Ooops, I forgot the antenna's up...

[KI6LKP]

I have been using a Larson (FM) glass mount on my truck for many years, it works well. Never needed to think about clearance, since the truck stays outside. Different story with the car. I recently installed an identical antenna on the car that goes in the garage every night.
I am looking for ideas on how to remember to lower the antenna before it's too late. Twice now and it's still intact...

Thanks a lot,
Dave KI6LKP

[EFUDD]

Post it note on the steering wheel! It'll work for a little while until you come up with a better way!

[EFUDD]

Btw how does the Larson Tx/Rx? Been think of getting one but probably going to get a mag mount

[WB6BYU]

I have (well, had...) a Larsen glass-mount on the side of my van for many years.
It hit a low-hanging tree limb on a dirt road last year and I haven't repaired it yet.

Whether you need to tip it down or not depends on the clearance - a friend of mine used
to use a 1/4 wave whip that just bent over 2" above the roof as he drove in and out -
except for the noise it still worked fine for many years.  If the Larsen hits above the
loading coil it shouldn't be a problem.  (In my case the low branch was just a few inches
above the base and I hit it at a pretty good speed.)

Performance for the Larsen glass-mount is about equivalent to a quarter wave whip
by actual measurement, switching back and forth between them while driving down
the road.  If I stop in among the hills, there is more difference in signal strength due
to the exact physical location of the antenna than there is between the two:  either
might be better, and it will change if I move the car forwards a foot or two.


But that assumes you can mount the antenna on a window that does NOT have passivated
glass.

Note that there are at least three different methods for coupling RF through the window to
a glass-mount antenna.  The Larsen appears to use inductive coupling, which, in my
experience, has fewer problems with common mode currents than the original capacitive
coupling method.

And there will be plenty of folks happy to bad-mouth glass-mount antennas.  They aren't
ideal for some people, but in many situations they can work well enough.

[WX7G]

You might hang a soft rubber ball from the ceiling so that it contacts the windshield before the car is far enough into the garage to endanger the 2 meter antenna.

[KI6LKP]

Performance of the Larson glass mount on my truck is impressive, particularly since it is mounted to the side glass of a fiberglass shell. Although the work very well, I hate mag-mounts. Only time I use them would be on a rental or something temporary.

Typically, I store the screw-on mast in the car, and after backing from the garage, I'll screw the thing on. At the suggestion of WX7G, I THINK a good idea would be to "tag" the mast, and when it's installed, place the "tag" on the dashboard. 

See how it goes, thanks for the replies.

KI6LKP

[KC9TNH]

I like WX7G's suggestion; "stuff" inside the car (post-it notes, "Next Service Due..." stickers) becomes part of the background and is soon ignored.

Then again, an obnoxiously colored tennis ball 'donking' into your windshield could... well, if one misses that there are other issues.
Good luck.
 

[N6AJR]

When I had a wooden garage door, I just let the antenna bounce across the door, no harm ( this was on a trunk lip mounted  ATAS 120)  when I got a new roll up metal door the bent and folded over parts of the door snagged the ball on the tip of the antenna and pulled it loose from the coil.  I ended up tying a piece of fishing line to the tip of the antenna and hooked it on the littel close hanger gizmo in the  back seat.  when I pulled in the garage I just pulled on the monofiliment line and  temporarily bent the tip over to clear.  It works for me.

[WX7G]

I've pulled into the garage a few times forgetting to take off the ATAS-120. It bent the whip over but I bent it back.

[K8AXW]

If you use a garage door opener it will no doubt have lights that come on.  Just wire a RED light in parallel with the lights and mount it so you see it immediately when the door opens.  The wall facing the car/truck immediately comes to mind.

Used to have the same problem....

[KI6LKP]

K8AXW,
Good idea, only a Ham would come up with that one!

KI6LKP

[KQ6Q]

Simpler solution - mount the antenna base in the hood/fender slot. You'll want a somewhat short antenna, because when a long antenna oscillates in the turbulent air, it can be very distracting. I drive a Honda Element, about 6'3" tall with roof bars and brackets, and the garage at work has 6'6" clearance. A short 2m/440 antenna out on the front hood/fender junction gets the job done. I keep a much longer antenna avialable if I ever need it, but haven't had to use it yet.

Fred, KQ6Q

[AC5UP]

Ya' know........... If someone had a little bit of spare time and a cheap mirror, they might find a place where they could mount that mirror in exactly the right place so they could see if the antenna was UP before they pulled into the garage.

Angle of incidence = angle of reflectance and like that, your photons may vary.   

[KI6LKP]

Okay this is my solution;
I made a tag that attaches to the antenna that says "Remove antenna". When I put the antenna up, the tag goes on the garage door opener button. I have to see the tag when I open the door.
This should work provided no one opens the door for me !

Thanks everyone for chiming in on this,

73,
KI6LKP

[K8AXW]

A short 2m/440 antenna out on the front hood/fender junction gets the job done.

Most prefer to mount the antenna in the center of the roof so as to give a better 360 degree radiation pattern.  It also gets it away from potential engine noise a bit.