Mechanos

I just picked up a Yaesu FT-5200 2m/70cm dual band mobile transceiver and I'm needing an antenna for it. I don't want a mag mount and I don't want to be drilling holes for antenna leads, so I'm looking at some 1/4 wave dual band glass mount antennas. Anyone here use one of these? How do you like it and does it work well?

Also, the literature with the antenna states that it will not work with "passivated glass". Just what is "passivated glass" and am I likely to find it on my '01 Quad Cab? The glass in the rear doors and the rear slider is very darkly tinted (factory) but I don't know if it is passivated.

Commatoze

I've never had any luck with those thru-the-glass antennas. Personally, I'd go with (and I actually do) a stainless Firestik #SS-18N fender mount with a hole for NMO mounts, and use a dual band antenna like a Larsen. Let me find some pictures that are on the forums here and I'll post the link.

Commatoze

Here's some pix of my antenna installation:



The view shown is my 10 meter antenna. On the other side I have one for 6,2, and 70cm.


This is how I have my radio mounted:




The mount is made by RAM and is RTV'd to the underside of the dash. I clamped it in place with a mini cabinet clamp until the RTV set up. This is a really nice location because you don't have to look down to twiddle the dials.

BTW, the radio itself, is mounted to a seat bolt as shown below. The little box on the floor is the diplexer for the 2 antenna on the fenders.

bulabula

I've been running a mag-mount on the Dodge since it was new without issue, or markings or anything..... I do have to remove it on occasion when parking in underground lots etc ....

I've heard many not so flattering comments on thru the looking glass mounts, and was hesitant in drilling any holes in my new truck.

I bought it online from (I think) Bux Comm or something like that.

Patrick Campbell

Radiall Larsen makes very nice antennas. www.radiall.com I'd go for the drill mount if you can stomach it

SoTexRattler

You had a question on passivated glass.
It is a metallic or conductive metal oxide layer deposited onto the outside layer of the windshield to repel infra-red energy.. When GM came out with their mini-van a few years back with that HUGE low-angled windshield, they had to do something to keep the greenhouse effect down. They put in that windshield with a special outside coating to make it tolerable inside! It gave a slight pinkish-purplish mirrored sheen to the outside reflected light. Many installers found out the hard way that those antennas just flat would not tune on those "new"GM vans!
The coating plays heck with capacitively coupled, thru-the-glass type antennas because of the lossy, conductive layer between the inside coupler and the antenna plate. It destroys the Q of the tuned circuit that couples the RF outside to the plate...

I don't *think* dark factory tinted glass will bother the thru-glass RF coupling but aftermarket applied films do mess things up really bad. Ya' gotta trim the plastic solar film away from the footprint of the coupler/antenna plate.

A thru-glass antenna CAN be used on those passivated glass vehicles but they must be installed on the side or rear non-coated glass windows. I remember reading that on the old Larsen site years back.
See what Radiall.com says now...

BTW, I've had pretty good long term luck on SINGLE BAND thru-glass antennas in the past, but no experience with dual band models. My guess is tuning would be tricky to get good performance on both bands.
Since I don't do VHF/UHF FM anymore, all my V/U antennas are now horizontally polarized and mounted in the back on a mast. Otherwise, I probably would've put a 2m vert FM thru-glass antenna on this truck.

73'
Keith