Australian 4WD Action - June 2018

Next, mount the UHF antenna in the desired position and feed

the cabling up into the engine bay in a neat way. Run it into the

vehicle through a grommet in the fi rewall, but preferably via a

different route than the power cable. In some cases running the

coax cable alongside the power cabling can reduce the antenna’s

effectiveness. If you’re struggling to get the cable through the

fi rewall, tape the end of it to a wire coathanger and use that

to push it through a rubber grommet. Remember to secure the

cabling for both the antenna and the radio with cable ties to

prevent it from rubbing through

Soldering a coax connector

seems like a daunting task,

but it really isn’t any harder

than a normal soldered

connection, just that there’s

an added step. First, run

the coax cable all the way

up to the radio before you

start to fi t the connector,

and then carefully, using

a pair of sidecutters, strip

away the outer sheathing.

Be careful not to cut into the

fi rst section of inner wire

sheathing, because you need

to then peel that back over

the outer rubber sheathing

After that, you’ll be left with

the inner nylon sheathing,

with the inner wiring inside it.

Careful strip it back about two

inches and you’ll be left with

the cabling looking like this.

Offer up the screw connector

to the end of the coax cable

and poke the inner wiring

right the way through it. Fit

the connector fi rmly onto the

coax and trim the inner wire

back so it’s level with the

pointed end of the connector,

ready to be soldered in place

A neat job is easy to achieve with the little touches, like this

short length of corrugated tubing that is run on the coax cable

between the antenna base and where it disappears into the

engine bay. Little bits of extra effort like this are the difference

between an average job and a pro-level one, and not only do

they make the job look better, but they add a lot of strength and

bushproofi ng to the fi nished product too

Finally, fi nd a convenient place to mount your radio that you can

easily reach from the driver’s seat, mount it with the supplied

bracket and connect up the power and the coax to the back of

the radio. Give it a test run with a scan to pick up local channels

and you’re done!

Here’s a beaut little tip. If you fi nd you need a third hand

when you’re soldering – and you will – then use a pair of vice-

grips to hold the job steady anywhere you need to solder.

That leaves one hand free to offer up the soldering iron to the

job, and the other hand free to feed in the solder. Remember

not to let the job move until the solder cools and goes that

cloudy colour, signalling that it has hardened to the point

where the wiring cannot move anymore

CONTACT

HARE AND FORBES MACHINERY HOUSE

W: http://www.machineryhouse.com.au

TCS-3

Tool Storage Cabinet

& Seat

(A001)

ONLY

$

Metric T-Bar
Hex Key Set
(H820)

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$

BG8-915

Industrial Bench Grinder

with Linisher

(G156)

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$

HES-907F

Engine Stand

(A340)

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$

ARMM901QL

Quick Lift Hydraulic

Trolley Jack

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UHF INSTALLDIY