It's late in the day and I'm getting lame. I just don't understand what he's saying at all. All I can add is that if it's next too or covered by metal you're signal just croaked.

 

LOl OKAY SO ill make a pic for ya..


[ CAB ]
[ CAB ] [BED AREA]
O ^ O
PUT THE ANTENNA THERE

AFTER EFFECT

[CAB]|
[CAB]|[BED AREA]
O O
^ see antenna placement?




YES..... photoshop probably would have been easier

 

The best placement for an antenna is on top of the cab in the center. That is why if you don' want to drill holes a magnetic mount is the way to go routing the cable through the window. Windshield mount antennas will work but range is limited. The metal roof acts as a ground plane. I will add a link as soon as I find it for some good info on antennas.
http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/choosing.htm [url]http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/BAD-INSTALLS.htm
George

 

Griff, from your pic it looks like you're trying to mount the antenna under the truck? Am I seeing that correctly? If so then refer to coat hanger reference above. Actually you can mount some pretty small antennas, by small I mean narrow steel whip antennas with base coils. They are pretty hard to see and if you mount out of the bed of the truck no one will be able to see it that high up anyway!

I suppose you could use your pictured mount if you turned the antenna upside down. So the antenna would be facing downward. I still think you're signal would be pretty poor but it might work for car to car short range stuff. Better yet get a HAM radio license, you can use small hidden antennas and still talk 100 miles! Give or take a repeater or two! lol! (sorry, ham joke!)

 

Even father out under the right conditions. The FCC Lic is good for 10 years and the test is easy. Here is a link to some pratice test. QRZ Ham Radio
KF6PPR Call sign same as my truck plate.
George

 

Even worked northern nowhere Russia on my little rig in the truck! Now that was fun! Done the other usual HF stuff. Have a nice shack at our lodge, fun to use and work the pile ups with the amp and beam!