Mobile Mount Frequently asked questions

Q. What is your best dualband mobile antenna?
A. The answer depends entirely on what you are looking for. Highest gain for maximum coverage area? The new CSB-790A (150W) or the SBB-7 or SBB-7NMO (70W)Lowest profile for entering garages? B-10 or B-10NMOMost durable for operating on a motorcycle, 4WD truck or Semi truck? The HP-32FHN.The best antenna is the best for your situation and typical operating area.

Q. Whats the difference between NMO and the PL-259 type mounts?A. If you decide to drill a hole in your car, the NMO (New MOtorola) mount was designed specifically for hole installations. They can be installed from the top and are water proof. So if you want to drill a hole, you should use an antenna with an NMO connector. If you DO NOT want to drill a hole in your vehicle, there are many more external mounts available to choose from made for PL-259 connector antennas.

Q. Should I drill a hole in my roof/trunk or use a lip mount?
A.In the past, most people preferred drilling a hole in the center of the roof or trunk to provide the best ground plane. This made a lot of sense when the repeater systems were poor and most antennas were single band and needed the ground plane. Current antenna design produces antennas that are ground independent. The sensitivity, coverage area and height of most modern repeater systems is outstanding. The antenna no longer needs to be in the middle of a ground plane for excellent coverage.The benefit of drilling a hole and mounting your antenna in the middle of the roof or trunk is minimal.

Hole Mounting:Â

• Difficult to reach the antenna to remove it or use the fold-over hinge
• Water leaks and rust problems are common.
• Improved performance

Lip Mount Benefits:

• Lip mount installation is quick, easy and no damage to the car
• The antenna is easily reached for removal or to use the fold-over hinge
• Deluxe coax cable easily enters through the weather seal without causing any wind noise, water leaks or coax damage.
• Mount can be removed and re-used on a different vehicle
• Slightly distorted radiation pattern

Because most people look to Comet and Maldol for no holes to drill mounting options, their antennas are tuned for best performance on a lip mount.

Q. I have a truck, where can I mount an antenna?
A. If your truck has a third door or rear doors, the best location for a lip mount is the side of the drivers side rear door near the top. The antenna is above the roof line, no holes to drill and mounting takes only a few minutes.

Q. What mount should I use for a plastic/composite car?
A. Most of the Comet and Maldol antennas we distribute are ground independent and can be mounted to new plastic/composite cars with the standard lip mounts. The exception is any antenna that has an electrical length of 1/4 wave. A 1/4 wave antenna is only half an antenna, the other half is the ground plane. So, a 1/4 wave has to be grounded to work well and have good SWR.

Q. I have a SUV/VAN that doesnt have a trunk, where can I mount an antenna?
A. We receive many calls from people worried that they can’t mount an antenna because they dont have a trunk. If you have an SUV or van with a back door, you have the best possible mounting location and you dont even know it. The rear door, whether hatchback style or cargo doors, is the best place for a lip mount. Simply lift or open the drivers side door, slip the preferred mount over the edge near the top of the door and tighten the set screws that hold it to the door. Rotate all the pieces until the mount is vertical, add a coax cable if not included and its mounted. The antenna is above the roof line for the best pattern, its easy to reach if you need to take it off for a car wash or fold it over to get in a garage, no holes are needed and mounting takes only a few minutes.

Q. What mount should I use?
A. Choose the mount that is most appropriate for the antenna you want to use. They all attach the same way. Set screws hold them to the edge, a piece of soft rubber protects the painted surface. The only decision is the size of the antenna should match the mount size. Keep in mind that you may want to get a bigger VHF/UHF or heavier HF antenna some time in the future, so choose the mount size keeping that in mind. We don’t have the ability to test all our mounts on every vehicle made, so we can’t answer questions related to specific vehicles and model years. However, all of our mounts will attach to virtually any lip on any vehicle provided the thickness of the lip is 1/4 inch or less. Some newer vehicles are using composite materials for some parts. The composite has to be thicker than steel to have the same strength, so it is sometimes more than 1/4″ thick. Check the thickness where you want to mount it.

Q. Can I buy parts if I break my antenna?
A. We keep many parts on hand for most but not all antennas. If an antenna has been discontinued, no parts will be available.

Q. Did Comet buy Daiwa and Maldol?
A. No, all three are separate companies in Japan. NCG is the US distributor for all three.

Q. Whats the difference between Comet and Diamond, are they the same company?
A. Comet and Diamond make similar products just as Ford and GM do. Sometimes the same sub-contractors will make parts for both, so the parts will look similar. They both pay attention to quality, innovation and focus on making the best product they can. We feel Comets engineers and quality control are second to none and are proud to the their US distributor. The main difference between Comet and Diamond is that Comet products have “nutritional value”. “If you don’t buy Comet antennas, we dont eat!!”