You Have The WRONG Antenna - GMRS Radio Antenna Basics & 1st Look Midland Bull Bar Antennas

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Do You Have The Right Radio Antenna? I DIDN'T - GMRS Comms for Beginners - Midland Bull Bar Antenna.
Off-Road Radios were never something I spent a whole lot of time researching when I first got into Overloading. I would just buy a powerful radio and a High dB boost antenna and figured I was good... Well it turns out that isn't really what is right for my situation. In todays video we go over the difference between high boost and lower decibel boost antennas and talk about what one is right for you. We also cover Midlands new lineup of Heavy Duty Bull Bar antennas in case you are like me and have broke a few GMRS antennas on the trail.
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#overland #offroad #GMRSantenna

[@jimduke5439]

Bumper mounting is not very effective. A 1/4 wave antenna in middle of roof will outperform and bumper mount.

[@Elginet]

Sounds like he misunderstood something in antenna placement.

[@trentdavis8919]

This is so funny because when I first got into GMRS a few years ago I was looking everywhere for the bulbar antennas and I mean literally everywhere on the internet and could not find any but here they are now lol

[@AmericanFrontierLife]

Very useful information about the Db's. Glad I picked a 3Db one for the wooded NE regions we travel in.

[@ssrrocks22]

Yes the antenna matters, however, the placement of that antenna matters just as much. Installing the antenna on a front or rear bumper will cause you to have less signal to the front or rear of m your vehicle depending on where it is placed. RF signal has a tendency to want to follow the metal of the vehicle. So placing the antenna on the rear bumper will in effect give you better gain to the front of the vehicle versus the rear. This is why Installing the antenna as close to the middle of the roof of the vehicle gives your the best performance over all.

[@Hubjeep]

Yes, the center of the roof makes a nice ground plane as well.

[@jackmarsh7328]

What if I install it on my roof rack. The side of roof rack

[@ssrrocks22]

@jackmarsh7328 : Installing the antenna on the roof rack often can cause ground issues for the antenna. It doesn't mean you can not install the antenna on a roof rack. Just be aware that you may have some issues when trying to tune the antenna for the lowest SWR. Try to be sure the antenna mount is well grounded to the roof rack. This will ensure the best performance of the antenna.

[@jackmarsh7328]

@@ssrrocks22 thanks for the advice sir

[@MPD-ih6sm]

​@jackmarsh7328 You can install an antenna on the roof rack, however, I would use a half wave antenna. These do not require a ground plane (metal roof). Quarter wave antennas, like the first antenna in the video (4:09 min) are unity gain and need a ground plane.

[@johnsanchez1619]

Very thankful for this video. It was perfect and I am just now setting up GMRS comms in my rig, as well as Ham. Helpful!

[@IndependenceOverland]

Very useful info, I learned a lot thanks man!

[@Macjohn1419]

Coiling antenna cable is a good idea because it acts like a choke to prevent stray RF coming back into the vehicle or shack and messing things up especially with computers. I don’t know who started the rumor that coiling cable is not good.

[@BubbaJazzy]

It’s actually supposed to be wrapped up in a figure 8 configuration

[@keithamdahl3948]

@@BubbaJazzy that will help prevent kinks, but counteracts the impedance effect that makes the choke stop RF from following the cable. Kinks can cause a whole other pile of Tx issues.

[@davidwade2829]

Found enjoyable, helpful; just got my first gmr

[@slik560]

I’ve been into radio for over 3years - ham, GMRS, MURS etc but I learned a few new things from THIS video. Thanks. Subscribed 👍👍🇺🇸

[@keithamdahl3948]

Get the ARRL books. both the handbook and the antenna book. Well worth the cost!

[@joeallison2779]

Wow, another great video! Your videos keep getting better and better. Am very surprised you don’t have a lot more Subscribers. There’s a company out there that I think it’s called Bigfoot something or something Bigfoot that makes a bracket with antenna mounts on top that goes between your center high rear brake light and the cab wall of your truck. This allows you to route your antenna(s) wires through the headliner or down the back behind your rear seat and then bring it forward under the carpeting. I also remember seeing someone create a 90° adapter that mounts to that bracket that allows you to flip the antennas down when you’re going into tight spaces or storage like in your garage. Thank you again for this awesome video

[@dennisjones8991]

If you go offroad more thatn once a year, you must have a closed coil antenna, any open coil antenna can suffer from deturning by any foreign material, including ice. Mount on the highest point possible preferably on the roof with 6 inches of metal around the antenna. A 1/4 wave antenna has a higher agle of radiation, which is better in mountainous or city comms. the higher gain antennas have a lower angle of radiation which is good on flatter terrain. Those that are more techy can have a antenna switch and use both depending on terrain and allows continued use when the inevitable breakage of an antenna occurs. Also, install ground straps on any item sucha as hoods, doors, hatches to ensure ground to the frame for noise reduction. Hope this helps as well. 73's N7TZQ WRQT522

[@BionMTG]

to combat the rust concern. you can make a short wire on a large eye loop and run a grounding strap with the coax, and ground it to the chassis in the engine bay. It's a really clean look and common grounds the entire system, being that the power for the system, and the coax usually run through the same firewall punch.

