Ham antenna suggestions (1 Viewer)

[jht3]

I'm partial to the Diamond K400SNMO Trunk/Hatchback Mount. I've had one on both my 80 Series and they work well on a 60. For a wagon you'll need an 8 or 10' RG316 SMA-F to SMA-M extension cable to make it to the dash.

The type of antenna you get will likely depend on the terrain you encounter. If you wheel in the trees then I like the Larson 150. It's a SS whip that can really take a beating in the woods, but it will go off axis on the highway. If you're always in the clear, I had great luck with the Diamond NR770HBNMO. It's a dual band and gets out better than any antennae I've tried, and can be folded down when needed. It will bend if you whack it.
For trail use I have a Comet SBB-1NMO that I've grown to like. It doesn't care about trees, it gets out reasonably well for a stubby, and is dual band.

@jonheld
i'm cobbling together parts to do almost exactly what you have, and do you really need another 8-10' of coax?

i believe you ran down the drivers side under the carpet, crossing over in the footwell. where did the 13.5' run out? right now i have a handheld mounted near the headunit, but will get a proper mobile radio installed in my Delta console eventually.

as for extension cable, its not easy to find; its either 6" or 20'+. the Diamond extensions have all the wrong ends? this should work as its SMA female and SMA male. its RG174 vs RG316 but the specs look close enough:
Amazon product ASIN B07P7NH7FP

 

[jonheld]

@jht3 I can't remember where I got the SMA M-F RG316 extension, but it was a custom web order. Pick the cable, length, and ends, and hit the order button. Definitely not an Amazon purchase.

The supplied length on the Diamond mount ran out around the rear door footwell, maybe the B pillar. I ran it tie wrapped to the cable bundle that exits the upper hatch, down under the outer lip of the hatch weather strip, behind the left tail lamp assembly, and into the body cavity through the grommet. From there I followed the fuel fill release cable up to the dash, behind and above all the dangly bits to the radio.

 

[jonheld]

@jht3 Here are 3 options that came up on a google search.

Amazon product ASIN B077Y9PCSZ

Cable Assembly Builder — ABR Industries

abrind.com

RF Connector Manufacturer || RF Adapters || RF Cables

RF Connector and RF Cable Assembly manufacturer headquartered in San Diego, California. RF Connector manufactures a full range of quality Radio Frequency (RF) coaxial cables and connectors.

www.rfconnector.com

 

[jht3]

@jonheld i'm surprised 13.5 only gets to the B pillar but i guess mentally i wasn't accounting for the hatch and all the bends. this is why boards like this are great! thanks for the links...you found results i didn't...especially the custom cables. nice! i was hoping to buy a Diamond extension but the SMA cable has mini-UHF on the other end.

one more question on how fit the cable through the taillight housing. did you have to clearance the plastic housing any to squeeze the cable between the body and housing? or did you pass the cable THROUGH the housing, which would make any later replacement a chore.

i'm leaning towards a SBB-1 and a SBB-5 combo. short rubber ducky for trails/urban garages and a ~40in 1/2 wave for open roads

 

[jonheld]

@jonheld i'm surprised 13.5 only gets to the B pillar but i guess mentally i wasn't accounting for the hatch and all the bends. this is why boards like this are great! thanks for the links...you found results i didn't...especially the custom cables. nice! i was hoping to buy a Diamond extension but the SMA cable has mini-UHF on the other end.

one more question on how fit the cable through the taillight housing. did you have to clearance the plastic housing any to squeeze the cable between the body and housing? or did you pass the cable THROUGH the housing, which would make any later replacement a chore.

i'm leaning towards a SBB-1 and a SBB-5 combo. short rubber ducky for trails/urban garages and a ~40in 1/2 wave for open roads

In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words. The second wire you see is my Sirius/XM antenna. It follows the same path.

 

[jht3]

turns out I have a Ham Radio Outlet nearby, which stocks pre-made RG316 extension cables terminated in SMA-M and SMA-F. i went with the 9' length. the other options were 6' or 12'. and they had everything else I need too; K400 mount, antenna's, etc.

ABR Industries LLC 23316-SM-SF-9

9 ft Coax Jumper SMA Male to SMA Female RG316 Cable

www.hamradio.com

 

[jht3]

finally got some free time and good weather to get this all installed.

K400 SMA with Comet SSB-5 antenna. also have the stubby SSB-1 on standby. i left the thin metal strip between the grub screws and hatch....not sure if that is right or not? reception seems OK but don't have a SWR meter or antenna analyzer.

zip ties, then tucked into the weather strip

loosened the latch to tuck the wires tighter. didn't need to trim anything there as the wire is thin enough to slip between the light and inner housing. wires pass through the same grommet as the tail light wires.

ran the antenna wire along the drivers side, exiting at the B pillar seatbelt lower mount, under the drivers seat, under the center console, and popping out on the passenger side tunnel. the stock K400 antenna wire ran out of length at the seatbelt, so the extension WAS necessary. 6' would have worked fine in hindsight but 9' gives me flexibility to mount a future mobile radio anywhere i want (even though its probably going in the @Delta VS center console). currently have a Baofeng HT, so added a 90* adapter and a Female-Female adapter. radio mount came from @Outsane with a short Ram arm and Ram ball screwed into an existing hole on the @Delta VS shift console. The radio mount is VERY tight on the Baofeng for some reason...almost like my battery is thicker than designed for, even though its the stock battery. No matter, with the external antenna and speaker/mic, i don't need to constantly remove the radio.

 

[Outsane]

@jht3 It's snug so you can mob down washboards without it coming out.

It will also wear in a little an slightly loosen up, insert and remove a few times should help.

If you want looser I can send a custom one for you.

 

[jht3]

@jht3 It's snug so you can mob down washboards without it coming out.

It will also wear in a little an slightly loosen up, insert and remove a few times should help.

If you want looser I can send a custom one for you.

what battery did you model this up against? just wondering.

thanks for the offer but i'm good. the first time i shoved it home, i didn't think i was ever separating them again! now i only insert the radio until it snugs up, but i only remove it for charging so it isn't all that often.

 

[Outsane]

I used the regular and the extended battery

 

[jht3]

i guess i did something right. from my driveway i picked up a repeater 28 miles away.