I Got A New Car! How Bad Is My Ham Radio Install?

[@peterdekeles.]

Love the Seated Heats option

[@hamradiotube]

Lol you caught that!

[@tobyticehurst]

You beat me to it

[@PhilipHousel]

I say the same thing! Lol

[@sailormike1089]

Glad I wasn't the only one that caught that. lol... Thought I was hearing things😜

[@Veedy]

I have seated heats !! they work great.

[@donwilbanks2226]

A great place to bring wires into the interior from under the hood is the large steering column grommet. There is usually a ton of room. Use a coat hanger wire or a stainless antenna whip to poke the hole, tape the wires to the end and pull from the inside. I've done it that way on 5 or 6 car installs now. AE5DW.

[@Bill_KL7TC]

It's so tight under the Explorer (most modern cars are so tight under now).

[@N4XTL]

Nice ride Mike! I love that us guys that grew up in the 90s still call these Ford Exploders. 😂

[@tpobrienjr]

I am on my 3rd Exploder, won't trade the turning radius for anything.

[@48661]

I used Diamond k400 mounts on hood. And have my vhf on one side and my tarheel on the other side, works excellent.

[@n2pdq]

Hi Mike, I'm an installer/ radio shop tech in colorado. I've used West Mobile Mounts Inc, for the fender brackets. The one I found is the AT 9-3/4 mount. See if that may work. What I did on my dads chevy equinox to run a dualband and an HF, was I took a flat piece of metal, took out the rear tail light, and bolted it to the flat part of the body above the inside of the tail light. If you take yours out, see if there a flat piece of metal above your tail lights. He has an ATAS 120 on the passenger side and a diamond dual band on the drivers side. If you have an email address, I can send you pics to give you an idea what it looks like. Love the explorers. I mostly deal with the police interceptor version that has all the power all ready ran, but the civilian version is fairly close. I usually just pop a small hole to the right of the brake booster. Congrats on the new vehicle

[@dantheradioman]

Wanna help me with my Subaru install? I'm in Lakewood 😄

[@geo9974]

And when you talk about which side to mounted on for the taller antenna put it on the left. Low hanging trees bushes that stick out from the edge of the road or signs could smack your antenna breaking it. And like me my VHF which is cheaper is on the passenger side but if something were to happen to it I could put up with it $70 or $570.

[@hamradiotube]

Now that is some sound advise.

[@halcollins4293]

Beat me to it

[@lyfandeth]

Put a strip of velcro on the top edge of the mic, then a larger patch of velcro under the radio. Pop the mic up to stick it there and just pull it down to use it. Or, you could use neodymium magnets the same way, depending on whether the mic would attach itself to other things nearby. Velcro can also mount your radios: a 2x4" or 4x6" precut adhesive velcro patch will hold it down incredibly well.

[@ik04]

I have used random fence brackets from Tractor Supply to make antenna mounts and they are way stronger than the commercial chrome plated junk. Take a wander through the aisles at Tractor supply or any ranch supply store and you will be amazed at what you can adapt to work...

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

You're right, I do love the speaker rigging AND the 20 amp fuse in the 12v plug. Great job Mike and congrats on the ride! You deserve it!

[@hamradiotube]

HRCC Approved. I'm done.

[@Scout75PortableRadio]

I gots nothing for another mount. But for what it's worth with one mount and two antennas... I also currently use one mount for my VHF/UHF antenna and my ATAS-120 for POTA. To make life a little better I have a coax switch in the truck. That way I never have to mess with the coax on the dual band radio. Just switch the antennas, flip the switch and go. I know it's not the solution you're looking for, Mike. But hope it's helpful. Congrats on the new ride!

[@SevenFortyOne]

I had similar problem with a fender mount on my Suburban - they don't make right side bracket so I took the bracket I had and made a wedge to put under it so the angle was right. Its been working fine like that for 3 years now.

