Ham radio install

[kd1yt]

Nicely done!! You mention wanting to put a mount on the side of the bed for HF. The usual ball mounts are generally really poor quality and much less sturdy than they look. Google:

Breedlove Antenna mounts

and you will find a guy who makes a wide range of really stout, well-made mounts. Prices, though not cheap, are a really good value considering the quality of design, work, and materials

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[Radio Guy]

Nicely done!! You mention wanting to put a mount on the side of the bed for HF. The usual ball mounts are generally really poor quality and much less sturdy than they look. Google:

Breedlove Antenna mounts

and you will find a guy who makes a wide range of really stout, well-made mounts. Prices, though not cheap, are a really good value considering the quality of design, work, and materials

I have several ball mounts from the Motorola/Mobat line, these are the best I have found with machined Delrin insulators and designed for high power HF. However, I will be using an antenna mount made by Harris for HUMVEEs and other military vehicles. It has a standard 4 bolt pattern that fits most modern military antennas from HF through several GHz. Once this mount is on I have adapter plates for NMO, 3/8-24 and a monster quick disconnect bayonet from Hi-Q antennas called the AQD here: https://store.hiqantennas.com/produ...s-male-female-parts-and-insulating-washer-kit

So this one mount will handle any antenna with an NMO or any CB whip or Hamstick or my Hi-Q 160-10m screwdriver with 5" coil or my Tarheel 100HP or my Shakespeare military 1011 whip in a 16 or 32ft config fed by an Icom AH-4 auto tuner which has a bolt pattern that happens to fit the military mount. Whew, that's a lot of potential antennas on this one mount. I ran double braid silver plated RG-142 coax to this mount as its the same size as RG-58 but will handle a few kW if needed. I will occasionally use a 500w SGC HF amp.

I should have the mount on by tomorrow and will post pics with various antennas attached, then it should make more sense.

 

[Radio Guy]

Got the truck bed wall antenna mount on and here are some pics that will explain what's going on. The first is of some Rivnuts installed in the bed wall to hold the military mount and I had already run the coax and control cable for my HF screwdriver and auto tuner.

The next is the military mount installed then with a 30 to 520MHz military whip.

Then here is the NMO adapter plate with a GMRS antenna.

Then the 3/8-24 adapter plate with an Outbacker HF whip.

Then the big boy HF quick disconnect plate and a Hi-Q screwdriver antenna.

When I use the screwdriver or some other HF antennas I also use an impedance matching transformer that now fits inside the mount. This one is 50 ohm in and either 25 or 12 ohms out.

Then there is the HF auto tuner I can use with various whips and random wires. There was a hole pattern on the military mount that happened to match the Icom tuner mounting holes.

And finally here is all the whip adapter plates lined up making the most universal antenna mounting system I've ever seen on a vehicle.

 

[Radio Guy]

I forgot to mention there is a cover plate that goes on the military mount to hide and protect cables, matching transformer, etc.

 

[sarguy1941]

really want to find one of those mounts one day. the Motorola Ball mounts are scarce as well now.

 

[Radio Guy]

really want to find one of those mounts one day. the Motorola Ball mounts are scarce as well now.

There are a couple of these mounts on Ebay right now but they don't include the cover plate. I suppose you could make a cover if you get the mount for a good price. The cover is a good idea to protect wiring and it also adds strength to the mount.

 

[kd1yt]

Bravo on the install. I have done a past HF mobile install with a Hi-Q (I'd chosen and used the manually adjustable model, I don't think he promotes those anymore, not sure if he makes them) and I have avidly looked for and read about other peoples' installs and yours is among the topmost of the top tier. Hi-Q makes impressive antennas. I wouldn't, myself, have patience for unbolting and re-bolting the mount plates for using different antenna types but I do not say that to detract from the approach you are taking- you clearly have a very versatile approach that matches what you want out of it.

If I can get to the point where my day job is not exhausting so much of my time and energy, my plan is to install a front 2" receiver hitch and then fabricate a 2" mount for an AB-652 antenna insulator spring base from a GRC-106 HF military HF mobile truck [with an autotuner mounted behind my JT's plastic bumper shroud), and make an adapter so that I can use a 102" stainless whip, pulled back and tied off, during regular driving, but, when stationary, use a batch of the AB/MS sectional antenna shafts to have a much taller vertical antenna (and potentially even a wire from the top for some sort of "inverted L") for "stationary HF mobile." I know that the autotuners have compromises, but so do any HF install and at least for now, this is the compromise I've decided to go with. I do have an Hi-Q 2.5 lightweight antenna (this one electric-motor-adjust) that I may try at some point.

Again, bravo, and 73 de KD1YT

 

[Radio Guy]

Bravo on the install. I have done a past HF mobile install with a Hi-Q (I'd chosen and used the manually adjustable model, I don't think he promotes those anymore, not sure if he makes them) and I have avidly looked for and read about other peoples' installs and yours is among the topmost of the top tier. Hi-Q makes impressive antennas. I wouldn't, myself, have patience for unbolting and re-bolting the mount plates for using different antenna types but I do not say that to detract from the approach you are taking- you clearly have a very versatile approach that matches what you want out of it.

