 set screws, but just the same I concur. Not good for a heavy antenna.

 

[kjp1969]

I have a Wilson 1000 through-the-roof with a 60" whip and have no regrets- the reception is fantastic- 1.5 miles in the suburbs is no problem at all, and my CB radio is pretty cheap and ordinary.

I'm getting ready to do a 2m/70cm antenna, and will do an NMO through the roof also.

In my opinion, drilling a hole is no big deal. Just do it right so that it doesn't leak or rust.

 

[soonenough]

....Some searching brought me to the Diamond K400-3/8C mount for the CB

Link

For the VHF/UHF, it looks like the NR770HBNMO Dualband Mobile Antenna along with the NCG RS-720 NMO would be my best choice.

I have a Diamond K400 NMO lip mount and it's worked great, except that the black paint (or is it powder-coating?) on the forward-facing part of the mount has worn completely away after about 2 years. Granted, I put quite a lot of miles on my truck, but I still think whatever paint/powdercoat they used was crappy stuff. Other than that, I've been really impressed. There was one instance where a tree branch grabbed my Comet antenna and broke it in half (more on that in a second) but the mount didn't budge. It's stood up to its fair share of car washes also; I've heard repeatedly not to take a lip mount through a car wash, but I've never had any problems with mine. Make sure you check the 4 mounting set screws every now and then as they tend to loosen over time; you might want to put loctite on them during installation.

As for antennas - I would definitely NOT run a Firestik on a lip mount. Those antennas are heavy and rigid, and I'd be afraid it would damage either the mount or the sheetmetal it's attached to. I have a Firestik on a cone mount on the lid of my bedbox, which has held up okay, but I'm pretty sure that metal is much thicker than the sheetmetal of the vehicle's body.

For the ham antenna, I'd run a Larsen antenna over a Comet. I broke my Comet SBB-5NMO the first time it caught on a tree branch. The Larsen is much more flexible. You can bend it completely over to where the tip touches the base, and it will spring right back when you let it go.