So ive been running a Yaesu FT-7900R in my F-150 for about three months now and overall its great but im having a really hard time figuring out the best spot for the antenna. Right now i have a mag mount NMO on the roof kind of towards the rear and reception is decent but im getting some weird feedback or maybe its just road noise, hard to tell honestly. The radio itself is mounted under the dash which was a pain to do but looks pretty clean.

My buddy told me to try a lip mount on the trunk but this is a truck so that doesnt really apply. Someone else said to drill and put a proper NMO mount on the roof which i know is the right way to do it but im a little nervous about drilling into my daily driver. Has anyone done a permanent roof mount on a newer truck? Does it affect resale or is it really as watertight as everyone says if you do it right? Also wondering if the antenna location relative to the cab is making a difference in the weird noise im hearing.

The mag mount is probably fine for now honestly, the noise you're hearing might not even be antenna related. On my old Tacoma I chased a similar thing for weeks and it turned out to be the power leads running too close to the ignition wires. Try running the coax and power cables on opposite sides of the vehicle if you havent already. The antenna position on a truck roof does matter but usually the bigger issue with noise is the electrical side of things. Ground the radio chassis to a solid chassis ground too, not just the negative on the battery, made a big difference for me.

As for drilling - I did it on my current truck and used a good sealant, been two years no leaks. But I get the hesitation on a newer vehicle. If you do go that route just take your time and use a proper grommet and sealant and youll be fine.

i have basically the same radio in a similar situation lol, mine's in a Silverado. i just kept the mag mount and honestly havent had problems but i did put it more towards the center of the roof. heard that's better for the radiation pattern or whatever. i'm still pretty new to all this so take that with a grain of salt but it seemed to help for me at least.