Trail Blazer I
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FTM-400 head on a ram x mount, Handset on a steelie ball, and radio under driver seat.
Let's see some HAM setups in your rigs
- Thread starter naysjp
- Start date
Off-Road Ranger I
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TheViking
Rank III
Member I
Enthusiast I
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Hey y'all, I am getting my first radio and was looking at the TYT-7900 Dual band.
Any recommendations on antennas? I was thinking on mounting it on my rear tire carrier, feeding the wire through the tailgate and mounting the base in the rear tub. I have power back there already so it would be running the face plate and cable to my overhead rack with the mic.
Any recommendations on antennas? I was thinking on mounting it on my rear tire carrier, feeding the wire through the tailgate and mounting the base in the rear tub. I have power back there already so it would be running the face plate and cable to my overhead rack with the mic.
Advocate III
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You are going to need a 1/2 wave or 5/8 wave antenna to use the spare tire mount for a mounting location. The spare tire rack doesn’t offer a good ground plane.
Diamond Original NR770HB 144/440 MHz Dual-Band Mobile Antenna, Black, Gain: 3.0/5.5 dBi, Connector: PL-259, Fold Over, Length: 38.5"
Enthusiast I
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- Steven
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29066
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I forgot to mention. It is not the stock carrier. It is the smittybuilt that mounts with the Hard rock Steel bumpers. I'm not opposed to mounting it off the hood just heard bad things about trees breaking them.
Advocate III
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- Rose
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20990
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The antenna I posted would work for your application. Just be advised, mobile antennas are already compromised, and you are compromising it further by mounting to the spare tire.
Member III
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I have the Comet SBB5 NMO mounted between my spare tire and tailgate. It is good enough for me. It is about 10" taller than my hardtop.
Member III
If you have a limb that large and that low that it breaks the antenna mounted on your fender/hood, the antenna is going to be the least of your worries.
I have 3 antennas mounted on the roof and a 102"+ antenna on the side of my Cherokee and they get smacked against tree limbs every time I drive, was multiple times daily when I was going into the office and haven't had one break. I have one that's not quite as straight as it use to be from getting tangled in some branches but it still works fine and I was able to straighten it some.
I have run Browning BR-180 dual band antennas without issue, the enclosed coil about halfway up the antenna does cause the antenna to move a bit more than I like. I still carry one if I need to use 70cm but mainly run Larsen NMO150 2m antennas. Some antennas such as the Larsen 2/70 or the Comet and Diamond antennas suggested previously have open coils which cuts down on the weight, but the coils can get caught/tangled in branches.
Member III
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My Antenna CBs tend to be better able to withstand low branches. I've driven my Xj though some very low stuff and lost a Comet SBB-5 to the open coil. It yeeted the ariel so far I never found it.
Member III
Yeah, I guess I took broke to be bent/busted but having the ariel removed and dispersed still leaves you with an antenna you can't use so I suppose I will retract most of my previous statement.
Advocate I
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I ended up mounting my radios in a centre console. Only 1 HAM rig at present.
View from above, in Australia we drive on the right-hand side of the vehicle so the displays are the correct way up for the driver.
Definitely not the latest gear.
Left is my HF, VKS737/Outpost radio.
Top right is my Australian UHF CB (477Mhz/60cm).
Bottom right is my 2m/70cm rig.
View from above, in Australia we drive on the right-hand side of the vehicle so the displays are the correct way up for the driver.
Definitely not the latest gear.
Left is my HF, VKS737/Outpost radio.
Top right is my Australian UHF CB (477Mhz/60cm).
Bottom right is my 2m/70cm rig.
Advocate II
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Yaesu FTM-400
main radio is under the passenger seat.
main radio is under the passenger seat.
Member III
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Inventor I
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20111
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Enthusiast II
Just "finished" my FTM-400XDR install in my 2021 Bronco.
Full install details: Mobile Ham Radio (FTM-400XDR) Install - DIY How-To / Writeup / Pics
Full install details: Mobile Ham Radio (FTM-400XDR) Install - DIY How-To / Writeup / Pics
Yaesu FTM6000 w/ hood lip NMO mounted Comet in my 2020 4Runner. Radio body under pass seat. Still deciding where to mount mic clip and ext speaker ( I want to be REALLY sure before I drill) Not sure why the pics went sideways, I posted the same pics on another forum and they were right side up.
Inventor I
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Nice setup! Thanks for sharing!
The fact that the photo appears properly aligned on your computer and rotated here could be because the image viewer on your computer takes the alignment data into account and displays the image correctly that way, and the forum software doesn't pull that data. Try to open the photo on your computer, e.g. rotate it to the right and back to the correct position, then save it under a new name and upload it here. Mabe that will work.
The fact that the photo appears properly aligned on your computer and rotated here could be because the image viewer on your computer takes the alignment data into account and displays the image correctly that way, and the forum software doesn't pull that data. Try to open the photo on your computer, e.g. rotate it to the right and back to the correct position, then save it under a new name and upload it here. Mabe that will work.
Member III
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Trail Blazer II
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Interesting thread. It gives me a lot think about when I finally get around to a ham radio. Just running GMRS for now.
