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Inside antenna for ham radio, or fire radio

2K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  AndyJones 
#1 ·
I wanted an antenna for my fire radio somewhere inconspicuous. My SC limited has a sliding rear window. The bottom track spans both directions from the window, even though the window only moves one way. Maybe for symmetry?
That track slot is about 14mm, or about 0.55 inches. Cut a small block of wood to friction fit there and painted it black. Made a UHF 6" quarter wave antenna from a piece of coax. Drilled holes to ty-wrap it to the block. Covered antenna with black shrink wrap. Pushed it in the slot. Works great. Virtually invisible from the outside; you really need to look closely to see it.

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#3 ·
I agree that roof mounted should always have the best range. But I wanted nothing visible, and no wires through the door seals.
I compared signal strength using a handheld radio. Inside on rear floor was awful. Inside in cup holder (seat level) was marginally better, but still pretty bad. Inside at window level was a lot better. Inside with my rear window antenna was even better. Outside was only slightly better than rear window.
 
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