antenna and mount

[longhaireddwb]

I got my antenna and NMO mount along with the proper drill bit that I barrowed to put the hole in my roof. I'm going to mount this in the roof of my Ford Ranger. My question is that I bought the standard NMO mount without the coax so I need to solder the coax to the mount before I do anything. Has anyone done this before? Any pointers? I guess the center conductor goes to the center of the mount and the shield goes to the part that clamps onto the outer coax?

There's also a plastic piece that covers the soldered connection after its soldered. Anyone?

Has anyone done this to a ford ranger and is there anything IN the roof I need to worry about? I'm going to be shooting for the back edge of the roof of course on top and in the middle side to side. I know there's a light in the back of the cab but do these wires run along the inside of the roof or go down the back of the cab ?

I'm just trying to cover all my bases before I drill a hole in my roof!!!
Any help would be appreciated!

 

[hookedon6]

make sure that you remove all paint and have clean bright metal where the mount tightens (around the edge of the hole) for a good ground to the chassis. the "cover" of the mount extends past the hole and will hide the ground area from sight

 

[packrat]

Just pull that third brake light / cargo light. Then you can see what is in there, and it makes it much easier to route the coax without tearing the whole headliner out.

PR

 

[Moleculo]

Don't drill into any other wires that might be there . If you're unsure, drill a small pilot hole carefully first. Actually, if you pull the headliner off back there, you should be able to see what you're drilling through.

 

[longhaireddwb]

Thanks guys. I will pull the third brake light.cargo light out. I didn't think of that one. That way I can see inside there. Makes me feel like a dumb ass not thinking of that!

I borrowed the proper drill bit and it has an area on it that cleans all the paint off for a good ground. But thank you for saying that as you never know what the next guys that looks up this thread has for a bit!

I'm going to go take a real good look at the head liner. I might just pull it out but I'd hate to pull it and then not be able to get it back up looking nice.

What about soldering the coax to the mount? Has anyone done one before and was there anything I need to know about before I do it?

 

[packrat]

If you straighten out a coat hanger, you can use it to fish the coax thru the headliner without pulling it out. Just pull down enough of the corner to pull the coax and hide it under the A-piller trim. Never had to solder an nmo mount so i cant be much help on that.

PR

 

[longhaireddwb]

Thanks Pack rat. Good idea. Now if I could get some pointers on the soldering part I think I'll have enough info to dive in with confidence!

 

[SR385]

Don't forget to put the plastic slip cover on the line before you solder the connection...and in the right direction ;-)

I would recommend stripping back say 2" or so of the outer jacket and unweaving the shielding so that you have a fair amount to neatly pull it around the center dilectric. Twist it nice and evenly and tin it right down close to where the outer jacket is. Trim off the excess. Then cut back the center conductor to match the spacing on the connector.

Trim a very small amount of the center dilectric back...juuust enough to expose the center lead and tin the lead.

Then tin the connector connection points.

Then just heat them up and let it flow as you attach the coax to the points.

"tin" just means heat up and coat the surface with solder...just in case ;-).

 

[longhaireddwb]

Thank you. Sounds about like what I thought but just encase you know! I appreciate your input and now I feel save in doing the job. I'm just happy I can solder the coax on the mount in the house then take it outside and install it instead of trying to do it in the truck. I'll put it on this coming weekend and post a pic when I'm done. Thanks to all who answered my questions. This is the best forum on the WWW!