so ive been going back and forth on this for a couple weeks now and finally decided to just ask. i picked up a used Yaesu FT-7900R and want to do a proper mobile install in my Tacoma. the radio itself is going under the seat with a RAM mount for the head unit on the dash which i think will look pretty clean.

my main thing is where to put the antenna. i was originally thinking trunk lip mount with a mag mount style but someone at my club said roof center is way better for the radiation pattern on VHF/UHF. that makes sense to me electrically but i really dont want to drill into the roof if i can avoid it. the truck is still pretty new and honestly the wife would kill me. NMO on the trunk lid seems like the compromise but then im worried about the groundplane being weird since the trunk lid isnt connected to the chassis the same way.

anyone done this on a pickup or similar? worth just doing the roof and living with the hole or is there a good trunk lid solution that actually works well?

roof center is definitely the gold standard for a reason but honestly for everyday 2m/70cm use a trunk lip NMO is totally fine. ive had one on my F150 for probably 4 years now and the pattern is maybe not perfect but it works great in every direction i actually care about. the real trick is making sure you get a good ground connection on the trunk lid — some guys run a braided strap from the hinge area to the chassis and that cleans things up a lot.

the mag mount thing though, i'd skip it if you're doing a real install. they work but the contact resistance changes over time and you'll notice it. spring for the NMO hole if you can. a small drill hole in the trunk lid is way less traumatic than it sounds and its not the roof so maybe an easier sell at home lol

i did basically the same thing on my 4runner last year. went with a through-hole NMO on the trunk lid and ran the coax through the weatherstripping. works fine for me, i hit all the local repeaters no problem. not sure about the groundplane technicalities but it just works. the FT-7900 is a solid radio btw you'll like it