[@stevecooper2873]

Good that you learned... good that you shared.

[@jakemaughan3818]

So glad your making videos again

[@OutdoorAuto]

Had to take that break to finish off another project,,, and have another kid... but now I'm back and this is what I do full time now. It's a ton of work but I really enjoy it.

[@jakemaughan3818]

@@OutdoorAuto well keep up the good work! The new shop looks incredible.

[@leewaddell8561]

Great info my GMRS radio has a humming notice on TX, I've done the same thing and extra coax just balled up and stuffed into a space. I will now shorten it and I have put ferrite on my alternator cables as well. Thanks for all your info.

[@justsayingforafriend7010]

Just buy a $2.00 ferret bead and attach around your feed line and experiment on other things I.e. Led lighting power cord/ alternator put cord.

[@RoamBearded]

Got the stubby 3db hood mounted and cable running through the hood to the passenger door, yes the door lol. Was going to "upgrade" to the 6db but sounds like im fine without that in northern UT. Great video brother!

[@garretlewis4103]

I run the study on a bracket I made and have it bolted to my ditch (A pillar) light mount. Doesn’t do too bad. I know it could be mounted better. Like the center of my roof; however, I have talked to my wife (she had a handheld radio) about 2-3 though wooded terrain which I thought was pretty good.

[@currentlyhd7649]

Would a ghost antenna up on the roof perform better than the bull bar antenna on the bumper since it is lower to the ground?

[@SoulRoadFlorida]

Great vid!

[@thehickspanic8646]

Great job with all that info in short video time.

[@tmcnicho]

This was great. I think I’ll be learning to cut my antenna cable to length when I do some gear relocations later this fall.

[@keithamdahl3948]

read up on application of a Coil Choke. That extra cable can be put to good use if coiled up correctly. It can actually improve the SWR of the antenna as well as limit interference.

[@toddjenest3212]

Why can't the antenna extend over the roof of your vehicle?

[@sleeve8651]

Since we drive on the Right side of the road in America, wouldn't it be a better idea to mount your antenna towards the Drivers side, as to try and avoid low hanging limbs and branches next to the road ? Too, these weird placements of antennas, with regards to locations on a vehicle may work for fairly close mobile to mobile work, but for further distance's, like working a distant repeater, you may find your antenna has become somewhat directional ! A good thing to know, should you have an emergency, and need the best comms you can get ! Too, placing an antenna in close proximity to metal, very likely will cause undesirable performance, as well as being damaging to the radio's transmitter ! Antennas should be checked for SWR ! Which essentially is a mismatch in the antenna sytem, and will lead to less than optimal performance ! To test for directivity, find a known fixed Base station, or even someone with a walkie talkie, and drive some distance away, then try and find a location away from obstructions, especially metal, overhead wires,etc. ! Then drive your vehicle in a circle, as best you can, while observing the Signal strength meter on your radio ! And, or get reception reports from the fixed station ! Obviously watching for the direction off the vehicle, that provides the best signal to noise ratio ! Depending where your antenna is mounted, will likely dictate what direction your signal will be strongest ! Typically, the radio signal from your antenna, will follow ground. Meaning, an antenna mounted on the Left rear of a vehicle, as an example, will transmit and typically receive best, off the Right front of the vehicle ! Obviously, the larger the vehicle, the more surface offered, and the more directional ! Granted, GMRS Frequencies are such that they are know as, " Line of Sight " ! Pretty self-explanatory ! In a straight line away from the antenna ! Not to say they cannot be acted upon by atmospheric conditions ! Extending the usable range many miles, not typically offered ! By following these few simple tips, you will likely have communications that you hoped for ! I hope someone found this helpful ! Be safe ! 👍😉

[@f1y7rap]

To the point of grounding and rust: When mounting the antenna it is best practice to run a ground strap. The part of the mount that bolts to the frame/body/bumper it is usually secured with a nut. Run a ground strap/lead from the nut/mount to the nearest body ground. For all situations you should use a contact grease or a dielectric grease. Contact grease can be used between electrical contacts, dielectric grease is used on contacts (as a coating). Moly grease can also be used in lieu of dielectric.

[@UDX-21]

I need to get a GMRS mobile and base unit. Thanks for the video. I hit the like and all your buttons. 1 S.C. Old Radio Night.

