Vehicle cup holder mount

[Newb]

Need an inexpensive cup holder mount for your small GMRS mobile?  Try a 3" plumbers test plug.  I got mine at Menards.

[MichaelLAX]

As suggested by the OP: Menards

 

What's a UTV?

What city and state do you live?

[K7lon]

It's a utility vehicle that seats six people, can hual firewood etc, and can travel on jeep trails. There not a city type vehicle, and my grandkids love it. That test cap will mount my  db-20g in low profile manner when it's delivered. 

Thanks again 

[WRYS709]

On 7/13/2022 at 2:43 PM, Newb said:

Need an inexpensive cup holder mount for your small GMRS mobile?  Try a 3" plumbers test plug.  I got mine at Menards.

While this is sure cheaper than the one offered on Amazon, I am finding that, given the high center of gravity, it flies out of the cup on sharp turns!  

Does anyone have a good fix to make this fit more tightly in my vehicle's cup?  The Amazon version has a winding width expander to solve that problem.

[nokones]

56 minutes ago, WRYS709 said:

While this is sure cheaper than the one offered on Amazon, I am finding that, given the high center of gravity, it flies out of the cup on sharp turns!  

Does anyone have a good fix to make this fit more tightly in my vehicle's cup?  The Amazon version has a winding width expander to solve that problem.

Wrap the fuzzy half of a velcro strip around the base to make it a tighter grip or invest in a better product like a RAM mount.

[BoxCar]

Try a Lido mount instead. lidoradio.com

 

[Newb]

I tried the commercial mounts but there is too much vibration on rough roads and off road. I have what looks like a similar GM vehicle and I don't have any problems.  I started using heavier radios and had to raise the mount so the console lid would clear. Haven't had any fallout problems. I wanted to use my mobile radios at my base. I'm using 3"/4" stool flanges to make them stable.  As you can see, I raised my KW8150 about 6 " and it is stable in the console. The 8150 is a tank so the mounts he is suggesting wouldn't work for me. They would be broken in a week on the road.

 

[nokones]

Try a Ram Mount RamCan and wrap industrial strength Velcro strips around the portion of the RamCan that is placed in the Cup Holder

[Newb]

Another suggestion would be, check to see if a short section of 3" pvc will fit in the cup holder to remove the slack in any cup holder for any mount that has slack.

[Newb]

The red wing nut on the plug is used to tighten the bottom. The short piece of pvc you add to the top will hold it in place at the top. 

[Newb]

I read through the entire post and found I left out that one of the later plugs that I purchased needed a little plastic safe lubricant added to the inside of the rubber plug so it would expand easier.

[Newb]

My XPR 4550 in my GM truck.

 

[BoxCar]

I use this mount. https://www.lidoradio.com/collections/buy-with-prime/products/lm-803-amp

[Newb]

I got time to check the expansion on my 3" plug. It expands to 3.25" . With a little work it may go to 3.375"  that's a big cup holder!  I can tell you, if I tighten it in the cup holder, it would likely pull the top off the console removing it.

The Lidoradio looks nice but I use full size commercial radios that weigh 3.5 to 4 lbs. It would be fine if I used a remote kit for the radio.  I can't justify almost $300 for the remote cable kit.

[WSAW960]

Thats what I like about this hobby, making your own accessories, antennas, and southern engineering ! Great idea about the cup holder radio mount !

[SteveShannon]

15 hours ago, WSAW960 said:

Thats what I like about this hobby, making your own accessories, antennas, and southern engineering ! Great idea about the cup holder radio mount !

I completely agree that the DIY aspect is fun.  Just think what you could do in ham radio where your experiments are not limited to accessories and antennas.  In ham radio you can make your own radios, linear amplifiers, etc.

I just picked up an old Amateur Radio Handbook.  This was the 20th edition (the hundredth is the current printing).  It was printed during wartime, in 1943, and it has plans for “wartime radios.” It’s a fascinating look into the past.  Of course transistors hadn’t been invented yet.