how many ham's do we have in here?? just curious to hear what kind of rigs and antennas and such have been put in the f-150's

n1koe

------------------
99' F150 LARIAT WOOD DASH -5.4---3.73'S
EXCAB.
AIR FORCE ONE. www.f150world/las52/

 

Posted from the other topic, las52:

Hi las52,

The radio is a Kenwood 261A. I have the same radio in all 3 of my vehicles only because the price was right! The rig is mounted as you can see and is out of the way and easy to remove without hurting the dash. (At home, I use a Yaesu 5100 dual bander for 2-meter, btw.)

The antenna is a through-the-window mounted Antenna Specialists AP143. I couldn't stand to mess up the truck with one on the roof and it wouldn't fit in the garage, anyhow. The AS antenna loses some gain by not having as good a ground plane as a mag-mount, but it works well enough!

Take a look! :




------------------
2000 F150 Harley-Davidson: Superchip, K&N FIPK
Hard Tonneau, Hidden Hitch, 2-Meter Rig (KG0UK)
Motorcycles: '99 FLHRCI, '95 XLH, '65 305 Dream

 

Hey Guys!
My user name says it all! Just bought my Screw and haven't yet decided on a radio. Have a Yaesu FT4700 that I took out of my S10 Blazer that is about 8 yrs old. Really want a new rig for the new rig. Been looking at the Icom IC-2800. I friend of mine bought one and loves it! Been using Larsen Antennas for as long as I can remember. I'm like HarleyGuy, no desire to drilling holes so will most likely go with a good window mount or a hood mount like I had on my Blazer. Anyway, good to see some other HAMS on the board! 73's
Bob - N6VAN

------------------
1999 Expedition XLT, 5.4, Oxford White, LLS
2001 SuperCrew XLT, 5.4, Metalic Silver, Gen III, Rear Ent Sys, SnugLid
1999 30' Wilderness TT

 

Hey guys! Since my wife and I are both hams, and we both use the same radio when we're in the car, I prefer to mount my radios as close to the center of the front seat as possible. On my 2000 Lariat Supercab, that was simple - I mounted the radio to the front of the console between the captain's chairs.

I also had a ham radio in my previous truck, a 1999 XLT regular cab. This installation was a little more difficult, though, as the truck was equipped with a 60/40 split bench. To mount the radio between the seats, I removed the passenger seat from the vehicle, installed a mounting bar that extended to the front of the bottom of the seat, and mounted the radio to the base of that bar.

I just recently swithched from to an ICOM IC2100 mobile radio (VHF only, but lots of features and very inexpensive - less than $200 through AES). My signal travels through a Larsen NMO mounted antenna mounted to the side of my bed toolbox.

ke4kfs@yahoo.com

------------------
2000 White F-150 4x4 Lariat Supercab. Factory Equipment: Class III towing, ABS,limited-slip 3.55, electronic 4x4 engage, factory 6-disc CD, tan leather captains, cab steps, bedliner, standard 17" chromed steel wheels. Other equipment: 265 Cooper H/T Discoverers, UWS diamond-tread toolbox, ICOM 2-way mobile radio w/Larsen NMO antenna

 

harleyguy
like the antenna- looks good without being too much. truck looks great also
n6van
how do you like that rig i have a 2500.reall love the yeasu radios
ke4kfs
the way you did the split seat sounds like a good one- i have the split leather in mine and havent put the radio in yet -looking for a spot that wont mess things up. do you know the manf. of the brackets and radio stand.?
ii just got the truck so i am really having a hard time drilling a hole in it. i suppose that will wear off.


------------------
99' F150 LARIAT WOOD DASH -5.4---3.73'S
EXCAB.
AIR FORCE ONE. www.f150world/las52/

 

harley

did you do it with out drilling any holes- what holds the rig to the dash? maybe there is a way to clamp one in

------------------
99' F150 LARIAT WOOD DASH -5.4---3.73'S
EXCAB.
AIR FORCE ONE. www.f150world/las52/

 

Las52,

I had the same problem when I bought by '99 F-150 - It was a new vehicle and I didn't want to drill any holes, but I wanted my radio between the seats where it could be easily seen and accessed.

