So I passed my test (+) back in the beginning of November 2009 and have been researching radios, antennas, mounts, ground plane, installs, etc etc till I finally decided it was time to pick my radio and everything else that was important for the install.
Here's what I ended up with:
- Yaesu FT-8900R w/ YSK-8900 Separation Kit
- Yaesu VX-3R (HT, for out of vehicle communications)
- Yaesu MLS-100 External Speaker
- ANLI EX-270HD Antenna (5/8 NMO 2M/440 with a spring above the base)
- NMO mount (can't remember the brand)
- Hatch Lip Mount, Swivel (can't remember the brand)
My original plans were to drill a hole in the center of the hood close to the windshield, which I thought would lead to rust issues (because you should paint the exposed metal, ground plane blah blah). When I put the antenna flat on the hood, it leaned forward a bit because the hood curves down slightly. I was also a little bit worried about engine noise as those that have done it this way all ran diesels, so I just wasn't sure.
So I went and bought a swivel mount thinking I would put it on the upper hatch. After a recent New Year's wheeling trip, I realized have a 5/8 antenna high up on the hatch would mean having to replace it more than I'd like to, event with a spring base antenna. I bought my antenna and mount long before I bought my radio, thinking I would install it first while I was deciding on a radio. I didn't actually mount my antenna till I actually bought my radio, which was about a month later.
So playing around a bit more with the antenna position, I tried using the hatch swivel mount on the hood, which ended up fitting perfectly, centered, and on the back of the hood close to the windshield. Here are some of the reasons I picked this location:
- safest place for a 5/8 antenna, branches don't come in that far, and if they do, the windshield will prevent the antenna from going any further back
- center of the hood means harder for someone to come by and break it or steal it (truck is high and it takes a bit of stretching to reach it in the position)
- less wiring inside the cab to get the antenna to the radio
Under the lip of the hood, there is some plastic/rubber lining (I think seals the hood when it's closed), I had to take a screw driver and chip away at it where I was going to mount to ensure I got a good ground connection. After I centered it on the back of the hood, I mounted my antenna. It fit perfectly! I opened the hood and the antenna lines up perfectly parallel with the windshield. Bonus!
While I was trying to figure out how I was going to get power and the coax through the firewall, I noticed on the drivers side, there is a rubber grommet that seals a 1.5" sized hole into the cab. Another bonus - this install was really going my way. I drilled a couple of holes into the rubber and feed the coax and power wires in.
Now for the radio. I originally wanted to mount the face of the radio higher up by the middle vents (there's a ledge there), but after more careful consideration, I decided to mount it underneath the shift lever for the transfer case. Reasons:
- if it's in direct sunlight, I can cover it
- if I'm in a bad part of town, I can cover it
- resting my arms on the center console, perfect access
- it just fits well there
I looked for a few places for the external speaker, which was a lot bigger than I though. There was room to mount it right underneath the ash tray so that's where it went. It's not in the way of the ashtray, not in the way of the 4-hi position, again, it just fit.
The control head of the radio took a bit more thought. I didn't want it anywhere on the floor just in case water decided to enter the cab, I also didn't want it any where visible, keeps it clean and uncluttered. It's a pretty bulky radio so there wasn't really many options. I looked under the drivers side dash and found a nice big empty space under there, complete with a mounting bracket for one side of the radio! I fiddled around with the position for a bit, mounted the bracket on the radio, drilled another hole in the bracket, and mounted the one side. I think it would have been strong enough to hold that way, but i zip tied the other side and middle just to be sure. I mounted it with all the plugs downwards (except for the plug for the face of the unit, which is on the opposite side. All the important connections are easily accessible at the bottom, which include, external speaker, data, and antenna plug.
I still need to figure out where I'm going to hang the mic though…
The install went great, it's like the 80 series was meant to have a HAM radio in there… I lucked out and everything fit perfectly with very minimal modifications. I'm so happy with the turn out, I'd love to do it again just for the sake of doing it again.
Here's what I ended up with:
- Yaesu FT-8900R w/ YSK-8900 Separation Kit
- Yaesu VX-3R (HT, for out of vehicle communications)
- Yaesu MLS-100 External Speaker
- ANLI EX-270HD Antenna (5/8 NMO 2M/440 with a spring above the base)
- NMO mount (can't remember the brand)
- Hatch Lip Mount, Swivel (can't remember the brand)
My original plans were to drill a hole in the center of the hood close to the windshield, which I thought would lead to rust issues (because you should paint the exposed metal, ground plane blah blah). When I put the antenna flat on the hood, it leaned forward a bit because the hood curves down slightly. I was also a little bit worried about engine noise as those that have done it this way all ran diesels, so I just wasn't sure.
So I went and bought a swivel mount thinking I would put it on the upper hatch. After a recent New Year's wheeling trip, I realized have a 5/8 antenna high up on the hatch would mean having to replace it more than I'd like to, event with a spring base antenna. I bought my antenna and mount long before I bought my radio, thinking I would install it first while I was deciding on a radio. I didn't actually mount my antenna till I actually bought my radio, which was about a month later.
So playing around a bit more with the antenna position, I tried using the hatch swivel mount on the hood, which ended up fitting perfectly, centered, and on the back of the hood close to the windshield. Here are some of the reasons I picked this location:
- safest place for a 5/8 antenna, branches don't come in that far, and if they do, the windshield will prevent the antenna from going any further back
- center of the hood means harder for someone to come by and break it or steal it (truck is high and it takes a bit of stretching to reach it in the position)
- less wiring inside the cab to get the antenna to the radio
Under the lip of the hood, there is some plastic/rubber lining (I think seals the hood when it's closed), I had to take a screw driver and chip away at it where I was going to mount to ensure I got a good ground connection. After I centered it on the back of the hood, I mounted my antenna. It fit perfectly! I opened the hood and the antenna lines up perfectly parallel with the windshield. Bonus!
While I was trying to figure out how I was going to get power and the coax through the firewall, I noticed on the drivers side, there is a rubber grommet that seals a 1.5" sized hole into the cab. Another bonus - this install was really going my way. I drilled a couple of holes into the rubber and feed the coax and power wires in.
Now for the radio. I originally wanted to mount the face of the radio higher up by the middle vents (there's a ledge there), but after more careful consideration, I decided to mount it underneath the shift lever for the transfer case. Reasons:
- if it's in direct sunlight, I can cover it
- if I'm in a bad part of town, I can cover it
- resting my arms on the center console, perfect access
- it just fits well there
I looked for a few places for the external speaker, which was a lot bigger than I though. There was room to mount it right underneath the ash tray so that's where it went. It's not in the way of the ashtray, not in the way of the 4-hi position, again, it just fit.
The control head of the radio took a bit more thought. I didn't want it anywhere on the floor just in case water decided to enter the cab, I also didn't want it any where visible, keeps it clean and uncluttered. It's a pretty bulky radio so there wasn't really many options. I looked under the drivers side dash and found a nice big empty space under there, complete with a mounting bracket for one side of the radio! I fiddled around with the position for a bit, mounted the bracket on the radio, drilled another hole in the bracket, and mounted the one side. I think it would have been strong enough to hold that way, but i zip tied the other side and middle just to be sure. I mounted it with all the plugs downwards (except for the plug for the face of the unit, which is on the opposite side. All the important connections are easily accessible at the bottom, which include, external speaker, data, and antenna plug.
I still need to figure out where I'm going to hang the mic though…
The install went great, it's like the 80 series was meant to have a HAM radio in there… I lucked out and everything fit perfectly with very minimal modifications. I'm so happy with the turn out, I'd love to do it again just for the sake of doing it again.
Last edited:
