Jeep Install

[popnokick]

Since radio range doesn't seem to be an important "use case"... why not just throw an HT into the glove box and use it as needed during events? Handheld radios in open vehicles have no trouble with 5-10 mile range or greater. I guess on the ham side of things you'll want a better antenna for distant repeaters and fixed stations?

 

[mmckenna]

I guess on the ham side of things you'll want a better antenna for distant repeaters and fixed stations?

The louder/better audio of a mobile radio with a larger speaker was always my preference. Plus, not having to keep a hand held radio from getting bounced out of the cup holder on a bumpy trail.

 

[jeepsandradios]

Yup speaker and tethered mic is why I run a mobile. And the batter is never dead as it shuts off with key. I have plenty of handhelds but a mobile is wat easier on the trail. Heading to the trail on dirt roads I'll run my headsets that are interfaced to the radios.

 

[sdu219]

I popped out the 2 rubber hood bumpers on my wrangler and drilled them larger for an NMO and had 1/4 wave vhf one side and uhf on the other. I put the uhf in front of the driver side. It did not provide any obstruction. I was able to hit my departments uhf repeater 40 miles away. When I traded in the jeep I removed the NMO's and a little silicone I replaced the rubber bumpers. no harm no foul.

 

[GlobalNorth]

I enjoy my JKR, but FCA/Stellantis/etc. needs to redesign the interior to allow for radio mounting options for CB/GMRS/Ham/professional radios. It is a terrible interior layout and Jeep gets feedback every jamboree about it.

Using a HT while on a trail is a bad idea. Steering wheels often kickback when in 4WD mode thanks to ruts covered with sand or snow, hidden rocks, stumps, etc. Old time 4 wheelers often had busted thumbs from it. Either have a passenger run the radio or stop to use it.

 

[ladn]

Very clean and professional looking install! I agree with the comments about the compromised antenna location, but you do what you have to do.

However, I'm always warry when I see above the dash control head mounting.

• It makes the control head easily visible through the windows and increases the theft risk
• The control head in that location gets exposed to more direct sunlight and can bake itself to death

 

[prcguy]

Very clean and professional looking install! I agree with the comments about the compromised antenna location, but you do what you have to do.

However, I'm always warry when I see above the dash control head mounting.

• It makes the control head easily visible through the windows and increases the theft risk
• The control head in that location gets exposed to more direct sunlight and can bake itself to death

This is not the best picture but it shows you can mount control heads to the front of the center console using a RAM swivel mount. Its out of the way but easy to get at by the driver or passenger.

 

[sefrischling]

Well, yes! I run a COMPACtenna on the back upper bed rail most of the time and sometimes on the front hood mounts like this.

View attachment 143886

I can't find any link to buy these antennas on the company site. I see where it says "Products - Buy" but I can't actually find any place to purchase them ... care to share what the antennas cost?

 

[prcguy]

I can't find any link to buy these antennas on the company site. I see where it says "Products - Buy" but I can't actually find any place to purchase them ... care to share what the antennas cost?

HRO and other radio dealers sell them, here is a link to HRO. Ham Radio Outlet Search Results

I originally bought a 2m/220/440 amateur version and then got the SCAN III to test out for scanner and multiband transceiver use. I was pleasantly surprised by the SCAN III performance on amateur and commercial freqs. I was curious about the LMR-1 version and recently got one and initially the SCAN III was performing very slightly better than the LMR-1 on 2m and 900 amateur from an antenna shootout with several different antennas on my truck but more recent testing is showing the LMR-1 is slightly better.

I have an NMO ground plane adapter in my garage connected to a Harris multiband radio and used its RSSI meter to compare a bunch of different tri-band VHF/UHF/700/800 antennas. In nearly all cases the COMPACtenna LMR-1 outperforms models from Larsen, Laird and PCTel using the radios RSSI metering. The antenna mounting location and ground plane can sway the performance some with the COMPACtenna working better in ground plane compromised situations and with a really good ground plane the other brands will improve, sometimes working a little better here or there but the COMPACtenna works better more often than not. And the COMPACtenna is about half the size of all the others.

The only gripe I have is the price of the COMPACtennas has gone up noticeably over the last year and I believe that is hurting sales. In my opinion they should lower the price, make more sales, lower cost of materials and manufacturing due to higher volume and in the end make more profit.

 

[EMTJD]

Darn shame about the antenna.... nearly the entire length of it is next to the metal hood. That's going to impact range of the radio on both Tx and Rx. Hoping someone else with a similar Jeep will chime in on this thread with a better location for the antenna.

Was going to say the same thing. That can't be a very effect antenna, being mounted like that. Not a great install location.

