I finally got a pro with the right set of tools to help me (more like let me watch and hold equipment) wire my setup properly:
I call him Dr. Motorola, thank you.
The radio as mounted was left alone, the old hatch/trunk mount, coax, and antenna were removed.
The power cables were shortened and PROPERLY terminated to the battery terminals (ground to ground, hot to hot, both lines of power are fused).
Hole drilled with professional quality, permanent mount inserted, cables shortened, properly terminated
(Re) Install Pictures:
Took the bottom tray out (sits over the spare tire and battery. Yes, in the Chevrolet HHR, the battery is in the back. That is some of the split loom we're going to use to organize the cables with.
The roof before it gets drilled (drill with proper drill bit and that is my Icom V-82, a great 2m HT)
Dr. Motorola butchering my roof... ok, it was more like surgery. Why? He put on a young female jazz vocalist singing some classics, it was pretty cool, he even got compliments from people passing by.
The hole...
Putting the yellow line through to guide the antenna cable through...
Spare tire and battery compartment
Let me tell you something about this guy, he isn't big... I am, I would look like a fool curled up inside the hatch area and probably uncomfortable
Tried to focus on my new antenna setup but the camera took a liking to my car's sister a few parking spots over, but you can see the antenna fine
A nice daytime look at the final product of the re-install effort
Final product, night shots:
Close up of the radio with shortened and properly secured audio, control, power, and coaxial cables.
Not much has changed here, just the a better picture (hmmm, I forgot to turn it on for action shots)
Shot of microphone and run of the control-head cable, a note about that cable under the mic: That is the speaker cable, I have since moved that and the speaker to the hidden area behind the console. Not properly secured yet, but I'll revisit that later.
Wide angle shot of control head and mic
Antenna on top, moved from the large antenna hanging on for dear life from a trunk/hatch mount and with a severely twisted cable to a nice dual bander (quarter wave on 2m and half wave on 70cm) mounted on the roof, so much cleaner and it just looks GREAT
Another show of the antenna from the back of the vehicle, so much nicer without having one of the guns of Naverone hanging off the back. Works very well and in fact better than the last setup:
I call him Dr. Motorola, thank you.
The radio as mounted was left alone, the old hatch/trunk mount, coax, and antenna were removed.
The power cables were shortened and PROPERLY terminated to the battery terminals (ground to ground, hot to hot, both lines of power are fused).
Hole drilled with professional quality, permanent mount inserted, cables shortened, properly terminated
(Re) Install Pictures:
Took the bottom tray out (sits over the spare tire and battery. Yes, in the Chevrolet HHR, the battery is in the back. That is some of the split loom we're going to use to organize the cables with.
The roof before it gets drilled (drill with proper drill bit and that is my Icom V-82, a great 2m HT)
Dr. Motorola butchering my roof... ok, it was more like surgery. Why? He put on a young female jazz vocalist singing some classics, it was pretty cool, he even got compliments from people passing by.
The hole...
Putting the yellow line through to guide the antenna cable through...
Spare tire and battery compartment
Let me tell you something about this guy, he isn't big... I am, I would look like a fool curled up inside the hatch area and probably uncomfortable
Tried to focus on my new antenna setup but the camera took a liking to my car's sister a few parking spots over, but you can see the antenna fine
A nice daytime look at the final product of the re-install effort
Final product, night shots:
Close up of the radio with shortened and properly secured audio, control, power, and coaxial cables.
Not much has changed here, just the a better picture (hmmm, I forgot to turn it on for action shots)
Shot of microphone and run of the control-head cable, a note about that cable under the mic: That is the speaker cable, I have since moved that and the speaker to the hidden area behind the console. Not properly secured yet, but I'll revisit that later.
Wide angle shot of control head and mic
Antenna on top, moved from the large antenna hanging on for dear life from a trunk/hatch mount and with a severely twisted cable to a nice dual bander (quarter wave on 2m and half wave on 70cm) mounted on the roof, so much cleaner and it just looks GREAT
Another show of the antenna from the back of the vehicle, so much nicer without having one of the guns of Naverone hanging off the back. Works very well and in fact better than the last setup:
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