mobile ham install in the Fit
#1
11-01-2010, 02:22 PM
mobile ham install in the Fit
It begins... 
I've installed NMO mounts before.. this one I had a pro do for $99 and change with labor, parts, and tax. I watched him.. and sorta wish I would've done it myself but hey.. they are licensed and insured to do this work so it's warrantied.
The antenna is a Larson NMO2/70B. Larson makes a lot of commercial grade antenna's, and IMHO they are a step above your usual amateur radio antennas. Roof mounted antennas are the best for mobile operating. I considered a Larson glass mount, but with my tint it wasn't feasible. The Larson glass mount is the ONLY non-NMO mount I would recommend for mobile use. Mag mounts damage your paint and are dangerous to other drivers. Lip mounts will cause body damage eventually. The Larson glass mount is commercial grade and will last. I've seen several of these in use for 800mhz public safety and they out last the service life of the vehicle when properly installed.
Most NMO mounts use RG-58.. which for a mobile install is fine. They used a crimp on connector(not my favorite) but at the same time I know that these are used in commercial installs all the time and they do work when properly crimped.
The installer routed the cable over the airbag and down the passenger side B pillar. The cable comes out of the little bump where the seat wiring goes and comes out under the passenger seat.
The next step is going to be pulling 10ga wire from the battery to a RIGrunner USB. It is best to pull power from the battery for multiple reasons, but the most important is that it's not safe to use factory wiring as most of it can not handle draw from operating at full power. The nice thing with the RIGrunner is it will allow me to add a couple more accessory sockets with decent wiring as well as pulling a couple USB extension cables for power. The factory accessory wiring is pretty small, I wouldn't want to put too much of a draw on it
I have yet to determine if I can pull a both a hot wire and a ground wire from the battery through an existing grommet, or if I will have to drill into the firewall. If I drill, it appears the passenger side would be the easiest.
I'm going to pick up an FTM-350R this week. They are releasing a new version in January, but the only difference is the software and the mount it comes with.. and a few places are running the FTM-350R's for $100 off
To mount the control head, I found a neat mount from ProClip that mounts on the driver's side A pillar. I wanted to avoid drilling for the radio because while the NMO mount can be used with a bunch of stuff, the radio holes not so much. I am going to run the mic off the radio under the seat and run the control head seperation cable under the carpet and up the A pillar.
More to come as I install it...
I've installed NMO mounts before.. this one I had a pro do for $99 and change with labor, parts, and tax. I watched him.. and sorta wish I would've done it myself but hey.. they are licensed and insured to do this work so it's warrantied.
The antenna is a Larson NMO2/70B. Larson makes a lot of commercial grade antenna's, and IMHO they are a step above your usual amateur radio antennas. Roof mounted antennas are the best for mobile operating. I considered a Larson glass mount, but with my tint it wasn't feasible. The Larson glass mount is the ONLY non-NMO mount I would recommend for mobile use. Mag mounts damage your paint and are dangerous to other drivers. Lip mounts will cause body damage eventually. The Larson glass mount is commercial grade and will last. I've seen several of these in use for 800mhz public safety and they out last the service life of the vehicle when properly installed.
Most NMO mounts use RG-58.. which for a mobile install is fine. They used a crimp on connector(not my favorite) but at the same time I know that these are used in commercial installs all the time and they do work when properly crimped.
The installer routed the cable over the airbag and down the passenger side B pillar. The cable comes out of the little bump where the seat wiring goes and comes out under the passenger seat.
The next step is going to be pulling 10ga wire from the battery to a RIGrunner USB. It is best to pull power from the battery for multiple reasons, but the most important is that it's not safe to use factory wiring as most of it can not handle draw from operating at full power. The nice thing with the RIGrunner is it will allow me to add a couple more accessory sockets with decent wiring as well as pulling a couple USB extension cables for power. The factory accessory wiring is pretty small, I wouldn't want to put too much of a draw on it
I have yet to determine if I can pull a both a hot wire and a ground wire from the battery through an existing grommet, or if I will have to drill into the firewall. If I drill, it appears the passenger side would be the easiest.I'm going to pick up an FTM-350R this week. They are releasing a new version in January, but the only difference is the software and the mount it comes with.. and a few places are running the FTM-350R's for $100 off
To mount the control head, I found a neat mount from ProClip that mounts on the driver's side A pillar. I wanted to avoid drilling for the radio because while the NMO mount can be used with a bunch of stuff, the radio holes not so much. I am going to run the mic off the radio under the seat and run the control head seperation cable under the carpet and up the A pillar.
More to come as I install it...
#3
11-07-2010, 06:17 PM
So the installer ran the coax "ON TOP OF THE AIRBAG", not along the side, and you want to mount the control head on the A pillar next to the front airbag. Hmmm. The front bag, if deployed, would probably miss the control head, or worse case blow it sideways across the dash. I would worry about the rear bag getting hung-up on the RG-58. Would love to see pictures when it is all done.
Regards
Joe
W5RJK
Regards
Joe
W5RJK
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