My Mobile HAM mount needs help!

[nakman]

I think that cable is too fat- there are some cables with a super skinny lead on the last 10" or so, designed to sneak through that crack. But a fatter cable is pulling on that connector each time you close the hood. So yeah, problem is you've stressed that end, and root cause is the cable getting pinched in the hood. I've got a pic on the site that shows the skinnier cable... forget the part number tho sorry.

 

[B-RAD]

Thanks for the insight Tim. I will take your advice and work on reconnecting a new skinnier cable properly then!

 

[DaveInDenver]

The part Nakman is thinking about is the Comet CK-3NMO. It's got 12" of RG188 and then another 15' or 16' of regular RG58.

The problem is this cable is about $40 whereas the standard Larsen is $20 with a connector.

 

[nakman]

Yeah that's the one, thanks Dave. there is also a PL-259 version, if you don't run NMO mount antennas. $40 seems about what I remember also. totally worth it though, imnsho.

 

[B-RAD]

Yeah that's the one, thanks Dave. there is also a PL-259 version, if you don't run NMO mount antennas. $40 seems about what I remember also. totally worth it though, imnsho.

I ordered this cable and now just waiting for it to arrive to dig into this problem a bit more. Hopefully this is will take care of my problem! Thanks for all of the expert help and comments guys!

 

[AimCOTaco]

wow that was dumb

HA! We finished fixing up the mess B-Rad had paid to have made.

Bottom Line: Ham antenna was wired to the CB antenna and the Ham TX was wired to the CB Transceiver! For real folks and no it did not work well.

Last year Brad came over for a CB troubleshoot and we came to the conclusion that the coax from his cobra to rear body mounted antenna tested open. A different coax made a difference as did a mag mount when tested so Brad went and picked up a new coax and re-mounted his CB antenna to the swing-out with the new coax and all was well with the CB. Catch up to now and the HAM still didn't work as well as an in-cab handheld did which is not what you'd expect from Yeasu and Diamond gear so Brad came over for the HAM troubleshoot and that's when we found it. I'd missed the first clue last year, the CB antenna had a quality self installed silver plated connector on it, not the molded stuff you usually see on CB stuff that goes outside. This time when I disconnected the HAM (mounted remote and well buried) I noticed the HAM coax was a molded end like you find on cheap and CB type cables... We traced it out and sure enough it was TX to TX and Ant to Ant. NFW! GTFO!

In went the newly recommended outdoor/slim Comet cable assembly and the HAM came up. So far it looks like both transceivers survived the stupid which is great and a little surprising to me.

(A note about the Comet, we had to remove the weather proof plastic under cap to get it to fit through the Gamiviti mount and then we re-secured it with new sealant after the install was complete. I think it's due to the thickness of the Gamiviti mount material compared to modern vehicle sheet metal. It was a squeeze for us but it fit and worked great.)

 

[B-RAD]

Again, Andy, I cannot thank you enough for helping solve the problem and guidance in solving my communication issues...both my CB and HAM are working properly! CRAZY what some jacked-up Craigslisted stereo install guys can do...don't hire them! Lots of valuable lessons learned this past weekend!