[@wmcdonald9081]

I am a 2 way radio installer and have done a lot of installs on police interceptor versions of your car. Usually there will be a grommet on either the driver or passenger side with a large bundle of wires running through it. You can take a 3ft long or longer antenna whip and cut the ball end off it and poke it through the empty space of that grommet. Push it all the way through until you see the whip in the footwell. Then you can tape your wire or coax to that whip and pull it through the firewall. You may need to lubricate it but should work. I have done this trick countless times on all sorts of vehicles running RG58 and power wire and it hasn't failed me yet.

[@jordanjohnson3370]

Crescent wrench, opened slightly wider than the thickness of the metal and give it a slight tweak in the direction you want it to go.

[@KC7ZXYtube]

Yep... you hit it. I was going to say that I'm using a bioenno based battery box in the car to run my radios. Then I use a current limited cigarette lighter based dc-dc converter to draw a charge from the car (only when engine running) to keep the bioenno battery topped off.

[@Subgunman]

Happy and safe travels without issues for many many years! Installation of all the gear looks great! I would venture to argue with you as to being the hardest to install equipment. After moving to SV9 land 17 + years ago I have recently started to install my XTL5000 into a 2006 Renault Megan Sedan. Nothing as for grommets in the firewall except I bought the automatic transmission version and found a plug in the firewall for the clutch pedal which I use to run power into the car. No room to mount radio heads so I repurposed the cubby under the car radio. Removed it and built a custom bezel/mount to fit in its place. The FT857 is on a stalk mount with the remote mount kit. As for HF antennas a Diamond HD trunk lid mount for my Little Tarheel HF/ 6 meter. Now for the XTL UHF, waiting for some RG316 coax to modify the NMO trunk lid mount. You might get yourself a two position antenna switch for your ATAS setup. All you need to do is switch to your ATAS RADIO AND CHANGE THE ANTENNA, no messing with moving coax cables. Too bad MFJ is going out of business, they made a nice tuning device for that ATAS antenna that would reset the antenna to its lowest position and then moving it up from zero to the particular band you could preset in the tuner control. I like the idea of the front brush guard used on HUMMVE and some of the Toyota Land Cruiers where they mount the HF antenna way up front and off to the right.

[@Paddy_Roche]

Nice car Mike and class words for your Patron's. Great video.

[@378Orlando]

Nice vehicle. I have a ‘22 Exploder. I had the local car audio shop drill the hole and mount my Tram quarter wave antenna in the center of my roof. They do the installs for all the public safety vehicles around here . By the way, there should be a grommet you can use under the dash in the upper left hand corner . That’s what I used .

[@Bill_KL7TC]

I have a 2020 ST so thanks for this. I will need to look closer. It's so tight under the dash and in the engine compartment. I am about to do the same, take it to a local shop who does Trooper installs.

[@Stewart-HA5RV]

For the antenna mount - since you already have a bracket that fits but is at the wrong angle - I'd just figure out how far off it is in degrees and then drop that bracket in a big vice and twist it with a pipe wrench! It's steel and so not likely to hurt and you already paid for it so give it a shot! Option two which is the one I plan on with my SUV, I found Nagoya makes a roof bar mount. I think it's good since it will put the antenna way up high as well and you can feed the cable in through the tailgate to the radio in the back if you want. You can have one on each side too if you wanted. For me the biggest issue is parking in my garage since it's quite low. In your case I think you don't have a garage anyway!

[@ryank5tar]

Grats on the new whip, Padnuh. Those seats may also be cooled seats looking at that slider next to your seat button.

[@rudolphwhite7476]

Hi Mike, I have a 2014 Explorer. For the fender mount try American Radio Supply. They carry 2015-2019 No Hole Antenna Bracket. A more expensive alt is a Weisun hood mount for ditch lights. And you are right about not mounting on the rear deck because of common mode rfi nightmares when you step on the brakes.

[@Matthew-KN4QHQ]

I have a similar antenna mount situation. I used the Valley Enterprise Fender mount for my Tundra. Don’t see one for the Explorer. Anywho, another thing to toss in your bag is an NMO to SO-239 adapter. Then you can sit in your truck to play radio, but hook up your POTA Flex to the antenna mount to any other antenna in your arsenal. I use that mount and adapter to use my Wolf River Coil from a bug free environment!

