so ive been running a Yaesu FT-7900R in my F-150 for about three weeks now and overall im pretty happy with it but the antenna situation is killing me. i started with a mag mount on the roof which worked fine i guess but it kept sliding around when i went through the car wash and i was worried about scratching the paint. so then i tried mounting a NMO on the cab but my wife was not thrilled about drilling into the truck.

right now ive got a lip mount on the rain gutter but the SWR on 70cm is kinda mediocre, like 1.8 to 1 which im told is fine but i feel like i should be doing better. the antenna is a Diamond NR770HB which a guy at the club recommended. does anyone else run a lip mount and did you have this same issue or is it just my placement on the passenger rear corner

lip mounts are always a bit of a compromise honestly, the ground plane situation is just never ideal especially tucked in a corner like that. i ran one for like two years on my jeep and 70cm was always the weak link. eventually i gave up and did a proper NMO through the roof and the difference was noticeable but i get why you dont want to drill if your wife already said no lol

one thing that helped me a little before i made the switch was repositioning to the center of the trunk lid if thats an option on your truck, more metal around it seems to help a bit. also check that the lip mount is making really solid contact and isnt getting corrosion between the clamp and the paint — that'll mess with your readings too. 1.8 on 440 from a lip mount isnt terrible though, you'll still hit most repeaters fine

i have the same radio actually, great little rig. i ended up doing the trunk lip on mine too for the same reason, didnt want holes in the car. honestly havent even checked my SWR come to think of it, maybe i should. how are you finding the receive sensitivity on 70cm compared to 2m? mine seems a lot quieter on the 440 side but im not sure if thats just because there's less activity here or if somethings off