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Nope, for large diameter multi strand wire, crimp is the lowest resistance and best mechanical connection and soldering is not allowed in many industries because of potential problems.

Crimp it, don’t solder it. Not counting all the hobby soldering I did starting back in the late 60s I got formal training in the early 80s working for the largest aerospace company in the US and also became a mil spec inspector for mechanical and solder connections in small electronic...

Crimping large gauge wire or even small gauge wire is better than soldering provided you have the proper crimpers and they are either calibrated or in good shape. I also got tired of soldering larger wires like 6ga through 0000 and bought a hydronic crimper. This was much cheaper than a hand...

Are you able to measure VSWR? That might be helpful for others considering the same setup.

I checked my NMO mount on hood hear a hinge with a Larsen NMO270, Tram 6" 1/4 wave UHF whip and broad band Comet 2X4SR antenna on both VHF and UHF. All antennas performed as expected with good VSWR over their rated frequency range. Larsen NMO270 Tram UHF 1/4 wave Comet 2X4SR...

Are you checking VSWR with an antenna analyzer? If so check from 400-500MHz and see if it dips somewhere or if its just bad everywhere. I can stick a 1/4 wave whip on mine tomorrow and test. I do have aluminum tape under the curved cowl pieces behind and to the outside of my antenna mounts. That...

Trunk lip mount on the hood near a hinge? Any pictures? Cable length doesn't matter and the shorter the better.

I've done a lot of testing with COMPACtennas and they work surprisingly well for their size. The newer versions for 2m/440, multiband scanner and multiband LMR are about 9" long and work about as good as a full size 1/4 wave whip on each band. That's very remarkable that a 9" antenna will hold...

I've used just about every dual band amateur NMO mount antenna and the open coil Larsen NMO270 is the best of them all for maximum range.

Solar panels for 12V systems are around 21 volts at the high end and 28 volts is a bit unusual. Solar charge controllers are not that expensive and I've been using these 30A MPPT versions that are under $12 but I see they are also limited to 25V from the panel, otherwise they will assume you...

That is sick. I mean slick! No, really its sick.

Here are some black trunk lip NMO mounts real cheap surplus like $10. I just got two in the other day and they look fine and are made by a major antenna company. I usually use Laird brand but these look to be very similar. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225862639810

I would recommend the top of hood trunk lip mount near a hood hinge like my pictures above as it provides some useful flat ground plane under the antenna and its not likely to ever snag anything. The mounts that stick out between the hood and front quarter panel place the antenna below hood...

Trunk lip mount on the hood works great, mechanically and performance wise.

Cowl mount on a JT is easy, use a trunk lip NMO mount near the hood hinges and something like a Larsen 27MHz NMO base load. Very good antenna with skinny but long stainless steel whip that will not over stress the mount if the whip hits something. Close proximity to the A pillar is not an issue...

A simple 6" long 1/4 wave UHF whip works better than the low profile "pud" types and a black version is more invisible than the pud. Plus they are cheap. Here is one example and they are cheaper on eBay...

You didn't mention if it was for CB, GMRS, ???

It would be nice to know more about the new battery, its size and intended use. If its for a high current application I would want to see it grounded close to the main battery with the shortest cable run to avoid ground loops and voltage drop. Even though the truck frame and sheet metal is all...

I did the same thing but with two speakers. I actually have three radios and will probably add a third speaker. Behind the drivers head is a great place as its very easy to hear and you can turn it down real low and not bother passengers.

A front windshield antenna is not that much of a compromise on FM but on AM you take a reception hit. The front windshield with collision avoidance package is already a stupid price, it cost me just under $1k and a couple of hours for the guy to recalibrate the collision avoidance stuff. Adding...