I am fairly new to both Land Cruisers and the MUD forums. However, I’ve been a licensed Ham Radio Operator for close to a decade now (KB1MAU General Class). I had a Yaesu Ft-7800R for years and most recently, had it installed in my 2008 FJ Cruiser. I recently replaced the FJC with a 2004 Land Cruiser (UZJ100) and rather than install a 10 year-old radio in the TLC, I decided to buy a new radio at my local Ham Radio Outlet (HRO). I ended up going with a Kenwood TM-V71A. I like the features of this radio, and the price was about $100 less than the Icom I was originally going to buy.
I think Yaesu is the only radio manufacturer that has the microphone plug into the remote head itself. In the Kenwood units (and Icom and I’m sure others), the microphone has to be run back to the central radio receiver. I did purchase the option Kenwood remote mounting kit, which included all the cabling and connectors for the speakers, microphone, power, and the head.
Anyway, I thought it would be good to document my installation here for others to refer to. I hate seeing exposed wiring, and I cringe when I see pictures in QST or other Ham Radio magazines of sloppy installations. I had done a very nice installation in my FJC and the pattern I followed for running wiring worked quite well in the UZJ100 (actually I think it was easier). I am breaking it down into logical components as follows:
1. Antenna Installation
2. Radio Receiver Installation
3. Remote Head Installation
4. Microphone Installation
5. Remote Speaker Installation
6. Power
7. Hiding Cables
Antenna Installation
Originally, my plan was to drill the roof for an NMO mount. However, I was not too inspired to do this like I did with the FJ Cruiser. I had an extra Diamond K400SNMO mount left over from the FJC. The mount was solid but the wiring was ratty. Thankfully HRO had a replacement kit to fix the NMO and cables and retain the mount ($39 vs. $80). I mounted it to the upper rear hatch. I have my choice of antennas. I’m leaving my Comet 2-SBB on there, but I also have the longer 7-SBB which I can swap out easily. Both are top notch units. I ran the coax down behind the weatherstripping, into the compartment where the jack is usually installed.
Radio Receiver Installation
Like my FJ Cruiser, I decided to utilize the jack and tool compartment for the radio receiver installation. The jack and tools are kept in a bag that I keep in the luggage compartment. I started off by removing the bracket that holds the jack. I’ll hold onto this if I ever sell the vehicle.
I had a metal bracket laying around in my basement from another radio project that worked well. The radio was bolted to this bracket using the Kenwood-supplied components, and the bracket was bolted to the original hole where the jack bracket was installed with its original 10mm bolt. The original jack compartment cover was retained and hide everything nicely. My OCD set in and I added a “RADIO” label to the cover just in case I forget where I hid it ☺
Remote Head Installation
I wanted the remote head where I could see it while driving. I saw a post by another MUD member who utilized the ash tray and decided to follow their lead (thanks!). I removed the ash tray and its face place. Using the original screws, I made a new bracket out of a piece of scrap Kydex, and attached the Kenwood-supplied remote head bracket to that. Everything fit in nicely, but I did not like the way the head unit could potentially vibrate. A few pieces of Velcro solved that problem.
Microphone Installation
Since the microphone does not mount to the head unit, I had to run the cabling back to the radio unit anyway. I figured why not mount it closer to the center console where I could store the mike when it was not being used.
I ran the cabling and used Velcro on the connector in the very back of the console out of site. I did move the seat all the way forward and my original plan was shot down when I moved the seat back and it ripped my connector off its Velcro. I ended up using the location shown. I might relocate this so it is more hidden in the future.
When the mike is not in use, it fits nicely into the console with the lid closed.
Remote Speaker Installation
The Kenwood TM-V71A is a 2m/440 radio and can receive on both frequencies at once. It also provides two speaker ports so I figured I might as well take advantage of these. I had one MFJ-281 speaker (about 4”x4”) and bought a second one. I installed them out of the way in the passenger foot well using existing screws that were down there. The wiring was run behind the console, over the driver’s foot well to the extension cable that sits behind the panel next to the drivers left foot rest. They are slightly visible but still out of the way. I liked the fact that I did not have to drill any holes to mount these either.
Power Installation
I had to run power from the battery all the way back to the jack compartment. The Kenwood remote kit provided a 12 gauge wire set with 20 amp fuses very close to the where the wiring would connect to the battery. I ran the wiring through the firewall in the rubber grommet to the left of the brake pedal. This was actually very easy to do and while I had to punch a hole using a screwdriver, the wiring went through easily. I ran everything under the hood through conduit to protect it and give it a factory look. All connections were sealed with heat shrink tape. I made sure I left a decent “service loop” in the jack compartment as well as under the hood just in case.
Hiding Cables
In general, the cabling was easily run from the jack compartment to the left-rear doorjamb using an electrician’s fish tape and pulling the cables through carefully one-by-one. The jambs were removed carefully (buy a tool to avoid breaking the round plastic clips). The weather stripping was lifted and there was a nice channel in there to run the wires through. The driver’s door jamb was similar and the panel to the left of the left foot rest was easily accessible. This locate allowed me to run the power forward through the firewall, and the remote head and speaker cables over the top of the drivers foot well, behind the center console, and into the passenger foot well. The remote head cable ran through the ash tray to behind the center console into the upper driver’s foot well.
I used cable ties to keep things up out of the way, and once again, made sure I left a generous service loop in case I need to pull wires for some reason.
Conclusion
The radio powered up perfectly the first time. I have not made any QSOs yet, but still need to program the radio for my local repeaters. Since I don’t have a reliable Windows laptop to take to the radio, I will use a desktop in my radio shack. The Kenwood unit can easily be removed for programming by taking off the remote head by the ash tray, and removing the radio unit in the jack compartment, and plugging them into my shack power supply and antenna.
