Where's your ham rig?

[Steve W]

Yeah, I've seen the posts for CB mounting and some of them are pretty good.

VHF/UHF ham sets require higher current then the 4W CB sets, so part of this post is to get ideas about how to get the power cable up to the battery, as using the interior wiring will likely be inadequate unless I stay QRP.

I've got a '97 standard cab with a fairly basic interior. I've done a cursory look at the firewall and it appears the rubber area around the steering column may be a possible route. Anyone used that? Are there any plugs in the floor where I could sneak the coax?

TNX & 73,

Steve
(W1ES)

 

[4x4junkie]

I poked a hole through the rubber grommet surrounding (I think it was) the cruise control wiring and ran a wire through there to the battery (it's nearby where the big main harness plug is under the dash).

Several rubber hole plugs in the rear cab floor area you can do the same for the coax too (pull the carpet up a bit to find them).

 

[ChopTop84]

Keep that coax away from your computer unless its high quality stuff. The radioshack stuff will bleed into your computer and kill your engine, or make it run really funny. Ask me how I know!

My rig is a remote unit, so the faceplate is on the dash, but the "brain" is under the back seat and the wiring is run up thru the floor. Does Ham and CB both, so only one rig.

 

[ChrisW6ATV]

My truck will get a 2m or dual-band radio eventually. On other vehicles, I have run 12-gauge power wires through a hole I have cut in a big grommet around a wire harness near the steering column.

 

[Smokeybehr]

Radio is mounted to the roof crossmember, with the power running down the A pillar on the passenger side through a grommet to the battery.

 

[doyouquaxu]

anyone ever mount a ham rig in the glove box? i'm thinking of doing that and mounting up a small fan to create airflow.

 

[AllanD]

Since I have a Gen3 Ranger with what is largely an explorer harness there were exsisting power feeds through the firewall for equipment that I simply don't have... Power windows rear window defogger rear wiper...

So I used the 30amp line for the rear window defogger to feed power to my 2m/44 rig

That line is fused with a 30amp Maxi-fuse in the underhood load center as well as the twin 20amp inline fuses Icom includes in the factory power cable for the radio.

The rig is currently mounted under the dash, but I'm relocating it to my overhead shelf
as soon as the weather cools off

As mounting it there will actually shorten all the wiring runs, particularly the one to the roof mounted antenna.

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