Yaesu Ham Radio Installed!

[DaktariEd]

Well, I finished up the install today. Started last weekend, but never seemed to have any time in the evenings...

http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/IMG_9823.jpg

I installed the radio bracket on the front of the rear drawer unit, right next to the battery box. Made for a very simple power cable run...a simple terminal adapter for each lead.
The Yaesu FT-8800 has a nice remote-head mount, so I placed it up on the windshield frame to the upper left of the rear view mirror. The cable runs up along the upper edge of the windshield frame where it meets the roof, under the lip of the weatherseal....it's essentially invisible.
Yesterday my friend, Chris (pipeplug), came over and we fashioned an antenna bracket from 1/8" steel. Rather than try to bend a bracket to fit behind the hood latch (as we had discussed on another thread) we decided to make a simple flat bracket that installed nicely right in front of the latch. No muss, no fuss. I ran the antenna cable down the inside edge of the hood out of sight, then through the firewall (had a hole already there, just needed a bushing) and under the floor mats alongside the center console.
The antenna is a Comet SBB-7. It has a nice fold-over hinge that allows the 55" mast to be laid down to 90˚ in any direction. I am going to see if I can get a small rubber "catch" to set the antenna into when I raise the hood. I also picked up a shorty 18" Comet antenna for trail runs where I don't need a lot of distance.

All in all a great addition to the Cruiser.
Now to get outdoors and try it out!

:sombrero:
KE7OEF

[jeffryscott]

sweet. looks very nice Ed.

[Willman]

Nice clean install ED!

Does it work good?

;)

[Scenic WonderRunner]

SWEET!

Looks Awesome!

[1leglance]

looks great....how is the 8800 without button lights at night?
Sound quality and ease of use when driving?
I am in peru now so my radio purchase will be mid aug...still picking between the 7800 & 8800...
I really like your clean overhead install.
great work
enjoy
1leglance

[gary in ohio]

Nice looking. Might want to add a couple more cable ties on the RF deck to keep them from flopping around. I like the head placement, but I think the mic is going to get into the way.

[PhulesAU]

:victory: Looks great, what is that piece/thing with your call sign on it? mirror mount? I've never seen the inside of that model Yota.

[DaktariEd]

I had a few minutes to try out the radio...just listening....tonight. Even inside the garage I was hearing a 2 m conversation from over 15 miles away. Clear as a bell! Amazing! :victory:

Tomorrow I'll pull it outside and see what I get, maybe try a contact or two.

Let's see....

1leglance...the hand-mic/controller buttons light up, but the remote face buttons do not. I'm not sure how that will affect me in the long run. Most functions that I would probably use are on the hand-mic....just have to memorize a few button and switch locations for ease-of-use. Haven't used it driving yet. We shall see!

Gary, what do you mean by "...more cable ties on the RF deck..."? I rolled up the excess cable and tied them in bundles, then slid them under the passenger seat...out of sight and out of the way. Is that it?

PhulesAU, yes that's the mirror mount. Don't know if it's stock or not...but it's a handy place for my call sign and the little temperature sensor (the black dot with the wire attached).

Time to read....I'm going to start studying for my General class license...:coffeedrink:

:sombrero:

[gary in ohio]

Gary, what do you mean by "...more cable ties on the RF deck..."? I rolled up the excess cable and tied them in bundles, then slid them under the passenger seat...out of sight and out of the way. Is that it?


You should never coil up a power cable It should be cut to length. Also the power, coax and remote head just seem to be laying on the floor. Cable tie them to the bench so the cables can get tangled or caught on anything.

[DaktariEd]

Good point!
As I seem to recall a power cable in a loop will generate a field of some sort...(?)...

:sombrero:

[adventureduo]

Lookin' good Ed!!!! It's fun listening to people crystal clear isn't it? I was tripping out on how amazing the HAM sounds over the CB.

I posted up mine in the wrong section dang it. Installed our radio yesterday as well.

Can someone move this post over to the HAM section for me?
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6956

[gary in ohio]

Good point!
As I seem to recall a power cable in a loop will generate a field of some sort...(?)...

:sombrero:

A coil cabled will generate heat.

[sdlsatcom]

you can also generate a e-field from a coiled power cable. Similar to a magnet or inductor. At 12v it takes a fair amount of "wraps" but for the most part you want to avoid this.

That is a nice install, i went with the 7800 and am going to upgrade to the 857. I'll never go back to a non-remote mount radio. The way vehicles keep getting smaller on the inside you have to go remote, just need to find a place to put my APRS stuff now...

love the 40 man, nice install

[Azrocks]

Can you post a pic of the antenna that shows the cable routing off the antenna? Looks great, I'll be installing my FT8900 here soon and have really been wondering about the mounting issue on the FJ40.

I'm looking a making a bracket that mounts to the inside fender the angles up and out the hood like yours. That way I don't have to do any drilling on the outside of the body and can open the hood easily (hopefully).

I just need to figure out cable routing and hope you have it all figured out! :)

[Hltoppr]

So, I'm resurrecting this thread for those of us who have FJ4x Cruisers....

Ed, How do you like this setup; specifically, the antenna.... Have you found that there is enought ground plane to make the location effective?

Also...so those of us who'd rather just copy something that works, rather than reinvent the wheel so to speak, what mount/coax cable are you using?

-H- :ylsmoke:

[DaktariEd]

Well, I seemed to have missed a couple of posts....sorry about that, AzRocks.

The antenna bracket is a simple flat piece of rolled steel, drilled out to accept the antenna base and then mounted to the underside of the hood just behind the latch. There's a wider lip there that works great for this. The antenna cable simply loops under the left edge of the hood (there's a nice natural gap) and is tacked along the lip/inner edge with silicone caulk. It runs back to the rear of the hood and simply loops down into the engine compartment, angling down along the firewall. I had an open hole in the firewall just above the gas pedal mount, so I inserted a bushing over the cable and ran it through. The cable then runs under the floor mats along the transmission hump back behind the seat where it is connected to the radio unit. No muss, no fuss.

As far as I can tell the function is excellent. I have no issues with engine noise or interference. Of course someone with more experience might detect something, but for trail purposes, this is great! :victory:

I use a shorty 18" antenna for trail runs with a small group and a taller 54" antenna for longer distances and larger groups that may be spread out.



My parts list from Hamcity.com:
Product ID: SBB-2NMO
Antenna Mobile 144/440 NMO
Price: $34.95

Product ID: NMO-K
Antenna Mobile Mount w/ Cable
$13.00

Product ID: SBB-7NMO
Antenna Mobile 144/440 NMO
$64.95


HTH,
Ed
http://www.geocities.com/daktaried/safari.gif

[Hltoppr]

Thanks Ed!!

-H-