UHF antenna placement on the A-pillar

[andyj]

I got a XTRAK 80 Offroad Pack from my family for birthday yesterday. A really cool gift
That pack contains an antenna that is quite massive ( https://uniden.com.au/product/atx970s/ ) and I'm trying to find the perfect place for it.
The most natural place would be the front bumper; most people here have it on the roo-bar. However I don't have one and I don't want one either. Putting it directly onto the bumper would work only at the very ends because of the frame. That's not good either, because I plan to get a SwayLOC in the future and the bolt for that antenna would probably in it's way.

Then there is the Teraflex antenna mount that goes between tail light and body. I'm scared that I'd possibly destroy the tub if the antenna gets caught by something - my car has a few scratches already.

So I thought about another good place and that would be the A-pillar. It's high up and tough enough. Rugged Ridge sells light brackets for that spot: https://www.carmodsaustralia.com.au...gler-TJ-Windshield-Hinge-Light-Brackets-Black

Question is - are these tough enough or is there someting better on the market? The ad doesn't say anything about the diameter of the hole for the bolt, I guess it's for a M12 maybe. I needed to make it larger (~16mm) which would weaken the part a bit)

 

[C.J. Roberts]

Have you thought about mounting it on the spare tire mount?

 

[andyj]

Have you thought about mounting it on the spare tire mount?

Not yet, I'll have a look. Sounds like a good idea!

 

[andyj]

Not yet, I'll have a look. Sounds like a good idea!

Sadly, there is not enough room between the spare tyre and the tailgate.

 

[macleanflood]

What about above either of the rear tail lights?

-Mac

 

[andyj]

What about above either of the rear tail lights?

-Mac

Some people complained that the tub got damaged when the antenna got caught on something. Sounds plausible enough to me.
I ordered the rugged ridge light brackets and simply give it a try. Maybe an expensive experiment, although these things could be used for lights. I wasted my money on lockers though ..

 

[Bammo68]

I have two mounts - one on each tail light. Left hand mount does VHF, right hand mount does UHF. My antennas aren't quite as stiff as that Uniden you have but I can report that neither of them interferes with the body or the hard top in any way. What you do want is to get the main body of the antenna up above the bodyline of the car - that helps with the antenna pattern considerably. Ideal spot of course is a ground plane independent mounted in the middle of the hard top but failing that the back corners of the TJ above the tail lights is a pretty good option. Routing the coax from there to your radio is pretty simple too. Putting the antenna behind the spare wheel would be fraught - the coax is going to get mangled sooner or later.