[@wrqi583]

You are correct when it comes to antennas and your terrain. I used to live in Connecticut and had used UHF on a job I worked. The vehicles we had used a combo of 5/8 wave antennas and 1/4 wave antennas. I observed that 5/8 wave antennas did much better, especially as far as receive was concerned. Many years later I now live in Maine. I got into GMRS and decided that I was going to go out and buy a 5/8 wave because those were the best antennas. WRONG! Where I live has many mountains and hills which make UHF sometimes impossible in some areas. I couldn't figure out why a 5/8 wave antenna wasn't working. So, fed up with it, I took it off and slapped a 1/4 wave antenna on the vehicle and all of a sudden I was receiving so much more and at farther distances. It was explained to me that it has to do with the angle of radiation that the antennas put off. Evidently 1/4 wave antennas have a higher angle of radiation that is needed when trying to reach higher points such as when you live around mountains and hills. So, yep, I made the same mistake.

[@kennethschultz6465]

@wrqi583 you culd not be more wrong this is U H F not WALKITALKI DUUUUDE.. this is real radio LINE OF SIGHT RADIO so the higher and the BIGGER Gain the better .. sadly for you you can argu all you want but Earth ain´t flat.. and mountins kill any or all signals unless you know how to use a HF radio .. but i dought it on this band 462MHz 464MHz the game is good cabel POPE H155 or AIRCELL7 absolutly longest and best gain in DBd and highest plasement on car possibel and no kinks or sharp turns on cabel no clean lines no strip.. a 1/4 will result in somthing called driving flutter in the HAM world thats rapid signal fluktioations .. while driving it get smoother the bigger antenna we use COMET csb-7900 3x 5/8 on UHF need tune to GMSR and just a fyi... you´r 50watt radio only put out 25 watt on a 1/4 but 100Watt on a 5/8 wave... that what gain does for you so if you still clami 1/4 is better (dummy load) well you need schoool money back and buy a new 5/8 the one loosing to a 1/4 is defektive

[@wrqi583]

@@kennethschultz6465 Plain and simple - I live in a very hilly terrain, an area where someone like you would not even think to use UHF. I experimented with several antennas and the 1/4 wave won over all of the other BRAND NEW antennas. I consulted another Ham, one who hasn't been poisoned by the HF yet, and he confirmed exactly what I found for a result. He even mentioned, and I have seen others who use GMRS in hilly terrain, that 1/4 wave antennas work much better because of the angle of radiation. I am looking to talk locally. That is what UHF is. If you know anything about me, I hate long distance communication such as HF. When I need to talk near by me, I dont want my signal going 1000 miles. I dont care about the next person 1000 miles away!!! Just by the way you talk, you have got to be another one of these arrogant Ham operators. Another reason for me to stay off of the Ham bands, even locally. Do not dare tell me how things are with radio. You obviously have a college degree that told you this. I have a degree from the school of experimentation and physically observing what actually works for me. You cant get any better than that. The only thing I currently work with is UHF. So go back to your HF and making contacts around the world and leave me and anyone else who wants to work with this stuff alone. YOU are one of thousands of people why I am turned off to upgrading my license to General and operating HF. YOU and thousands of other Hams are the reason I am fed up with Ham radio and YOU and many others are the reason I know many people who refuse to get a Ham license because of your attitudes. If you want to keep your bands, I suggest you cool your attitude. It is only radio. I deeply apologize for not contributing to your HF contesting. I would rather drive an ice pick through my skull than scream CQ all day! My interest in radio always has been and always will be the VHF/UHF spectrum. Deal with it, because there are many more like me out there. Let us experiment and find what works for us while you collect 100 contacts an hour so you can get another award on the wall. 73 N1YFA

[@ricdonato4328]

@@kennethschultz6465 "... buy a new 5/8 the one loosing to a 1/4..." oops an all too common spelling and error, it should read losing not loosing. There is not a word in the English language loosing, however there is loose, loosen loosened, loosening, all indicating something not tight. Notice lose, losing lost, and loss, all have one letter o. Hope this helps you and others. Cordially.

[@kennethschultz6465]

@@ricdonato4328 Queens english .. i use english/english word book not USA/English and saad for you i am a FREAKIN VIKING DESENDENT soo.. 20.000 words of english langue is culored by DANISH and yes saad for you i am infact a DANE the most spelling errores occure when the danish side of my Labtop or danish googel make spelling checks.. so endiiiid sorry for that.. fist things first .. if you realy think somthing less is better then somthing bigger ... well welcome to FREAKIN FLAT EARF. a 1/4 is minus 1.5DBd a 5/8 is +1.5DBd so a 5/8 is 3 DBd better thats a X2 Factor 50Watt become´s 100Watt and it RX Listens X2 too .. the 6DBd antennas is X4 that 50x4 200Watt JUST LIKE THAT and X4 on RX Listening..and the X¤ also Dubbel the RANGE from 25KM to 50KMunless mountins JUST LIKE THAT.. but but.. if a 1/4 suddenly work better then a 5/8 well the 5/8 is DEFECT.. Genius. but thx for asking..

[@keithamdahl3948]

@@kennethschultz6465 you're right that Line of Sight is the real limiter on UHF. However there could be a lot more going on with the antenna change. While I too prefer a 5/8 wave, the improvement with a 1/4 wave may be due to a base or cable change too. I've seen a lot of signal degrade due to a poor cable.

