Railfan Technology > Car Mounted Antennas for RR Scanning???

Anybody have recommendations for a good, but not too conspicuous car-mounted antenna? Bear in mind I'm on the West Coast so anything that does well in the mountains is a plus.
Thanks

I use a STI-CO Flexi-whip VHF antenna in black. Can tie it in a knot and not break it. The black on my red suv blends in and is not that visible.

If you want to be inconspicuous, I have seen 1/4 wave whips mounted on the rear shelf, next to the rear window. That may not be possible in your car, but it is possible. It works pretty good but not as good as putting on the outside.

Still staying somewhat inconspicuous, you could use a 1/4 wave whip on the trunk lid or on your roof. It's not stealth but it's not extremely noticeable. They are made from stainless steel and are pretty flexible.

I use an MFJ-1412 that I have had for probably 10 years or more. It's a dual band (UHF and VHF) and is one piece. Some have a coil enclosed in plastic but this one has the coil formed in the middle of the antenna wire itself. Noting to go wrong with a connection there. It's about 35" long and not so inconspicuous but it works well for me. I use it on a mag-mount.

Tim may pop in here. He's very knowledgeable on this subject.

John

The inconspicuous part rules out the 5/8 wave magnetic mount on the roof. There are a few products that would look like an old fashioned car antenna, the mag mount on the trunk lid is a good idea. There's also products with rubber suction cups that mount on the inside of the window.

Not using an external mount puts the performance into that grey zone where a good receiver next to the window has a similar performance as anything with a cable and a less than optimal antenna. It's not a perfection but it works.

+ should add that there is a great deal of explanation and product info in the TO archives. It's finding the right search word that is the challenge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/18 10:22 by TCnR.

I use a 1/4 wave with a mag base. Inside my vehicle,
it sits on a roughly 18 x 24 metal plate/ground plane
in the back of my SUV, with good results. The plate
rests on the rear seats, folded down, which gives it
some elevation. Takes a few seconds to move it to the
roof for better performance.

It's out of sight, but more importantly, clears my
garage entry. With radio in vehicle, always ready.
Carry a portable (Yaesu) when out and about.

I have a 30 yr old Larsen which has worked well. I bought a new GMC Terrain last spring and apparently the sheet metal in the roof is thin enough high winds and meeting semis at 80 mph in Wyoming will knock the magnetic mount over. Now I have added a piece of baler twine around the roof rack cross bar to stabilize it.

railrob Wrote:
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> I use a STI-CO Flexi-whip VHF antenna in black.
> Can tie it in a knot and not break it. The black
> on my red suv blends in and is not that visible.

The Sti-co is a pretty good choice.  Its only drawback is the the screw antenna mount does not have a "tension" spring, so the antenna can come loose on the roof mount if subjected to a lot of vibration (e.g., driving on washboard gravel roads).  A drop or two of adhesive on the antenna mount threads and "cinching down" the antenna (gently) with a wrench will usually solve the problem.  The Sti-co's thin profile and black finish make it very inconspicuous.

Drill a hole in the roof!

"Inconspicuous" kinda depends on your type of car.  "Good" performance to me means 5/8 wave length minimum.  Quarter waves work well on top of car, need 5/8 wave on other vehicle mounting locations to make up for gain loss.

SUV / wagon / suburban - I use a on-glass 5/8 wave on the right side rear quarter window.  Screw-on/off easy to hide and remove/replace at car wash.
Sedan - I use a Larsen 5/8 wave in middle of trunk lid.  Screw-on/off, easy to throw in the trunk when away from car.
Truck - 5/8 wave on back of cab or side of bed, don't have experience with this type of vehicle.

trkinsptr Wrote:
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> Drill a hole in the roof!

Yep!!! 

John Miller
Conestoga, PA