I purchased the flexible mounting arm from the HRO catalog. I removed the passenger seat, and drilled a couple of holes on a steel bar that runs under seat in the approximate location I wanted the radio to be positioned. Since the mount is attached to the bottom of the passenger seat, and not the seat frame, the radio would slide back and forth as the seat was adjusted.

I looked in vain for a place to mount the radio, and experimented with a temporary installation similar to HarleyGuy's. Everywhere I tried to put the radio, though, resulted in it being difficult to see and/or operate, except in the middle of the front seat.

I also had a 2500M mobile radio mounted in this way, and it worked great. The mounting arm is less than $10.00, and the drilling was under the seat, where it would never be seen. The most difficult part of the entire installation was finding the tool to remove the seats - finally found one at AutoPro for less than $5.00.

Good luck, and let me know if I can be of further assistance.

73
Mike

------------------
2000 White F-150 4x4 Lariat Supercab. Factory Equipment: Class III towing, ABS,limited-slip 3.55, electronic 4x4 engage, factory 6-disc CD, tan leather captains, cab steps, bedliner, standard 17" chromed steel wheels. Other equipment: 265 Cooper H/T Discoverers, UWS diamond-tread toolbox, ICOM 2-way mobile radio w/Larsen NMO antenna

 

KE4KFS

thanks looks like the way to go for me .let you know how it comes out.

 

Although currently inbetween rigs I'm a ham too... Licensed for almost 9 years now with the call N2RWE.

I'm looking for a dual/multiband rig for the truck, nothing new has come along recently that I like. I miss the old the old Icom IC-901.

------------------
My New Baby: 2001 F-150 XLT Sport 4x4. 5.4L, S/C, S/S, Bright Red, Dark Graphite Int., 3.55, Class III Tow/Heavy Duty Cooling, 4 wheel disc ABS, Overhead Console, Factory In-Dash CD, Remote Keyless Entry.

Mods: Ziebart Rust Protection, Ford Bug Deflector

Future Mods: Running Boards, Superchip, Air Force 1, Cabin Air Filtration, Ventvisors, Spray-in Bedliner, and Retrax.

2000 Polaris Sportsman 500, Camo Green, 4x4, 499cc 4-stroke, independent suspension, shaft drive, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc.

 

Y2K
9 years -me too- remember when you went on a dos bbs's at 300 baud. and now i am in here on a cable i sent a packet to australia once= took 2 weeks to get it back. hope you find a rig soon. i know when i dont have it in the truck it drives me nuts. when i do i hardly use it.

------------------
99' F150 LARIAT S/C WOOD DASH -5.4---3.73'S AIRFORCE 1, AMSOIL, OFFROAD EQUIP GROUP, TOW PACKAGE ,TECH STYLE TONNEAU,

. pic atwww.f150world/las52/

 

Y2K OffRoad,
You may want to give eBay a try. Tons of radios available and you will save some serious $$$!!!
Bob - N6VAN


------------------
1999 Expedition XLT, 5.4, Oxford White, LLS
2001 SuperCrew XLT, 5.4, Metalic Silver, Gen III, Rear Ent Sys, SnugLid
1999 30' Wilderness TT

 

las52, I had to drill a single hole under the dash (to hold the mounting bracket for the radio) and used an existing screw for the other hole needed. This is the same installation used in my '97 F-150 and when I sold that vehicle, you could never tell that a radio had been installed.



------------------
2000 F150 Harley-Davidson: Superchip, K&N FIPK
Hard Tonneau, Hidden Hitch, 2-Meter Rig (KG0UK)
Motorcycles: '99 FLHRCI, '95 XLH, '65 305 Dream

 

Boy you made me chuckle! I sure do remember the days of the DOS BBS, I ran one for about 4 years! It was neat being the first in town to have 14.4k service! Yep, those were the days!

