Glass mount orientation
 

I had an audio shop install my PRO-2069 in my new car yesterday. They
used a Valor though-the-glass scanner antenna. The sensitivity is just
terrible. The receiver works just fine with the supplied telescoping
antenna connected to the back of the radio. I checked connectivity by
removing the antenna from the mount while listening to the WX channel.
There is a difference, but it is not great.

Question: is there a specification on which way the interior glass
mount is to be oriented? I seem to recall from the past that the inner
piece had to be oriented properly with the outer. If that was wrong it
would not work. I'm hoping that this is the problem. I don't see any
'orientation arrows' on the mount.

I'd like to get some input before I go back to the installer.

Thanks!

On 23 Sep 2005 05:50:58 -0700, said in
rec.radio.scanner:

Question: is there a specification on which way the interior glass
mount is to be oriented? I seem to recall from the past that the inner
piece had to be oriented properly with the outer. If that was wrong it
would not work. I'm hoping that this is the problem. I don't see any
'orientation arrows' on the mount.

Look again. If there aren't any, it's probably a cheap knock-off
antenna that works equally poorly in any orientation. Get a Larsen.
(Even my 144/470 Larsen on-glass works pretty well on all bands, and
their 150/450/850 works better.)

I hope the antenna is installed at the very top of the glass. There's
about 10db loss between the top and bottom. And it's installed to sit
vertically, right? Not at some "sexy" angle, like a lot of cellphone
antennas?

I'd like to get some input before I go back to the installer.

Next time go to a two-way radio shop instead of an audio shop.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 05:50:58 -0700, daedalusnj wrote:

I had an audio shop install my PRO-2069 in my new car yesterday. They
used a Valor though-the-glass scanner antenna. The sensitivity is just
terrible. The receiver works just fine with the supplied telescoping
antenna connected to the back of the radio. I checked connectivity by
removing the antenna from the mount while listening to the WX channel.
There is a difference, but it is not great.

Question: is there a specification on which way the interior glass
mount is to be oriented? I seem to recall from the past that the inner
piece had to be oriented properly with the outer. If that was wrong it
would not work. I'm hoping that this is the problem. I don't see any
'orientation arrows' on the mount.

I'd like to get some input before I go back to the installer.

Thanks!


I have rented some GM models lately that have someone in the Window Tint
that is blocking RF. I cant use my XM radio & GPS sitting on the dash in
there new vehicles. I would suspect this would have a similar effect on
Glass mount Antennas...




--
Korbin Dallas
The name was changed to protect the guilty.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 22:03:09 GMT, Korbin Dallas
said in rec.radio.scanner:

I have rented some GM models lately that have someone in the Window Tint
that is blocking RF. I cant use my XM radio & GPS sitting on the dash in
there new vehicles. I would suspect this would have a similar effect on
Glass mount Antennas...

Some cars - I don't know about GM - have a clear spot, about 2" on a
side, at the top center of the rear window - to mount an on-glass cell
phone antenna. Since it's clear glass, you can mount any on-glass
antenna you like there.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 06:50:58 -0700, daedalusnj wrote:

Question: is there a specification on which way the interior glass
mount is to be oriented? I seem to recall from the past that the inner
piece had to be oriented properly with the outer. If that was wrong it
would not work. I'm hoping that this is the problem. I don't see any
'orientation arrows' on the mount.

I can't speak for the Valor antenna (although they very similar), but I
know with the Radio Shack through the glass antenna there most definitely
is a specific orientation called out in the documentation. I've read
posts from folks who got it wrong and their symptoms are really poor
signal strength until they re-oriented the antenna components per the
instructions.

http://www.radioshack.com/images/Pro.../OME20-011.pdf

Good luck.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 06:50:58 -0700, daedalusnj wrote:

Question: is there a specification on which way the interior glass
mount is to be oriented? I seem to recall from the past that the inner
piece had to be oriented properly with the outer. If that was wrong it
would not work. I'm hoping that this is the problem. I don't see any
'orientation arrows' on the mount.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

all the 2 pieces are more or less are the 2 "plates"
of a capacitor with the glass acting as a dielectric. So in short
the signal is capacitively coupled from the inside to the ouside.
There are no arrows on it because it really doesnt matter wich
corner of one side is matched up with wich corner on the outside.
As long as they are aligned and not off center or on a piece of
glass with wires in it or other material, it doesnt matter. Used to
have one for years and I change vehicles every other year so I
changed mine a lot. I routed the inside box for the easiest cable
run, still worked fine.


J