MOTOROLA XTL2500 VHF HIGHBAND REMOTE MOUNT INSTALLATION

[nokones]

I finally made time to install the above subject radio in my 21 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD Dually Diesel Pickup. I've been wanting to do that since I bought the Truck almost 4 years ago. I did make time for the Motorola XTL5000 UHF High Powered Remotd Mount sometime ago. The installation was a piece-of-cake and I had no problems with the install.

The subject radio is the 840 channel version and I only have a few VHF channel programmed in the radio. I am not a licensed Amateur Radio Operator, thus I do not have any HAM channels programmed. The VHF radio will mostly be used for my car racing activities, in addition to the UHF radio. The UHF radio is CPS tuned for max 50 RF watts for GMRS.

I'm using a Laird/ T E Connectivity B1443S Antenna with Spring 2-3 dB Omnidirectional mounted on the cab roof along with my CB K40 and B4502 UHF antennae. The VHF antenna was tuned with the VSWRs for 154 Megs at 1.05:1 which resulted in .5 reflected at 55 watts measured with my Bird 43. The radio draws about .5 DC amps on standby and about .6 amps receiving. The radio draws about 7 amps transmitting. Both radios draws approx. 14 amps when both radios are keyed simultaneously.

The radios draw their power directly from my auxiliary battery which is charged by an auxiliary alternator, and are connected to a chassis grounding point.

 

[WRXB215]

@nokones you do love making me jealous don't you. 

Nice install.

[nokones]

No attempt to make people jealous, just throwing out some stuff to help people with coming up with their own ideas on their mobile installations. Thanks on the comment.

[WRKC935]

Getting ready to do something very similar in my Suburban but both are going to be High Power radios.

Have ham license and both radios have every ham repeater they are compatible with in the State of Ohio.  Also have the simplex stuff and Some FM satellite stuff. 

I am debating how I am going to mount the control heads though.  I might break down and build a console for the truck and put them in it, but I am also thinking about O3 hand held control heads.  But I need to figure it out before it gets too cold and I put it off another year.

But this looks good.

 

 

[gortex2]

Nice to see real radios once in a while. Our SAR team still uses MCS2000 VHF 110 watt decks. Can't kill them. I'll have to snap a few pics of my trucks. Work truck has 4 8500 with dual deck E5 control heads. Tight fit but only option I had in the Nissan. Both JK and JT run 8500's with O3 HHCH. I do miss the full head on the Jeeps but for the space thye work the best. In the JK I've bounced between an O5 and the O3 about 5 times now. The O5 actually sits nicely right in front of the shifter. I may grab another E5 for the JK just to simplify stuff and make it easier to see the channel for us old guys..

[nokones]

47 minutes ago, gortex2 said:

Nice to see real radios once in a while. Our SAR team still uses MCS2000 VHF 110 watt decks. Can't kill them. I'll have to snap a few pics of my trucks. Work truck has 4 8500 with dual deck E5 control heads. Tight fit but only option I had in the Nissan. Both JK and JT run 8500's with O3 HHCH. I do miss the full head on the Jeeps but for the space thye work the best. In the JK I've bounced between an O5 and the O3 about 5 times now. The O5 actually sits nicely right in front of the shifter. I may grab another E5 for the JK just to simplify stuff and make it easier to see the channel for us old guys..

Pictures are always cool.

[tweiss3]

Are you able to hear ok with the speakers under the rear seat?

I mounted my Kenwood decks to the underside of the seat to keep them off the floor.

[nokones]

54 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

Are you able to hear ok with the speakers under the rear seat?

I mounted my Kenwood decks to the underside of the seat to keep them off the floor.

The speakers are plenty loud even driving down the road with the front windows down and the volumes just passed mid-way.

[gortex2]

I'll try to snap a pic of the decks and speakers later today but this is the heads. The new Frontier leaves little room for radios and no one makes a mount for it yet for PC/Tablet. So went from 4 heads in the F150 to 2. The micsare on a metal plate thats 3m tape to the side with magenetic mics on both. I wish I had those 25 years ago doing installs. 

 

[nokones]

3 hours ago, gortex2 said:

I'll try to snap a pic of the decks and speakers later today but this is the heads. The new Frontier leaves little room for radios and no one makes a mount for it yet for PC/Tablet. So went from 4 heads in the F150 to 2. The micsare on a metal plate thats 3m tape to the side with magenetic mics on both. I wish I had those 25 years ago doing installs. 

 

 

Note the Grid Mounting Base I used on my 23 Wrangler "IZARUBI". The Grid is a Bullet Point Solutions product that will allow you to use either their accessories or Ram Mounts Ball and Mount accessories for all kinds of electronics.

Bullet Point Solutions does have a Grid Mounting Base for the Nissan Frontier. Bullet Point calls the Grid Mounting Base "RubiGrid".  www.bulletpointmountingsolutions.com/collections/mounting-bases

[gortex2]

I run the bulletpoint grid in my frontier. Has my phone mount as well as camera mount. Just doens't work well for a tablet. Puts it to high for my liking in the frontier . I ran RAM mounts in the past but they dont make one for the new Frontier yet. 

 

[gortex2]

Speakers are along back window. Works perfect for 4. I had ordered the covert ones but they didn't arrive in time so used the standard speakers. I had been tempted to swap them out but thye work solid. I put them on an aluminum angle iron to an aluminum flat stock. It bolts into a factor bolt and has 3m tape. It is solid. 

 

[nokones]

This is the antennae installation for both of my Motorola radios and the CB radio on my 21 Chevrolet Silverado 1 Ton Dually Diesel. The passenger side is my UHF antenna for the Motorola High Powered Remote Mount radio using a Laird B4502 2.4 dB Omni with a less than 1.1:1 VSWR, in the center is a K40 antenna for my Cobra 29 LTD Classic Nightwatch CB AM/FM radio with a VSWR about 1.17:1, and on the driver's side is my  VHF Highband antenna for my Motorola XTL2500 Remote Mount radio using a Laird B1443S 2-3 dB omni with a 1.05:1 VSWR.