Here is my "no holes install" of an Icom IC706 Mk2 G ham radio. The antennas are a Tarheel Lil Tarheel for HF and a Comet CA-2x4SR for VHF & UHF. The antenna mounts are Diamond K400 lip mounts. The Tarheel mount has standard 3/8x24 threads and the Comet mount has a standard SO-239 coax connector.

The Tarheel antenna is called a screwdriver antenna.Inside the black tube is an electric screwdriver motor turning a long jackscrew. That moves a coil up and down over fingerstock contacts inside the black tube. This actually tunes the antenna, changing it's resonance for whatever band you want to work. Stock, this antenna covers 6 meters (54MHz) to 40 meters (7 MHz). The whip I'm using is about 2' longer than stock so it now covers 10 meters (30 MHZ) to 60 meters (5MHz). The small wire is Teflon RG316 coax. It is 6/5' long andconnects with RG8X at that point. The larger wire is the control cable to move the coil up and down from the operator position. This connects to 12 volts and a rocker switch mounted at the operator position. The antenna wires are ran under the top of the door panel and attached to the rubber tube between the door and the body. They go under the weatherstripping through a slit, down to the floor and under the seats to the radio.








The radio is under the seat and the detached control head is mounted on a piece of sheet metal, in this case aluminum street sign stock. I left the green reflective tape on it since it's not going to be visible. I could have attached the mounting bracket for the control head directly on this but I had already made a mount that was used in my Grand Cherokee so I just screwed it to the green plate. This slides under the console lid and is easily removed should it be needed.





The radio is sitting under the driver seat and does not move. The cables are zip-tied in a figure 8. Coiling them would make an inductor and affect the tuning and performance of the system. The power comes directly from the battery andis brought in through an existing grommet on the firewall, under the kick panel and out under the drivers seat.




No holes were drilled and this can all be removed with hardly any evidence of it ever being there in the first place. The radio puts out 100 watts on HF, 50 watts on VHF and 20 watts on UHF. I can talk to the world with this setup!

 

Great job man! Thats an awesome install!!

 

Sweet install. I especially like the remote face for the radio. That must have abeen a pricey radio.

 

Nice install with attention to performance and detail.

Some older ham installations at Dave Fritz's Virg Tech webpage:

http://www.dodgeram.org/ki4cy/ramradio/radio_mt.htm

 

About $900 for the radio. The Tarheel was about $300, the Comet was about $70, the pair of mounts were right at $150 for the pair, antenna cable was $40 for the pair.

Total was around $1500.

 

Looks real nice.

 

1500 dollars!! jeese put that puppy to use everyday!

 

I try to, but not because of the price.

$1500 for my mobile system isn't that much. Most base style ham radios by themselvesare right at $1500 for just the radio and a couple of the mega-high end radios are right at $10,000. Antennas can either be a hundred foot piece of wire or a multi-thousand dollar high end system. Then there's the tower and rotator. I know guys who have such elaborate diectional antenna systems that they have to rotate the entire tower!

Now look at other hobbies... sporting clays for instance... check the price of some of those shotguns. I think they're outrageous but I know people who don't bat an eye at dropping a few grand on another new shotgun. It's all in what you're into.

 

yea and im definitely guilty with your shotgun saying

 

I am going to put either a Tarheels or High Sierra screwdriver in my Ram. I have a 706 MKIIG in the shack, but may use another radio for the truck. How is the SWR with your antenna set-up? What kind of reports have you received?

Looks nice!

73,
Dennis NC2F