TheJack

Car is 02 Toyota Celica

Was originally thinking one of these:

hidden inside fiberglass front or rear bumper. Probably use the magnet base to attach to the mounts for front or rear bumper.

Then I saw, on some modder TV show... The person used something like this


strapped to the underside of their trunk. Celica has a false parcel shelf and a big window above it, so I thought this may work well.

But, I know the story about vertical antennas layed horizontal. So possibly either vertical antenna and just stand it up on the parcel shelf.

Then I was looking at the "ceiling" type, like this

Basically, I want the best, longest range reception possible. However, I don't want to permanently alter exterior of car and magnet-base would look bad. I'd consider external if I could find a fin or similar. Of the above, what would work best? Advice would be totally welcomed and appreciated.

Change

Strapping the antenna inside your trunk won't work very well, all the metal in there will make an excellent signal shield.

TheJack

It isn't a trunk. Celica has a hatch-back. So "trunk" is just open area with a false parcel-shelf.

0l33l

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Change

Mm, yes, I'm observant today. It may work, but having it mounted vertically would definitely be best. Horizontally probably won't work too well either.

There are some nifty little stub antennas here: http://www.hyperlinktech.com/web/mobile_antennas.php

Maybe get one and attach it to the underside of the air spoiler?

TheJack

Stub is the only possiblity for the outside of my car. Either underneath spoiler or suspended from the front bumper "lip". Of course, I can only find stubs that are 3dbi or below. I really want 5-7 dbi.

Question, a vertically polarized antenna... Does it matter if it standing or inverted/suspended? Or are they the same.. wave-wize..?

* 0l33l... you even got the color right... LMAO

Change

If a whip is inverted (fed from the top) then the radiation lobes will be pointing towards the ground instead of up in the air. The higher gain an antenna you use, the flatter the lobes will be.

TheJack

LOL... could you give me the english on that? I assume you mean lobes towards the ground is bad. And the higher the gain, the more important the lobes become?

TheJack

Also... is that only true for a whip. Or would stub be the same?

KyleYankan

Converting a vertical to a horizontal antenna loses about 20 db. A antenna with a coil in it, such as the first one pictured is good. You really don't have to worry so much about the peak lobes pointing into the ground, because most AP's you're connecting to are on ground level to 3- stories.

Also think of where you mount it this way - line-of-sight. Any metal in the line of sight acts like a shield. So if you install it below the nspolier, youll lose connectivity, up/down left/right and forward.

Change

The higher the gain, the flatter the lobes become in the vertical direction. If you're down in a valley and you're trying to talk to an access point on a hilltop and you've got a very high-gain antenna, it won't work well. But as long as the access point is on the same plane as you, it'll work great.
Not sure how the stub antennas are made...

Bugbyte

Mine is mounted upside down on the bottom of the parcel shelf in the hatchback area. Signal sucks. I need to get an extension cable and mount it vertically on top of the shelf.

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-zip-

Have an orinoco gold card on order. Was thinking of putting the antenna on the trunk.

So are you saying if you have a spoiler there is no point? Also the car is tinted would that block the signal as well?

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Bugbyte

If the spoiler is fiberglass or plastic, it shouldn't cause a problem. Some types of window tints can block the signal, but that's pretty easy to test. Just try it with the windows up and then down.

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0l33l

Metallic tints block signal. The cheap ones are usually metallic. Ceramic window tints will let the signals through. Lots of people on the GS forum were having weird problems after getting their rear windows tinted, like they were driving over water

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1995 Lexus SC300 <-- Weekend Car
1997 Mazda Miata <-- Daily Driver