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2008 GMC sierra amp install?

TIN_CAN

TIN_CAN

Sr. Member
Nov 23, 2011
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Hello all I am just wondering if i will run into any problems installing a Palomar Magnum 6500R being driven by a magnum 257 in my 2008 Sierra, I take it it will be in the 650W PEP range, will this damage any electronics in my truck? I was running a palomar 450FET pushing 4-500w with no problems?? BTW I am running a wilson 1000 mag mount.

Thanks in advance
73's
 

Not ever having had a 2008 Sierra or run that much power in in a 2004 Silverado that I did have, I can't say from personal experience if/what kind of problems you have run into. I would be willing to bet that you will have a problem or two, can't be sure what that problems or two may be, but I'll bet there will be one.
The only thing I can suggest is to build up to that level of power gradually and pay attention to what's going on. If there's no biggies, then keep paying attention and have fun doing it. I can also say that none of the vehicles I'm familiar with were ever designed to accommodate that sort of RF level. If you haven't taken all the preparedness precautions you can, keep them in mind!
Good luck.
- 'Doc

(I have run something on the order of 500 watts in an older Nissan pickup and did have problems. They were 'curable' but I just didn't think they were worth the effort so I quit doing that. Ever see a home-made antenna sort of 'melt' (PVC), get flexible and bend? Oh that's fun! 'Oil' light come on (when the motor was dead) and left turn signal blink?)
 
I wouldn't recommend running 650W on a mag mount, as eventually you'll have a nice ring underneath the magnet where the paint becomes damaged from the extra wattage. You'll also have fewer RFI issues if you directly ground your antenna too, rather than relying on a magnet to "pull" ground thru the truck's paint to the bare metal underneath.

Good luck!


~Cheers~
 
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Thanks for the heads up, would it help if I ran a seperate ground wire to the wilson 1000 and grounded to the truck body??? Dont really want to drill a hole in my roof.
 
It will help to a small degree, but keep in mind that it's always going to take the shortest path, in this case, thru the magnet. If you want to protect the paint on that truck, I would move the antenna to a spot behind the cab, or not run quite as much power. Wouldn't wanna have you run that setup, then have a ring under the magnet on the rooftop! lol


~Cheers~
 
I understand about not wanting to drill a hole, but it only 'hurts' for a little while and then you don't have to worry about it. Those holes are not that big'a deal if you're worrying about 'value' of the vehicle, really. They are just to cheap/easy to repair (no matter what anyone tells you).
I would agree about the mag-mount antenna part, don't know about power affecting the paint, but just the thing sitting on that paint is going to affect it anyway. Would you have to re-adjust the antenna's tuning if you permanent mounted it? Probably, but it shouldn't be much adjusting to it.
It's up to you though. Have fun.
- 'Doc
 
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Just a thought, why not run a real antenna, something bigger and hard mounted, it will do a lot more for you than a tiny antenna and a big amp. I used to run a 102" whip and I could hear everything and people thought I was running a big amp, but I wasn't, I was just running a simple, properly tuned radio and a well setup antenna.

Basically anything smaller than 1/4 wave, TRUE physical length is a compromise, and anything shorter than 1/8 wave and a loading coil is a HUGE loss in receive and transmit... then you add a mag mount to the mix and things get a whole lot worse and heck of a lot faster.

I have a friend that has a 2011 Dodge 3500 quad cab with the Cummins :) He used to run the lil wil, but a few weeks ago he switched to this

10 Meter Ham CB NMO Low Band Antenna 26 5 30 MHz | eBay

it is hard mounted into the roof, the coax are hidden in the head liner and it looks really clean, when he take the antenna off he has an NMO cap that is painted to match his truck, just screws on and seals right up, no tools needs at all, only cost like $3 or $4

He said it was a major improvement over the lil wil, it hears better and so far locals say it TXs 100x better than before, and it looks clean and professional, not to mention it was CHEAP
 
On my old 05 Sierra I ran mag mount for a few years, then drilled the hole. I ran a Wilson 5000 with power (Texas Star DX500) for years. Now on my 2012 Sierra I have a whip mounted off of the side of the box. Way better performance with the whip.
 
binrat said:
On my old 05 Sierra I ran mag mount for a few years, then drilled the hole. I ran a Wilson 5000 with power (Texas Star DX500) for years. Now on my 2012 Sierra I have a whip mounted off of the side of the box. Way better performance with the whip.
Click to expand...


Hey Binrat I responded to your email.....well I am not sure I want to drill a hole yet in the roof, but mabey off the side of the box I will look into that. I dont use the mobile too much but I do want it to work well.
 
I'll say from experience that if you don't ground things right and mount your antenna In the right spot you will have fun dealing with the issues lol. If it was me I would pick mount it and ground everything well and buy a quality antenna and coax and upgrade your alternator and be done.
 
Damm you Doc, you make things sound easy.....but yes thats the way I might go or a 102" off the rear bumper....I have about 4" of lift on the truck

W5LZ said:
I understand about not wanting to drill a hole, but it only 'hurts' for a little while and then you don't have to worry about it. Those holes are not that big'a deal if you're worrying about 'value' of the vehicle, really. They are just to cheap/easy to repair (no matter what anyone tells you).
I would agree about the mag-mount antenna part, don't know about power affecting the paint, but just the thing sitting on that paint is going to affect it anyway. Would you have to re-adjust the antenna's tuning if you permanent mounted it? Probably, but it shouldn't be much adjusting to it.
It's up to you though. Have fun.
- 'Doc
Click to expand...
 
T.C.
Here is my 102" whip on the edge of the box.
p1080811.jpg
 

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