At the Carp hamfest (put on by the OARC) I picked up some materials which will allow me to operate mobile with my current station.
On the list of purchases was:
- 5/8 wave 2m antenna (NMO mount)
- 1/4 wave 2m antenna (NMO mount)
- truck mirror NMO antenna mounting bracket with cable (PL-259 connector)
- separation kit for FT-857D (YSK-857)
- silver plated, teflon insulated PL-259 connectors (w/ adapters for RG-58)
With the above supplies, I will be installing the FT-857D in a 2007 FJ Cruiser. My objective is to install the radio in a protected region of the rear cargo area. There is a covered storage area in the rear which fits the radio body nicely – I just have to make a few modifications to the mounting location (ie. adding ventilation) to make the spot work. I will also have to fabricate a mounting bracket to hold the radio itself. The requirements for the mounting location of the radio body are:
- protected from camping equipment while off-roading
- easily to mount / dismount
- good access to power and control cables
The control head itself will be another story! I am having a hard time deciding where I will end up putting the control head for the radio. I think that in order to achieve the best balance of ergonomics and aesthetics, I will leave this as the final portion of the install. This seems counter intuitive as it would be easier perhaps to know where everything is meant to go first, however, I am able to leave enough slack on the control cables to permit me to move the control head virtually anywhere in reach of the driver.
Well, that is my plan – I’ll let you know how it pans out later as I intend to start the install today.