Well I'm a volunteer FF, pilot, and radio enthusiast, etc so I'm thinking about building a "box" to fit in the "hump" of my front seat on the floor. one thing I need to tackle is that my truck is a stick shift. secondly, I'm wodnering what layout I will use. I'm trying to shoot for 3 slots for mobile radios to slide into, and two slots for handhelds to dock. I might also be isntalling little external speakers to the side to hear calls come in better. can someone with expereince point me in the right direction to get a mild idea where to start?

i want to possibly build it out of wood, I guess, with everything wired right, and over the wood maybe foam padding and over that matching gray vinyl to match the interior? what do you guys think?

 

I would check galls.com they have modular systems where you can get pretty extreme with the Console. or stuff like this.. http://galls.com/style.html?assort=g...og&style=VE214 Good Luck and stay safe out there. Thanks for volunteering.
-Inferno

 

If you want something custom you can always use cardboard or poster board. Since it is so easy to work with you can custom fit it to almost any shape/configuration you need. Once you get the design the way you want it use the same card board pieces as templates to transfer the pattern to whatever wood you want such as MDF or plywood. Once you have it all cut wrap each piece with carpet or vinyl, assemble and enjoy.

 

You can always opt for a dual band "handheld" radio for VHF and UHF if this is the reason you using two handheld radios. Some are available with mobile chargers. Us a mobile radio that has a remote control head, the main body can be mounted behind the seat back. be more specific about what frequency band you are using? You can email me direct for more info for I was in the two-way radio business for 28 years, n4cng@hotmail.com. You sure are using an awful lot of radios for a volunteer FF.

 

N4CNG: I have to put a mobile radio into my 2008 F150 KR. I wasn't aware that you can get behind the rear seat back to mount them. On my 2001 the seat back folded down and there was a compartment back there where I put the radio, then had the remote control head up front. The seat back on the '08 seems to be fixed. I'd like to mount stuff back there if possible as it'll be out of sight, plus I have the floor shifter in my truck so I cannot mount any other type of console for radio and other things up front (don't want to mess things up). Any insight you have would be great!

 

Bigs125, There is a picture diagram on this web site that shows how to remove the rear back portion of the seat. It is very detailed with pictures and simple to remove the seat back. There is a mounting bar behind the seat on the 05-09 F-150 crew cab. It is the same bar that the security system is mounted on. Plenty of room. You may have to run a 10 GA postive wire from the battery to this area which is very simple to do. You can ground the radio in the area where you mount it. Just make sure you fuse it properly at the source where you connect to the battery. I'll do some research to see if I can locate the the forum. Good luck!

 

Bigs125, just go to the top to "search" type in "rear seat removal on crew cab". See if that will help you out.

 

N4CNG: Great - got it! Thanks a bunch for your help and reference. Hopefully I'll be able to start working on this soon.

Here's the link for anyone else who may want it. Rear Seat Removal