🚗 Enhance Your Vehicle's Communication with Firestik SS-174 Stainless Steel Hood/Trunk Channel Mount Review

I used this to mount a whip on the tailgate of my truck. By cutting off the last bend, the bracket can be fixed between the tailgate and the bed rail. Worked great.

As per other reviews I had to hammer it into place and it's pretty darn strong so that meant a 2lb hammer drill. definitely built to last. I immediately replaced the pin to run a higher quality cable than Firestik offers.

As the name suggests, it fits perfectly. I installed it on my 2009 Ford F-150 with very little tweaking. If you drive a Ford truck, you need a drill. The bracket is made of durable steel and looks good. The mount appears to be made to last, to the point where someone in the future finds it, pulls it out of your rusty truck, and puts it on theirs.

Because the bracket does not allow the correct use of the lens hood. This item does not fit my 2003 F-150. BEND the bracket in two places to mount and position the antenna vertically. Otherwise, the hood rests against the bracket in any position without changing the bracket. I bought this for a 2003 F-150 and tested it on a 2020 F-150 with the same results.

Four stars as I just received and installed it although I haven't used it yet. It seems like a good solid mount and matches the hood lines of my 2005 Ford Ranger nicely. I couldn't use all the screws that came with it as I used two self tapping screws I bought for my box some time ago. However, it's pretty solid and doesn't look like it'll wobble at all, even with a 4-inch Firestik on it. Will be updated over time. Pictures will be added later.

This is a sturdy unit that has proven itself on the freeway at over 75 mph and off-road with severe sideways wobbles occasionally reaching 3ft Firestik FS. -3 at least 45° to the side (mounted on a Firestik SS-3H spring). And all this with one of the bottom screws only 90% tight (because I cleaned the screwdriver holes). Update 2/16/2016: Still runs perfectly after thousands of miles on and off the road. In my haste during the initial assembly, I deliberately avoided applying screw lock and…

4 stars for now as I haven't installed it yet. Will be updated after installation and daily abuse. The packaging looks very nice. Proper separation of signal and ground planes. Appropriately sized crimp connectors for both. 4 sheet metal screws. And everything you see in the photos. The screws have large threads and are not "self-drilling/self-tapping" at first glance. All construction is stainless steel (even the bolt and washers) which is nice. The dry fit seems to go well with my 94 Sierra…