[@jbrcich709]

I'd like to see how you shorten the antenna wire with the tool you mentioned.

[@keithamdahl3948]

just look up video for PL/SO Coax connector replacement. I suggest crimp connectors over solder for the less skilled.

[@GhostSenshi]

Yea that’s a common misconception with radios is the watts. Watts give you the punch, but the antenna will get you the distance and quality more than radio power does, and placement matters just as much. I actually really enjoy my midland 32”. I hit our local repeater in the next city over from 40miles away as the crow flies, clear and full quiet

[@sonsoflibertyoverland]

Cool I didn't know the difference between Db gain. Just figured bigger was better. I'm glad I have the 3Db ghost for my area.

[@OutdoorAuto]

3db antennas are pretty solid for most of the places people love to overland.

[@randymartin5521]

On newer vehicles you can't even see the firewall, let alone find an opening. Then there's the whole antenna tuning thing to contend with. Tuning the antenna for the lowest SWR on the frequency you use most often will get the best performance out of the antenna. A too high SWR can even damage your radio. For best performance over the entire band, picking the middle frequency and adjusting for the lowest SWR there should serve adequately across the entire GMRS band.

[@jgm113]

Not an issue on any Tacoma I've ever seen, maybe it's worse in a Jeep or Ford. SWR is a cb thing not really needed with GMRS

[@ricdonato4328]

SWR antenna tuning is more for CB radios than for GMRS. Midland claims their GMRS antennas are pre-tuned for Midland radios. Once a year I check my vehicle CB SWR, it has remained the same. My GMRS radios are all handheld (HT). Although I carry a GMRS in the vehical, for road travel I prefer the CB. Using GMRS on a road trip I have never heard road information as I do with my CB. When traveling with other folks GMRS/FRS is wonderful. Hand them an inexpensive FRS radio (they will not need a license as we do with GMRS) they are good to go. FRS and handheld GMRS radios can communicate with each other, but not with many GMRS mobile radios; it is an FCC thingy.

[@coldandaloof7166]

Old CB/Ham guy here. Antennas (and placement) matter way more than wattage. Wattage is nice, but good antennas and height matter much more. GMRS is great but limited by all the other UHF handicaps. I just talked to Aruba on 10m HF the other day on 25 watts from my car. Generally speaking the center of your car is best with a good ground.

[@jt_overland]

I have learned some of the same things over the last year and have made similar mistakes. Although, in both of our defenses, Midland and others have not done a very good job, till recently, with providing helpful information on what antenna to use or other basic best practice information. Buying a GMRS radio is the easy part. The rest of it is a darkly held secret that makes it difficult to get off on a good foot. My partner and I lead groups through remote areas of Michigans Upper Peninsula and good radio communication is extremely important. It’s been a game of trail and error over the last year fine tuning our radios for the type of terrain we encounter. This video was excellent and will hopefully help others skip the expense of incorrect equipment and frustrations.

[@OutdoorAuto]

Sounds like we went through the same thing this year... definitely glad the manufacturers seem to be taking an active role in education now.

[@loveracing1988]

I'm in the same boat as you. We do the UP and drummond island every year and have the cheapest midland gmrs radios they make for vehicles. They are 5 watt though and don't seem to have any more range than my standard frs handhelds. Hopefully I can do some of the things in this video so we can go more than 100 yards apart and still communicate.

[@lowandslow3939]

Was that “trail and error” error on purpose? Clever if it was.

[@halledwardb]

With power its a 4x for 1 S unit. That would mean 5w to 20w for 1 S unit displayed.

[@brianolson1311]

@@OutdoorAutohave you done the comparison using the 3db antenna in the mountains/woods?

[@TerraFirmaX]

Damn it, something else I gotta go buy now

[@roamingkilt]

LED headlights will also produce a ton of noise. At least that's what I've noticed on the CB and GMRS radios that I've installed.

[@titan_six]

Like in general or if you run the antenna cable near the headlights?

[@keithamdahl3948]

@@titan_six proximity is significant, but those LED units have drivers that often include switch-mode power conversion. Such converters have pulsed transformers in them that are effectively going to radiate noise just like an old ignition coil and point setup. proper grounding and RF management should be kept in mind.

[@rbritt76]

your coax matters more i junked the midland rg58u coax for messi and poloni extraflex 7 and double my range on the same ant and radio

[@garretlewis4103]

P.S. I lived through the days of CB radio (KANJ5964). These GMRS radios are much better. Ahh….tuning the antenna with a SWR meter. At least you did if you wanted it to be the best it could be.

[@cedaroakfarm8596]

Did not know about the bull antenna, We run GMRS radios on the farm RTVs and the antenna takes a beating with limbs and brush on the forest trails, sometimes, knocking it off, I do have the new speaker on the base unit, it works great.

[@OutdoorAuto]

I’d watch and see if they have a Black Friday sale on them.

