Good suggestions, Stuart, here's my situation:
Currently running a Yaesu 857D in a company Ford Ranger using a modified
Yaesu quick release bracket on a Panavise 9" pedestal mount. The quick
release bracket is modified from an FT-100 mount from my previous radio. I
travel for work, about 50-60k miles a year and stay in hotels. I remove the
radio every night, not wanting it sitting in a hotel parking lot. Been
doing this for about a dozen years. Antenna is a Tarheel screwdriver
mounted to the back left corner of the aluminum/steel commercial ARE pickup
cap. Major body panels are all grounded. Works very well and I remove the
whip/cap hat every night and store it inside the cap.
The Ranger is being replaced by an F-150 in a few months and I've been
looking at mounts with an Eagle in mind (with a quick mount bracket) to
replace the 857. I've been looking at mostly the RAM no drill mounts that
bolt under the right seat. If you poke around on their site, you can find
the breakdown of individual parts to put together a (laptop) mount and
that's what I plan to do. The F-150 has a fairly large armrest, the rig
would mount on a pedestal to the front-right of the armrest, making sure it
doesn't block vents, controls and airbags. In the last two trucks, I've
been able to position the radio to face the driver so that an arm on the
armrest falls right to the controls.
RAM, Panavise and Lido all make radio mounts, there are others. You can
find mounts in the CB business, also.
Lived in La Grange, TX for a year in 1990, running the cable systems until
they sold again. Great area.
Andy K9ARM
Stuart Rohre wrote:
While not coming from this list directly, there was a query on the Eagle
Digest about mobile mounting of an Eagle. It may be of general interest
to discuss this.
Computer mobile mounts for a laptop in a Police Car are similar problems
to what mounting an Eagle would be. You can buy just the floor and post
mount section of a computer mobile mount and then adapt a design that
would hold the Eagle. A Clam shell type mount that goes over the top of
the radio and has one end hinged and the other end could have a hasp and
lock of your choice. I have seen fancy commercial post and shelf mounts
sell at ham swap meets. Sometimes a PD will change over from an old
generation digital terminal to a ruggedized Laptop, and sell their whole
stock of in car mounts, and use a new version for the laptops.
Some ham radio distributors have stocked versions of these that do not
cost what a police department pays for their computer stands. This
would be for horizontal mounting of the Eagle, but maybe it could be
done sitting in front of the dash, and with a pivot be pushed out of the
drivers way when not in use.
Investigate what may be hidden in your dash first. Some cars have an
air bag right above a glove box. Others have side air bags in unlikely
places like the corner of the seat back. Most will have a small label
warning there is a side bag.
If you don't regularly carry a passenger in the front seat, you might be
able to mount an Eagle on a homebrew mount that is attached to the front
of the front passenger seat. A slide in type receptacle that would have
a locking bar (L bar) that would confine the radio.
Local mobile hams have for years had success with using a colored bath
towel to cover the front panel of their radio. If the towel matches the
upholstery color, the radio does not attract attention.
Having an easy to store antenna in the trunk may also help keep down
your mobile advertising itself. A small antenna base would only look
like an old CB mount. If you have an expensive radio, then you likely
need a car alarm, or should park in parking garages that are attended.
Our hobby is not unlike others that require some extra effort or
expense. The boater needs a dock or a marina to rent. The horseman
needs a barn. The pilot needs a hanger and an airport runway. We mostly
need some metal work.
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