Ham Install in '02 Sport

[tjchad]

I finally lit a fire under my a$$ last night and did a real install for my 2m radio. I pulled the plastic dash section just below the steering wheel and saw that there is a BIG open area up under there! There is even a hole already in the bracket for the steering column so I could bolt the radio's bracket to it and it won't interfere with the tilt. There is tons of space for air circulation as well. I'll be mounting the remote head to the windshield frame using a bracket made from some scrap aluminum I had laying around.

I'll post pics when it's all finished up...

[Old Fart]

Outstanding. I stuffed the main unit of the D700 in the MasteRac console, head unit is on the dash. Still need to mount my remote speaker(s) (I run 1 for 2M, 1 for 440)

[tjchad]

As promised- here are pics of what I did:

First is a pic of the radio from Icom's site:


I removed the dash panel from below the steering wheel. There is more than enough room for the radio with plenty of airflow for ventilation:


Next, I fashioned a mounting plate out of some aluminum scrap I had laying around:


Then drilled out the rivets for the footmans loop on the windshield frame and tapped the holes for some new bolts and painted the bracket black to match the interior:


Here's the control head mounted to the bracket and tuned to our local repeater:

[Materdaddy]

Love the mounting plate! Looks great Chad! Thanks for sharing the pictures... If I ever get my license and go for 2M I'll copy your mounting idea with that (or a similar) radio!

[tjchad]

Thanks, Mat. I had to file down the mounting bracket to fit with the bikini header- would've been easier without that bit of mess.

[JpPassenger]

Thanks for the tip! I've been scratching my head for a few months now trying to figure out where to mount mine.

[JPFreek1]

Very sharp! So how do you like the radio itself? I'm considering getting the license and purchasing one as well. Thanks for the photos and the post.

[tjchad]

I like the radio a lot. Of course it's the first and only one I have used so I can't be truly objective, but I have gotten plenty of feedback from people letting me know it's putting out a good signal and that the audio is good as well. No complaints. It's even pretty loud in the Jeep! I may still do an external speaker for highway usage but there would be no need for trail use.

BTW- LOVE THE MAG!

[KNCJeeper]

What exactly is this radio for? Is it used like a CB? and does the sound come out of the console you mounted under the steering wheel? You have to have a liscense to use it? I have my FCC, is that all you need?

[jmbrowning]

IC-208H...nice choice. It's a sweet little hiding place for the radio.

I ended getting an IC2200-H mostly to see what all the fuss about digital voice was about. Wasn't able to raise anyone on D-Star and just forgot about it. I was quite pleased that the thing is a giant heat sink and has no fan.

Have you had any problems with dust getting into your dual-bander? What antenna are you using? I am thinking about putting the FT-100D in the tow rig and need a VHF/UHF antenna.

KNCJeeper: The IC-208H is a 2 meter/70 cm FM mobile radio used by amateur radio operators mostly to connect to mountaintop repeaters. The repeaters listen on a given frequency and retransmit on another. By using their advantageous locations, repeaters can extend the range of these normally line-of-sight mobile radios. Some repeaters are connected by the Internet and therefore can send a signal around the world.

A CB radio is simplex, that is the radio transmits and listens on the same frequency. CB is 11 meter and not necessarily line of sight but at the mandated 5 watts, you will not be getting out too far.

In order to use an amateur radio legally, you need to be issued an FCC amateur radio operators license. Learn more at http://www.hello-radio.org/.

Ham radio is not as easy as picking up a cellphone and dialing, but then again is driving 2 mph over footlocker sized boulders the quickest way to get from point A to point B?

[KNCJeeper]

Hmmm so obviously an advantage is range. Can you also talk to people on CB Freq? And since I have my FCC w/ radar am I good to go for this? I bet I sound like a retard asking all this and I have my FCC license. lol