[@vincentkeith5259]

Antenna are complex - ask any General or Expert class Ham - you can study them for years and still do things wrong. It's an unfortunate fact of life that antenna and vehicles are a bad mix. Since most antenna are ground plane designs (a conductive surface that is perpendicular to the antenna mast) and the larger the ground plane the stronger the signal (in and out) -- The ideal placement (for the antenna signal) is dead center in the middle of the roof - which of course is the worst place to put one from a vehicle perspective - even worse if you're going places with branches over head or, garages. Compromise is the only viable choice. It would be interesting to see the difference between a stubby (sayh, less than 10 inchs) mounted to the luggage rack and the bull bar antenna. And no - I have no prediction, just curious.

[@keithamdahl3948]

Antennas are an energy radiating system. Many things come into play to really peak their performance. However, so long as the transmitter sees an SWR of under 3, most stuff will run just fine. Modern radios will just shut the Tx off if the SWR is too high. No more blowing final transistors if the antenna is disconnected or out of tune.

[@kennethschultz6465]

Hey bro .. good insight Most antennas today are C-loaded .. the earth or grundplanen is build in the antenna.. SO you can mount in glasfiber with out any groundplane.. LOOK for C-loadet.. most Comet and Diamond are C-loaded.. but it is stampede on antennas

[@garretlewis4103]

I run Midland radios for my GMRS comms. They make good radios at a really decent price. I am running the the MTXA25 on a bracket I made for my ditch light mounts. I know not the best place because it is beside my one light, but it works well. Glad to see Midland has an amplified speaker. The volume level on my Midland GMRS radio doesn’t go very high.

[@wesmurer6884]

Curious about installing dual antennas, or dual antennas of different db ratings?

[@timhargrove6493]

Where is your Baja repeater located? What are the frequency and tones for access? I have a house in San Felipe and maybe help if the repeater is close to San Felipe. Adding Zello to the repeater can add to its capabilities.

[@neiljohnson6815]

Height is might! Mount the antenna as high as possible.

[@keithamdahl3948]

Height is trouble too... I've snapped plenty of antennas because of low branches.

[@anorakadventures]

Some great tips here. I would love to see a comparison of like a fat stubby midland 3db in a ditch mount vs. A 3db bull bar in the woods. The stubby starts at a higher place, but the bull bar extends/reaches up higher at the top.

[@edwardlemley5222]

Bumper mount will work ok. But an antenna on a through the roof mount in the center of the roof will perform the best. A 1/4 wave nmo on a through the roof mount will work way better than the bumper mount. But, each their own.

[@Tsch6373]

Never heard you mention whether you matched any of your antennae. No mention of the SWR.

[@bhagmeister]

No ‘noise cancelling’ speaker can mitigate a poor (high loss/high noise) RF chain.

[@apar1560]

Awesome info... BUT... Midland really LIKES their antennas. $$$ cha chinge 😮 Thanks, very informative. Great job 👏 ...Alan in 🇨🇱

[@OutdoorAuto]

Yeah, the bull bars are expensive... but that makes sense they have some crazy nice and expensive hardware with them... remember they also come with the cables.... a lot of antennas dont come with cables and mounts and look cheaper but really aren’t by the time you buy all that stuff. Their normal thin 6DB antenna is a great value.

[@jamespease8269]

Why should you not have the mount above the roof line. That is counter to the first antenna tips which says "To maximize range, mount your antenna as high as possible"

[@keithamdahl3948]

Frequency is huge when this comes into play. Height is more critical for GMRS(FM @ 500MHz) than CB(SSB @ 30MHz), but in real-world performance you'll find it won't matter when you are stuck down in a valley anyway. If you're not stuck drive to the high point and don't worry about height on the vehicle.

[@inqufox1750]

Honestly woulda made the same mistake you made with the higher DB just thought "Bigger is better for everything" Never woulda thought (because smooth brain) That it changed depending on the terrain nor that the lower number would be good for high clutter area's good to know!

[@T4RSR5]

Which 3db bull bar antenna do you use, the Highland or Canyon ?

[@donriddle8393]

TY

[@TylerOstergaard]

I cannot unsee this. why do you tuck your ears into your hat? Not trying to make fun just curious :)

[@idahocartel]

I’m proud ear under the hat tucker😎

[@OutdoorAuto]

My ears are really high on my head… had to show someone this the other day… they didn’t believe me until they saw what it looks like if I wear a hat normal 🤷‍♂️

[@TylerOstergaard]

@@OutdoorAuto totally makes sense thanks for the reply :)

[@resolutejku]

Same buddy. When you’ve got big ass ears you’ve gotta tuck them 😂

[@sammas7440]

Very good video from the radio layman. I've seen videos from radio engineers (esp the Ham radio guys) and some want to tell you how the electron flow, rather than give a solution to the problem.

[@IDAHOverland]

Thank you so much for this video - I run Midland radios and have the same antenna 6db Midland antenna that you have been using. I've been wondering about the thick bull bar antennas and am glad that they are finally here :-). Question about the antenna cable - I was told they are a specific length to calibrate the frequency/wave length they use (so basically don't cut them unless you calculate the length to the wavelength). So, basically - can I cut my cable to the correct length and not worry about messing things up? Thanks again for all your videos. Hope to see you on the Idaho trails sometime...