[@KC3UVF]

I had a second gen Exploder until very recently and a first gen years ago. Love the platform. It's so versatile. We used it for camping trips as well. I bought a tent that attaches to the back and that serves as our living room. If you think the Exploder is bad, I assure you it's little brother is about a thousand times worse...

[@hamradiotube]

I've seen those tents, they look awesome. I may have to look into one in the future.

[@Aloysius-73]

i have the same setup on my 2014 Ram. I swap the Comet antenna out for the ATAS-120a for some quick POTA.

[@davidwilcox9110]

I have 5 of those MFJ speakers for different purposes and for my old hearing (age 79) they sound very good.

[@mark12.31]

Plenty of upfitter guides for the Explorers (they're used for patrol vehicles, after all), even civilian ones. Power is important. I've heard stories where the guy would say "been doing it this way for years" and then gets stranded somewhere when things go south. I always recommend running the power correctly. Going to say that whether you want to hear it or not. We're hams. We're supposed to care for and help each other out. Obviously what you do is up to you...

[@Brent_N4BDW]

As someone who used to do Autocad for a metal fab shop, measure that bracket and see if there’s a local metal fab shop nearby and see if they’d press ya out a piece, I’m sure they’ve got scrap so it’s not something that would cost them out of materials.

[@paulKJ5GKK]

Great video as always. I've actually just ordered the same Comet antenna with an NMO mount and same mount, all from HRO. I hope I get the same SWR results with my install. See ya in Huntsville!

[@squirl]

I bought an aluminum 12x12x .08 inch sheet off Amazon and have made 3 brackets so far with a few more to go. You can customize all you want.

[@tubbysailor]

Excellent video, Mike. I'm in the market for a similar vehicle. Your video is solid education for what to look for. I use the same transceivers but only have the TYT in the Volvo S60 and the same antenna on a Tram magmount on my roof. I had a Comet magmount that blew off at 70 MPH and destroyed both the antenna and the magmount. Fortunately, no damage to others occurred. The antenna is outstanding. I know you don't want a roof antenna with coax running over the roof and I agree. So, this is why your experience with the Exploder is so valuable. Thank you, thank you.

[@Dusty_Ham]

"This is a Michigan Car" Enough said, and my condolences. I always made sure I washed the underside of my car multiple times in winter, but it still happened. Enjoy the new murdermobile!

[@hamradiotube]

🤣

[@Doc-KF0NJF]

Awesome Mike. Glad you are where you are.....

[@HAMRADIODUDE]

Hey Mike, that mount inverted, should be pretty easy to design and send to OSHcut for metal fabrication.

[@vonzigle]

Thanks!

[@hamradiotube]

Thank you so much!

[@donausmus4281]

I had the same problem with my American Radio bracket leaning back 10 degrees on my Ram 2500. I had to put a shim under the rear of the bracket to level it. Upon further searching I found some Opek brackets that are perfect and they make a right and left. With my ATAS although my SWR's were great i wasn't being heard until I bonded all the panels.

[@IronHam-AF4O]

I have a 2019 f250 and the factory bonding of panels to the frame was very well done. You might try the ATAS on the tailgate lip and see how it runs before going down the grounding strap rabbithole... nice ride!

[@peterchamala1525]

I feel your frustration, I drive Tesla Y and there was no easy way to put my antenna, but I found a spot on the rear hatch with the same lip mount you have and it works great on 2m, 70cm and GMRS.

