The Odyssey odyssey

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N9JIG

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A couple months ago I traded in my old Honda Pilot (see Pilot Radio) on a 2012 Honda Odyssey. I had a couple ideas on installs, including a custom cabinet that was to have been made by a friend of mine. (http://forums.radioreference.com/ra...rum/223615-coming-soon-new-honda-odyssey.html).


I decided a bit more conventional install similar to that in my former Pilot. That worked very well for me so I copied it with some modifications.



Phase 1: Stuff in the back

I finally got my antennas and main power leads run by my install shop (MPC Communications of Northbrook, IL). They installed 5 NMO mounts on the roof of the van.


Antennas.jpg




They also installed 3 power leads (Ground, battery and switched positive). The battery lead is protected by a circuit breaker under the hood. The switched lead comes from an auxiliary fuse block near the rear door.

All leads and cables were run to the rear cargo area, in the pit where the third row “60/40” seats stow away into:


b4rear.jpg




I cut a piece of ¾ inch plywood to fit the pit’s driver’s side partition. This allows me to still stow the passenger side seat in case I need to haul a long item. The board was fitted with rubber feet and cut so that it fits very snugly. I then test fitted the radios and marked the locations for later mounting.

I then removed the radios and board, sanded the edges and trimmed a corner to allow it to fit better. I then started mounting the radios. The radios include:

2 BCD996XT’a;
2 BCT15X’s;
2 CDM1250’s (1 VHF, 1 UHF);
Alinco DR635T;
Garmin GPS;
Stridsberg MCA204M multicoupler.

All 7 radios will use remote heads.

As I learned from my prior vehicle (2009 Honda Pilot) the scanners were set at a higher angle for easier access to the front serial port. I had difficulty accessing them in the old car for programming and reinsertion of the remote head cable.

After the radios were mounted I started working on the wiring. I had mounted studs for the power leads so the radios were then wired to these studs. I made a couple simple harnesses, reusing some of the articles from the old car. One of the harnesses I had to make was one to share the GPS data among the 4 scanners.


Board.jpg




My old Garmin GPS-III finally bit the dust after more than a decade. One of the batteries leaked out and it would not work even after a thorough cleaning. I leave the GPS connected to the car battery so that I don’t have to manually turn it on every time I get in the car. I keep AA batteries in the GPS so that it remains on when the car starts and the voltage drops the GPS remains on.

I had found an old Garmin Street Pilot at a hamfest for next to nothing some time ago just in case I needed to replace the GPS-III. It worked out well since the connections are identical so I could just swap out the units. The harness I made used 4 Uniden serial cables with the radio end cut off connected to a Garmin cable and power lead.

After all the radios were mounted and wired I placed the board into the seat well and connected the antennas and power leads. It fit perfectly. Eventually I will construct a shelf to mount above the radios to hid them from view and allow for groceries etc. to be carried on top. I plan on using a wood shelf covered in the same fabric as used in the car.


Inserted.jpg






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Phase 2: The front stuff

For the control heads I will use 2 mounting locations. 2 of the scanners and the Alinco will be mounted to a pull out tray below the stereo system.



tray.jpg






A simple set of mending bars hold up the assembly. The two RH96’s are Velcroed together and the Alinco’s control head tacked on below these.


b4front.jpg





The other two scanners and the Motorola’s will be mounted to a mounting board that fits in the well of the center console. I cut two pieces of leftover plywood, one to fit the well and another as a riser. The RH96’s will be mounted with Velcro to the raised section and the Motorola’s to the lower part.

Phase 3: The bridge.

After working on the rear section with the radios and the front part with the control heads, they need to be connected together to be operational. The Motorola’s have a 10-conductor cable and speakers in the control head, the other radios require speakers run to the front. The Alinco uses a phone style control head cable while the scanners use a 3 conductor cable, with the control head end uses a standard stereo plug so if the cable is too short I can use an extension cable. I will also need extension cables for the 5 speakers (4 scanners and the Alinco). Also run forward will be a power lead for the scanners control heads.

All these cables will be bundled as a unit and run up the center of the vehicle in a wire loom. This will help reduce damage and tripping that was an issue on the last car in which the loom was run up the right side.

I always get asked the same question: Why so many radios? I use all of them all the time. The two Motorola’s are my work radios for the most part, they operate on the frequencies used by the agency I work for. The Alinco is used for various ham radio operations.

