I've been searching for some ideas on putting a 2 meter radio in my 07 Mini.

Is the antenna on top just for AM? That would be an ideal spot for a replacement 1/4 wave on an NMO mount.

Post pictures if you have them, please.

73 KF5IVE

 

Hey there!

Here's a link with 1st gen installs
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...in-a-mini.html

and K9OZ's blog, HF in an R56
http://k9oz.blogspot.com/2009/04/hf-...ni-cooper.html

And you'll notice APRS setup on user N666BK's R56
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...with-mini.html

I'm not sure about the R56 antenna but on my R53 I removed my OEM AM areial (FM is in the glass on 1st Gen) rounded off the square hole and have had an NMO dual band antenna in there with zero issues. If you can find out to get the antenna off, it should be a simple matter of unplugging it to confirm if the setup is the same as the 1st Gens. My HAM radio antenna actually worked out to be shorter and more subtle than the OEM antenna, so almost nobody notices the HAM radio aspect unless I'm running a few scanners and a CB. HF in the MINI is still a dream though, need to save up for a few IC-7000s I guess.

 

I found two of those yesterday, but thanks for the last one.

Your antenna install was the most interesting. I hope to discover my AM/FM is the same setup. I've never used the AM so that antenna would be history for the 2 meter rig in a heartbeat.

Hopefully Santa will be kind and I'll have a couple of new toys to play with soon!

 

Post some pics when you get something installed, I tried to talk my girlfriend into letting me experiment with radio installs on her R56 but she said no I think she's afraid it will mean she eventually ends up getting her Tech license.

 

I have traded the R56 for a clubman, and lost my easy mount for HF antenna. I have 2meter ant mounted on the little door, but am missing my CW mobile. I will post pix of install on my blog this weekend.

 

Looking forward to seeing your install pictures. I'm not exactly sure I follow what you mean by "little door".

 

Hey nice to see you on here, your install really gives me hope of getting HF into my R53.
I think he means the 3rd half door for rear access on the right side of the Clubman.

 

Now if I could only get one of you folks to figure out how to mount a 20 M antenna to my convertible, I could get back into HF mobile!

73's

KT4PH

 

Take a look at the Comet RS 720/730 mounts and the Comet UVH-6 with L-14. I've been using the Comet mount with larger Larid antennas on the hatch with great success, and I'm pretty sure Blimey Cabrio is using one on his Cabrio boot for a CB setup. I'm sure there's got to be a way to mount a screwdriver antenna to a tow hook, but I'm not sure how that would work.

 

Here's more details on installing ham radios in Mini Coopers.
On my R56 I used the heavy-duty Comet lip mount on the edge of the back hatch and had an ATAS 120 antenna on it. It worked well, and I could get into parking garages. When I was looking at trading the R56 for my Clubman, I assumed I could use the same mount on the center of the back doors. But I've spent days messing with it, and it just doesn't work well. The coax is just enough to bother the proper closing of the door.



So at the moment, I'm confined to 2 meters and 440. I used a small lip mount on the club door -- I think that's what it's called, and it works OK. It isn't real pretty, but it isn't too obtrusive. Nobody has ever noticed it when looking at the car. Next summer I may try removing the AM antenna and putting a simple quarter-wave in its place. For the radio, I'm using a Yaesu 7900 with the radio mounted in the back cubbyhole under the false floor, and the control head attached to the CD changer with double-sided tape.



I can't use the CD, but I never had used it since every CD I own is on the iPod. I had my doubts if the control head would stay there, but it's been there for about 3 months with no problem, and looks good and is easy to use while driving. Forgive the dirty car in the photos, but it's salt season in Chicago. More details and photos on my blog.

 

Come on, guys. Installing an antenna is the easy part. (It's dead-easy if you're using a magnetic mount, as I am.)

How does one mount a RADIO in a Mini? I've been scratching my head over this one for months, and all I've learned is how it can't be done. Seriously - it looks like Mini gave no thought to enabling a second radio unit to be installed!

You could fit it in the space below the stack - but (a) even that will take a lot of custom rigging, since it isn't really a mounting rack, and (b) you'll block access lighter.

My current best idea -- though it's butt ugly -- is to mount it to the top of the dash with velcro!

btw - I'm talking about a standard old-fashioned unit here, not one with a remotable faceplace.