[@OutdoorAuto]

I am fairly certain you can cut the cable as midland recommends on their own site that it is better to cut the cable then to tightly wind it up in itself.... but you can always check directly with midland... their support is pretty solid.

[@OutdoorAuto]

If you ever see me on the trails make sure and say hi 👋

[@Tsch6373]

The more coax (you're calling it 'cable') you have, the more signal loss. All of that coiled coax is not your friend. Match your antenna, using an SWR meter, then only use the amount of coax to reach your radio. Excess connecters also mean signal loss. Strive for the lowest SWR reading 1:1.

[@keithamdahl3948]

trying to create a standing wave by cable length is not very productive in this application. It has its place, but not for this. Best to keep the cable short as possible, minimal connections, and a quality cable designed for the frequency. (30Mhz CB cable may work, but isn't going to perform as well as a high quality cable like LMR400 in a UHF application)

[@stevenkhan4344]

I run my lights through the fire wall. If I run the Antenna wire through it it will cause interference when the lights are on

[@OutdoorAuto]

It will cause some interference... how bad will depend on the wire shielding... it could be very little... but you could also gets some noise. Id just experiment with it before you are super dependent on a clear signal.

[@stevenkhan4344]

@@OutdoorAuto I did my Tacoma and when my lights are on I get static on my midland GMRS radio

[@jfrphoto01]

@@stevenkhan4344 LED lights? There are kits available at most off-road and parts stores to remedy that problem.

[@dasfahrer8187]

Wonder what the dB is for those huge whips that people bend from their front bumper over their roof and stretch the entire length of the truck?

[@vincentkeith5259]

those are typically 1/4 wave and the length will depend on the frequency of the radio - and may only be 2-3db - if it's a base loaded whip (coiled wire near the base) then you'll start to see numbers in the 4-8db range. When you bend them you change the orientation of the single pattern, making it more directional. You will also likely change the SWR (standing wave ratio) which is basically a measurement of how good the connection is between your radio and the antenna 1:1 is perfect (and not really necessary) very high numbers can actually result in damage to the radio on high power rigs. In the case of the tethered long whip - you get slightly better results if you want to talk the space station, but not so good for the people on the ground. And yes, they still work - but with a weaker signal.

[@Brickrider2]

Generally those should be HF (high frequency) antennas. In the military HF is 2 mHz - 30 mHz. GMRS is in the UHF range, 462.5625 mHz - 467.7250 mHz. Actual UHF band is 300 mHz - 3 gHz. Anyway, the antenna configuration you are talking about is a NVIS (near vertical incidence skywave) and really only works in the HF range not UHF. Depending on the frequency and time of day the HF signal will bounce off the ionosphere back to the surface allowing for good HF comms out to about 300 miles with no skip zone. I want to say it is also dependent on power out, but HF is finicky. Frequencies in the UHF range, like GMRS, will just pass right on through the ionosphere and you will be talking to the international space station.

[@earlgeary8880]

I don’t know if it’s the same, but for CB we were always told with the extra cable link to make a loop and then put a zip tie in the middle to make that loop of figure 8. This may be all just mountain people superstition it is what we were taught.

[@keithamdahl3948]

that will keep the cable from kinking. A kink in a coax will disrupt the consistent impedance and mess with the expected SWR. Keeping a one way circular coil will produce an RF choke. However to be effective that choke must be sized to impede the interfering frequency. Look up the Coax Choke chart from the ARRL Antenna book. it will save a ton of math/calculation.

[@AdamOsPCT]

Hi, I'm wondering if someone could share info of this repeater somewhere in Baja when I'm heading down to Baja I would like to utilize it if it's available. How and where do I find it

[@WesWilliams1975]

In theory, every 3db of gain doubles the power of your radio. So a 50watt radio with a 3db antenna = 100watt... 6db antenna =200watt equivalent... It doesn't physically increased the wattage from your radio it just makes it the equivalent of. That's why antenna is the most important part.

[@bhamptonkc7]

Sail boats use 3db antennas so when they are healed over they are not putting there radio energy into the water one side and the sky on the other.

[@keithamdahl3948]

as an antenna approaches the "ground plane" the radiation pattern is distorted. at this much lean, the antenna radiation pattern will change from horizontal to practically vertical anyway.

[@overlandtowater]

I bought the ghost antenna and it arrived the same day @Midlandusa released the new bull bar antennas.....I was quite sad about that.

[@OutdoorAuto]

Bummer

[@josephmaniaci9782]

My Midland magnetic antenna mount is encapsulated in rubber on my roof. So how is that grounded?

