HAM Radio Intalled

JonB

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I did a similar setup but ran my cables around to passenger side then under the top of the fender...then finally into the cabin going under the door seal. Don't have a pic but will later...short wave on pass side, CB on right...
xuEcL0H.jpg
I have an Icom ID-5100 with a remote head. The body of the radio is under the passenger seat. Since the radio was on the right side of the truck I ran the power leads from the battery over to a grommet on the lower right side of the firewall. It's large with lots of room to poke a hole in. Ran the leads through it, tucked them under the center consol and then under the seat to connect to the radio.

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Noel Willhite

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I did a similar setup but ran my cables around to passenger side then under the top of the fender...then finally into the cabin going under the door seal. Don't have a pic but will later...short wave on pass side, CB on right...
xuEcL0H.jpg
What coax/lead/antenna set up is that? I have the same a pillar bracket , wondering what else i need to get the CB install
 

jjoinson

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Got mine installed finally. Antenna wire comes in through the weird vent behind the rear seat, fished wires up to the dash tray for the faceplate.

The power is currently cigarette lighter(ew), but will be running power from the fuse panel as soon as I can figure out where the positive lug is, and how to access it.

EDIT: As soon as I wrote the cigarette lighter thing, I felt bad and ran the power through the hood release grommet.

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I'm trying to get my yaesu ft-350 installed. where do you have your antenna? I'm trying to figure out where I want to put an antenna on mine. I park in a parking deck at work sometimes so height can be an issue. I don't want to drill holes anywhere if I can help it. I have a hard cover on the bed. I see some have the lip mount on the hood, not sure if I want to go that route.
 

JonB

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I'm trying to get my yaesu ft-350 installed. where do you have your antenna?
I had the same concerns/requirements as you. I spent weeks researching antenna mounts and could only come up with lip-mount solutions which, like you, I didn’t want. When you say you have a “hard cover” on your Ranger I’m assuming it’s a cap. I also have a cap and that further complicated the install.

My solution was to build a mount that attaches to the frame at the left rear of the truck. See posting #12 in this forum for pictures. SWR is 1.2 - 1. This is not the easiest thing to do, since it required cutting, bending and welding steel pipe. As far as I know there are no commercially available mounts like this. If you wanted to try something like this I can offer some suggestions, but you will need to either have the metal working equipment or know someone who can do the work for you.

I mounted a fold-over VHF/UHF antenna so I could clear my garage door.

Jon
 


jjoinson

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I had the same concerns/requirements as you. I spent weeks researching antenna mounts and could only come up with lip-mount solutions which, like you, I didn’t want. When you say you have a “hard cover” on your Ranger I’m assuming it’s a cap. I also have a cap and that further complicated the install.

My solution was to build a mount that attaches to the frame at the left rear of the truck. See posting #12 in this forum for pictures. SWR is 1.2 - 1. This is not the easiest thing to do, since it required cutting, bending and welding steel pipe. As far as I know there are no commercially available mounts like this. If you wanted to try something like this I can offer some suggestions, but you will need to either have the metal working equipment or know someone who can do the work for you.

I mounted a fold-over VHF/UHF antenna so I could clear my garage door.

Jon
Hi Jon,

Thanks for your reply. I wrongly worded part of my previous post. I meant to say I have a hard tri-fold. It sits on top of the bed. It's the extang solid fold 2.0.
 

Pepper

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Got mine installed finally. Antenna wire comes in through the weird vent behind the rear seat, fished wires up to the dash tray for the faceplate.

The power is currently cigarette lighter(ew), but will be running power from the fuse panel as soon as I can figure out where the positive lug is, and how to access it.

EDIT: As soon as I wrote the cigarette lighter thing, I felt bad and ran the power through the hood release grommet.

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What is the mount screwed to? I was considering mounting my radios there, but was not sure what was under the carpet and did not want to run a selftapper in there to find out there was a screw sticking outside!
 

