Installing A Mag Mount On A Fiberglass RV Roof - K6UDA Radio Episode 49

The Motorhome Ham Station starts to come along. This time I'm working on the UHF/VHF antenna. Ive created a ground plane on the fiberglass roof of my motorhome and attached a mag mount NMO base. All the holes were sealed, and the cable was hidden for a factory look.

 

Since i (rv) myself i like these how to videos...W6FRD...

 

VSWR is ?

 

Ever hear of a good epoxy?

 

I agree. There is no need to drill holes in the roof. Just use a good epoxy like JB Weld and you will never have any problems with the steel getting ripped off and no leaks.

Think outside the box!.

 

I cringed at seeing that drill on the fiberglass roof.

 

I agree, lucky the drill bit didn't catch and throw stacks through the fiberglass. I guess I question why I haven't seen anyone using glass mounts through the fiberglass.
Yes you need to find out if they used wire mesh in the fiberglass but we have used glass mount antennas on boats.
Mike KA7HBB

 

Like he said at the start of the video he wanted the antenna to be able to knock down with no damage if he went under an obstruction. Using a glass mount would lead to damage.

I suspect I would have glued the metal plate to the roof and would have used a bigger plate as well. Still would have needed one hole for the coax though.

 

VSWR hasn't been measured yet. I'm going to get my custom mount built and get radio in place before I cut the coax and put a PL259 on it.

 

Trust me, I did too.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=mir...8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=xtlq-PnTD8JbMM:

This would have been the way to go.

 

I second that! I would NEVER drill a hole in an RV roof. Ground plane on UHF VHF isn't as important as it is on HF.

 

Never ever drill holes in a fiberglass roof.

 

For several years, I installed 2-way radio antennas. Many were on motorhomes, some with fiberglass roofs. Drilling into them was never a problem; I just located a structural crossmember and mounted the antenna using a Z-bracket. I NEVER had one come back or even complain.

 

My small note: always the radio frequency cable and power cables of the tranceiver should be routed as far as possible from the wiring harnesses of the car. Possible interference reception and vice versa interference to the electronics of the car, even a spontaneous explosion of airbags.