nkcci

I installed a FT-857D in my Jeep over the weekend after weeks of thinking about how I wanted to do it. I searched the web but couldn't find anything I really liked so I went at it on my own. There may be others mounting ideas similar to mine but I couldn't find them. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will add additional photos tomorrow to show the final product.


I attached the detachable face plate above the rear view mirror by drilling four new holes into the Yaesu mobile mount and attaching via the two "L" shaped mounts. Unlike the photo, I removed the brackets, cut off the extra metal with a Dremmel, and painted the brackets a flat black color to match the interior. Also, the mic comes out the same location via the remote kit. I can quickly take the mic out by removing it from the extension connector so my teenage driver doesn't use it while he is out. The mic extension connector keeps the extension cord from withdrawing into the overhead compartment.



I ran the detachable plate and mic cords down the right side of the vehicle inside the plastic panels which met up with the power cables that are connected directly to the battery via the firewall.

I mounted the radio body underneath the driver seat. There was an existing bracket under the seat that I removed. I used the Dremmel to remove a piece of the seat bracket so I could mount the radio bracket to it after which I mounted the radio body to the seat. I ran the rest of the cables to include the antenna cables under the vehicle carpet.



Lastly, I used a CB antenna mount for the antenna. I used a Dremmel to grind out enough space to fit the 239 connector through it. Call me cheap but there aren't a lot of Jeep antenna mounting options so I modified what I had. A lot of people talk about the lack of a good ground plain for the antenna so I bought the Diamond NR-770HB which doesn't require it. I used a Comet 3D5M coax cable and connector to connect everything together.



Let me know what you think and I will provide additional pics later.

Desert Fox

1. The 857D is an all band, HF/UHF/VHF/ etc/etc HAM radio. It is also very expensive for what you doing.

2. You have installed it as a 2m/70cm radio. You could have purchased a very good 2m/70cm radio for $500. less.

3. What are your antenna "SWR and R" readings?

4. What is your HAM call sign?

73, W6PBR

arjeeper

Very cool. Do you plan to install an HF antenna as well?

I had a 706MKIIG and an AH-4 tuner with a 102" whip in the Jeep previously but didn't find mobile HF useful enough to keep it. Sold it and have VHF only now. Works.

Most people talking about grounding are referring to the RF ground in an HF setup. The RF ground in a VHF setup is rarely a concern given the wavelength.

nkcci

Overkill, nah. I fully understand the capabilities of the FT-857D. I purchased the radio with the intent of getting on HF right away but school, work, combined with life in general got in the way of preparing for the General License. Could I have waited, sure, but I didn't want to especially when my wife was eyeing my portion of the tax refund. I've been a part of the Ham Club in my area for a bit so it's not something i jumped into. I haven't measured the SWR. I can tell you that I receive and broadcast clearly and the internal SWR meter (not very reliant from what I have been told) barely registers but I can talk clearly through a repeater 25-miles away, albeit its on a mountaintop. I can also talk on a repeater 10 miles across town, not so much LOS but I hear and broadcast well enough. There are many trails and mountain roads I can get to not to mention I can get the radio out in about a minute and hook it up to my 12 volt, 10 amp hour battery and put it in my hiking bag in no time at all. I will eventually put a HF antenna on the vehicle but not until I pass the General test, probably in another month. In addition I will also look at the buddipole.

It was either mount it in my vehicle where I can listen in silence (from my kids) while driving around or continue to let it collect dust in my garage.

PG-JKU

Nice work. As you stated, better installed and working than collecting dust. Get a small antenna tuner and a portable wire setup, and you could work HF while you are camping once you get your general licence.

that's the great thing about ham radio, you can spend as much or as little attention to it, leave it for years, and come back to it when you are interested again with no problems

ShawnInPaso

Looks good, nice rig.

arjeeper

Agree on both counts. While I found mobile HF unrewarding I did enjoy my setup just as you described while camping.

Ran random wire from tuner in the Jeep up into some trees and worked decent on most bands.

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Desert Fox

1. Good Luck with the General license exam. I found it to be much easier than the Tech exam.
2. I never did get mobile HF to work in my JK. I recommend that you not waste funds on a mobile HF antenna such as the Yaesu ATIS screwdriver. Better that you go directly to the Buddipole which will give you a multi-band capability. I have had one for four years and use it on 2m/6m/20m/40m. Its only drawback is that you have to "build" a new antenna for each band you want to use. I also recommend that you buy the taller mast.
3. After two years of unsuccessfully trying to work HF with my 857D and the ATIS antenna I sold both and purchased a FT-897D and use it very successfully with my Buddipole. The 897D is easier to use but seems to be electrically identical to the 857D. On the road I use my VX-6 HT or a FT-2900, both of which I plug into a Larsen through-the-glass KG2/70 antenna which works amazingly well.
4. It is not easy being a HAM if your family is not fully supportive. I started out in my bedroom and my wife quickly moved me to an enclosed porch and then to a "shack" I had to build in the back yard. (But it is solar powered!)

Hang in there ! W6PBR

arjeeper

My advice on the General is get to studying and take it as soon as possible. Keeping the knowledge you acquired while studying for your Tech will work in your favor.

I actually took and passed the Tech and General in a single sitting, knowing that my interest was primarily HF anyway.

Mixman

Yes, they are identical radios electrically with the only difference that the 897 has the option of internal batteries. It also have slightly better ergonomics as its bigger.

I owned both and one thing I learned to appreciate with these radios is that the are much more forgiving to lower voltages that any other radio I used. They basically function down to 9 Volts, the only apparent performance loss is output power. This is probably because the whole circuitry was design to run on battery power (in the case of FT-897) and therefore was designed to perform deep down the battery discharge cycle. It is really what makes those radios so useful, especially in an off road vehicle that might require use of the radio when engine is not running.

I also had the IC-706 and 706 MKII, they usually dropped dead within 30 minutes when transmitting actively while powered by the car battery alone (no charge).

Another option that is often overlooked is the Kenwood TS-480. It has a better receiver that the 857/897 and it has backlit buttons which is a very useful feature but few radios have. The display is miles better that the lousy 857/897 display. It also have an internal antenna tuner (only available in the 100 watt version of the radio) which can be useful with narrow banded mobile antennas. The front panel is the size of the 897 but its separate from the radio which makes it easier to install in an ergonomic way. But it would not be as tolerant to lower voltages as the 857/897.

- SM0MDG/SE0X