Very Clean Midland MXT575 GMRS Radio Install with Mountains2Metal Bracket and 67 Designs Mic Mount

[The Green Flash]

Question for you, and really anyone who has put a dedicated GMRS box in the dash... my Motorola hand helds reaches reliably 3 plus miles out... has been way more than I need to stay connected to buddies on a trail ride.

Do the under dash units and dedicated antennae really reach out to where you can call for help (like... 20 - 25 miles?) from beyond your trail group? And have you ever needed that range to call for a rescue?

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[Oilbrnr]

Many things make radio signal propagation vary, but yes there is a difference if properly installed. Biggest thing I’ve found too on the trail, especially with several guys using HTs, inevetablly over the corse of our multiple day trips, battery maintenance comes into play. Dead or low batteries because everyone forgets about charging until the next morning when we go to leave camp.

 

[The Green Flash]

Many things make radio signal propagation vary, but yes there is a difference if properly installed. Biggest thing I’ve found too on the trail, especially with several guys using HTs, inevetablly over the corse of our multiple day trips, battery maintenance comes into play. Dead or low batteries because everyone forgets about charging until the next morning when we go to leave camp.

My Motorola's are USB charged, I keep one on the wire charging, the other one in the console, on and working. Swap daily or as needed.

Was really wondering more if trying to call for help that is miles and miles (and maybe tens of miles) away - are there any first responder agencies monitoring GMRS frequencies for mayday calls (?)

 

[Neps]

My current problem is getting the stuff to emulate the original method of mounting the mic. It appears (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that 67 Designs no longer sells to consumers, and you've probably heard the story about Archetype Racing.

Therefore, I'm hoping the collective wisdom of Bronco6G can point me to substitutes of identical functionality and good quality.

Thanks in advance!

Mark

I installed a mount from Track Form about a year ago and have been pleased with the form, fit, function.

 

[Neps]

Mark,

I failed to mention if you intend to mount the RJ45 Connector as show in this picture, don't make the same mistake(s) I did. I assumed based upon observation that a hole in that panel would allow me to mount the RJ45 connector as show, I ended up drilling two holes in an attempt to make this location work and neither worked for me.

Tried for hours over several days to get the connect tight and installed and couldn't get it to work because of clearance behind the pannel.

 

[Neps]

Track Form also offers several radio specific microphone mounts, I used this one and it's worked very well.

 

[LeJerk]

Question for you, and really anyone who has put a dedicated GMRS box in the dash... my Motorola hand helds reaches reliably 3 plus miles out... has been way more than I need to stay connected to buddies on a trail ride.

Do the under dash units and dedicated antennae really reach out to where you can call for help (like... 20 - 25 miles?) from beyond your trail group? And have you ever needed that range to call for a rescue?

bigger antenna = more fars

 

[Mean Green]

Thanks so much to @Jabaen and all the others who paved the way here. I'll be doing similar soon. A few questions:

1. Is the Magnetic Mic Mount strong enough for hard wheeling?
2. Does anyone have enough experience to compare the difficulty of disassembly and fit issues between behind glovebox vs. under center console install? I've put a few devices/wires through both areas and my gut says under center console will be better.
3. Any idea if a 1' CAT5 cable is sufficiently long to go from under center console to port above center storage tray?
4. Is the Proclip for the passenger side vent sturdy enough without the double sided tape?

Thanks in advance!

Number 4, yes, does not move once clipped in…

 

[MarkInOhio]

I failed to mention if you intend to mount the RJ45 Connector as show in this picture, don't make the same mistake(s) I did. I assumed based upon observation that a hole in that panel would allow me to mount the RJ45 connector as show, I ended up drilling two holes in an attempt to make this location work and neither worked for me.

Tried for hours over several days to get the connect tight and installed and couldn't get it to work because of clearance behind the panel.

Thanks for the warning! I spent some time looking at that area yesterday and I believe if I mount it on the flat, horizontal area (so the connector is facing straight down), there will be enough clearance. The part just arrived, but my 15/16" hole saw (which may be the ONLY size I didn't already have!) is coming later today, so I'll be giving it a shot pretty soon. In fact, I just noticed from the photos in the above post by Mean Green, that he seems to have it in pretty much the exact position I'm considering. That ProClip solution looks pretty good, too.

Also, thanks for the mounting suggestion which looks like it would work. Additionally, I found this stuff which looks pretty equivalent to the 67 Designs and Archetype Racing parts used by the OP:

https://www.bulletpointmountingsolu...r-with-20mm-ball-mount?variant=42146454077555
https://www.bulletpointmountingsolu...s-for-2021-ford-bronco?variant=40879264563315
https://www.bulletpointmountingsolu...evlar-hybrid-mount-arm?variant=40843261083763

Note that even though it is called a 13 cm arm, the TOTAL length of the above arm is 21 cm which is how the length of his arm was specified.

Mark

 

[T800]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but clicked the link for the 67 designs center dash ball. I thought this was funny (and odd):

This product is only available to qualified existing customers who placed at least one eligible order prior to February 1, 2026.

I did see that Bulletpoint offers essentially the same thing:

https://www.bulletpointmountingsolu...t-for-2021-ford-bronco?variant=40975886254195

I'm using a Radioddity DB40 with the Midland MXTA26 antenna in my Jeep. I just got the Bronco about 2 weeks ago, so nothing installed yet.

I was wondering how to mount the antenna outside (probably on the spare) and how to run the cable inside. My Jeep is a soft top, so that's easy enough to go through the soft top where the zippers are. Not sure what people are doing for the hard top.

 

[Deadpool392]

I used this Tackform mount for my handset.

https://www.tackform.com/products/f...-radio-mount-accessory-ready-grab-handle-m618

 

[MarkInOhio]

I finally got around to mounting the RJ45 connector. I tested it out first using a short ethernet cable I already had and it didn't work! After doing some research, I found that the MXT575 can be very fussy about the quality and shielding of this cable, so that is something to be aware of. I bought these and they worked great.

I decided to remove the entire panel holding the HVAC and radio controls for a better view of the whole situation. That only takes about 5 minutes and was well worth doing. I measured the biggest outer diameter of the RJ45 connector (the outer points of the nut) and found that to be about 31 mm, so after much looking, measuring, test-fitting, and praying, I marked a spot at least 16 mm from the edge and ridge on the inside of the panel and drilled a little pilot hole. I placed some painter's tape on the "good" side to hopefully provide for a cleaner hole.

I then cut the hole with the 24 mm (15/16") hole saw and installed the connector.

It wound up being pretty much exactly where I intended!

I then reconnected the little panel to the bigger one, reconnected all the cables plus the RJ45 cable, and put it back together.

As you can see, it all went together nicely with enough clearance both inside and out for the cables.

I've acquired all the BulletPoint stuff I listed previously along with the ProClip stuff and the Magnetic Mic mount, so my mounting options are wide open. I'll have to see what my wife prefers. It is her vehicle, after all!

Here's a final photo of the installed BulletPoint mount as well as an upgraded USB plug that I installed while I was at it. I ran a separate power cable to the new USB plug and connected it to an "always on" spare position in the fuse panel.

Mark

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