[@W8JESRadio]

The comet antenna I have found it has the highest gain for 2m and 440.. I have 4 of them "CA2X4SRNMO" 2 on each truck with the K400 mount.. Now on the K400 mount, I would use that mount on the back and CUT off that tab so it will not hit the light.... Good Luck

[@prephampaul]

That's a sleek lookin mobile rig, looks great! Next time I take my Tundra into Toyota I'm going to ask them if there is a firewall location to pass through the small coax, if not I may be doing what you did with the routing in the creases! (you saved me on the RH side mount, I didn't think about the angle either)

[@geo9974]

All my antenna wiring basically feeds to the passenger side up under that plastic piece in the back and then along the head board to the plastic piece behind the passenger door when it's closed and down in behind the seats. My radios are mounted in the back seat right behind the armrest on a bracket that I made and mounted to the seat frame on the inside of each seat. The radio remote heads are actually similarly set up like yours in the front on the passenger side over the stick shift.

[@sdoville]

So happy for you Mike. Keep rocking!!!

[@angelscomputers]

I have the same mount on my RAM 1500 and the hole is that big because is designed for NMO connections. I used an NMO antenna and was a drop in, no washer, no nothing.

[@Mike_M_KI4MRC]

Extremely excited for you! Very well deserved!

[@hamradiotube]

Thank you so much!!

[@TWX1138]

I just installed an FTM-500DR and that Comet CA-2x4SR, I was getting SWR readings of 1.0 and 1.01 on UHF and VHF respectively. You might consider looking for junked out police package Explorers to get mounting solutions. I expect that buttoning up your install even tighter would be possible with the sorts of consoles and brackets that are used in law enforcement upfits. EDIT: got to your part with the trouble mounting on the hatch. If you reconsider, look at the Comet RS-730. Take it apart, flip around the bracket and then put the triangle piece back on, then install it on the car. It lacks the tab sticking out that interferes with the taillight and when you're parked and want more height you can loosen the wingnut, angle the antenna horizontal, then open the hatch to put it up nice and high.

[@ashton403]

I don’t know if it was mentioned but check under the driver floor mat to see if there is a grommet under there you can use. I have a Chevy truck and not sure if they all have grommets under there, but I used this for my coax. Plus it has direct access to under the drivers seat.

[@Mandarin110631]

congrats on the new ride!

[@ryankc9oza118]

Probably dont want to drill. But a nice ballmount on the side for your atas wouldn't look bad. They also have nice puck mounts for roof for your antenna. Ive used both and love them

[@NathanMazanec]

Congratulations on the new vehicle. I have had a new vehicle for coming up on a year. I still am figuring out stuff with my radio setup! I love the walk up grab the door handle and unlock feature! It is always weird when you do a dramatic jump in car years. Feature I had wished for for so long are finally available to me daily. Still weird to me even now. 73, K1MAZ

[@Jeff_369]

Nice ride. I’ve had two for work cars and I love them. Hey if you need both radios break out the trustee mag mount. Love your videos!

[@TheTdub]

You might try wedge shims for the ATAS mount. You can either drill through the shim and rivet it or JB weld it to the mount. Then get some self etching primer and a touch up kit from NAPA or wherever and color match it to you K8MRDR-explorer

[@cobra102786]

I just ran into the same problem with the similar mount for the trunk lip. I had posted it on Reddit but look at the Nagoya version RB700N (for nmo), it doesn't have that extra lip that would hit the tail lamp and comes with a sacrificial metal plate that the set screws tie into that protects the paint on the inside part.

[@gregjfair]

2019 F-150 is same way had to go down through the fender around the wheel well and up into the cab in the back seat. I drilled a hole under the plastic foot guard and glued in a grommet. Ford had made it more difficult for sure.

[@WH6FQE]

Seated Heats? That must be a new option Im not aware of, lol

[@JJ-el8li]

I run a FTM-400 in my Explorer. I use a Tram 144mhz/440mhz Dual Band Pre Tuned Amateur Glass-Mount Antenna (1191) on the rear side window and it works fine.