 

[N9JIG]

Was going to say the same thing. That can't be a very effect antenna, being mounted like that. Not a great install location.

Well it seems to work just fine. The intent for the radio is to talk to other Jeeps in the Jeep-Pack so range is not an issue. Even so we had no issue getting into the repeater from 50 or more miles away.

Sure, it woul dbe more effective elsewhere but for this install it is sufficient.

 

[tunnelmot]

Well it seems to work just fine. The intent for the radio is to talk to other Jeeps in the Jeep-Pack so range is not an issue. Even so we had no issue getting into the repeater from 50 or more miles away

Exactly. I don't know why there is grief over the antenna placement. If I had that rig that would seem like a great place for a UHF 1/4 wave. It's not like this will be used for contesting on 432 SSB QRP. UHF can be forgiving especially for convoy/off road/vehicle comms. And as stated before, this install is way ahead of the "usual" cigarette lighter/mini magmount GMRS setups. I guarantee Rich's stepson has fantastic trail simplex and repeater coverage. In fact, this install is exactly where UHF shines. All mobile (and most base) antenna installs are a compromise. Jeeps (as expensive as they are nowadays) are not exactly "ground plane friendly". I've seen way worse on public safety mobile installations..

Even so we had no issue getting into the repeater from 50 or more miles away.

Exactly.
Rock on. It looks like a clean and professional install...that works.

 

[phillmobile]

I would look at how the Australians do uhf radio installs.

 

[prcguy]

I would look at how the Australians do uhf radio installs.

View attachment 145262

Or maybe not.

 

[es93546]

I assume that the Jeep has a fiberglass roof. My 46 year old Toyota Landcruiser has a fiberglass roof, making it tough to mount antennas. I tried mounting them to a metal roof rack and grounding the rack with a 10 gauge wire that ran along side the coax. The coax entered the inside of the rig through a hole I drilled through the body. I just could not get a good SWR no matter how hard I tried. I got rid of the roof rack and bought a used ConFerr (out of business now - made a lot of great steel products for off highway rigs) but haven't mounted it yet. I hope the new rack will ground better, giving me a better SWR. If not your antenna mount on the side of the hood might be the way I have to go.

 

[es93546]

I would look at how the Australians do uhf radio installs.

View attachment 145262

That would be distracting to me, what with the antenna arcing back due to the speed of the vehicle. Also that antenna looks a bit too long for UHF. A full wave antenna for 460 MHz is 25" or around 0.65 meters. That antenna looks like its more than 2 meters.

EDIT: I suppose your post was meant in a tongue and cheek manner.

 

[prcguy]

I assume that the Jeep has a fiberglass roof. My 46 year old Toyota Landcruiser has a fiberglass roof, making it tough to mount antennas. I tried mounting them to a metal roof rack and grounding the rack with a 10 gauge wire that ran along side the coax. The coax entered the inside of the rig through a hole I drilled through the body. I just could not get a good SWR no matter how hard I tried. I got rid of the roof rack and bought a used ConFerr (out of business now - made a lot of great steel products for off highway rigs) but haven't mounted it yet. I hope the new rack will ground better, giving me a better SWR. If not your antenna mount on the side of the hood might be the way I have to go.

Not only is the Jeep Wrangler a fiberglass top, most of them are removable so you don't want to put a permanent mount antenna there for any reason. I have a Jeep Gladiator pickup and the roof above the front seats come off in minutes with the rear half taking more time and usually two people. Then there are the removable doors, etc. Its like an erector set with a big motor.

 

[es93546]

Not only is the Jeep Wrangler a fiberglass top, most of them are removable so you don't want to put a permanent mount antenna there for any reason. I have a Jeep Gladiator pickup and the roof above the front seats come off in minutes with the rear half taking more time and usually two people. Then there are the removable doors, etc. Its like an erector set with a big motor.

The Landcruiser is similar. The top, the rear side windows and the doors are removable. The windshield is mounted on two hinges and there are hooks and pads on the hood to lower the glass onto the hood. I have no reason to remove everything. Summer at 8,000 feet doesn't last long enough to make the effort, not to mention the dust that would have to be tolerated with the top and sides removed. We have some sayings about summer and the weather up here: Q "How was the summer up there?" A "I don't know I was in the shower at the time;" and "We have three seasons here, winter, cleaning up from winter and getting ready for winter." Those are exaggerations of course, but our heating season here is about 8-9 months. We might have to light the pellet stove in September for a few days or a week and we might have fires through May. It just all depends on where the air is coming from. We can also have great falls where you don't have to light the stove until Thanksgiving - that's my kind of fall.