220 Radio Install, phase 2 complete
So I made good progress this afternoon on the 220 radio install. I had gotten it into my head that the fancy Diamond NMO antenna mount wasn’t going to work, so Isaac and I drove up to ABC Communication this morning so I could buy a normal NMO mount. Within about 5 minutes I realized it wasn’t going to work either, so I went back to square one and eventually decided the Diamond mount could be made to work. It is a little odd, there is some extra length of the lip which normally would be flush with the hood, but is sticking up on the FJ. But I’ve decided it will be OK.
With the antenna mount done, it was time for the real fun of routing the coax and power to the center console for the radio. I finally took a picture today of where the 220 radio is going to be mounted. I only got as far as marking up where to mount the bracket before Rosie and Isaac got home, so that part will have to wait until tomorrow. But I think it is going to work well here.
You can see where the power and coax run pokes out of the hole I made today. (Always fun to drill holes in your new vehicle.) My long term plan is to make a little riser / shelf which will sit above the cables to make the rest of the space still usable. I’ll make it high enough so the heat fins won’t be exposed and just have it sit next to the radio.
I was a little surprised how easily the console came off, it only took about 2 minutes to remove it and putting it back was just as easy. So all I had to-do was route the coax and power cord under the dash and through the console to the new access hole. I actually spent a little extra time vacuuming out the space under the console. I found $0.36, a paper clip, rubber band and what I hope was a piece of candy.
Probably the hardest part of the whole thing was getting the coax through the firewall. I realized to late that I had almost covered the hole I used for the power run to the battery with my 12v power block. (See previous post) So it made getting the little SMA connector through the whole fun. I also realized that hooking up the power poles to the power block basically requires doing it with one hand. Ever tried to connect two power poles with one hand and do it by feel only? Not fun!
Tomorrow we are letting Isaac spend the day at his school. This is official Christmas break for them, but they still have day care for parents who have to work. He is basically looking forward to going and playing with his friends, since he has been out of school now for five days straight. (The longest since starting this fall) Rosie and I are going to have lunch and see Sherlock Homes. (YEA!) I probably won’t get any time to work on the radio install until Wednesday, but I think I can finish the 220 install and get a good start on the ID880 install.