[@jimshook39]

Mike, on my Ram, I used a Comet CP-5M, which is similar to the Diamond K400 but with more articulation. I placed it on the side lip of the hood just forward of the windshield on the passenger side. So, it ends up looking just like your driver-side installation, but on the passenger side. It appears you may be able to do the same on the exploder. I can send pics if you like, just tell me where. Good luck! Jim KE8WC

[@gregmve6gcm]

Throw the other mount in a vise and grab some pliers and start twisting. It’s metal and will bend. I’ve done it with my Ram and made it work. 73 from VE6GCM

[@SevenFortyOne]

I had the same exact problem with the K-400mount on my Subaru....that tab is a PITA. I went with ditch light mounts on my hood hinges

[@bobkopf227]

I was trying to think of what to say about your new ride all I can say is WOW WHAT AN AWESOME CHOICE. I’ve never owned or driven an suv but I’ve always owned and driven pickup trucks but now you’ve got me thinking about an suv for my next vehicle.

[@TheGeekiestGuy]

Scratch my last comment. You just got to the point that you have a machine shop in the vicinity. Godspeed, my friend. 🤙🏾

[@davidlappen8727]

Thanks for this video. I have a 2016 Explorer and I’m trying to figure out how to mount and wire my new Yaesu FTM6000R. You’ve given me some great ideas. I might “temporarily” use one of my cigarette lighter outlets for power.

[@hamradiotube]

Temporarily permanent!!

[@RookieLock]

I heard these are one of the hardest cars to install radios in.. But you did one hell of a job.. Looks sweet.. Congrats !

[@joewallace3920]

I have a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. It also is a pain to install radios in. Still don't have anything in it ham radio wise.

[@cnick6]

Jotto Public Safety makes a nice, high-end console for the Exploder models.

[@joshuadavis4038]

THHHHANKS for this info. I've been looking for mounts for my Moto XPR 5550e.

[@seafever6270]

Congrats Mike! Nice ride and nice setup.

[@thuff3207]

Mike nice ride just remember they use these for police cars so I know there is a way to get past the fire wall. Also diamond make a narrow mount that could work the Diamond Antenna K412C. They have them at Gigaparts.

[@Hendo70586]

sweet ride Mike. That a awesome looking ride for a 2019 model. Thing looks brand new.

[@robertmeyer4744]

nice wheels ! I still have 2010 black Fusion . rusty from NY. has 260K miles runs great. have same comet antenna. it works MURA and GMRS as well. very brood banded . I use my own LiFePO4 100 Ah with a DC/DC charger for Li . and set 8 amps max . into lighter plug. I have 12V cooler we use and 50 watt GMRS radio. never ran car battery down. my charger shuts off when engine not running. accessory that came with cooler. I plugged charger into it. rated 10 amps. the green LED goes out when car off. has voltage sense from alternator. 73's

[@ke8wlw]

Hope it was an interceptor version. Them things don't die and have the best crash rating.

[@kenthufford743]

Try Ditch Light brackets. Connects to hood bolts. Solid. A video by a ham on KZbin shows how.

[@6090ProPlayer]

Good for you bud! Congrats on the whole deal!

[@N2YTA]

Mike, contratulations on you new wheels! I hope to work you on the air! 73, George

[@tobyticehurst]

You wait Mike, the new motor will look like a porcupine in no time and I’m here for it lol. Congrats on 40k subs, may that figure continue to rise.

[@hamradiotube]

Lol! No, I'm not gonna be "that guy".

[@Rusted_Link]

I'd be looking at the roof rack. You may not have the tools and/or ability to get it done but I'm sure for the right price a good fabricator can hook you up.

[@n3ljs399]

i HAVE ONE THOSE AIR VENT PHONE HOLDERS FROM WALMART. HAS A MAGNET ON THE MOUNT AND YOU STICK ROUND PIECE METAL ON YOUR PHONE. I BOUGHT A MAGNET MIC HOLDER FROM LOVE'S TRUCK STOP. WORKS GREAT I ACTUALLY HAVE TWO THEM. HOLDS AND WORKS GREAT. WINTER TIME I DONT USE THOSE VENTS FOR HEAT.

[@call_me_amy.]

Love that Comet antenna. Great SWR for the land mobile frequencies as well.

