LOST JEEPS :: View topic - How to wire coax for roof mounted magnetic antenna mount

Slopoke,

You are right and wrong.

Mag mounts at meant to be temp and changed from vehicle to vehicle or removed when not in use. you can not maintain a consistant swr with a mag mount if you keep moving it around. It is the relationship with a vehicle and it's location on the vehicle that dictates the swr.

any swr below 2:1 is considered good, 1.5:1 is better and 1:1 is perfect.

You can protect the sheet metal by using a spot primer and some touch up paint once you drill your holes to cover up any exposed metal. then you tune your antenna. by mounting it permanently you can tune it and almost forget it (should check it every now and then)

I promise you that your swr on your mag mount has changed IF you have moved your antenna. Not to mention that when u use a mag mount you trap dirt between the mag and the paint and screw up the paint anyway.

As long as the antenna is above the highest point of the vehicle you should be able to achieve a 2:1 swr. I just did with a door jamb mount using my rear tail light screws on the pass side. had to drill one extra hole but soild as a rock and a 4 foot antenna and i got a 1.6:1 on both channel 1 and 40 with 1.5:1 on channel 20.

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Author:	BeepBeepJeepJeep [ Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:47 pm ]
Post subject:	How to wire coax for roof mounted magnetic antenna mount
I have a renegade that has the mopar lightbar factory installed. Would there be anyway to run coax through one of the holes the wiring for the lights goes through? I would like to get a magnetic mount but I do not want to run wire through the windows if I can avoid it. Thanks, Bill

Author:	WoodysKJ [ Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:28 pm ]
Post subject:
the whole purpose of a magnetic mount is to be removable. otherwise get a hub mount or a windowor door jamb mount and make it permanent. you are asking for trouble if you want to take a wire from the light bar and be able to remove it now and then. might as well go ahead and order a couple new headliners.

Author:	BeepBeepJeepJeep [ Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:46 pm ]
Post subject:
I really like the idea of a jamb mount but I don't like the idea of screwing into sheet metal. Isn't that asking for trouble?

Author:	slopoke [ Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:32 pm ]
Post subject:
I have a wilson 5000 mag mount and I just ran the coax beside the rear glass and came in thru the gap in the seal at the bottom of the gate. It may not look too clean but it works. As soon as it quits raining I'll take some pics of it. You have to be careful with the permanent mount because if its not positioned just right you wont be able to get your SWR's right. Thats why a mag mount is so great.

Author:	WoodysKJ [ Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:52 am ]
Post subject:
Slopoke, You are right and wrong. Mag mounts at meant to be temp and changed from vehicle to vehicle or removed when not in use. you can not maintain a consistant swr with a mag mount if you keep moving it around. It is the relationship with a vehicle and it's location on the vehicle that dictates the swr. any swr below 2:1 is considered good, 1.5:1 is better and 1:1 is perfect. You can protect the sheet metal by using a spot primer and some touch up paint once you drill your holes to cover up any exposed metal. then you tune your antenna. by mounting it permanently you can tune it and almost forget it (should check it every now and then) I promise you that your swr on your mag mount has changed IF you have moved your antenna. Not to mention that when u use a mag mount you trap dirt between the mag and the paint and screw up the paint anyway. As long as the antenna is above the highest point of the vehicle you should be able to achieve a 2:1 swr. I just did with a door jamb mount using my rear tail light screws on the pass side. had to drill one extra hole but soild as a rock and a 4 foot antenna and i got a 1.6:1 on both channel 1 and 40 with 1.5:1 on channel 20. [/img]

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Author:	BeepBeepJeepJeep [ Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:35 pm ]
Post subject:
WoodysKJ wrote: Slopoke, You are right and wrong. Mag mounts at meant to be temp and changed from vehicle to vehicle or removed when not in use. you can not maintain a consistant swr with a mag mount if you keep moving it around. It is the relationship with a vehicle and it's location on the vehicle that dictates the swr. any swr below 2:1 is considered good, 1.5:1 is better and 1:1 is perfect. You can protect the sheet metal by using a spot primer and some touch up paint once you drill your holes to cover up any exposed metal. then you tune your antenna. by mounting it permanently you can tune it and almost forget it (should check it every now and then) I promise you that your swr on your mag mount has changed IF you have moved your antenna. Not to mention that when u use a mag mount you trap dirt between the mag and the paint and screw up the paint anyway. As long as the antenna is above the highest point of the vehicle you should be able to achieve a 2:1 swr. I just did with a door jamb mount using my rear tail light screws on the pass side. had to drill one extra hole but soild as a rock and a 4 foot antenna and i got a 1.6:1 on both channel 1 and 40 with 1.5:1 on channel 20. [/img] Thank you. Very informative!

Author:	slopoke [ Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:52 pm ]
Post subject:
Yes, what he said is spot on. By no means is a mag mount a set and forget, my only point was that a mag mount was easier to set. I only say this because after tuning my antennae I found out that it had to be moved around on the roof in order to get a 1:1 reading. No matter how much I tried it wouldn't drop below a 1:4 until the whole thing was repositioned. A PITA but worth the trouble if you want to shoot skip.

Author:	WoodysKJ [ Wed Jul 25, 2007 6:07 pm ]
Post subject:
That is not totaly true. Ideally u want to use the center of your roof that way the whole roof is a ground plane and then you MIGHT get down to a 1:1. But 1.4:1 is great. Use a stud mount in the center of your roof and you can get 1:1. But that is not practical. Use a good solid permanent mount and a good easily tunnable antenna and have it over the roof and you can get 1.5:1 and have a great signal.

Author:	jelohead [ Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:51 am ]
Post subject:
ok, here's my 2 cents.....i ran a wilson 1000 for YEARS on the roof of different vehicles. i didnt move the antenna around, i "set it and forgot it" as you say. commuting on our local/major commuter parkway, yappin with the same folks each day all the time. even ran some extra "heat". the magnet works fine, no need to strain at gnats and seek that precious last SWR decimal point. as long as the SWR is reasonably low, you wont cook your radio, and it takes way more that 1:1 ratio to gain you any distance anyway. only wattage will do that. if you dont want to drill holes, get the wilson, keep an eye out for corrosion under the magnet itself (mine corroded over the years), and enjoy your cb. stick it on towards the rear of the roof, route the coax under the rear glass, and nunjuh you worry!

Author:	Dje Ryu [ Fri Jul 27, 2007 9:35 am ]
Post subject:
The trails out here keep moving my magnet mount for me. I need to figure something else out 'cause right now, I have to unscrew the antenna from the mount every time I go into the woods or it just gets pulled off by the trees.

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