 

Careful with the mag mount, my experience with them has been that the constant slight curves of the MINI against the flat magnet means dust gets under the edges and then driving makes them rock ever so slightly leaving you with an etched ring in the clear coat

Detachable faceplate made my mounting the 7800 a piece of cake, though I had it installed in the same spot with the whole radio attached to the faceplate at one point. I've been long contemplating moving the 12v socket to the bottom of a cup holder. Are you talking R50/53 or R56 (your posting history shows you may be looking at 1st gen installs)?

I recently brought the 7800 in the QTH to try some satellite work, and have been debating taking the 1900 out to the MINI for some mobile use in the meantime, but with the heatsink for the 75watt radio it's BIG and gets HOT so this might be a challenge worth trying out.

Or I could just say it's an excuse to go buy a new radio

 

Mounting on top of dash would be a mess with power cord and coax to route. I have mounted a radio on the side of the center console and it was ok, but hard -- unsafe --to use. The last car I owned that was easy to mount a radio in was a 1993 Pontiac Grand Prix with a bench seat. Easy to mount a 706 under dash on it. That's why most of the newer radios have detachable face plates. I've also left nice circles in paint with mag mounts. No more.

 

I'm in a quandary right now.
The FT-1900 doesn't fit in the cubby hole at the bottom of the stack.
Right side of the hump interferes with both the glove box and sliding the seat forward.
Above my right knee is just a bit too close.
Lastly above my left knee could possibly work but it would be awfully close and getting in and out would undoubtedly be a pain.

I've been told if you do not have the Nav package you only have 1 FM/AM antenna. Dang! That means a lip mount on the hatch, not a biggie but just more money.

So for now, I'm putting the FT-1900 in my Jeep Wrangler until I can save up enough funds to get a radio with a removable face-plate.

 

I put the guts of my 2820 in the compartment under the passenger seat where the sat radio usually lives. I don't have the sat radio, so there's just a piece of styrafoam there. The 2820 fits very nicely.

The PITA is you have to pull the passenger seat to do it, and remember to very carefully disconnect and reconnect the seat connectors before trying to start the car or it will think you've got an airbag failure, and that's a trip to the dealer to clear that code.

I mounted my 2820 there and made an extension cable for the mic, so I can disconnect it (standard RJ45 on the end of the mic) when leaving the car with normal humans (service, car wash, etc).

The control head lives on a Kuda mount on the passenger side of the center console. That mount also has my ScanGauge II on it. A pic:



This pic is before I added the second Kuda mount for the GPS; it now lives up by the steering wheel.

Antenna is an NMO mount directly above the center thingy with the switches, lights, and such. Drill followed by a greenlee chassis punch.

This has worked really well for me; the only issue is passengers occasionally bumping the control head.

73 bob k6rtm

 

Great tips. I like the idea of the NMO mount in front of roof. When spring arrives I will get the drill out. Where did you run the coax?

 

I used a double-shielded cable (think it was a chunk of RL Gore cable) and ran it down the passenger side A pillar behind the airbag, right up against the metal. I covered the cable with adhesive-backed metal tape to reduce emi/rfi issues. Also used metal tape to cover the NMO, going out a few inches to seal things up.

With so many of these things, yes it's a PITA, but you only have to do it ONCE.

73 de bob k6rtm in silicon valley

 

Which mount did you use on your club door?

 

Have you thought about the Yaesu . Not only does this gem have dual receive capability and a removable faceplate, you can get a suction cup mount for the removeable faceplate and mount it on the glass covering the speedometer (who ever looks at that anyway, right?). See Here for the mount.

I just bought my first Cooper, a 2008 Clubman S, and I am going to use the 350 for the installation and I'm going to route the coax out to the rear doors. If you look in QST you will find some advertisements for the CP-5M lip mount which has 16 foot cable assembly with 18 inches of RG-1888A/U to go through the door nicely. That Comet mount works pretty well on a Mini (in fact, that's what they show it on). You can then pair it with an AX-75 dual band antenna (1/2 meter center load on 2 meters, 5/8 wave on 73 cm). You just have to stay under the 40 inch limit for the CP-5M mount.

So that's what I'm putting in my Clubman. I have an 8800 mounted in my Mercedes on a sticky pad with a back-up window mount (the thing never moves) and I have a 7900 mounted in my Honda Ridgeline. I have been using Magnet Mounts on both vehicles, but seeing what people are saying about dust and dings in the paint, I might have to rethink that.

Tony DeWitt
KD0SLC

73's

 

 

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but has any progress been made?