[@K6WRF]

Congrats on the new Ride and the install. Love all that real room to fit a mattress.. Great find and great video!!..Im still trying to find a mount for my ATAS to fit the passenger side of my 2012 RAM 1500 . 73

[@mark12.31]

Oh, and yeah you should be able to use the K400 on the passenger side of the hood - similar location to where the other one you have would go, but just attached to the hood. I think I saw a guy do that...maybe...?

[@dougdaniels]

If its like an F150, there should be grommet just to the left of the brake pedal arm. I've been able to run both the power and antenna though it. I mount a RigRunner right at the firewall and split power off of that. For the ATAS, there are front hood hinge mounts for Fords that are made for left and right.

[@hamradiotube]

It is nothing like an F150.

[@dougdaniels]

@@hamradiotube My mistake, I thought they were all built on the same frame/chassis. I did send you an email with a bracket that *should* work for the ATAS with a little modification. Good luck!

[@miket7184]

Getting mounted and working right away is what counts. The 'pretty' configuration can come later!

[@hamradiotube]

See, someone who finally gets me 🤣

[@berbaas9048]

Mike you've got the same thing: With the XLT as I have with my RAV4. I put the K400 exactly as you had it in front of the light. Yes that tab does interfere with the back lens of the tail light. I was faced with two Decisions or one decision should I Dremel a little recess in the tail light for the tab or, As I decided just let the tab close onto the tail light lens which gives it a little spring and helps for stability it worked for me I don't know yours is a ford mine's a Toyota

[@geo9974]

My two antennas are mounted on k400 lip bounce on the back hatch. The lip will fit perfectly where the tail light cut out is on the edge. The only thing I had to do was on the lip mount I had to grind off this piece that sticks out that would hit the tail light. And then the antennas I should say the wires run inside that up the side channel where the hinges at the top and it's held by little standoffs up that channel. From the driver side it comes across the top and in a hole that I drilled that I put a grommet in. The passenger side had a small grommet already there so I used it for the VHF on the passenger side and believe it or not a CB coax cable that comes off a magnetic mount on the roof goes through that grommet. And for my screwdriver about a third of the way over from the driver's side is another hole I put that grommet in and my HF wire goes through there and my tar heel antenna control cable goes through there.

[@FIL357]

Was wondering if the mount for right side might be heated up and then bent/ hammered to change the horizontal elevation thus allowing the ATAS to be mounted in the vertical axis. Maybe the 40 mile down the road engineering shop you mentioned could do it ? Phil 🇬🇧 0:06

[@hamradiotube]

Maybe. That is way above my pay grade though. Mick from Comet, who makes the mounts I bought, called me and he is going to make some for the right hand side, so problem solved.

[@FIL357]

@@hamradiotube Thank you for your reply. Glad it is likely to be resolved soon.😁Phil🇬🇧

[@pedrocatalan9814]

Hey Mike. I've used that K-400 mount on the back of my SUV for VHF/UHF with good success. Why not just leave the ATAS up front left if it's working good there, and try the 2/440 antenna on the back. Nice new ride!

[@AD6DMDennis]

Sweet new ride bro. Man, I never knew your old car took such a hailstones beating. RIP.

[@geo9974]

To get power into the vehicle just to the left and down a bit next to the brake booster. Is where I drilled my hole. If you look inside in that area above the brake pedal on the firewall will be a cutout like a hinge door on one side that you can fold back if you want and my whole came in high in that cut out area. I have the same vehicle same year and that's how I got my power and then another set of cable in there for a speaker hook up.

[@hamradiotube]

I saw a guy on KZbin do the exact same thing. I may have to do that.

[@geo9974]

Yeah I fed my wire in there and then over it I put another piece of tubing that was bigger than the wire that I was able to tie wrap on both sides of the hole and then seal it on the outside nothing really hits that area when you're driving in the rain or anything so I've never had any water intrusion. But that sealer I'm sure helps but it took me a while to do that too so that's where I'm at One wire into the car the grounds inside the car on the chassis of a seat and works well

[@stevethibodeauxn4sfc257]

Great job, Mike. You will get a lot of use out of the vehicle.