I will say one thing, the radios they have today are very neat, advanced, tiny and loaded with features, but the coolest (and arguably technologically advanced) radios aren't made anymore.

Remember the ole Icom 2SRA/4SRA handhelds?? A 2m (or 440 on 4SRA) with a seperate wideband receiver?? That was the goofy one with 2 antennas. And of course there was the Icom IC-900 and 901 (as previously mentioned). You want to talk advanced? I was so impressed by it I kept the original sales literature because I couldn't afford it!

For those that don't remember it, it was the only true multiband mobile rig ever made. Heck, today they made detacheble face plates sound like a new thing. The rig came standard in a 2M/440 configuration, and you could add modules for 10m, 6m, 220, 1.2g, 2m SSB, and a general purpose wideband receiver. The best part is that you could use all of the modules together! What else made this rig a true marvel was that you could add an interface module to remote the mic and faceplate with a fiber optic connection.

Just the kind of cool stuff you don't see these days, although there are some cool rigs out there. Ok, sorry for the rant. And thanks for the tips too!

------------------
My New Baby: 2001 F-150 XLT Sport 4x4. 5.4L, S/C, S/S, Bright Red, Dark Graphite Int., 3.55, Class III Tow/Heavy Duty Cooling, 4 wheel disc ABS, Overhead Console, Factory In-Dash CD, Remote Keyless Entry.

Mods: Ziebart Rust Protection, Ford Bug Deflector

Future Mods: Running Boards, Superchip, Air Force 1, Cabin Air Filtration, Ventvisors, Spray-in Bedliner, and Retrax.

2000 Polaris Sportsman 500, Camo Green, 4x4, 499cc 4-stroke, independent suspension, shaft drive, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc.

 

OK, I've got a question.

This is a sincere question.

Exactly what do you do with a ham? Who do you talk too? Is it just like a more powerful CB?

Just a brief overview. Nothing too technical or lengthy please.

Thanks!

Joe

 

Joe543, your question wasn't taken as a flame. And I'll do my best to try to answer it.

Ok, I might be flamed for saying this as many old timers hate the reference, but Ham radio is very much like CB with several exceptions. For example, profanity of any kind is not tolerated (nor is it legal). You have the ability to run much higher power (actual amount depending on licence class). You have multiple frequency bands to choose from, again depending on license class.

The radios are also MUCH cooler with lots more features. On the higher frequency bands where range is naturally shorter there are systems called repeaters where you can talk for sometimes a hundred miles or more from a handheld radio.

There's a lot more that could be said too. I think the single biggest diference between Ham and CB is not the class of license, but the class of the people using it. No I don't mean that as a flame against CB'ers as many of us hams (myself included) started off there. With that said, ham radio operators are generally well behaved and look out for each other. I have yet to find "that guy in town with the 1k linear" who walks over everyone he feels on any of the ham bands I frequent.

Perhaps some of the other hams here can fill in the blanks for me. If you're ever interested in getting into it, feel free to drop one of us an e-mail. It's not that difficult to get into an entry level license, and only takes a week or two of studying. I'm sure you'll find it a good compliment to the CB.

------------------
My New Baby: 2001 F-150 XLT Sport 4x4. 5.4L, S/C, S/S, Bright Red, Dark Graphite Int., 3.55, Class III Tow/Heavy Duty Cooling, 4 wheel disc ABS, Overhead Console, Factory In-Dash CD, Remote Keyless Entry.

Mods: Ziebart Rust Protection, Ford Bug Deflector, Ventvisors

Future Mods: Running Boards, Superchip, Air Force 1, Cabin Air Filtration, Spray-in Bedliner, and Retrax.

2000 Polaris Sportsman 500, Camo Green, 4x4, 499cc 4-stroke, independent suspension, shaft drive, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc.