RSI Smartcap

[Kathy]

First let me say that I am not an expert mechanic, radio/electronics or all around handy person. I recently had an RSI Smartcap installed on my 2020 Ranger. I originally got it so my dog could ride in the back and needless to say, the dog still rides in the jump seat of my truck because it is too hot this summer. I love the Smartcap. I think it is very well made and I love the way you can open the whole side window to get at gear in the back. The idea of a steel cap appealed to me because I can put radio antennas on it and have a good ground plane. It is rock solid. This would be very easy to install yourself and due to the fact that it comes in 5 pieces I don't think shipping charges would be too insane. Next up is the radio/antenna install and a rack for the cap. I keep hearing there is vent or something behind the back seat where I can put the antenna cables through. It sounds like getting power cables through the firewall can be a challenge. Guess I will find out. If anyone can give me a clue as to where the negative ground bolt is located, it would be a big help. I will post pictures of the cap soon.

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[Kathy]

There is power located in the back driver side rear fender. You can get to it from one of the holes in the back of the bed. I can help you find the thread that discusses it… also, there is a forum member here who created a power outlet that connects to it so you don’t need any drilling, it’s a simple plug and play that will give you power so you don’t have to wire up to the front of your truck.

Let me know.

Thank you. I know about the power in the rear fender area. I plan to install some aux power in the bed this summer. I am installing a ham radio and also a GMRS radio. It is recommended that you run the power directly from the battery so I am trying to figure out where to put the radio power cables through the firewall to the engine bay. I suppose I could always drill a hole but I would prefer to use pre-existing cable paths. Do you know of any existing paths?

 

[Kathy]

@Kathy

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/ham-radio-install.17575/#post-361120

Thank you so much for the link. It is exactly what I need. I have been looking at those Lido mounts that are mentioned. They look pretty cool.

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