Mxt500 instal on a Tacoma Questions

[Hunter399]

Hey guys,

Just relieved my GMRS license and before I instal the new MXT500 on my Tacoma I just had a few questions. Looking at possible ways to route my wires it looks like the power and antenna wire will have to go through the same hole in the firewall. Then I will be running the antenna cable opposite side of my windshield as my light bar and other electrical accessories I have installed on my racks. Will having the two cables close in the cab and the firewall cause issues?

My second question is antenna mounting. I plan to use both the midland ghost 3db and 6db antennas. I was planning on mounting the antenna to the side of my Offroad rack as shown in the picture attached. I am out of town so dont have a good pic of my rack set up to send. I just have a lot of mods done to my Tacoma already so wire routing and mounting options are limited. Will this be ok? Should I buy an SWR meter as well?

Thanks for the help. I am new to this and looking to get the best performance I can.

 

[marcspaz]

If you have a good, properly shielded antenna cable, running it next to the power lines, while less than ideal, should be okay.  I would do everything you can to separate them by as much as possible. Otherwise run power and ground and twist the power and ground leads around one another. It will help keep RF off the power wires as well as helping prevent noise from the truck causing interference. 

 

As far as the antenna mount goes, what is shown in the picture is not a good spot at all.  The light bar, rack and other items on the roof will act like a shield and you will have poor performance.

 

I would recommend getting a lip mount and clamping it to the hood.  Make sure it is about 12 to 15 inches away from the A pillar. It will work a lot better on the hood then where pictured.

[BoxCar]

I would put an RF choke (Ferrite ring) around the power cable between the T connector and the radio. Amazon.com : ferrite chokes

[Hunter399]

Thanks for the responses, when I get home from out of town I can take better pictures. I have a solar panel on my hood so idk if that would effect things or absorb/block signal. I also have a stainless steel bed cap and rack on that as well. Would mounting towards the rear of the cabs rack be better?

here are some old pics on my phone to give you an idea for now. Thanks again!

[marcspaz]

Solar panels are noisy... but usually more so for HF stations that use sideband.  I'm not sure you will have issues with UHF FM. Maybe a little desensing.  I haven't had any issues at the house, with the base antenna next to my solar panels.

 

Might be worth testing with a mag mount before buying something and running cables.

[Hunter399]

Do you guys know if the shark fin on my truck. FM/GPS receiver would cause interference?

[BoxCar]

Probably not but I'll bet that shark fin has at least 3 antennas and more likely 4. (AM/FM, Satellite, Phone and GPS)