After reading Russ’s comment on last week’s post, I decided that he’s right. There’s no good reason to keep the FT-7800 in the truck when I’m installing a better, more capable radio. So it came out. Below are the gory details, all in pictures.
This is the reason why people like K0BG says on his website (which is the Oracle of Mobile HF) to NOT use cigarrette lighter wires – these things are around 16 gauge. Pulling 20 amps through this for an extended period of time would cause a fire.
There’s a little problem with fitting this thing in…
So if I turn this over and bolt it in upside-down…
It’s in and that’s that!
I zip-tied the mic cable to the foot on the bottom of the rig to keep from pulling too hard on the cable and damaging it. The modular cable ends are a pain to replace because the mic wire bundle is not really made for those (unlike network cable which is simple to terminate).
I also zip-tied my cellphone charger to the mount to keep the plug from pulling out (which I wouldn’t be able to fix while driving, obviously).
With all that said and done, all that remains is dealing with the antenna side of the equation, and removing the one below, which certainly feels like a dummy load… on a stick.
Someone gave this to me. I’m considering giving it back once I have a better alternative.
About the Author
