N2MWL

This is NOT a write up or a how to, its just some install pics..

I ended up mounting the body of the radio under the passenger seat...First out came the seat..



Next I tucked the mounting bracket under the seat springs and zip tied them so they don't move, and they don't at all !!



Here is a shot with the radio mounted in the bracket..



I went with a Larson glass mount on the windshield, I run a soft top in the summer and have tinted windows so the glass mount was about the only option I liked...I masked off around the outside of the antenna and sealed it with window sealer from Lowes for added strength..



Here is inside looking out..



I ran a couple of distibution blocks into the glove box off the battery so I have easy access to power when I need it..



From the back seat looking forward under the passenger front seat at the mounted radio..Its tucked up under there good, you can't see it unless you just about stick your head up under the seat....From the top of the radio to the bottom of the seat is probably an inch or two plus the radio has a built in fan so I don't think heat will be a problem..



At the moment I just have the radios head unit sitting on the cup holder, I'm leaning towards either a mount that will attach to the seat bolt or maybe a windshield mount that sticks on with a suction cup...



SWR's for the antenna were 1.6 on 2m out of the package so I just left as is, all I run around here is 2m so I'm not worried about anything else....good enough for who its for !!



I went to Radio Shack and bought a connecting cable that runs from the body of the radio (under the seat) to the AUX on the stereo system, now I can listen to ham radio thru the Jeeps sound system !!



Here is an antenna shot of the finished product, I wondered if the FM antenna would cause a problem with the 2m glass mount because they are so close ??? So far no problems, if one does come up I'll just yank the FM antenna off I guess..

RedDavid

Nice. Wish I would have been smart enough to pull the seat out. I mounted mine exactly the same way but crawled around on the floor/seat/driveway etc trying to mount it. Made me wish I was 18 and 30 lbs lighter.

AK4Dave

Nice setup Mike. The only thing.....I know you said the swrs on 2m were 1.6 so you just left it alone. But, is that where you will be talking.....right on 146.0? I say that because remember, VHF is ALOT different than HF. VHF can change dramaticly in only just a few freqs. either way. Smaller antennas can mean drastic changes real quick. Maybe your antenna is wide banded enough not to worry about it....I don't know. But if you have a favorite 2m freq you like to monitor then you might want to see if you can tune it for there. SWRS of 1.6 can change to 2 really quick on VHF and loss of performance will happen just as quick.....but of course, again, it depends on the antenna. Seeing that you do have the MFJ antenna analyzer (nice) it would be worth it also just to see how broadbanded your antenna is. High SWRS on VHF is FAR less forgiving than it is on HF.
73 and Have Fun...

N2MWL

Doesn't it suck getting old ???

I'm 6'8 and 43 years old so I can relate when it comes to getting in tight places with these projects !!

N2MWL

Thanks for the heads up Dave, I went back out this morning and checked again, the SWR's went up quick the higher the frequency...I could only go to 146.900 before I hit an SWR of 2.0.....Generally when I'm not running power I try to keep things under 2.0 and under 1.5 with power..

The SWR's dropped like a rock when I went down in frequency...I got all the down to 142.100 before I got to an SWR of 2.0...

Guess I better do some tuning after all.......

Skippman

Very nicely done! I'll be doing this to my JK when I get my radio. I'm gonna try mounting the display above the rearview mirror. On the Yaesu the mic plugs into the radio itself, right?

N2MWL

The mic plugs into the face of the radio...The wire you see coming out the side is for the mic.....

Desert Fox

I mounted the Larsen glass mount antenna on the left rear quarter window and have used it with my Yaesu VX-6 HT. No problems. I haven't mounted the 7800 under the driver's seat yet because I was concerned about heat the unit may generate. Do any of you have experience with heat dissipation problems yet? It may not be a problem. Of course there may be an unintended benefit of a heated seat for those of you who live up north. Here in San Diego, a heated seat is not a feature that is sought after. I will connect the 7800 to a Diamond NR770HNMOB multi band antenna, and it is mounted to an Arizona Rocky Road mount that I have bolted to the spare tire carrier. In fact, this set up is in place with the coax coiled up under the rear seat, ready to go, at this point. The real show stopper for me has been, where to mount the remote head and the mic? When you have a GPS, CB and VX-6 all sitting around the dashboard, the addition of a bigger and better radio can look overwhelming. I have just about decided to only use the HT as a HT and to disconnect it electrically from the JK.

KI6VBQ

N2MWL

I just installed it yesterday so heat may turn out to be a problem, I hope the radios fan does its job !!

Check this site out, they have a lot of mounting options..
http://www.lidomounts.com/page/page/1478816.htm

AK4Dave

Heat can be a problem for sure. That's why they build in such huge heat sinks into these little radios. Sitting at idle it may be ok, but if you get into a long qso at full power, especially on a hot day, she may heat up pretty quick. They usually say not to put anything directly on top of a radio. It looks like it's pretty much tight up against the seat supports which doesn't allow for any air to circulate between it and the seat. I don't know if you have the room under the seat that would allow you to put any spacers between the the radio and the seat itself? I would think just a half inch or so would help quite a bit. If you don't want to mess with it now, just try and remember to reach under there from time to time during a qso and actually feel how warm the rig is getting.
Good Luck....