Another small upgrade....motorized antenna roof mounts. (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Oct 30, 2007
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Location
Southern California
I know that all antennas are best on the roof. We all know that, but some of us like to park in the garage and don't have a 20ft garage opening!

So I looked for solutions. I found the awesome Diamond® Antenna ~ K9000LRMO Motorized Luggage Rack Mount diamond motorized roof mount.

A very detailed review of the item:

https://www.expeditionexchange.com/diamondantenna/

(About 3/4 of the way down)

It moves the antennas 90 degrees up and down at the push of a button.

The good things:

I can fit in the garage.
I only pop up the antenna when I need it.
There is a special mechanism inside to prevent the antennas that hit items to still move when in the locked up position.
Great when going through low brush with the antennas up, I can now lower them down!
They hold up well and fine at any speed of the vehicle.
Diamond is a great company to help with things.
Looks REALLY kewl when moving up and down!
Fell like I have 'The Falcon' with all of my mods!

The bad:

Motorized (more moving parts, more that can go wrong)
Not only do I have an antenna cable now, I have a power cable running from the roof.
Expensive ($104 per!)

The unknown:

Will the button control last?
How long with the motor mechanism last?
When and if the motor part goes, I will have to re-run the power wires OR splice into the existing power wires.
From what I have read these can last anywhere from 6 months to 5 years. So durability is unknown.


The major issue I have is how to get these wires INTO the cabin area to be routed appropriately.

I am going to combine the power for the switches. They run on 12v and only pull .4 amps when running. It takes approx 4-6 seconds to go up or down.

The switches will be mounted to the right of the steering wheel where there are two empty slots.

Here is a thread where someone describes replacing the original switch with a dpdt center off switch:

Outdoor Adventure USA, LLC • View topic - Dual Diamond K9000 Mount Installation

I am not going to do that just yet as my switches are new. Why mess with something that is not broken. Plus he has them wired so that both of his antennas go up and down together. I don't need both being up and down at the same time just yet.

Anyway, enjoy this mod!

Drivers side Ham Antenna Mount:

Ham_Antenaa.jpg


Passenger Wilson Cell Repeater Antenna:

wilson_antenna.jpg


About the Wilson Cell Repeater, here is a link to describe that:

Cell Phone Antennas and Cell Phone Boosters at Wilson Electronics

I have the model: 801201

I just did a run from Southern California to Vegas the back way through the desert. Usually there is a large stretch where I get NO service. With this working I only had (2) 1/4 mile parts where I got no service. This item is GREAT for only $250!!

I have the amplifier under the passenger seat. Power is going to be hardwired into the rigrunner when I have some time.


For wire routing I currently have them running to the rear hatch and under the seal into the rear then under the inside panels. I am think I am going to make a few small slits in the metal under the rear hatch rubber seal and slide the wires in there so they are not bent. That should still allow the seal to fit over the trim of the hatch metal and not compromise the water sealing.

That seems easier then drilling a hole I need to fill up with silicon to seal. Also would make it a heck of alot easier if I need to replace any of the wires if needed.

Thoughts?
 
Here is a continuation of the dual motorized mounts and the Wilson Cellular Repeater install.

Below is a pic of the Wilson install:

wilson_setup.jpg


I put the amplifier with some velcro under the passenger seat. You will notice the internal black antenna velcro'd to the passenger side of the cool box. This antenna needs to be within 2-3 feet of the cell phone. Since I have my cell phone in a carrier attached to the dash to the right of the center console this is the perfect place for the internal antenna.


There is a light indicator on the amp if the internal antenna is not far enough from the external antenna. It has it's own power adapter. I opened the lighter adapter end and notice that there is no converter for power, so I just snipped it off, extended wires and ran then under the passenger side panels then snaked it to the drivers side to the rigrunner.

wilson_wire.jpg


Like I mentioned above I mounted the switches to the right of the steering wheel in those two blank spaces.

Originally I thought the wires would go through the button areas then I realized the wires come through the bottom of the switches. So I drilled another set of a holes under the button areas. Then I used some double stick tape to make them stay.


button_holes.jpg


button_halfway.jpg


button_finished.jpg


Looks alright when done. Like I mentioned before, once the factory stuff goes bad (or I am bored) I will put in an actual dpdt switches.
 
Last edited:
What a great idea. Nicely done.
Is that the rigrunner on the side of your cooler box?
 
Nope that is the internal antenna for the cellular repeater. The rigrunner is under the drivers dash.
 
So these things do work?! I need one of these suckers for my internet usb modem. I get crappy reception every now and then, especially on Us 95 and 93 in Nevada.
 
If you mean the wilson kit, yes it does! I was as surprised as anyone!
 
So antennas and amplifiers. Alrighty, im getting me some new toys for my big rig!
 
I am feeling more and more like Han Solo when he works on on the falcon.
 
I am feeling more and more like Han Solo when he works on on the falcon.

Funny...My buddy had an older GMC Z71 that I called the Milleniumn Falcon. The thing was ugly, but could haul ass, and never let us down.

Since then, I have been searching for my own, and it was actually a few months ago that I thought the LC200 was the closest thing. :cheers:
 
Same one I have. Are you planning on using the motorized mount also? If yes let me know and I will do a faq for you.

The k9000 mount is NOT 3/4 inch size. So you need to drill it out to that size for the new cable to work.

What extra cable and antenna did you order?

It is also pretty easy to hardwire. Let me know when you get it and I will walk you through it.
 
Nice!
 
Thx, i figure since OME makes suspension for everything, its time to ask them to lift it for me and have ARB custom make me a safari bumper lmao

:flipoff2::flipoff2:
 
Now why did you order that antenna? Are you going to do a permament mount? If not what are you going to use as a grounding plate?
 
Won't the carwash just peel those right off?
 
Won't the carwash just peel those right off?

Ummm they are not taped on. They have rack mounts that are held on with screws and locking nuts.

I am not worried about the car wash. Plus I don't know of a single car wash that has brushed that go up that far, just water jets.
 
Who takes a Landcruiser through a car wash anyway? :flipoff2: They're supposed to be dirty!

Those roof mounts are pretty slick, although it would be nice if they could handle longer antennas.
 
Who takes a Landcruiser through a car wash anyway? :flipoff2: They're supposed to be dirty!

Those roof mounts are pretty slick, although it would be nice if they could handle longer antennas.

They can handle up to 3-4 feet I think.....
 
Now why did you order that antenna? Are you going to do a permament mount? If not what are you going to use as a grounding plate?

Back of the cab, the batwings used for aerodynamics have nice mounting brackets that are sturdy enough to hold very heavy objects under alot of force from heavy winds and truck washes. That ands its a very high mounting point so i know i'll get all the signal in the world and then some haha.
 

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