[@keithamdahl3948]

Mag mount antennas are not physically grounded... that are capacitively coupled to ground. they need a large deck surface to work best. Mounting one on a narrow fender will cause the tunable bandwidth to become unreasonably narrow. The panel also helps to control the radiation angle for better performance. I repainted my truck and switched from a 5/8 wave mag mount to a motorized tip-over 1/4 wave so I can get into the garage without removing the antenna. I miss the mag mount's performance. However this is likely due to the better cable more than the antenna itself.

[@CharledKimble]

Just obtained my GMRS license and looking to order a mobile radio. My question is this, why are the antennas mounted on the front bumper? I know old school CB antennas was mounted on the rear bumpers. This would eliminate the worry about the battery cable interference. I'm not an off-roader, just communication with the family.

[@keithamdahl3948]

CBs mounted low due to the length of the antenna being an inconvenience. GMRS is a totally different beast. best to mount on a clear high point if it doesn't hit a garage door or anything else. GMRS is FM radio at a UHF frequency. It will be line of sight, blocked by hills and such. Ham 2m radio is better in hilly areas, but nothing like going full HAM HF setup. The drawback there is the family needs to be licensed individually. But, then you get some REAL range! :)

[@sceniccycling]

What about the watts on the radio? Is a 50 watt better than a 15 watt where there are obstructions like trees?

[@keithamdahl3948]

Not likely. GMRS is line of sight. get a hill or the curve of the earth and 1000w won't help. You can talk to satellites with only 5w and they're a long ways up.

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

Nah ! A 1/4 wave antenna on top of your roof rack would outperform ANY of your heavy duty high gain antenna mounted on the bull bar . You cannot overcome line of sight using high gain antenna mounted low to the ground . Vs 1/4 wave antenna as high as possible .

[@keithamdahl3948]

A high mounted 1/4 wave wont perform when the garage door shears it off the roof. LOL Every antenna is a compromise. pick your battles and go for a win. (sometimes people just want the look)

[@sofjanmustopoh7232]

@@keithamdahl3948 It would still perform better until you shear it off.

[@leerb44]

Diesel with dual batteries it is going to be hard for me to keep the cable away from my batteries.

[@keithamdahl3948]

the batteries won't bother the cable at all. should avoid the alternator though. (and ignition coils on a gas truck)

[@timmturner]

So instead of breaking your antenna, you break your blinker or marker light

[@OutdoorAuto]

I think the goal is all of them are strong enough to not break 🤷‍♂️

[@reddhouse3702]

Can you have 2 antennas? ...w a switch?

[@torfinnpettersen2530]

yes you can

[@ericbaier]

Mounting your antenna that low on your bumper will cause the power from transmitting to be reflected back into the feed line and burn out your radio. Move it up to the hood line so it can get a good horizontal ground plane.

[@OutdoorAuto]

Oh man… I have so much more to learn. 🙏

[@Tsch6373]

That's the SWR he's talking about, yours has to be way off! And, no, it's not just a 'CB' thing, you need to match your antenna for the lowest SWR.

[@keithamdahl3948]

SWR must be matched no matter the location. However modern radios have self protection that will shut the Tx down in the event of high SWR. These are not the CBs from the 70s with susceptible transistor outputs.

[@14usair]

Gota watch not a rubicon. The whole coiled cable thing makes marginal to no difference with the midland cables.

[@OutdoorAuto]

The cables are nicely shielded... but Midland themselves are the ones making that recommendation. 🤷‍♂️

[@14usair]

@@OutdoorAuto yeah its a best practice for sure. But in the testing done for midlands thiccer shielded cables specifically it appears not to be a huge issue. Just like a… hey the best way is dont coil. But if you have done.. honestly probably gunna be alright.

[@jfrphoto01]

@@OutdoorAuto Coiling the feedline (coax) does one thing and one thing only....induce a high impedance to any interference from engine, LED, etc noise and helps keep it from getting into the radio. It called a current balun (ugly balun) and does nothing to the RF power output or the VSWR.

[@dwightrhodes2051]

​@@jfrphoto01so which end is better to coil? The antenna end or radio end?

[@keithamdahl3948]

@@dwightrhodes2051 depends on what you're limiting. If you are stopping noise in the radio, do it at the radio end. If you have SWR issues, put the coil at the antenna end.

[@GoneAgain-Outdoors]

Midland is telling yall wrong about these antennas. They are not directional. The signal doesn’t go taller from one antenna to another.

[@hnd1776]

Im usually outdoors when im in my truck.

[@BigInjun05]

Why does everybody mount them up front?

[@keithamdahl3948]

visibility... Easier to see when you're going to snap off the antenna. LOL

[@BigInjun05]

@@keithamdahl3948 🤣🤣

[@Crumb_Trails]

Too bad they don't make a universal base so you can interchange a 3db and a 6db between highway driving and tail driving.

[@a1v175]

The spring base can be used like that. This is exactly what I do on trips. Unscrew the antenna off the base, then screw the new antenna on. Very easy.

[@Blarneystoner211]

Db is antenna gain, NOT "signal height" that's dictated by the frequency operation. GMRS is approximately 65cm band, meaning the full signal wavelength is... Get this: 65cm/25.6" tall! Everything you said about db is completely wrong.

