Gang,
Due to the extended length of cable I needed to run from where I was to locate the antenna, to where the actual radio is mounted, I needed bulk length of RG8X coax and, one PL259 radio end with a reducer for the RG8X and I needed an NMO antenna base fitting for thick mount application, on the other end. Well, good ole' HRO sent me everything I needed in about 2 days, OUTSTANDING service. But, what they didn't tell me was what one serious pain in the petute that NMO is to actually put together and setup. I don't know if any of you have ever had to deal with that situation but, I consider myself as a pretty fair DIY type and have done a lot of things in my life that's quite technical.
I set up the PL 259 with reducer, for the radio end, without any issues whatsoever. What a piece of cake. I then tied it to the radio and ran that cable up, down, around, under, over, and all that, to the rear of our '15 Jeep JKUR. I then fished it through the tail gate so it would come out a pre-existing rubber plug, just behind the spare tire. It's way cool that way and, it's protected and it has a built in seal to keep water out of the tail gate.
Now, I followed the paper instructions to the letter in attaching that RG8X to the NMO thick mount base. I won't bother going through all the instructions here as it would be boring to many of you. But, suffice to say, things just don't fit the way they say it all should go together. I did what Clint Eastwood stated many times in his "Heartbreak Ridge" movie. I "over came, adapted and improvised" severely to make that NMO system work. I finally got it all put together and it works, at least I think it works. I did one radio check by pulling the Jeep out of the garage and asked for a radio check on one of our local repeaters here in Lake Havasu City AZ. I got a reply, yahooooooo, it works. Must have done something right.
But, for those that either haven't done it, and or may be thinking about it, folks, it's not a cake walk. I think, if I was ever to do it again, I'd purchase an NMO mount, with the cable already attached and, if I needed an extra amount of cable, I'd simply get a cable union of some sort and connect the cable in the middle some place. Gotta be easier than what I had to do.
Scott
Due to the extended length of cable I needed to run from where I was to locate the antenna, to where the actual radio is mounted, I needed bulk length of RG8X coax and, one PL259 radio end with a reducer for the RG8X and I needed an NMO antenna base fitting for thick mount application, on the other end. Well, good ole' HRO sent me everything I needed in about 2 days, OUTSTANDING service. But, what they didn't tell me was what one serious pain in the petute that NMO is to actually put together and setup. I don't know if any of you have ever had to deal with that situation but, I consider myself as a pretty fair DIY type and have done a lot of things in my life that's quite technical.
I set up the PL 259 with reducer, for the radio end, without any issues whatsoever. What a piece of cake. I then tied it to the radio and ran that cable up, down, around, under, over, and all that, to the rear of our '15 Jeep JKUR. I then fished it through the tail gate so it would come out a pre-existing rubber plug, just behind the spare tire. It's way cool that way and, it's protected and it has a built in seal to keep water out of the tail gate.
Now, I followed the paper instructions to the letter in attaching that RG8X to the NMO thick mount base. I won't bother going through all the instructions here as it would be boring to many of you. But, suffice to say, things just don't fit the way they say it all should go together. I did what Clint Eastwood stated many times in his "Heartbreak Ridge" movie. I "over came, adapted and improvised" severely to make that NMO system work. I finally got it all put together and it works, at least I think it works. I did one radio check by pulling the Jeep out of the garage and asked for a radio check on one of our local repeaters here in Lake Havasu City AZ. I got a reply, yahooooooo, it works. Must have done something right.
But, for those that either haven't done it, and or may be thinking about it, folks, it's not a cake walk. I think, if I was ever to do it again, I'd purchase an NMO mount, with the cable already attached and, if I needed an extra amount of cable, I'd simply get a cable union of some sort and connect the cable in the middle some place. Gotta be easier than what I had to do.
Scott
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