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The NEW Odyssey Odyssey – 2019 style

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N9JIG

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For those of you who have followed my vehicle builds over the years you will know that I prefer Honda Pilots and Odysseys due to the covered well in the rear cargo area where I can board mount radios and run cables forward for remote heads. This has worked great as the scanners of choice for me has been the BCD996XT which work great with the RH96 Remote Head. Now though I need the features and modes that the BCD996P2 and BCD536HP bring to bear, and neither work natively with remote heads.

I have been working with Ric Plummer on a converter to work with the BCD996P2 that allows use with the RH96 but still would like to use the BCD536HP in my vehicle. The problem is that most cars and trucks with the higher trim levels I want do not have a place to mount full-size radios where they will be accessible and out of the way. Most vehicles these days have center consoles that block the ability to install radios. I could get a lower tier trim level but I use some of the features found only in the higher level trims like Nav systems, moon roofs and the like.

In looking for a replacement vehicle for my 2016 Ford Expedition I considered several SUV’s, vans and cars. I could have gone with almost any of the domestic and international brands but every one has a center console that doesn’t allow room for radios in the higher trim except the new Honda Odyssey.

I have had two Odyssey’s in the past 2 decades, as well as a couple Pilots and Ford Expeditions. The 2019 Odyssey has a large blank area between the center console and dashboard that is apparently meant as a pass-thru of some sort. There is a pull-out storage tray that slides into this area as well. It is large enough to fit a pair of DIN size scanners or even an SDS200 and a DIN scanner. There is also enough room to fit two DIN-sized scanners and my Alinco DR638 if I drop it down just below the top of the lip. This would eliminate the need for remote heads and the associated wiring for them and remote speakers.

My thoughts at this point is a heavy weighted base that sets on the floor tray between the seats that supports a vertical bracket of some sort that then connects to the mounting holes on the scanner. By originally using that flat 2-inch mending bar that they sell at Home Depot and a piece of 2x12 cut to fit the tray I can experiment with the various heights. Once I figure the exact dimensions of what I want then I can construct a more permanent solution, perhaps a friend of mine who does wood and metal working can help
.Side.gifAbove.gif

I suppose I will need some sort of stabilizer to keep the stack from sliding when cornering, as it might be a little top-heavy but that shouldn’t be a problem to figure out.

I will post pics when completed!
 

W9WSS

Retired LEO
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Can't wait to see the progress of this build, and of course the finished project, Rich. I know you always do a great job with power, antenna mounting, and radio placement keeping safety at a maximum. I'm looking forward to the new Honda Odyssey installation!
 

N9JIG

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The current plan is a simple weighted base with some sort of bracketing to the radios so they peek out between the cup holder and dash. I will probably start with an erector set approach and then try to get one of my wood working buddies to make something a bit more presentable, perhaps with speakers for the scanners.

It looks like I will have the two scanners (996P2 and 536) at the top and the Alinco DR-638 below, the three of them will fit just about perfectly in the space available. That spot behind the cup holders is a charging pad for the cell phone so I cannot use it for a remote head. I probably will be fine with the two scanners and the Alinco, it is pretty much what I have been doing for a while now.
 

TailGator911

Silent Key/KF4ANC
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Well, Rich, if it looks anything like your fantastic interior shack, I cannot wait to see it! You never fail to impress, sir!

JD
kf4anc
 

N9JIG

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Rich our Chief just got a 2019 Ford Explorer with the replacement Police Console that holds 3 Radios Plus Siren with 2 built in cup holders. You might look into something like this.
Police SUV Consoles

I had one of these (a Troy Command Console) in older vehicles but the center console in my newer cars are not removable without losing comfort features we really want to keep. In the new Honda for example I would lose the charging mat and phone dongle for CarPlay as well as the AC power port. If I had bought a lower trim vehicle or even a police package this would be great.

When we were thinking of getting an F250 I was thinking about getting a console like this but I could not get the Nav system with bucket seats on the lower trim levels.
 

N9JIG

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Well, here are a couple shots of the current Erector Set device I constructed. I am also going to use a set of mag-mounts for a while until I can have my shop install hole-mount NMO's (I ain't drilling into a roof of a van with half a dozen airbags and a myriad of other electronics and AC stuff...)

My installer will also put in an ignition relay so the radios go on and off with the ignition like on my last few vehicles. That has worked very well so I will continue with that.

On the base under the radios I mounted a small PowerPole slab to distribute power and 2 speakers, one for each scanner as they are blocked by Velco strips,

The main radio brackets are secured by T-Nuts and fender washers. The brackets are simple mending bars folded into a U then cut to fit. The radios are Velco'd together with the Alinco on the bottom due to the heat sink. That heat sink does not contact the center console so that should not be an issue. The whole thing is remarkably sturdy, much more so that I thought it would be. While the bracket arrangement was intended to be temporary until I can arrange a more professional approach it looks like it will be good for now.

I am looking at having the local wood working club build me a custom enclosure to replicate the erector set, with the sides cut to fit the space and individual holes for each radio. As it is now I have to insert the rack with just the two scanners present, put a piece of paper to cover the Velcro on the Alinco and draw it up into position then pull out the paper to allow the Velcro to catch. There just isn't enough room to keep them together when inserting the rack. To remove it I have to release the thumb screws holding the scanners and drop them out of place due to the tension between them and the console and dash. I use the cloth side of Velcro on the wearing surfaces of the radios to prevent marring of the surfaces on the center console and dash. On the bottom of the base I put non-skid pads, also to prevent marring of the floor pan.

Here is the painted, empty rack:

Bare.gif

Here is the rack as populated with the radios and speakers. Under the radios is the PowerPole slab and a lighter socket for the GPS. I built a custom cable harness to allow one GPS to fuel both radios.
Populated.gif

Here is the underside of the base. I used T-Nuts to allow simple insertion and removal of the cap screws, I used 16MM M-8 screws as they pretty well fit the bill, being large enough to be strong and they nicely fit the holes on the folded mending bar. After this picture was taken I covered the bottom of the T-Nuts with non-skid pads to prevent them from marring the surface of the floor pan under them.
Under.gif

Today I will likely put the whole thing in the van and connect it up to power and the antennas. I might take a little road trip to see how it all works later. I will then post in the Pictures forum the results.
 

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