Ham install, version 2.0...

[Martinjmpr]

Okay, first off a genuine "thanks" to those who saw and commented on my ham install last week. I really appreciate the advice.

After getting some good instructions I went back to square 1 this weekend. It has been cold, snowy and miserable in Denver since Thursday so I was working in the garage (detached) where even the presence of an electric heater just boosted the temps to 52!

But I was determined so I pressed on. I wanted to address the following problems with my previous install:

1. Hole drilled through firewall with wires running through bare hole.

2. Power wires running along inside of fender held in with tape (already starting to come off!)

3. Fuses in between firewall and radio (inside the cabin) vs. in between the battery and the firewall (engine compartment.)

4. Power wire connection to battery was just bare wire inserted between battery terminal and clamp.

5. No protection for wire either under hood or in cabin.

First order of business was to remove the lower dashboard (getting pretty good at that now) and then take out all the wiring I installed last weekend. Then I got the drill with the big-*** bit (1/2", biggest I have) to expand the hole in the firewall.

Note the trouble light. Needed because I was working in the garage.

Deficiency no. 1 was addressed with a rubber grommet. I probably need to seal it with silicone but I'll have to wait until it warms up.

Running the power wires through with the fuses in the engine compartment helps fix deficiency no. 3.

Ring connectors for deficiency no. 4:

Conduit (loom) in the engine compartment...

...and in the cabin to address deficiencies no. 2 and 5.

Conduit in the engine compartment is ziptied to the existing wire harness, conduit in the cabin is routed over the steering wheel and zip tied to a bracket near the OBD connector.

I tried to make the battery install as clean as possible.

Nothing loose or flapping. Here are the fuses at the firewall.

The radio itself stayed on the transmission tunnel. Works fine. Yes, I need a mike hanger!

I'll be running it tomorrow morning on the way in to work. Anyone here be up and monitoring? Any recommendations on repeaters? :elkgrin:

 

[brussum]

That's looking much better, Martin. Congratulations! It's not easy doing an install in those tight spaces, is it?

 

[brussum]

By the way, see if you can get on the local IRLP node. There's usually a lot of activity on ours with connections around the world.

 

[1911]

Great job on the improvements!

 

[4x4mike]

Good job. I think you'll be happier in the long run.

 

[GlennA]

much better

 

[Martinjmpr]

Thanks for the comments. The only thing that was suggested that I wasn't able to do was run the conduit through the grommet. I just don't have a big enough drill bit for that, and only one large grommet. Putting the 1/2" hole in the firewall used the biggest drill bit I had! I would have needed at least a 3/4" or bigger bit to get a hole big enough to fit that conduit through with a grommet.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Martin, looks good. You might invest in a uni-bit drill bit, they are the absolute best option for drilling through the firewall particularly in tight spaces. A single bit will handle the 1/4-7/8", etc. They are a tad pricey (~$25) but its a far better option than worrying about a 6" long drill bit wandering through your firewall. Home Depot, Lowes and of course and good tool store have them in stock. They are limited to sheet-metal but its probably the single bit I use the most here in my shop.

 

[bfdiesel]

Or find an electrician friend and see if he will let you use his knock outs. They make a much nicer hole.

 

[Hedge]

Looks nice. The only suggestion I would make is to fuse the positive wire immediately next to the battery post rather than downstream at the firewall. If for some odd reason it were pinched/chafed between the fuse and the battery terminal it could short directly to (body) ground.

Oh yeah, and HF has cheap uni-bits that are serviceable enough for occasional use.

 

[Mash5]

Nicely done. Good score for tidy work. One change you should make is the fuse for the Positive should be as close to the bat as posible. It's also not a bad idea to also gorund the gound wire to the chasis near the radio. If you do the negetive fuse must be between the radio and the new ground.