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GMRS antenna mounting

Brian0128

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Do you have any pics of your finished install?
Which antenna did you go with?
Any issues with the install?
How satisfied are you with the rugged radios fender mount?

I am eyeing the MXT275 as well, and looking to pair it with the MXTA25 3DB gain ghost antenna, and that fender mount looks pretty sleek.
I still have it sitting in the box but the quality is great. I'll try and get it installed this weekend.
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foxswimmer

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ThinkOutdoors

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So, yeah, it wonā€™t work without cutting.

Keep in mind this is a (replacement) TJ hood. Your JL may work fine.

Hereā€™s how itā€™s supposed to look.
51422F7A-FA20-40A6-B235-F57B50BA6292.jpeg


But I have a horizontal lip on my hood.

4230B3D3-85F5-4427-A076-EAB6CDF5AF84.jpeg


So without cutting a couple of gaps into the horizontal lip the base and antenna would be pointing off at an angle.

0AB24A0A-6E1B-43A0-9673-38A811C64E90.jpeg
This might be a stupid question but does anyone know if the rubber gasket on the should be inside the antenna or touching the mount plate? I would assume you would want it on the inside but the Midland 6db antenna came with the rubber seal facing downward and its also pictured like that here. Thanks!

Edit: Nevermind, just did some more research and saw that the rubber seal should be facing downward.
 
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DanW

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I still have it sitting in the box but the quality is great. I'll try and get it installed this weekend.
What antenna cable did you buy? Will it work with the small hole on the RR mount? I bought the RR mount and am switching from the hood lip mount. The hood lip mount has had no issues, but I have a pair of Rigid side shooters on the cowling and the antenna glares when the lights are on. The RR mount will move the antenna back and out of the light pattern for me. I ordered a Midland antenna cable, but IĀ“m not sure if IĀ“ll have to drill that small hole out in the mount, or not. If this works well, IĀ“ll be ordering another RR mount for my JK.
 

vdellanno

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Do you have any pics of your finished install?
Which antenna did you go with?
Any issues with the install?
How satisfied are you with the rugged radios fender mount?

I am eyeing the MXT275 as well, and looking to pair it with the MXTA25 3DB gain ghost antenna, and that fender mount looks pretty sleek.
The screw that comes with the Rugged Ridge mount rusted for me. And, if your JL is white the spacer for that mount will leave a permanent yellow ring on the cowl.
 

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mjwilson12379

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Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting PXL_20201114_215218517.MP
late to the thread, but here's mine mounted. I'm not in love, but the reception is good on my QTX radio (HAM and GMRS). I have the CoolTech mount for my CB off the spare tire... Same fitting, so tempted to mount it back there but worried the tire, top, etc might impede signal.
 

DrPerez007

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Good Day All! Some of you may have seen the modified cowl mount for driving light, antenna, and turn signal (pic & link here) that I built earlier this summer, but I have since made a couple of other additions.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...t-antenna-turn-signal-mounting-bracket.55867/

I added two more antenna mounts to the rear (I operate on HAM, FRS, GMRS, CB, and Public-Safety bands). The mounts are ā€œKraken Offroad Premium Antenna or Flag Mount Bracketā€ (both driver & passenger). The Amazon link is here, but I believe they are available directly from Kraken and others.

https://www.amazon.com/Wrangler-Premium-Antenna-Bracket-Driver/dp/B07YXFVJLC

On the driver side, I moved my no ground plane Diamond NR73BNMO dualband (VHF/UHF) antenna from the front to this location (and now use the front driver cowl mount for a monitor antenna). On the rear passenger side, I am using a FireStik 3ā€™ no ground plane CB antenna. Both of the tailgate mounts work great (as an aside, the factory bolts they attach to are grounded) and were easy to attach (less than 5 minutes total). Ran the coax thru the already existing tailgate grommets and brought them forward (because of its properties, I did not want to coil or bunch up the CB cable so I sort of zig-zagged it thru the passenger compartment so it never overlaps itself).

