New Tahoe build coming soon

[cash082]

I'm looking into getting a Certified pre owned 2011 Chevy Tahoe LTZ (with very low miles)
I'm planning on putting about 5 radios up front, and possibly a few in the back (remote headed to the front) & getting a WiFi setup as well.
Looking for good center consoles ...without going somewhere and getting a custom one done? What do you guys recommend that have Tahoes? What did you do? Aside from reading about KG4LEO's setup..I've been looking for other ideas. I want it to be comfortable (arm rests) for the driver/passenger and needs to fit the LTZ model and needs to accommodate a lot of radios. Any thoughts? This is going to be a big build when I do it cause I want it to be done correctly 100%. Trying not to cut corners, etc. Drilling the antenna holes and all.
Thanks!

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Havis makes some Tahoe/Silverado consoles. Since it's an LTZ it's pretty safe to assume that it has a full center console in it. Havis offers a nice little add on to the current console (you remove the top of the console and the Havis one clamps down on top). I has slots for 4 or 5 radios if I remember correctly. It is what most of the LEA's run in their Tahoes and Silverado's with full consoles.

Havis Products | C-VS-1000-TAH 2007-2014 Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon Vehicle Specific 10" Console

 

[WatnNY]

Looking forward to seeing this!

Mike

 

[giguchan]

you guys just had to start right?

5 radios? Gee, some guys want it all... all I want is space for 2 remote CDM's

oh... and a 2011 LTZ..... I looked at one today... not a chevy man but my 4 runner does not have room or power to pull the toys.

gonna be watching this thread.

W5PKY... that item you mentioned sounds like a great idea. this way you don't have to remove the factory console just set the Jotto on top and good to go.

 

[cash082]

And here it is (before any mods)...
Just got it.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

you guys just had to start right?

5 radios? Gee, some guys want it all... all I want is space for 2 remote CDM's

oh... and a 2011 LTZ..... I looked at one today... not a chevy man but my 4 runner does not have room or power to pull the toys.

gonna be watching this thread.

W5PKY... that item you mentioned sounds like a great idea. this way you don't have to remove the factory console just set the Jotto on top and good to go.

What's wrong with 5 radios? I've got VHF, UHF, 900 MHz, dedicated APRS considering adding an HF rig one day...

I've never had anything that wasn't made by Chrysler, GM or Ford. I love my Jeep but the newer ones...we won't go there. I've had 7 Fords in the last 5 years...the Cherokee and Trailblazer have been extremely reliable. If I could afford the Havis console for my Trailblazer, I'd have one but I just can't afford the $300 for one at the moment.

 

[SCPD]

Car=Nice!, Snow=Not so nice..Can't wait until the finished product!!

 

[K4PS]

I have a 07 Z71 Tahoe with factory center console. From what I have saw, the Havis 10" console adapter will cover up access to the bottom switches you have on your dash console face. (the heated seat switches and the stability switch) The Jotto Desk 9" console adapter will not interfere. It is part number 425-6112. The best price I have saw is at fleetsafety.com ($209.95) Just a thought. I will go with the Jotto Desk down the road.
My set up in my Tahoe is a Motorola vhf XPR4550 for police, sheriff, ems, & fire. I use a dual band, single head Kenwood TK-790 / Tk-890 for the remainder of public service and weather frequencies. My two meter is a Astro Spectra with the W3 hand held head. I have a Kenwood TK-480HX HF Rig. All Radios can be removed with no trace of a previous install when I get ready to sell. The antennas are mounted on the roof rack rails and the wires are through the roof under the Roof rack cover caps. This will show no holes when the Tahoe is sold.

Mike / K4PS

 

[K4PS]

Just got an Email where SWPS.com has the 425-6112 Jotto-Desk for $180.

Mike / K4PS

 

[wise871]

Just got an Email where SWPS.com has the 425-6112 Jotto-Desk for $180.

Mike / K4PS

I picked up all my gear from SWPS.com . Best price around and fast delivery.

 

[ResQguy]

I have a 07 Z71 Tahoe with factory center console. From what I have saw, the Havis 10" console adapter will cover up access to the bottom switches you have on your dash console face. (the heated seat switches and the stability switch)

"OEM lower dash switches to be re-used and adapted to side of console"

 

[giguchan]

I looked at a LTZ TODAY.... They are nice trucks. Sadly, every LTZ I looked at has a sun roof- that is valuable antenna real estate. I figure one UHF spike, VHF spike (not a dual band antenna guy unless I absolutely have to)and a disk antenna for navigation and Sirius/xm. I am not too sure which band they work on. I don't know what you paid for yours.. but the guy showed me a brand new one for $60k. I had no idea the new ones were so expensive. The one I looked at was a 2011 46k on the clock I believe it was close to $38k. Black very clean too...

Can anyone tell what that shark fin is for on the Tahoe's? is that for sat radio? or possibly Navi?

Cash yours is a beauty... same color as what I saw today too. good luck with it.

