jawinner
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
If anyone is looking at options for mounting two way radios in their Ranger, I just finished an install in a 5G Supercab. Might be a little long winded! It involved pulling up trim again along the driver side of the vehicle. (I pulled it up once before for the factory brake controller wire that had to be run up the high mounted stop light in the headliner) At that time, I also ran a power wire back under the rear seats as well as drilled a 3/4" hole and installed a NMO mount in the roof. I also ran that cable down under the seats while I was messing around the headliner for the brake controller. I'm using a Larsen low profile NMO2/70SH on the roof (dual band amateur, 19" height).
The one short cut I took was I tied the radio power into the 30amp power source for my brake controller, since I was working right in that same spot. Normally I use a dedicated power lead from the battery, but I read warnings online about not tying directly to the battery as there is a load sensing system tied to the battery charging. Don't know how big of a deal it is or not. I am assuming it would be possible to overload the circuit if I were transmitting, and towing something, and engaging the trailer braking system at the same time. I may rethink that at some point, but for now I plan to just avoid the situation! If you're not using a brake control in the truck at all, that's an easy power access point.
I didn't know what radio I was going to try and put in at the time I did the initial wiring, but I was thinking I was going to try for some kind of remote head mount style. I hate having crap cluttering up a vehicle, and especially dislike things up in the window or the dash - just prefer an unobstructed view as I can get. There are a bunch of "remote head" capable radios out there which are fairly compact. One step up from that are true HHCH (handheld control head) style - like a handheld radio but tied to a higher power rf deck somewhere else. There are much fewer choices for those style radios. The big advantage though is you can pick up the control and put it right in your field of view if you need to manipulate it, so you can watch the road while messing with it.
It was expensive, but I opted for a multi-band multi-protocol radio system - and ordered a Kenwood NX-5700 and NX-5800, with a KCH21R handheld control head. To get a multi-band system with commercial style radios, I had to get separate UHF and VHF RF decks. They are joined to the handheld control head with the cable I had to run along the driver side trim. So the RF decks are mounted under the rear passenger side supercab seat, which unfortunately that used up most of the space in there. I had to remove the plastic liner, and they still barely fit in there. But, it's a tidy looking install when you put the cover back on and can't see all the wires! One minor concern I had was the possibility that heat could build up in the enclosed space in extended transmit - but without the plastic trim it has the entire under seat area in the back to dissipate into. With this system and the options I ordered with it, I can do amateur VHF and UHF in analog, DMR, P25, or NXDN digital modes. I could also use GMRS frequencies, although technically not allowed with a Part 90 radio. I believe you need a Part 95 certified radio to be legal - but realistically a commercial grade part 90 radio is excellent for any of these uses. I'm attaching two photos showing the rear install and the control head in front.
Even if you're not looking at this exact model of radio, it may provide some ideas for mounting other models.
The one short cut I took was I tied the radio power into the 30amp power source for my brake controller, since I was working right in that same spot. Normally I use a dedicated power lead from the battery, but I read warnings online about not tying directly to the battery as there is a load sensing system tied to the battery charging. Don't know how big of a deal it is or not. I am assuming it would be possible to overload the circuit if I were transmitting, and towing something, and engaging the trailer braking system at the same time. I may rethink that at some point, but for now I plan to just avoid the situation! If you're not using a brake control in the truck at all, that's an easy power access point.
I didn't know what radio I was going to try and put in at the time I did the initial wiring, but I was thinking I was going to try for some kind of remote head mount style. I hate having crap cluttering up a vehicle, and especially dislike things up in the window or the dash - just prefer an unobstructed view as I can get. There are a bunch of "remote head" capable radios out there which are fairly compact. One step up from that are true HHCH (handheld control head) style - like a handheld radio but tied to a higher power rf deck somewhere else. There are much fewer choices for those style radios. The big advantage though is you can pick up the control and put it right in your field of view if you need to manipulate it, so you can watch the road while messing with it.
It was expensive, but I opted for a multi-band multi-protocol radio system - and ordered a Kenwood NX-5700 and NX-5800, with a KCH21R handheld control head. To get a multi-band system with commercial style radios, I had to get separate UHF and VHF RF decks. They are joined to the handheld control head with the cable I had to run along the driver side trim. So the RF decks are mounted under the rear passenger side supercab seat, which unfortunately that used up most of the space in there. I had to remove the plastic liner, and they still barely fit in there. But, it's a tidy looking install when you put the cover back on and can't see all the wires! One minor concern I had was the possibility that heat could build up in the enclosed space in extended transmit - but without the plastic trim it has the entire under seat area in the back to dissipate into. With this system and the options I ordered with it, I can do amateur VHF and UHF in analog, DMR, P25, or NXDN digital modes. I could also use GMRS frequencies, although technically not allowed with a Part 90 radio. I believe you need a Part 95 certified radio to be legal - but realistically a commercial grade part 90 radio is excellent for any of these uses. I'm attaching two photos showing the rear install and the control head in front.
Even if you're not looking at this exact model of radio, it may provide some ideas for mounting other models.
Sponsored
