Part 1: The Radio Shelf.
Last week I had the antennas mounted and power run on my new 2016 Ford Expedition. (see http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...orum/336729-2016-ford-expedition-limited.html). So now we move from the Install forum to the Pictures forum.
The installer put in 3 NMO mounts, one centered toward the front just behind the moonroof cavity and 2 on the rear corners. He also ran a power lead thru a relay connected to the ignition sense.
Today I went to Lowes and bought a piece of 2x12 plank. I cut 2 30-inch pieces and a couple 2x4's to match the width.
I mounted the 3 radios (2 996XT's and an Alinco DR638) to the board and assembled it as an open front (and back) box. This allows me to still put grocery bags and other cargo on top.
I think the weight of the wood and radios will be enough to keep it from bouncing, if not then I will look into securing it down somehow. I know that the hook part of Velcro sticks like SuperGlue to the fabric of the cargo area floor. That should be plenty strong enough to keep it from any sliding action.
The cover on the shelf comes off with 6 cabinet screws in case I need to swap a radio or something.
Below is the shelf in the workshop before the top went on with the radios mounted.
The labels are for my inventory database. All my electronics are listed with serial numbers, values, dates etc. and labeled.
I put the radios in that layout so I can match the antenna locations to them. The antenna on the right goes to the radio on the right...
Below is the box in place in the vehicle with the 3rd row seats down:
Here is the same view with the seats up.
Just to the right of the box is the barrier strip for the power leads. The coax for the antennas comes out the bottom row of the the vent.
This weekend I will mount the control heads and run the cables forward. There will be 2 RH96 cables, a Cat-5 for the Alinco head, 3 remote speaker cables and a 12VDC line for the RH-96's. I have the cables ready and color coded. Red for one scanner, green for the other and yellow for the Alinco IIRC.
I will also create the wiring harness for the 3 radios and the GPS for the scanners. I will probably use a little PowerPole block between 2 of the radios.
Last I will put the antennas onto the mounts. I have a couple Comet rubber dual-banders for the scanners and a stiff metal one for the Alinco. I also have a couple A/S MON-51 for use on trips or when skip is up. These are too tall for my garage however so I won't use them much. My garage has 8 foot doors so I can go in and out with the dual banders without whacking them but 4 foot tall antennas ain't gonna make it, especially on a full-size SUV.
More pics and updates as they are ready.
Last week I had the antennas mounted and power run on my new 2016 Ford Expedition. (see http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...orum/336729-2016-ford-expedition-limited.html). So now we move from the Install forum to the Pictures forum.
The installer put in 3 NMO mounts, one centered toward the front just behind the moonroof cavity and 2 on the rear corners. He also ran a power lead thru a relay connected to the ignition sense.
Today I went to Lowes and bought a piece of 2x12 plank. I cut 2 30-inch pieces and a couple 2x4's to match the width.
I mounted the 3 radios (2 996XT's and an Alinco DR638) to the board and assembled it as an open front (and back) box. This allows me to still put grocery bags and other cargo on top.
I think the weight of the wood and radios will be enough to keep it from bouncing, if not then I will look into securing it down somehow. I know that the hook part of Velcro sticks like SuperGlue to the fabric of the cargo area floor. That should be plenty strong enough to keep it from any sliding action.
The cover on the shelf comes off with 6 cabinet screws in case I need to swap a radio or something.
Below is the shelf in the workshop before the top went on with the radios mounted.
The labels are for my inventory database. All my electronics are listed with serial numbers, values, dates etc. and labeled.
I put the radios in that layout so I can match the antenna locations to them. The antenna on the right goes to the radio on the right...
Below is the box in place in the vehicle with the 3rd row seats down:
Here is the same view with the seats up.
Just to the right of the box is the barrier strip for the power leads. The coax for the antennas comes out the bottom row of the the vent.
This weekend I will mount the control heads and run the cables forward. There will be 2 RH96 cables, a Cat-5 for the Alinco head, 3 remote speaker cables and a 12VDC line for the RH-96's. I have the cables ready and color coded. Red for one scanner, green for the other and yellow for the Alinco IIRC.
I will also create the wiring harness for the 3 radios and the GPS for the scanners. I will probably use a little PowerPole block between 2 of the radios.
Last I will put the antennas onto the mounts. I have a couple Comet rubber dual-banders for the scanners and a stiff metal one for the Alinco. I also have a couple A/S MON-51 for use on trips or when skip is up. These are too tall for my garage however so I won't use them much. My garage has 8 foot doors so I can go in and out with the dual banders without whacking them but 4 foot tall antennas ain't gonna make it, especially on a full-size SUV.
More pics and updates as they are ready.