Ford Explorer (2013) Antenna Location

[KC2KMJ]

Your best bet is seeing about a modified lip mount on the hood, passenger side. FWIW, common safe allowable Tx distances are 4.5' for vhf, 3.9' for UHF away from the antenna. I would take the lip over mag mount because you still need to get the coax inside the cabin. With a hood lip mount you can bend back the sheetmetal lip to get the coax inside the engine compartment and then thru the firewall to the cabin/radio. Run + and - power cables thru firewall and fused at the battery. You'll be good to go.

[W3OWL]

Yes, it looks like a trunk/hood lip antenna mount will work near the base of the windshield, passenger side.  Power (+/-) is available under the dash, passenger side, but the real problem is getting the coax through the fire wall.  I still haven't found any obvious access holes yet.  Still looking.

[W8EDV]

Remove the PL 259 connector from the antenna coax,  drill a tiny hole in the firewall...  feed the coax in and resolder the PL 259.... making a tiny hole is easy, then use a small rubber grommet to insure a seal of the hole.   Power wise you can also go through the firewall, to the battery direct and you wont have any noice in the rig....  Fender lip mounts work well and wont get knocked off when you go under low hanging branches....

[KC2KMJ]

Yes, it looks like a trunk/hood lip antenna mount will work near the base of the windshield, passenger side.  Power (+/-) is available under the dash, passenger side, but the real problem is getting the coax through the fire wall.  I still haven't found any obvious access holes yet.  Still looking.

Forget the cabin power taps, go straight to the battery terminals. Look real good on the driver's side under the dash. There's bound to be a grommet there somewhere, maybe up high by the steering column. I've not done any Explorers in a while so memory's not helping me here, sorry. If need be, knock the PL259 off the cable, drill a small hole in the firewall and route the coax thru it. Protect the coax with either rubber or plastic tubing.

[W3OWL]

Maybe I should have clairified my statement of avalable power under the dash; there is a factory power distribution box in the police Explorer which comes directly from the battery (fused) and is mounted above the foot area of the front passenger side, so no problem there.  This thing has a fire wall like I've never seen before.  So far I haven't found any available holes.  Electrical connections from the engine to the interior are multi-plug things on both sides of the fire wall.  In other words, a muti connection is plugged into a receptacle on the engine side of the fire wall, then an identical multi plug connector is plugged into the opposite side of the fire wall in the passenger area.  So far I haven't found any of the old "wire through a hole" in the fire wall.

[N6AJR]

weld or bolt a piece of aluminumimuminuminum from under the  body, like a frame rail or such, and bring it out at a 45 degree angle at the drivers side rear of the vehicle. a piece about 2 inches wide and  1/4 inch thick and long enough to go from the mount  to outside  the body will work.  drill a hole in the plate and mount the antenna there, if you want it higher, use a short mast to extend it up.  and on the drivers side rear, you can see it in the rear view side mirror., trees are taller in the middle of the street, and little fingers will not be able to twang the antenna  as the walk down the side walk.  this will work on anything from a car to a Corvette to a Lamborghini.  when selling you unbolt it or cut it off flush.