Where To Find 2m Glass-Mount Antenna?

cdcollura

cdcollura

EF5
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
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Location
Sunrise, Florida
Good day all,

I just purchased a new 2009 Ford Escape XLT and do not want to mess with the factory stuff (drill, mangle, cut, etc). Even the jotto desk will be a no-drill seat kit.

Anyway, I am looking for a 2m (144-148 MHZ) antenna / glass-mount that goes through the window (capacitive-coupled), kind of like the old cell-phone antennas did ...

I am checking places like HamCity and such on-line, as Radio Shack has not done any HAM equipment / selling "crap-tronics" since 2000 ;-(

Any ideas or leads may help...
 
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Good day all,

Thanks, as I found a few types but now I see the possibility of "passivated glass" that does not work with capacitive coupled antennas (I am not sure if my 2009 Escape has that, but the darkened rear glass may be just that).

I will work on developing a small mount point for an antenna maybe near the cargo rack or such if the window mount is a bad idea. I just do not want to drill anything.
 
Chris, is there any concern for overall height your are trying to avoid? There are various mounts that Diamond Antenna manufacturer has that are great. They are pricey for those on a budget, but for a $100 you can get a motorized tilt-over PL or NMO (PL recommend for hurricane chasing) mounts. These can mount to the lips of the hatch (on the Escape...BTW..congrates on the new ride), or you can get on that'll mount to a luggage rack or Yakima type rack (the method I prefer). They come with the thinner Teflon cable that is thin enough to slip through the rear hatch with no problem. Just remember the drain loop....we've been there before, right!

I like going to HRO (hamradio.com) and just looking under manufacturer "diamond". Shipping is usually free if you spend enough...and I think it's $100 and above.
 
I run a mag mount Diamond NR-770 on a 1 y.o. Honda CR-V.
No compromise in RX/TX that way.
Why buy one of those glass mounts and be disappointed with the performance - and then end up shelling out more money?
I can understand keeping the vehicle pristine - but it can still be done with a mag mount.
...73
 
I've got the Diamond K515SNMO mount on the roof rack of my Jeep Liberty. It's worked really well, and I can swivel the antenna horizontal if I go in someplace where I need the clearance. I've got it paired with the Comet SSB-1NMO antenna (that flexible one), and I'm had not problems.
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Good evening,

Thanks a whole bunch for your leads and tips guys ... I probably will lean towards a mount for the cargo rack and make a small (hidden) pass-through there using the F- type connector.

The glass pass-thru (capacitive) is many problems - especially with the "smoked" tint (passivated) glass. I will lean towards a hard mount.

Thanks again,
 
I have a 2006 Escape XLT Sport and I went with the COmet mag mount. It's a nice big magnet but with a rubber bottom so it doesn't scratch. In almost 4 full seasons of chasing now, the magnet has never moved, not even when trying to go into the garage... Oops. I have the SSB-7 antenna with the mag mount. The weather molding along the back door makes for a great cable runway as I have a remote head unit so the radio is in the back.

For running electricity to the back, the rail system underneath the car and access into the rear storage area is pretty nice.
 
Before my father convinced me to put two holes in my trunk lid, I was using a Larsen NMO Trunk Lid mount with great success. Though having an Escape, I'm not sure if they make a right angle version. In reality going with the rack mount is probably best because you also gain a couple extra dB from just having it higher and using the roof as your ground plane.
 
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