The scanners each have a purpose. One 996 is dedicated to StarCom21 and statewide systems used in the Midwest. The GPS feature is invaluable for this, I have the statewide systems for Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio all set up with GPS and never have to touch the radio. The other 996 is used for various local systems using P25.

One BC15 is dedicated to CloseCall operations. This allows me to find nearby transmitters. I have found hundreds of new (to me…) channels in use during my travels with CloseCall. The last BC15 is used mostly for aviation and railroads.

I hope to complete the install this weekend, more pics to follow as the job continues!
 

Rt169Radio

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Looks pretty nice so far,but whats behind the blur? Secrets? :D
 

ScanWI

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Blurr?

Nice collection of equipment I like the mounting idea you have used. The blurring really doesn't do any good when you use you call-sign for you username.
 

N9JIG

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Mission Accomplished!

I spent a good part of the day today finishing off the job I started yesterday. Aside from a couple minor wire management issues the job is done.

Below you will see the RH-96's as well as the heads for the Alinco and the Motorola's.

I pulled the left and center seats from the center row to make it easier to access and run the various connecting cables. I started from the front and worked back. This allowed me to concentrate the extra wire in the rear of the vehicle so it could be wrapped or trimmed.

I ran a power lead from the rear to the front for the RH96's. In addition there were the control cables for these as well as the Motorolas and Alinco. Since the RH96 cables were too short to make it to the rear of the vehicle I used some extenders. The only ones I had were 15 feet, which is just the distance for the run, I then wrapped up the RH96 cables and plugged them into the extension cables.

I connected 5 Motorola speakers to the radios and then placed them on the floor behind the front seats. I think I will try carpet Velcro first and see how that works. Each scanner and the Alinco are connected to these speakers, the Moto's have speakers in the control heads.

Stack2.jpg


The Motos and the rear two RH96's are mounted on a wooden jig that sits in the tray of the console cover. Heavy duty Velcro holds it down. I can still open the console and the radios stay. The cable is flexible enough to allow repeated opening and closing.

The front two RH96's and the Alinco are mounted together and then to the pull out tray under the stereo. This allows me to still access the power ports and the beverage cooler below them (Yes, the van has a built-in cooler!)

I still have to work a little on wire management and pop in a couple mic holders.I will play with things a couple days and figure that out. Once that is done I will start cleaning up the excess wire and cable in the rear cargo well and build a cover box for it.

After all was said and done everything worked except for one of the RH96's not connecting to the radio. I found that the front serial port on one of the 996's was damaged as well as the cable itself. I swapped out the radio with another one and then kit-bashed a new cable from a spare Uniden serial port cable.

I may also need to replace the GPS. The Street Pilot required a couple restarts today, it might be on the way out. If worse comes to worse I will need to make a serial port splitter and use a different GPS receiver. Anyone have a working Garmin GPS III, IV or V?
 

N9JIG

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You are either not married or have a very understanding wife!

I have the ideal wife for a radio dude, she is deaf! I can have the radios on all night and it never bothers her. As an added bonus she is totally hot! I haven't quite figured out what she sees in me though...
 

W9WSS

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I saw it in person MON afternoon; and it's nothing short of awesome. Rich does some fine work! I took a pic of the radios in the rear compartment, and Rich wouldn't want me posting it, as he's got some "wire management" and work to do before the photo(s) will be published.
 

donny612

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New Bern, NC
So's my wife...small world

I have the ideal wife for a radio dude, she is deaf! I can have the radios on all night and it never bothers her. As an added bonus she is totally hot! I haven't quite figured out what she sees in me though...

Small world. My wife is completely deaf without her bone conduction hearing aid. She has Treacher Collins Syndrome a genetic condition. She doesn't hear anything without that aid...radios, stereos, tv's explosions...whatever... We're on somewhat opposite schedules and it works out quite well for us. I get home late and can do whatever I want noise wise and I sleep soundly enough that she doesn't bother me in the morning either.
And might I add... A very nice install !!
 

b7spectra

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Cobb County, GA
My wife is hot as well, but her hearing is perfect! Only time I can go to sleep with my scanners on is when she is visiting our daughter out of town!
 

KB4MTO

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Fern Park, Florida
This is a beautiful install, very well done. I have a Honda Element that I have just started on. The only installed radio at this point is a Yaesu FT-857D. I really like what you have done here.

73,

Hank Lambert
KB4MTO / TA5ZC
 
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