okay so im finally putting a proper dual band setup in my truck, got a used Kenwood TM-V71A that i picked up at the swap meet last month and its in great shape. my question is about where to mount the antenna. ive been going back and forth on this for weeks and cant make up my mind.

roof mount would obviously give me the best ground plane and radiation pattern but im a little worried about running the coax through the headliner, my truck is a 2019 F-150 and theres a lot of stuff up in there apparently. trunk lip mount seems way easier to install and i wont have to mess with the interior panels but ive heard it can mess with the pattern on the side where the trunk is? or maybe that doesnt matter as much as people say, i honestly dont know.

using it mainly for local repeaters and maybe some simplex out on trail runs with the jeep club. not doing anything crazy like EME or anything where i need every last db. just want reliable comms. anyone been down this road with a similar setup?

i did the trunk lip mount on my tacoma for about two years and honestly it worked fine for what you're describing. yeah the pattern isnt perfectly omnidirectional but in practice hitting repeaters around town i never noticed any real difference from when i borrowed a buddy's mag mount. the convenience factor is hard to ignore especially if you're not planning to keep the radio in that truck forever.

that said if this is going to be a permanent install and you want to do it right, roof mount with a good NMO hole saw is the way to go. i eventually did that and sealed it properly and havent had a leak in three years. the coax routing isnt as bad as it sounds, most people run it down the A pillar and tuck it under the door sill trim. takes maybe an afternoon if you're not in a hurry. for a trail radio setup id probably just do the trunk lip and not overthink it honestly.

i have a TM-V71A too, great radio. mine is roof mounted and i'm happy with it but i'll be honest the install took me most of a saturday and i still second guess whether i sealed the NMO base well enough every time it rains hard lol. the trunk lip is way less stressful if you ask me. i run a lip mount on my wife's car and it gets into every repeater within 50 miles no problem on 2m.