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What is the mount screwed to? I was considering mounting my radios there, but was not sure what was under the carpet and did not want to run a selftapper in there to find out there was a screw sticking outside!
It’s the factory amp location behind drivers side rear seat. I don’t have the B&O stereo so it’s empty. I just used bolts and lock washers.
 

Pepper

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It’s the factory amp location behind drivers side rear seat. I don’t have the B&O stereo so it’s empty. I just used bolts and lock washers.
Jeeze, I've stared behind there loads of times and never noticed those two squares of carpeting that can be pushed out. :blush:
Thanks!
 

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What is the mount screwed to? I was considering mounting my radios there, but was not sure what was under the carpet and did not want to run a selftapper in there to find out there was a screw sticking outside!
Got mine installed finally. Antenna wire comes in through the weird vent behind the rear seat, fished wires up to the dash tray for the faceplate.

The power is currently cigarette lighter(ew), but will be running power from the fuse panel as soon as I can figure out where the positive lug is, and how to access it.

EDIT: As soon as I wrote the cigarette lighter thing, I felt bad and ran the power through the hood release grommet.

4F62BC06-CFEA-4F50-A42E-245A120638BE.jpeg


9E8E11CD-E236-4BD9-A1A5-24A5D4D6CFC7.jpeg
Neat looking install for the transceiver. If your reflected power out is a little high, you might want to take the coil out of the excess antenna cable.
 

t4thfavor

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Neat looking install for the transceiver. If your reflected power out is a little high, you might want to take the coil out of the excess antenna cable.
Radio runs cool as a cucumber on high power. I can talk 50-60 miles (Diamond 7500) while on the road which is a lot for Michigan since everywhere is a hill or valley.

The coax goes out right behind where the radio is mounted, so a little dust does come in through the vents. It's not ideal, but I didn't have to drill a hole in it.
 

kc7zie

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Anyone have a Icom 5100 in their Ranger?
 

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A few folks here need to spend some time on my web site (www.k0bg.com).

The VHF antenna mounted on the long stalk, isn't going to work all that well. The reason is, the ground plane under the antenna is rather minimal. The best place to mount one, if you just can't bear to drill a hole, if to use one of the various, third stop light mounts. If you have a clearance issue, them use just a plane old 2 M 1/4 wave which will also work on 70 cm. Especially so, if you're a city dweller. Think HAAT!

The K400 HF mount isn't much better. After you smack the antenna a couple of times on an errant limb, you'll figure out why I don't recommend Tham either!

The wiring is easy, but a bit tedious. There is room on the main wiring harness grommet to run additional wires. It is getting the hole start that is an issue. You have to use caution, as there is another harness about 2 inches away from the grommet which makes things testy.

The best tool to use, is a nylon wire snake. Any Ace or Home Disappointment carry them. They're about $25 for a single 4 foot one. On the ends are eyes sort of like a sewing needle. Although the ends are rounded off a bit, with some diligence you can get a hole started. Them all you have to do, is pull and push the snake back and forth a few times, to open up the hole large enough to get the wire pulled through. A bit of body dumdum will seal the hole.

The biggest issue any one on HF is going to have, is RFI from the ignition system. You can't cure it, period! Bond the hood and tail pipe is about all you can do. The birdies from the B-CAN systems is another no-fixable issue, so don't waste your time trying.

Everything else you need is on the site—for free!
 

JonB

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I have seen your website and it’s excellent. I assume the “antenna on a stalk” is a reference to the custom mount I built. My Ranger just fits in my garage — I had to buy a stubby FM antenna to accomplish this but it fits. I did not want to install anything above the roofline.

I agree that the base of my stalk does not offer much of a ground plane but the antenna works fine. SWR is 1.2 to 1 and I get into local repeaters as well as the prior setup I had with the same radio and same antenna in a Ford Escape. It’s a compromise, but one that works and that I can live with.
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