[@keithamdahl3948]

"Signal height" is not wavelength either, but you're getting there. LOL

[@RFMaster6]

If you put your antenna in the center of the roof on the vehicle, and grounded to the body or frame, you will stand a better chance of not breaking it.

[@joshwithers7697]

I'm getting a interference for my LED lights

[@keithamdahl3948]

can you identify the path of the interference? does it come in from the antenna or cable via radiation, or is it conducted over the power source. Try operating the radio from a separate battery. if the noise is diminished significantly, you''ll need a power line filter. If not, look to reroute cables or reposition the antenna.

[@keithamdahl3948]

You need to read the ARRL antenna manual. So much of what you have listed is not entirely accurate... study and learn. Then become a licensed Amateur Radio operator! the cost for licensing is less than a radio.

[@kennethschultz6465]

WOOOOOOOOOOW !!! I REALY DONT KNOW WHO FEED YOU ANTENNA KNOWLAGE BUT IT IS WRONG YOU ARE AT 462 464MHz Called UHF THAT is a ""line of sight band" so what ever you do higher is always better the horisin is where the horison is .. and the higher the tip of antenna is the "" longer"" can it see... DBi vs DBd DBd is the right mesiur DBi is 2.15 = 0DBd the d is mesiured over a DIPOLE (1/2 wavelenght) a DBi is mesiured over a ISOTROPE (perfekt antenna in computer) .. 3DBd is x2 6DBd is x4.. you RANGE dubbels at every 6DBd 50Watt becomes 200Watt but you recive x4 also works both way.. if Antenna is 6DBi subtract 2.15 to get true DBd... true DBd will make contact DBi wont the only thing you can enhance is the PL/SO FOOT And the lousy RG cabel Use POPE H155 or AIRCELL7

[@keithamdahl3948]

Nailed it. PL/SO connectors suck for UHF. so does CB cable. But its GMRS so who cares as its a cheapo radio platform anyway.

[@kennethschultz6465]

@@keithamdahl3948 yes it is just a ""walkitalki band"" but optimising the system to Max range is easy change the RG cabel to Pope h155 same dimension as RG58 just way better Or the way way better Aircell7 a tad better then dubbel shilded RG214 but 7mm thick I know GMRS USES that "BIG FOOT,, LOOK UP COMET CSB7900 THEY GOT PL AND BIGFOOT MODEL sorry galaxi20ultra512 spelling controld making english half danish.. the 7900 is 3x5/8 stacked so 1.5+3 4.5DBd but it is loong whip.. And I easy understand if drivning a forrest and then changing to a 1/4 it don't break easy

[@Bluecharger68]

Never trust a guy about antenna that sticks his ears in his hat.

[@OutdoorAuto]

😂

[@14KiloWhisky]

Don't mount your antenna on bumper 🤦‍♂️ that's your major mistake...

[@johnquinn4680]

It never ceases to amaze me how many outdoors people don't understand this stuff

[@OutdoorAuto]

It all depends on how you enter this market... for example if you came from backpacking... I never used radios in backpacking, a lot of people also come from the auto enthusiast side... again... that doesn't give you a base for being a radio expert. I get that radio experts and Ham operators probably laugh at 99% of "Overlanders"... but most overlanders didn't get into this cause they love radios.... radios are just a plug and play tool for them...

[@keithamdahl3948]

@@OutdoorAuto Correct, As a HAM, I look for the technical aspects. Most just need it to work "good enough". Much like a motor doesn't have ro run perfect to get groceries, but it should to run a race.

[@dougbarnowski5224]

Buying midland is your first Mistake!

[@keithamdahl3948]

Nah, just going with GMRS is. LOL

[@dougbarnowski5224]

Your not getting 3 db off the bumper like that! What good is a bull what ever antenna if its not mounted properly and optimally. MASSIVE antennas arent ALWAYS the best. Marketing bullchit

[@OutdoorAuto]

If I ever need more range, i'll worry about it... so far no issues... was talking to my wife 2 miles away the other day.

[@dougbarnowski5224]

@@OutdoorAuto Two miles isnt that good dude. Especially for a mobile. If it was a handheld then youd be in business!

[@OutdoorAuto]

@@dougbarnowski5224 Dude I never said 2 miles is good… what I said is it works fantastic for my purposes and just about every other off-roaders purposes. I can’t mount it up high, I live in Idaho and off-road in the bush. It would get ripped off by a branch. My goal isn’t to win long distance radio competitions… my goal is an antenna that can handle all the brush I drive through and communicate truck to truck…

[@dougbarnowski5224]

@@OutdoorAuto 2 miles is far from fantastic lmao. you do you but shouldnt be giving advice like that for starters!

[@keithamdahl3948]

@@OutdoorAuto Good enough is good enough. Win the battles you need to. If you want to push limits, then there's a lot of room to improve, but until then run what you brung!