Radio installation help

[preacherman]

Ok, I need some help from some Elmer's. I have a yeasu ft-7900r radio that I will be installing in my z71 Tahoe. I have picked an antenna (comett ssb-5) but I am totally confused about what cable and connectors I need. Unfortunately there is not a ham store in my area so I am forced to buy everything over the Internet. I need some help understanding what I should get before I pull the trigger.

Any suggestions?

[1911]

You'll need 50 Ohm coax with PL-259 (UHF) connectors on both ends, assuming that you have the standard Comet SBB-5 and not the NMO-mount version.

[DaveInDenver]

There are several options for 50 ohm coax, but most common in mobile installations is to use one of the variants of RG-58. There are other types, RG-8, RG-174, 9913, etc. and they'd work but for various reasons (size, loss, cost) are not popular. You can get RG-58 from Radio Shack, but I don't recommend it as the stuff they sell is not very high quality.

Like Lee mentions, what type of SBB-5 did you get, an NMO or UHF?

The male side UHF connector is designated PL-259 and the female side is SO-239. The good PL-259 are soldered on. They are not difficult to install if you're familiar and have a few tools, but they can be a bear if you're not. You can get mounts with pre-installed connectors, though.

http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...m/larsenx.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/catal...tm/cometx.html
http://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?a...MNT&type=radio
https://www.hamcity.com/store/pc/vie...idCategory=132

[preacherman]

I have not bought the antenna yet, that was simply the model I was planning to go with. It seems to have good reviews for that radio. I started to order the antenna and cables and that is when I got lost in cable types, connectors and stuff I am not yet experianced with yet.

I can solder and have a few small tools but I have never solder any radio equipment. But I am open to learning.

[Mashurst]

Good advise here.
I just want to add that maybe you don't need to stress too much about what type of coax to use... RG-58 or 8x. For a short run like in a mobile you really cant go wrong. There is a lot of lingo with coax and connectors that I found confusing at first as well. Just get it to work for now and don't worry if it is ideal.
As has been pointed out you need to decide if you are going connect to the antenna with NMO or UHF/PL-259 type connection. My opinion is that NMO is the way to go IF you are drilling thru sheet metal like a roof mount. It gives a clean sealed interface that can be easily covered if you want to sell the vehicle. For this reason I agree with those that say drilling is the way to preserve vehicle value when mounting an antenna. If however you are using a lip mount or a bumper mount or something like that where the back side is exposed to the elements, the UHF is simpler and cheaper and smaller.
So not knowing any more than you have shared I assume you don't have a roof rack or anything my first choice would be an NMO dead center (or above the dome light for easy access) in the roof. If I didn't have a safari style rack that is what I would have done. With the rack, I used a UHF mounted to the rack.
By the way, I have an SBB-7 and I love it. I don't use it for day to day (I use an SS-460SB) as its very long but if I want to get a out for simplex work or reach a distant repeater from a hill top that thing rocks.
Good luck Mark KJ6EUO

[DaveInDenver]

A lot of people get scared to drill into their sheet metal. Didn't phase me but my truck is old. Anyway, it's the most secure and actually other than the drilling itself is really about the lowest chance of damage after the fact. Lip mounts, mag mounts and other temporary mounts can leave little dents, scratches and stuff since they invariably pop off or move.

One thing, I know you mentioned that there are no ham shops and that's probably true. But if you live in a reasonably decent sized town there probably is a commercial, business or public service radio shop. They can usually fix up the coax and drill for a mount. The NMO in particular is used on just about every cop car, fire truck or government vehicle out there. So maybe ask around or check the Internet for one around you. It'll take them literally just a minute to drill, mount and solder, something they'll be able to do in their sleep.

Then you just screw on the antenna and mount the radio, which you can deal with it in your garage.

[proto]

Have you decided where you want to install your antenna? If you don't need to thread through any tight holes, you can just buy the cable with both connectors already installed (no soldering required).

It's too bad you don't have a ham store nearby. You really should get a look at an NMO-type connector and mounting system and compare it to the UHFs (PL-259). The NMO is beefier: the antenna base is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter versus the UHF's 3/4-inch or so, so any physical loads are spread out more. When you screw it down, the base clamps directly against your mounting surface, so it seals well against weather.

You can get various types of brackets and clamps, and even magnetic mounts that use NMO. Still, it's tough to beat a simple NMO antenna mounted through a sheet-metal roof. It's strong, gives a good signal pattern, and the cable is protected and out of the way inside the vehicle. And, if you have to remove the antenna, say to go through a car wash or fit in a low-ceiling parking garage, just pop on a plastic weather cap.

Good luck!

(hmm... a bunch of us posted at the same time. Looks like I'm the slow typist!)

[Mashurst]

I just noticed the SBB-5 has a open coil in the middle. I try to avoid these because they act as a hook and grab branches. Just something to keep in mind....

[SilverBullet]

I just put that same antenna on my F250 last month. I used AES to set up my antenna and coax purchase. I used the comet metal mount with the 90 degree cable end for the tight space.

[preacherman]

Some great thoughts guys. Here's is my thoughts. I do not want to install one in the roof bc I have a bike rack and a really large moon roof. I was thinking about a mount like this one

http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/suantpf.pdf

What would be a good set up with this mount and the ft7900r radio?