Do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. Of course any suggestions for improvements to this process are welcome too.
73’s,
Paul DiMarco
KB1MAU
I think Yaesu is the only radio manufacturer that has the microphone plug into the remote head itself. In the Kenwood units (and Icom and I’m sure others), the microphone has to be run back to the central radio receiver. I did purchase the option Kenwood remote mounting kit, which included all the cabling and connectors for the speakers, microphone, power, and the head.
Anyway, I thought it would be good to document my installation here for others to refer to. I hate seeing exposed wiring, and I cringe when I see pictures in QST or other Ham Radio magazines of sloppy installations. I had done a very nice installation in my FJC and the pattern I followed for running wiring worked quite well in the UZJ100 (actually I think it was easier). I am breaking it down into logical components as follows:
1. Antenna Installation
2. Radio Receiver Installation
3. Remote Head Installation
4. Microphone Installation
5. Remote Speaker Installation
6. Power
7. Hiding Cables
Antenna Installation
Originally, my plan was to drill the roof for an NMO mount. However, I was not too inspired to do this like I did with the FJ Cruiser. I had an extra Diamond K400SNMO mount left over from the FJC. The mount was solid but the wiring was ratty. Thankfully HRO had a replacement kit to fix the NMO and cables and retain the mount ($39 vs. $80). I mounted it to the upper rear hatch. I have my choice of antennas. I’m leaving my Comet 2-SBB on there, but I also have the longer 7-SBB which I can swap out easily. Both are top notch units. I ran the coax down behind the weatherstripping, into the compartment where the jack is usually installed.
Radio Receiver Installation
Like my FJ Cruiser, I decided to utilize the jack and tool compartment for the radio receiver installation. The jack and tools are kept in a bag that I keep in the luggage compartment. I started off by removing the bracket that holds the jack. I’ll hold onto this if I ever sell the vehicle.
I had a metal bracket laying around in my basement from another radio project that worked well. The radio was bolted to this bracket using the Kenwood-supplied components, and the bracket was bolted to the original hole where the jack bracket was installed with its original 10mm bolt. The original jack compartment cover was retained and hide everything nicely. My OCD set in and I added a “RADIO” label to the cover just in case I forget where I hid it ☺
Remote Head Installation
I wanted the remote head where I could see it while driving. I saw a post by another MUD member who utilized the ash tray and decided to follow their lead (thanks!). I removed the ash tray and its face place. Using the original screws, I made a new bracket out of a piece of scrap Kydex, and attached the Kenwood-supplied remote head bracket to that. Everything fit in nicely, but I did not like the way the head unit could potentially vibrate. A few pieces of Velcro solved that problem.
Microphone Installation
Since the microphone does not mount to the head unit, I had to run the cabling back to the radio unit anyway. I figured why not mount it closer to the center console where I could store the mike when it was not being used.
I ran the cabling and used Velcro on the connector in the very back of the console out of site. I did move the seat all the way forward and my original plan was shot down when I moved the seat back and it ripped my connector off its Velcro. I ended up using the location shown. I might relocate this so it is more hidden in the future.
When the mike is not in use, it fits nicely into the console with the lid closed.
Remote Speaker Installation
The Kenwood TM-V71A is a 2m/440 radio and can receive on both frequencies at once. It also provides two speaker ports so I figured I might as well take advantage of these. I had one MFJ-281 speaker (about 4”x4”) and bought a second one. I installed them out of the way in the passenger foot well using existing screws that were down there. The wiring was run behind the console, over the driver’s foot well to the extension cable that sits behind the panel next to the drivers left foot rest. They are slightly visible but still out of the way. I liked the fact that I did not have to drill any holes to mount these either.
Power Installation
I had to run power from the battery all the way back to the jack compartment. The Kenwood remote kit provided a 12 gauge wire set with 20 amp fuses very close to the where the wiring would connect to the battery. I ran the wiring through the firewall in the rubber grommet to the left of the brake pedal. This was actually very easy to do and while I had to punch a hole using a screwdriver, the wiring went through easily. I ran everything under the hood through conduit to protect it and give it a factory look. All connections were sealed with heat shrink tape. I made sure I left a decent “service loop” in the jack compartment as well as under the hood just in case.
Hiding Cables
In general, the cabling was easily run from the jack compartment to the left-rear doorjamb using an electrician’s fish tape and pulling the cables through carefully one-by-one. The jambs were removed carefully (buy a tool to avoid breaking the round plastic clips). The weather stripping was lifted and there was a nice channel in there to run the wires through. The driver’s door jamb was similar and the panel to the left of the left foot rest was easily accessible. This locate allowed me to run the power forward through the firewall, and the remote head and speaker cables over the top of the drivers foot well, behind the center console, and into the passenger foot well. The remote head cable ran through the ash tray to behind the center console into the upper driver’s foot well.
I used cable ties to keep things up out of the way, and once again, made sure I left a generous service loop in case I need to pull wires for some reason.
Conclusion
The radio powered up perfectly the first time. I have not made any QSOs yet, but still need to program the radio for my local repeaters. Since I don’t have a reliable Windows laptop to take to the radio, I will use a desktop in my radio shack. The Kenwood unit can easily be removed for programming by taking off the remote head by the ash tray, and removing the radio unit in the jack compartment, and plugging them into my shack power supply and antenna.
Do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. Of course any suggestions for improvements to this process are welcome too.
73’s,
Paul DiMarco
KB1MAU