If I can get to the point where my day job is not exhausting so much of my time and energy, my plan is to install a front 2" receiver hitch and then fabricate a 2" mount for an AB-652 antenna insulator spring base from a GRC-106 HF military HF mobile truck [with an autotuner mounted behind my JT's plastic bumper shroud), and make an adapter so that I can use a 102" stainless whip, pulled back and tied off, during regular driving, but, when stationary, use a batch of the AB/MS sectional antenna shafts to have a much taller vertical antenna (and potentially even a wire from the top for some sort of "inverted L") for "stationary HF mobile." I know that the autotuners have compromises, but so do any HF install and at least for now, this is the compromise I've decided to go with. I do have an Hi-Q 2.5 lightweight antenna (this one electric-motor-adjust) that I may try at some point.

Again, bravo, and 73 de KD1YT

Thanks for the kind words on my install, however I'm getting old, rusty and impatient and never put as much detail into my own installs as I would for someone else. The HF part of my install will only get occasional use maybe to and from a campsite but the key point is versatility for testing and evaluating different antennas.

I've done a lot of experimenting and there is a lot of data on the Internet about how inefficient a trailer hitch antenna mount is. Its one of the worst places on a vehicle to put an antenna and it introduces a lot of ground losses and other inefficiencies. A mobile antenna wants a lot of flat sheet metal right below it and a trailer hitch robs it of that needed component.

You can usually tell if a mounting location is going to be efficient or not by measuring the feedpoint impedance on the lower bands like 40 and 80m. A hamstick or screwdriver or similar should be well under 50 ohms like maybe 15-20 ohms on 40m and 10-15 ohms on 80m if it has a lot of ground plane. When you stick an antenna way out from the vehicle body on a trailer hitch mount it raises the natural impedance of the antenna and thats all loss, its like putting a 20 or 30 ohm resistor in line with the coax at the feedpoint. If your new 40 or 80m whip install is measuring under 25 ohms your getting in the ball park, if it has a good 50 ohm match with no matching components installed you have a bunch of loss in the system.

A 9ft SS whip and auto tuner works ok from about 20m and up but on 40m it takes a big hit in performance and on 80m its just dismal. The tuner will give you a good match but you can't hardly talk to anyone.

I do occasionally use a trailer hitch mount but only when parked and after I've put out a large field of ground radials like a dozen 30ft long each. Here is a picture of a trailer hitch mount for a 16 or 32ft Shakespeare military whip that can hold a variety of auto tuners like an Icom AH-4 or the really good Icom compatible Alinco tuner or the fabulous 500 watt rated Harris RF-382 series shown here. This Harris tuner is modified to work with any HF radio and I use it with an SGC 500 watt amplifier.

 

[cwieland]

Here's some pics of my recent Yaesu FTM-400 install.

A Topsy mount with a DIAMOND NR770HB

PowerWerx 12 guage connector with fuses on both sides direct to battery. PowerWerx connectors on both ends

The main unit mounted to bottom of overhead

and the head unit mounted with a modified 67Designs ball

The wiring was all run up the windshield channel (power right side antenna on the left). The pics are not great but I can elaborate if anyone may be interested. Thanks to a lot of the ideas I found on this site.

Best,
KN6NJA

 

[IamPro2A]

I am still trying to figure out my radio install. In my Ram, it was pretty good. Not perfect, but not in the way, or sitting up on top of the dash attracting unwanted attention.
For the YJ, I have a Tuffy security console with the radio compartment. No idea where to mount my Yaesu FT7900 in the Gladiator though.

 

[Simple Man]

Here's some pics of my recent Yaesu FTM-400 install.

A Topsy mount with a DIAMOND NR770HB

PowerWerx 12 guage connector with fuses on both sides direct to battery. PowerWerx connectors on both ends

The main unit mounted to bottom of overhead

and the head unit mounted with a modified 67Designs ball

The wiring was all run up the windshield channel (power right side antenna on the left). The pics are not great but I can elaborate if anyone may be interested. Thanks to a lot of the ideas I found on this site.

Best,
KN6NJA

What coax connection is that? I just purchased the same antenna and now researching a good coax connection.

Thanks,

 

[TwoSerious]

What coax connection is that? I just purchased the same antenna and now researching a good coax connection.

Thanks,

Are you looking for something a little more flexible/thinner? Diamond I believe sells a mount that is RG-316. Comet has the CR-5M I believe its called that is RG-58. Still flexible but less loss.

 

[teddo]

On a molle panel overhead, I have the mic/controller for the Motorla GMRS radio so all I need is the Mic here. The screwdriver antenna controller and two speakers, one for each of the radio. I plan on re-doing this and just use one speaker and a couple diodes to connect them both without feeding back one radio to another.

@KHam I have the same Molle panel and want to mount a radio there too. Where did you run the power wiring to?

 

[teddo]

Here's some pics of my recent Yaesu FTM-400 install.

A Topsy mount with a DIAMOND NR770HB

PowerWerx 12 guage connector with fuses on both sides direct to battery. PowerWerx connectors on both ends

The main unit mounted to bottom of overhead

and the head unit mounted with a modified 67Designs ball

The wiring was all run up the windshield channel (power right side antenna on the left). The pics are not great but I can elaborate if anyone may be interested. Thanks to a lot of the ideas I found on this site.

Best,
KN6NJA

Where did you run the power for the radio you mounted on that Molle panel?

 

[KHam]

@KHam I have the same Molle panel and want to mount a radio there too. Where did you run the power wiring to?

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it, but I ran a 4-ga marine wire from the battery in the engine compartment, down and tucked along the frame to the rear and came up through a drain plug under the rear seat passenger side where I terminated it into a fuse block. All the radios and power for the radios are all under the rear passenger side seat. It was easy then to conceal wires in the trim back to power anything in that overhead panel.

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