Outfitting a Jeep JK Unlimited for Ham Radio
When we decided to purchase a Willy’s Unlimited 4×4 to replace my Ford Escape, my wife knew amateur radio would be part of the package. Our family camps, backpacks, and spends a lot of time in the backcountry. Amateur radio is part of our gear already, so installing a portable station in the Willy’s makes sense to us.
There is very little information on the web about installing ham radio equipment in Jeep Wranglers.
Even less for HF installations.
This series is for other Jeep owners who want a portable HF station. I’ve included lots of photographs and set-by-step instructions to guide you along the way. There are other ways to do the things I did, to be certain; this configuration works for my Jeep.
Some of the information here also works for VHF/UHF installations, which includes GMRS and similar uses for surplus land mobile radios. I also think citizen band operators may find my articles on engine noise, bonding and coax useful.
Articles in the Series
- My Jeep Portable Ham Radio Station
- The Electrical Installation of a Yaesu FT-857D
- Securing a Yaesu FT-857D with the Mobile Mount Assembly
- Running Extension Cable and Mounting the Radio Controller
- Mounting an External Speaker in the Cabin
- Mounting a Hand Held Microphone Using an Extender Cable
- Installing a Dual Band Antenna and Snaking Cable to the Cabin
- Installing a Controller for a Screwdriver HF Antenna
- Assessing Engine Noise in a Mobile HF Radio System
- Mounting a Little Tarheel II Screwdriver Antenna
- How to Manually Tune a Screwdriver Antenna
- How to Electrical Bond a Jeep Wrangler for Ham Radio
- Upgrading Coax to Improve Radio Station Performance
- How to Route Cables Through a Jeep Wrangler’s Cargo Door
- Tuning the Radio Station After Bonding and Improving Ground
I owe a lot of thanks to several people who helped me through various issues, especially electrical bonding. Elmers (mentors) are the backbone of this hobby.
I do hope you find this information useful.
Questions? Please leave a message in the comment section below.
73 and Jeep On!
Hi Brian, Thank you for creating this series of web pages detailing your mobile installation. I didn’t use all the same equipment or placement you used, but I found your information easy to follow and very helpful. It took me five days to complete my install because I’m working outside and have the forture of finding this week with day time highs getting near or to 40 degrees, which is in between temps. below freezing last week and forecaster are saying it’ll be below freezing again next week. Thanks again, Terry, N0VE
Terry, thank you for visiting and leaving such nice feedback. I hope others will find what I did helpful. I learned a lot.