Ham Radio Operators...

highsmith said:
Yeah I mean it will still work but your VSWR might be high with the antenna that close to the sheet metal. If you mostly care about talking to folks nearby when off-roading it probably doesn't matter much.
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Larsen mount is this one? https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/lsn-nmokhfud

I'd like to get the same one as yours since I am ordering the M&R ditch light brackets. I took off the plastic trim cover where the antenna will mount, looks pretty tight and not much room in there.
 
snipereagle8 said:
Larsen mount is this one? https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/lsn-nmokhfud

I'd like to get the same one as yours since I am ordering the M&R ditch light brackets. I took off the plastic trim cover where the antenna will mount, looks pretty tight and not much room in there.
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Yes I used that one, since I had one laying around. BUT, One point:

Since the M&R brackets are thicker than typical automotive sheet metal, the NMO outer ring for this Larsen mount does not screw down on the base as far as it typically does when it's mounted auto body-grade sheet metal. So the inner contact point does not protrude as much into the base of the antenna you are using. Everything still works fine on my install, but this might be a problem on some antennas, and possibly cause the center conductors to not make contact.

Larsen makes another mount that might work better for the thicker metal in these brackets:


This one is designed for thicker metal. I have not tried it since mine is working OK, but I might switch it out one day. You can probably find it cheaper somewhere else than at DXE.

Also, I used a 3/4" spacer to mount the bracket, instead of the one supplied by M&R. It just makes things mount better. If you put the NMO hole in the right place you can see that there is room for the mount base underneath the bracket towards the front of it..
 
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In this pic, what's the reason for installing the magnetic mount on a velcro back? I am thinking of rarely taking off the radio and just directly attaching the controller to the panel using velcro.


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snipereagle8 said:
In this pic, what's the reason for installing the magnetic mount on a velcro back? I am thinking of rarely taking off the radio and just directly attaching the controller to the panel using velcro.
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Mainly just to keep velcro film/sticky stuff off the radio head in case I sell it.

I found the bracket kit on a swap site and was originally thinking about using magnets glued to the back side of the console trim piece to keep things in place. But I got kinda lazy and just decided to use some velcro I had.

Another option I considered was to drill a couple of holes small in the trim and use machine screws (I think they are M2-0.6) to attach the head, but I wanted to be able to remove it easily.
 
I ended up buying the following:

  • Larsen NMO2-70C antenna (Stainless steel whip, doesn't fold)
  • Diamond C213SNMO mount (Requires a smaller 3/8" hole)

The diamond mount was recommended to me by the Ham Radio Outlet gentleman. He pointed out that this specific mount is slightly deeper and requires a smaller hole (3/8" only!) in the bracket. So I guess I won't need to buy a step drill bit and will be able to use a 3/8" metal drill bit.

Looking forward to receiving the metal brackets from M&R.

I am also thinking of zip tying + VHB tape the radio unit under the glove box where the fuse box panel is. It's plastic but I am curious if it can handle the weight of the radio since the panel itself is held by large plastic clips. The reason is that I don't want to mount a seperate speaker and it's a perfect place—if it can hold up, that is.

I know @highsmith you said to not run the power from the front fuse box, but I want to try it and see if it would cause any issues. If it does, I can rewire it to the back where the battery is. Just easier since the radio unit might be under the glove box.


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Nice @snipereagle8 , I was actually going to try a 3/8 NMO but the only one I had was a replacement mount and didn't have any coax attached. I could have put some on it, but I didn't have any RG-58 (only RG-8X) so I just went with that spare Larsen 3/4" mount I had.

It should work fine, and like you were saying you can use a "normal" drill bit. I kind of wished I'd have just ordered a full-blown 3/8 mount, as it would have been more "forgiving" as far as lining everything up. If I did it over again I'd probably do that in any case.

Good luck with wiring into the fuse box, I have never had luck with that so I always go direct to battery. But the LC is kind of a special case.
 
Tested out the idea of mounting the IC-2730A under the glovebox. The panel is flimsy but I tried strapping it down with a 24" giant ziptie. It works! It holds up. I will most likely use 3M vhb tape to tape secure it with the panel and use smaller 8" zip ties daisy chained so they don't take up so much space. This test fit is temporary and I used existing holes in the panel. The foam seems tobe there for just padding/sound proofing. I think I can safely not install it.

Temporarily installed, passenger cannot see it unless they look under.
IMG_2245.jpeg

Now you can see it if you bend down:

IMG_2246.jpeg

IMG_2247.jpeg

Panel removed for installation, you see the zip tie is too fricking massive.

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Routed the controller cable. Just as @highsmith did. I drilled a couple of 3/32" holes on the plastic panel and mounted M2.5x12 screws with some washers to secure the unit. I like to avoid tape as much as possible since it just becomes a big mess and removing it is a pain.

Shaved off a little bit of the button to allow a flat cable through.
7CE760AC-4866-4498-9CB6-42A5859A7398_1_105_c.jpeg


The telephone cable I bought was inversely wired, had to snip off the end and crimped on a new telephone jack.

1D8744AB-F68D-43F6-8D65-0F53C7E3A01A_1_105_c.jpeg

Holes and M2.5 screws with washers on the back.

7ADAD921-393D-4085-94A7-876CFB825AE4_1_105_c.jpeg



The problem is the plastic ridge/guard next to the button which prevents it from being flush with the plate. As you can see there needs to be a gap of about 1/16" between the controller's back surface and the panel.
F75D32B8-5456-45D7-892C-E2A84164AA12_1_105_c.jpeg


I put like 6 M2.5 washers to make a standoff:

1741913319131.jpeg
 
You might be able to buy just the controller head. Japanese, so they usually have great spare parts support. Otherwise just sell it on eBay and buy a new one :) It's definitely a huge aesthetic upgrade since it seamlessly blends with the rest of the dashboard. B version was released a couple of weeks ago, they had it in stock here in Phoenix.
 
Forgot to mention @highsmith , thank you very much for the help through out. Some of the things you did were very helpful. I am documenting as much as I can to help future folks. I think this is one of the cleanest installs, good call on the antenna location, I am picking up repeaters inside my damn garage!

I gotta strap the base module after swapping out the stupid 12V fan on it, I bought a noctua 40x20mm replacement. May be do a MARS mod as well since I have the base radio open.
 
Sure thing man, glad it worked out. It’s definitely the cleanest install I’ve done, the cool thing is that it’s pretty easy for the most part.

Really nerding out over here on how good that black LCD head looks. Nice call.
 
If you ever decide to tidy up the wire run............. I use this woven loom a lot! It comes in all different diameters. I use shrink tube to tidy up the woven ends.

Pro tip: Not trying to insult anyone's skill set here........allow 1-2 " of extra length to cut off as the end being fed the wires tends to unravel a bit as you feed the wire through. If you have multiple wires, use painters tape to tape the feed ends together. Start the feeding by poking your finger into the end spreading out the loom, the insert the wire(s), once it stops feeding easily, firmly grasp the loom and pinch the wires with your left hand (4"-5" from the wire end) and with the your right hand, grasp the loom wires 3"-4" ahead of the wires and push towards your left hand, scrunching the loom up. Then squeeze with you right hand and release your left...... smoothing the scrunched loom along the wire...... rinse and repeat.


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