[@David-3nxo]

Just a quick thought from outside the box - I claim no experience or familiarity with these, this could be a terrible idea - but I’ve seen some interesting mounts overlanders use to mount their ditch lights at the back of their hoods, and over the cowl. There’s some types that bolt to the hood hinges, sometimes painted to match the car color for a very classy oem quality. Whether you could find a set sufficient for an antenna mount I don’t know, but perhaps start with a lot of online searching. I’m assume they’re sold in sets, not terrible expensive, and include both driver and passenger sides.

[@cchalfantusa]

Before you need it in an emergency and hopefully never need it. You should make sure that the previous owner left the special fuel funnel for the capless Ford vehicles. I’m not sure where it is located on the Explorer.

[@tpobrienjr]

I just got a '22 Exploder, looking for ideas. You have helped a lot. Fishing power lead thru the firewall was hard on a previous car. Mounting the antenna seems to always be a problem. I had the ATAS on a Comet or MFJ trunk mount, worked well. Thanks for the ideas.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Shane! SHANE! We need Shane on this!

[@hamradiotube]

I mean, I gave him an in....

[@09keller]

I also did not do any grounding or bonding on the F250, used the no hole mount and have low noise! K5TGS

[@klinquist]

I use a device called AudioInterrupt WIZ to send my ham radio audio through a car stereo speaker. You wire it up in-line and it'll automatically mute the stereo when the ham radio signal comes in.

[@alanklasek7195]

I’m in the middle of installing a ftm500 in a 2009 Dodge Journey. I’ve installed a lot of stereos and cb’s over the past 45 years and this is one of the easier installs. I took the floor and side panel out to mount the chassis over the left rear wheel and hide cables. Pretty simple job once figured out what needed to come out. Using the same antenna as you but with a Diamond k515 mount on the luggage rack and the same Lido mount for the head in front. Fun project. KF0NLP

[@willm8021]

Just fyi, Nagoya has a similar lip mount that doesn't have that extra metal piece sticking off the back. That may be an option for ya.

[@glenw810]

Mike keep your atos upfront and use a pactenna on the roof in the back

[@trevorgilmore6569]

One thing you need to be careful of is to make sure your mount is out of the air bag zone! Last thing you want is your mic or control head becoming a projectile. Your mount looks like it is borderline in the zone.

[@serbotech]

Congrats from KG5PDM!

[@09keller]

Your antenna wire is run exactly the way I have mine on my 2016 Ford truck, work great

[@hamradiotube]

Great minds think alike!

[@DIT123456]

Hey, another owner of a Ford Exploader (Ford corporate doesn't like me after I berated them on the customer boards back in 2011/2012 for stupid design shortcuts in both the Sync system and lack of any reflective door surfaces on any Ford-branded auto after 2010/2011)! I have a 2011 Exploader Limiter that, until I got over the pain of holes drilled in the (very thin) roof for the antennas, had used (2) of those Diamond mounts on the tailgate (V/U Analog/Fusion and V/U DMR/Analog separate radios) and the tab would land on the taillight without any damage, connected to radios that are mounted under the second row bench seats The control heads are on a Lido articulated arm mounted to the driver's seat bolt. All power now comes from a 10 gauge run from the battery that pops up under the driver's seat and runs to the radios. The trick is going to be how to transition to a 2024 Exploader ST when it comes to control head mounting/positioning and going back to antenna mount locations.

[@Bill-HRT]

Nice wheels, Mike! Good job working the installation out. 73 de Bill

[@scottm6125]

Go ahead and just fab up a bracket for the other side. It's really not that hard, and it feels good knowing you did it.

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

Welcome to the Exploder Club! I'm on my 2nd since 1997. 🙂

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

Also, check out Larsen's NCG NMOK/CV2ANTNCG-R FE/PS mount - made for passenger side of slightly newer Explorers and Interceptors. Maybe they have a 2019-compatible one? Or maybe this one is 2019-compatible itself? "The Antenna Farm" carries them.

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

Mike - the President of NCG (Michael) should have reached out to you about a passenger-side bracket. Hopefully you can make something work. Check your email. 🙂