Vehicle mounting challenges

[lucasec]

DMR questions aside, I also need to figure out the installation the last few installation details. Would appreciate any input from the experts .

I originally measured and thought I could place the radio up behind the driver's side dash. While this looked good on paper, with the unit actually in hand it's very tight. Probably too tight. Might still be possible to get a single deck there, but only after taking a lot of other parts loose to make enough access to the space. And I'm definitely not stacking two decks without interfering with some positions of the steering column.



Under either seat is definitely ruled out too.

My present thinking is the best spot is probably on the side of the cargo area. Given the slope of the sidewall, placing it just below the trim piece for the cargo cover doesn't eat up too much cargo space since that piece already juts out. Could add a second deck to the side and maybe fashion some kind of shroud to cover the decks/wiring. Wiring would be a bit of a pain though.



Trunk floor/spare tire area is already filled with an OEM subwoofer.

Anyone see any other options I'm missing? I haven't taken apart the center console to see if there are any cavities in there, but that would be an enclosed space which I assume isn't great for ventilation.

 

[DeoVindice]

Is there any kind of compartment under the rear seats?

 

[lucasec]

Sadly no compartment under the seat. Found this video of someone taking all the the seats apart:

It's basically the seat cushions then sheet metal right below that.

Very little space wasted in my "subcompact" SUV it seems .

 

[DeoVindice]

That's unfortunate. I was able to use the under-seat jumper cable compartment on my pickup to mount the ROIP system, since I keep cables in the toolbox instead.

Under the seat is the usual recommendation for that kind of vehicle. If you can't make that work, the trunk side mount may be your best option. Wire loom will be your friend to keep things tidy.

 

[mmckenna]

If it was me, I'd get some nice finish grade plywood, probably 1/2" or 3/4". I'd cut it big enough to hold 2 RF decks with room for proper cable routing. I'd probably trim it to match that part of the plastic panel. I'd paint it black or dark grey. I'd use some long screws to go through the sheet metal, plastic trim, and into the sheet metal. I might do 1/4" threaded rod cut to the proper length instead of long sheet metal screws.

That would give you a solid mounting platform that wouldn't come loose in an accident (#1 concern) and would look decent. Use a hole saw to make a hole in the plywood and plastic trim to allow cable routing.

#6 cable from the battery + terminal to that, and install a fused distribution block to feed the individual radios. Pick up a local ground off the sheet metal.

You could fabricate a cover to protect the radios.

No way I'd mount under the dash, even one RF deck.

 

[tweiss3]

I would recommend mounting it on a sheet of plywood as mentioned above. You can spray paint it if you want, then side mount it it in the trunk easier.

 

[lucasec]

Plywood to use as a base to make mounting easier than having every component (RF deck, distribution block, cover) mount directly into the sheet metal? I need to pull that carpet up to see what's behind it, but I believe it's pretty much straight on sheet metal.

The little mounting bracket that came with the radio sets the radio about 3/4" off the base of the mount. I assume that should still be respected for airflow purposes.

On the plus side, I am most certainly glad that I got the 17ft cable for the HHCH. It has plenty of length to run from the cargo area to the front with still several feet to spare/cable manage.

(for any late joiners—this thread was split off of Best Portable/Mobile ecosystem: NX-5000 line vs Motorola R7 + XPR5000e, which mostly ended up with us discussing the Kenwood NX-5000. Vehicle is a Mazda CX-30 subcompact crossover.)