CB and Ham Antena Locations... Post Your Pictures Here | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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CB and Ham Antena Locations... Post Your Pictures Here

Many people come to this part of the forum to help them decide how they want to set up their communications in their car. Let's give them some idea on where you mounted your antenas, radios, pa speakers, etc. Post your pictures on this thread.
 



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I've got a glass mount on the back side corner of the truck, low so I can still pull into garages, and my radio sits in the cup holder. ;-)
 






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Looks like some of us have some catching up to do. Mine isn't even worth of a photo. ;)
 






Looks like some of us have some catching up to do. Mine isn't even worth of a photo. ;)

Im going to get mine in over the holidays and I will post up some pics.
 






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Nice. I need a short console. All that space makes me jealous!
 






Nice. I need a short console. All that space makes me jealous!

I LOVE the short console. I'd be supremely pissed if I had the console that goes all the way up and connects with the dash. The carpeted area is the perfect place for my bag phone.
 






Here is mine. I'll be putting in a screen in below in a few weeks;)

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Is that a CB? A ham radio would get WAY hotter, and I'd be worried about it in the dash. Even if the radio was OK, what about the poor stereo above it?
 






Is that a CB? A ham radio would get WAY hotter, and I'd be worried about it in the dash. Even if the radio was OK, what about the poor stereo above it?

Stereo puts out way more heat then the CB. Besides the CB only gets used when we go off road. Has not been a problem so far requardless though
 












Stereo puts out way more heat then the CB. Besides the CB only gets used when we go off road. Has not been a problem so far requardless though

Yeah, I agree, it definitely would not be a problem for a CB, but I think that it would for a ham radio.
 






Yeah, I agree, it definitely would not be a problem for a CB, but I think that it would for a ham radio.

Really, HAM radios get that hot ? I did not know this.
 






Depends on the radio. CBs can only transmit with a maximum of 4watts AM or 16 watts on side band. A ham radio in the same size package could produce 150 watts depending on the model. That's where the extra heat comes from.
 






I would think that even a 50-65 watt mobile would get pretty hot. The newer radios are so small now, and 80% of the radio is heat sink. I'm not sure I'd want my car stereo above that. And not sure there is enough airflow to put it in the dash at all. Myabe that's why so many ham radios now are remote mountable. I was thinking about putting mine all the way in the back, behind the little storage compartment (where a sub would go).
 






My VHF/UHF has a remote head. It's located where the 4x4 buttons would normally go. The entire Icom 706 is mounted where the ash tray used to be. That's one tough rig. Its' been in the Explorer for over 10 years:eek:
 






Yeah, you got more space in your Explorer. I would like to keep my radio relatively high, in case I ever have the misfortune to do this .....
<----------------------------
Again. ;)
The radios I'm looking at all come with the extension kit, 15 feet or so, I think.
 






Antenna and Radio Locations

Well gang, some of these pic of my antenna locations, radios, radio and equipment mounting locations have been posted before, and some are new, but hopefully they will provide some ideas which you can use for your applications.

The Ist jpg is of the cabin equipment stack: Top left, Garmin GPS. Top Center, remote Control Head for a Kenwood TM-742 Ham Tri-bBand, VHF, UHF w, 2M, 220 MHz, 440 Mhz bands. Below the heater controls, is the remote control head for an Alinco DX70, HF 160 thru 10 meter, + 6 Meter 100 Watt Ham radio. Below the Alinco head is an inside / outside thermometer, below that is the Cobra CB w/ weather band radio. The switch panel below that is for various exterior lights and accessories. To the right, is a 'Clearspeech" Digital sound processing speaker for the Alinco HF. The console is custom (by me).

Next shot is a closeup. Note: the Hei-Sound Mic on the left for the Alinco HF, and the Kenwood Mic w/ dtmf keypad on the right id for the VHF / UHF The mic hung sideways on the left is for the Cobra CB. The Alinco head is where the ashtray used to be. I don't smoke, so it was waste space, but made a great mounting location.

#3 jpg is the Alinco DX-70 HF and Kenwood TM-742 tri-band radios mounted on the "Filler" floor panels that fold up behind the rear passenger seat backs, and fill in the floor when the rear seats are folded down.

#4 jpg, close up of the DX70 mounted, #5 seat folded and "Filler" floor panel flat, The radios fit in the void left by the folded seat back. #5 is the left rear seat upright, with the Alinco DX-70 shown.

Antenna Mount locations are in #6. on the brushbar " Auzzie style", is a "Perth Outbacker" multi band HF antenna for the Alinco HF. ( I typically don't install this antenna on Off Road trips, but carry it under the back seat until needed. On the roof top is a Comet SBB-224 tri-band antenna for the Kenwood 742, a Wilson 1000 base loaded CB antenna, and on the rack is a 6 Meter antenna.

#7 is a close-up of the Outbacker HF antenna and mounting spring. This antenna could go other places, but I took a hint from the Australians who frequently mount their taller Ham or CB antennas on the front of their Bush Vehicles, so they can see if they're about to kill the expensive antenna on a low tree branch or other overhanging obstacle. Made a lot of sense to me, and beats the heck out of destroying a $300 - $400 antenna cause you couln't see that it was going to hit something overhead.

Since I run a '93 Ex, my radio / antenna mounting solutions apply mostly to the older vehicles, but maybe they will give you some ideas you can put to use.

73
 

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MORE Antenna / Radio mounts

Here's the rest;)
 

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