Neither antenna hole was drilled-out; the CB antenna mount hole is standard size and the dualband mount I just used a 3/8ā€ NMO cable kit. My only concern with Wrangler tailgate antenna mounts is that every time you open and close the tailgate, the coax bends. Nature of using this location. They have survived four years on my ā€˜16 JKU so hope they survive here, as well, particularly the CB antenna because the coax is also part of the artificial ground plane. For fun, next spring I plan to try a 2ā€™ NGP Firestik CB antenna if it will clear the roof.

Be safe, stay healthy, Happy Thanksgiving!

Steve

P.S. Sorry, pictures taken quickly

Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting 51ED8975-FF6C-4849-931E-204FFCD663EB


Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting CEA124FF-A491-448E-A20E-82BDDA00B40D


Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting 891D3156-FE28-4B64-8713-26AE230971A3


Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting E6C616A5-2EA9-48B7-8982-090F10C11A7F


Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting F07687F0-6646-4CCF-B479-1E0D222FAA91
 

Spank

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I've got mine mounted to the Mopar a-pillar bracket as well. I'm just running the ghost antenna, but I need to shorten my coax since I've got a good 3 feet of extra cable I don't need. For now, though, it works.

Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting gmrsghost
 

conFUcius

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Do you have any pics of your finished install?
Which antenna did you go with?
Any issues with the install?
How satisfied are you with the rugged radios fender mount?

I am eyeing the MXT275 as well, and looking to pair it with the MXTA25 3DB gain ghost antenna, and that fender mount looks pretty sleek.
Just mounted mine up using the Rugged Radio bracket. It will only work on the driverā€™s side cowl unless you are running the antenna delete on the passenger side. I plan on running the Rigid cowl mounts and this appears to work perfectly since you canā€™t place the mount on the foremost cowl bolt because the cowl is tapered (ask @chevymitchell as he did the radio and wiring install and identified this first - I sent his video to Rugged Radio and they are supposedly updating the website).

Jeep Wrangler JL GMRS antenna mounting F4050FE6-BF0D-4E05-BCFD-AF8B61848D24
 

Pepe My Little Mule

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Do you have any pics of your finished install?
Which antenna did you go with?
Any issues with the install?
How satisfied are you with the rugged radios fender mount?

I am eyeing the MXT275 as well, and looking to pair it with the MXTA25 3DB gain ghost antenna, and that fender mount looks pretty sleek.

I have had this same Rugged Ridge mount on my TJ for 2 years... it is now rusting at the bends and edges!?!?
 

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foxswimmer

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blwest

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@DrPerez007
Is reception hindered on the tailgate? Would much prefer that over a front mount.
Reception will have minimal interference(attenuation), but transmission will be reduced a bit in the areas obstructed by the jeep assuming a standard monopole or ground plane antenna.
 

DrPerez007

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@DrPerez007
Is reception hindered on the tailgate? Would much prefer that over a front mount.
Unfortunately, Iā€™m in Florida for awhile at my winter place and do not have my MOAB with me, so my experience is limited since I just made the change-out before I departed. If I were guessing, maybe one to two ā€˜db lossā€™ at the rear, but effectively insignificant for all practical purposes. The rear antennas are both ā€œno ground planeā€ antennas, but, yes, they will have some issues with the ā€œnon metalā€ Jeep top, particularly in the back with the rear window defroster wires and the spare tire (which both can create a ā€œreflectorā€ issue) and the fact that the antennas are not clearing the roof by that much. In reality, the front mount will give you a more omni-directional pattern, and might slightly improve the signal, but I donā€™t want the RF beaming into the passenger compartment, even at my wattage (nothing more than 50 watts).

IMHO, at the end of the day, both of these locations are a toss-up. Actually, the best location would be the roof with some type of artificial ground plane installed (like copper tape) or mounted on the front grille guard or near the winch or on the front bumper. Short of that, I donā€™t really think any of the freqs we operate on or the power levels we use make that much difference for most mount locations (other than noted above). A bigger issue for a lot of people is the type and quality of antenna, coax, and connectors, which can result in more ā€œlossā€ than antenna placement. I see a lot of people spending good money on radios than skimping on the accessories needed to make them work properly.

Hope that helps...

Happy New Year, all!
 
 



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