 

[cash082]

Thank you! And yeah I know the sunroof was antenna real estate.. However there's still plenty of antenna room in the back. Coming up a picture of the center console area.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I looked at a LTZ TODAY.... They are nice trucks. Sadly, every LTZ I looked at has a sun roof- that is valuable antenna real estate. I figure one UHF spike, VHF spike (not a dual band antenna guy unless I absolutely have to)and a disk antenna for navigation and Sirius/xm. I am not too sure which band they work on. I don't know what you paid for yours.. but the guy showed me a brand new one for $60k. I had no idea the new ones were so expensive. The one I looked at was a 2011 46k on the clock I believe it was close to $38k. Black very clean too...

Can anyone tell what that shark fin is for on the Tahoe's? is that for sat radio? or possibly Navi?

Cash yours is a beauty... same color as what I saw today too. good luck with it.

Any new vehicle is expensive. My dad just bought a 2014 Ram 1500 Laramie, list was more than the 2006 Ram 2500 Mega Cab Laramie that it replaced. The old 5.9 got better fuel mileage as well but that's a different story. Now it's a case of price diesel versus price gas, its close when you factor in the 1500 is within 3 or 4 mpg most of the time.

To answer your question. It's for on star, sat nav (which is used for on star as well) and sat radio. An aftermaket satellite radio system may be able to use that antenna, aftermarket sat nag, no. Back before 2003 you could hack the system and use the GPS receiver for APRS or other raw NEMA data. Then Motorola combined the system. I have a 2004 Trailblazer…just missed by a year.

When I was at the Belton hamfest a guy had a very similar setup as what you describe (1/4 wave VHF and 1/4 UHF). I'm not a 1/4 wave guy, but it's just too tall to run around town in. I've been running separate antennas but to keep from dropping the headliner again, I'm relocating my UHF radio to be dual banded with my VHF radio antenna wise so I can get 900 MHz in place of the UHF antenna.

 

[giguchan]

Hold on.... had to put the kettle on.
Ahhh that's better..... would love to see that picture thanks.... makes me very jealous. I love my 4 runner.. but I need radios.

I am going to have installed the after market Kenwood or Alpine navi system... and in no way am I going to allow that postage stamp sat nav antenna with that wire going to the rubber trim and down the post. I'll have something installed.

I figure the sun roof comes back what 3 feet?

I dropped the headliner in my old frail blazer(company truck) it was not that bad.... I'll bet it wont be that bad in the Tahoe either... just a tad bigger

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Hold on.... had to put the kettle on.
Ahhh that's better..... would love to see that picture thanks.... makes me very jealous. I love my 4 runner.. but I need radios.

I am going to have installed the after market Kenwood or Alpine navi system... and in no way am I going to allow that postage stamp sat nav antenna with that wire going to the rubber trim and down the post. I'll have something installed.

I figure the sun roof comes back what 3 feet?

I dropped the headliner in my old frail blazer(company truck) it was not that bad.... I'll bet it wont be that bad in the Tahoe either... just a tad bigger

Regular Trailblazer's aren't too bad. EXT Trailbalzers have a few more inconveniences. After I dropped it myself the first time, I said screw it and just dropped the DVD player and drilled straight up from there.

My Jeep has a sat radio system running down the post (previous owner, there isn't anything on sat radio I want to listen too). Like I said, might be able to use the OEM antennas for some stuff. My nav gps on my Trailblazer, as well my APRS gps, sit on the steering column support (just behind the AM/FM just under the dash) and still works quite well.

 

[giguchan]

Thanks for the reply.
I will do some research to make sure everything lines up the way it's supposed to. I will have the Audio system installed by a shop. they are pretty complicated these days and to tell you the truth I cant be bothered. I know I like nice audio so that's why I wont be doing it.. hahaha

The radios I will install with a buddy. That I can handle. In the old blazer I used that flip top compartment in the rear cargo area for the "radios" and ran the network cable up to the heads in the cab. I picked up power from under the seats and ran it back to the radios. The dealer said I could cause problems back there by doing that. The Local Moto shop who did all the fire chief vehicles said I should be good.

 

[bikinjohn]

Can anyone tell what that shark fin is for on the Tahoe's? is that for sat radio? or possibly navi?

The antenna has 3 wires coming out of it. The largest size wire is for the cellular antenna (Verizon frequencies) and the other two are for XM and GPS. The wires wind across the headliner and down the passenger A pillar where the XM lead breaks off to the tuner behind the glove box. The other two leads continue under the dash where they lead to the Onstar box, which is accessible if you take out the center dash items (radio & AC stuff), or lay down in the driver footwell and squeeze your arm back up in there.

All 3 of the connectors are fakra with the cellular being violet, GPS being blue and the XM being brown.

I do not use my XM so I repurposed the antenna to be the external cellular antenna for my Smoothtalker cellular phone cradle by ordering a fakra to FME adapter cable . I planned on doing the same for the GPS with a fakra to MCX cable so I could mount my Garmin Nuvi down in the center console but it never happened.

 

[ks_scan]

Troy products has a GREAT Tahoe console! I have five items, a safe box and some blanks in mine.

 

[giguchan]

Hey Fellas,
Thanks for the replies.. Again this information is very helpful to me. I plan on getting an after market Audio system in the truck. I don't want to use the patch Antenna that comes with the system. I might be able to use the Shark fin for Navi( guess i'll need a adaptor cable as well?) and install a hockey puck for xm/serius.

I like the havis unit they have out..for the LTZ... but finding a clean LTZ without a sunroof and the dvd thing hanging from the ceiling is pretty tough.

Thanks again