Need to trim a good 3 feet off my GMRS antenna coax

[Spank]

I've had my Midland radio for about a year now and it works great, but I've got way too much excess coax tucked away (but properly "looped") behind the dash. I've got the Midland ghost antenna that came with 6' of coax and I could easily eliminate half of it and still have some excess.

I don't feel like diving into specialty tools and what not to make this happen. Can I simply cut the wire and resolder it? I'll use heat shrink and make it all clean and spiffy, but I'm not sure if doing it this way inhibits radio performance or causes interference. Some sites say it does, other say it doesn't.

Anyone have suggestions? Thanks!

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[Jeepeto]

Coax isn’t a paired wire. It has a core and jacket that won’t be able to be spliced. The shortest PL259 to NMO base coax I can find is 6.5’ so your probably about as short as you’re likely to find pre-manufactured. Just coil it up nicely and tuck it away would be my suggestion.

Another option would be getting a custom cable made, but it would likely be LMR-400 cable that is much, much thicker.

Someone else may have a better solution for you, but this is the extent of my knowledge, good luck

 

[FloridaSon]

That supplied coax might be tuned to the radio and ’have’ to be that long. If it is under your dash and coiled as per mfg. why not leave it. You might want to zip tie it so it’s not knocked around. All that has an impact on radio transceivers.

 

[GeoTracker]

Yes you can trim it, but you'll need a crimper to but a new connector on the cable. Coax is shielded, it is not part of the antenna tuning. It's just to transport the signal.

 

[Spank]

Coax isn’t a paired wire. It has a core and jacket that won’t be able to be spliced. The shortest PL259 to NMO base coax I can find is 6.5’ so your probably about as short as you’re likely to find pre-manufactured. Just coil it up nicely and tuck it away would be my suggestion.

I'm just looking to splice the single wire. That's why I'm wondering if having that small section exposed without the insulation and shielding causes any performance issues.

My goal here is to clean up all my interior accessory wires and cables. I've also got a CB installed (but that coax runs to the rear and out the tailgate, so it's not an issue) as well as a dash cam. These are wired to the interior auxiliary taps under the passenger footwell. So, between the Midland's box, the Cobra's box, the coaxes for these units, and the wiring for the Blackvue, it's getting cramped down there. The antenna for the Midland runs up front and all that extra coax is simply unnecessary.

That supplied coax might be tuned to the radio and ’have’ to be that long. If it is under your dash and coiled as per mfg. why not leave it. You might want to zip tie it so it’s not knocked around. All that has an impact on radio transceivers.

The antenna didn't come with the radio. It was a separate product and isn't coiled. I know CBs are tunable, but I unless I'm mistaken, GMRS radios (or this one specifically) aren't.

Yes you can trim it, but you'll need a crimper to but a new connector on the cable. Coax is shielded, it is not part of the antenna tuning. It's just to transport the signal.

I have a boilerplate wire crimper and I can easily order another connector off Amazon, but short of having to buy anything, my thought was to snip off the connector (with a couple inches of coax still attached to it) and simply splice it the other end where I removed the added length, then seal it with heat shrink. However, just cutting the coax I don't need and popping a new connector on the end doesn't sound like a bad idea, either.

 

[jeepdriver99]

I've had my Midland radio for about a year now and it works great, but I've got way too much excess coax tucked away (but properly "looped") behind the dash. I've got the Midland ghost antenna that came with 6' of coax and I could easily eliminate half of it and still have some excess.

I don't feel like diving into specialty tools and what not to make this happen. Can I simply cut the wire and resolder it? I'll use heat shrink and make it all clean and spiffy, but I'm not sure if doing it this way inhibits radio performance or causes interference. Some sites say it does, other say it doesn't.

Anyone have suggestions? Thanks!

I'm just looking to splice the single wire. That's why I'm wondering if having that small section exposed without the insulation and shielding causes any performance issues.

When you said you have a Midland Radio, I presume you mean in the GMRS series. Midland manufactures CBs, GMRS, Commercial radios as well as a lot of different receiver radios such as weather radios.

IF you're talking about a transmitter then you wouldn't want to cut the wire, take a portion out of the middle and solder it back. The outer shield is vital to preventing unwanted signals from getting received and also prevent your signal from getting out prematurely and causing interference with other electronics.

If you had the radio installed for you, that shop should be able to trim the cable back and solder on a new connector.

 

[Spank]

When you said you have a Midland Radio, I presume you mean in the GMRS series. Midland manufactures CBs, GMRS, Commercial radios as well as a lot of different receiver radios such as weather radios.

Correct. I mentioned GMRS in the thread title, but I probably should've been more specific in my post.

IF you're talking about a transmitter then you wouldn't want to cut the wire, take a portion out of the middle and solder it back. The outer shield is vital to preventing unwanted signals from getting received and also prevent your signal from getting out prematurely and causing interference with other electronics.

This is what I was ultimately curious about. Thank you.

If you had the radio installed for you, that shop should be able to trim the cable back and solder on a new connector.

Nah, I installed it myself, but that being said, I can easily crimp or solder a new connector on the end I snip. I was just seeing what I could get away with without having to order a bunch of tools I'd likely use only once. My cheapo crimper should do the job well enough and connectors are easy to get, so I'll start there.

 

[donmontalvo]

I usually velcro coax until I know exactly how long it needs to be.

Then I buy pre-cut RG8x (less interference compared to RG59), with PL-259 ends, to the length I need, from Ham Radio Outlet in DE.

12 foot
18 foot

They have other sizes, but those are the two sizes I usually need.

 

[xefie]

Can I simply cut the wire and resolder it?

Sadly not - at GMRS frequencies you can get significant losses/heating/reflection if you disrupt the shape of the coax by trying to solder the ends together.

On the upside, you can solder-only connectors: Pl-259 Solder On Installation Guide for RG8X Coaxial Cable Full HD - YouTube

If you don't have a proper coax cutter/stripper you can use a utility knife and roll the coax on a flat surface. Don't use scissor-type cutters that crush the cable.

 

[Spank]

Got my hands on some cheap and Chinesey connectors. They're the best, but there is no best only better, but I can still enjoy the best.

 

[GearWhore]

How did your cable project turn out? Improve radio performance?

I've had the big coil next to the steering column for over a year with MTX275 under it and ghost antenna at back edge of hood cowling (maybe 24" away).

Radio works great at a mile or less to both handheld & other vehicle-mounted radios then drops off drastically. I'm thinking I need to 1) replace ghost antenna with 6db one for better height & reflection off hood 2) cut existing RG58 & solder on new end at much shorter length 3) get new mount to relocate antenna further forward on the fender.

 

[Spank]

I didn't notice a difference, but that wasn't really the goal. I just wanted to eliminate this massive loop of unnecessary coax I had stuffed under the dash. The radio has worked just fine, although I haven't exactly tested how far it goes. I hardly use the radio as it is and it's really only for trail runs where folks aren't using CBs. Putting the connector on was easy enough.

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