GPS Antenna: inside or outside?

[slarue4]

I was thinking about mounting my antenna in my engine compartment.

 

Anyone have suggestions where I could mount it where it's NOT visible

 

and has excellent reception in an Avalanche?

[redbone1]

Not a good place.

 

Any metal between an antenna and the sky will shield it from radio signals and render it ineffective.

 

Your nav system antenna could be mounted under your dash as long as you put it right up next to the roof of your dash and ensure it has a non--metallic unabstructed view of the sky (i.e. mount as far forward towards you windshield as possible and ensure no metal is covering it.

 

Also, you will add some gain to your antenna by mounting it on a metallic surface that's grounded (such as the top of your Z1 unit as long as there is no metal between the top of your antenna and windshield).

 

It won't hurt to try. If it doesn't work, you could put it on the dash as I did. It doesn't look too bad either.

 

Good luck.

[GnatGoSplat]

I was thinking about mounting my antenna in my engine compartment.

 

Anyone have suggestions where I could mount it where it's NOT visible

 

and has excellent reception in an Avalanche?

 

I would put it in the factory location which is under the upper dash attached to the metal brace. That's where I put mine and the reception is excellent. I put mine on a small sheetmetal plate since I was missing the one that comes with it.

[slarue4]

I was thinking about mounting my antenna in my engine compartment.

 

Anyone have suggestions where I could mount it where it's NOT visible

 

and has excellent reception in an Avalanche?

 

I would put it in the factory location which is under the upper dash attached to the metal brace. That's where I put mine and the reception is excellent. I put mine on a small sheetmetal plate since I was missing the one that comes with it.

 

Do you have a pic?

[GnatGoSplat]

No, but I do have a diagram from the service manual.

Since I don't have the factory metal plate with the screw hole, I just used double-sided tape to attach it to the top of the metal bars in the dash (the gray 3M kind used to hold body trim on). I think I may have attached it to the driver side metal bar rather than the passenger side one like the factory setup, but I don't think it makes any difference which side of the dash you put it on.