- Thread starter
- #1
It's been 3 months since I took possession of my 2022 Wildtrak, Sasq edition and I finally got around to installing the Icom Dual Band Ham radio that I removed from my f150 when I sold it. First...thank you VERY MUCH to the folks on this forum that gave me tips, sent me pictures and gave me ideas. Pure GOLDEN information.
I would like to say the install was easy....but it wasn't....and the process is not completely finished as I need to find a final spot for the radio head. My plan is to put the head up near the Aux switches, but that will likely be an all day project after looking at a video posted on another thread.
I will post pics, parts and process as I go. This is the first original post I have done....so please excuse any missteps.
The radio is a dual band Icom 5100A with MARS mods. I am a licensed HAM but have not applied for my GMRS license yet. That said, the dual band will run both UHF (GMRS Frequencies) and VHF (Ham as well as the common off road frequencies currently used by some off roaders). I know....only FCC sanctioned GMRS radios are supposed to be used on GMRS channels...but there is not a lot of space for two radios and I know enough not to overpower transmissions.
The Antenna is mounted on the driver's side housing using a Rugged Radios Billet NMO mount, #MT-ANT-BRONCO-AL; However, the NMO mount with coax from Rugged had a post that was far, far to long, and wouldn't fit inside the mirror trim so I ended up using a Diamond NMO mount with a shorter post that I got from DX Engineering, # DMN-C101NME. The Diamond mount comes attached to RG316 coax, and has the PL259 adapter for standard radio antenna threads. The coax is super thin, but is Mil-Spec rated, will take high temps and can easily handle the wattage. The antenna is a dual band Comet, CA2X4SR that I previously got from Gigaparts. I have had very good performance with this antenna on my truck, and it has the added advantage of a retractable swivel joint near the base, so you can fold it over in low clearance places. You can also add an optional spring base at the bottom, which I plan on putting on at a later date.
The radio body is mounted under the steering wheel on a metal plate behind the plastic trim. The plate unscrews easily and I used two metal L brackets from the cabinet section at a hardware store. I tapped two holes in the metal plate and used machine screws to secure the radio. The microphone cable and radio head cable are fished under the dash and inside the DV8 Molle panels alongside the center console. I lost about one inch or so of up / down travel with the wheel, but it still has plenty of travel room.
When I ran a SWR meter to check the match between the radio, coax and antenna, I got a rather amazing reading of 1.01 on VHF (as close to perfect as I could ever hope for) and 1.8 on UHF.
Cheers!!
I would like to say the install was easy....but it wasn't....and the process is not completely finished as I need to find a final spot for the radio head. My plan is to put the head up near the Aux switches, but that will likely be an all day project after looking at a video posted on another thread.
I will post pics, parts and process as I go. This is the first original post I have done....so please excuse any missteps.
The radio is a dual band Icom 5100A with MARS mods. I am a licensed HAM but have not applied for my GMRS license yet. That said, the dual band will run both UHF (GMRS Frequencies) and VHF (Ham as well as the common off road frequencies currently used by some off roaders). I know....only FCC sanctioned GMRS radios are supposed to be used on GMRS channels...but there is not a lot of space for two radios and I know enough not to overpower transmissions.
The Antenna is mounted on the driver's side housing using a Rugged Radios Billet NMO mount, #MT-ANT-BRONCO-AL; However, the NMO mount with coax from Rugged had a post that was far, far to long, and wouldn't fit inside the mirror trim so I ended up using a Diamond NMO mount with a shorter post that I got from DX Engineering, # DMN-C101NME. The Diamond mount comes attached to RG316 coax, and has the PL259 adapter for standard radio antenna threads. The coax is super thin, but is Mil-Spec rated, will take high temps and can easily handle the wattage. The antenna is a dual band Comet, CA2X4SR that I previously got from Gigaparts. I have had very good performance with this antenna on my truck, and it has the added advantage of a retractable swivel joint near the base, so you can fold it over in low clearance places. You can also add an optional spring base at the bottom, which I plan on putting on at a later date.
The radio body is mounted under the steering wheel on a metal plate behind the plastic trim. The plate unscrews easily and I used two metal L brackets from the cabinet section at a hardware store. I tapped two holes in the metal plate and used machine screws to secure the radio. The microphone cable and radio head cable are fished under the dash and inside the DV8 Molle panels alongside the center console. I lost about one inch or so of up / down travel with the wheel, but it still has plenty of travel room.
When I ran a SWR meter to check the match between the radio, coax and antenna, I got a rather amazing reading of 1.01 on VHF (as close to perfect as I could ever hope for) and 1.8 on UHF.
Cheers!!
Sponsored
