kogar
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- JD
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2018
- Threads
- 36
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 307
- Location
- Cedar Park, TX
- Vehicle(s)
- JLUR EcoDiesel
- Thread starter
- #1
ok, let's cover the "gear" part first:
This first image is the completed setup inside the jeep. The Kenwood head unit is literally a few inches above my head (but far enough forward that I can easily read the numbers). You will also notice the dashcam which has not yet been attached to the windshield.
Image 2: I started from the top and worked my way down. First, I lowered the windshield, then pulled back the plastic molding at the top (across the visors), then I pulled the A-pillar handles. It was tricky running the wiring. One antenna feed went to the left toward the driver's side, but there were3 pairs of power wires and the antenna wiring for the right side antenna. It took a little cussing to make everything fit correctly. I was so engrossed in my work that I forgot to take pics as I was running the wires. All I can say is that snapping that header back into place was a real pain! The pic shows the single antenna wiring that will be threaded with the wire running up and down the A-pillar.
Image 3: Lots of people talk about the challenges of threading wiring through the firewall. I took a different approach. The junction between the door and the A pillar has some comfy space for adding wiring. I had a similar wiring setup with my '18 JL and had zero issues (no abrasions, no crimping, no water leaks). Personally, I find this method to be ideal for my needs.
Image 4: The view where the antenna wiring is bundled and zip-tied (Notice the burly ferrite loop -- makes a HUGE difference keeping transmission noise down)
Figure 5 is the lip mounts attached to the hood. I stuck some prootective rubber on each side to significanly reduce the wear that the mounts put on the side of the hood (learned that the hard way with my '18).
Image 6 is the finished look for the antennas. They're both a safe distance form occupants for short-duration RF transmission.
Image 7 - Here you can see all the wires that descended from the passenger side of the A-pillar. I popped out the side panel so that they would tuck away nicely
Image 8 - Here is is all tidied up.
Image 9 The last part of the wiring journey was under the passenger seat to get to the AUX wiring. I first had to pull the kick panel and access the chassis ground bolt (Jeep puts an extra one there just for this kind of stuff. Since a well-engineered vehicle! Removing the kick panel was....unpleasant. Fortunately, the LineX guys posted some easy instructions on YouTube.
Image 10 - The AUX wiring bundle (I didn't take a pic of the final wiring...it was a bit of a rats nest so I bundled everything up with zip ties and secured it appropriately. I have both radios wired into the 40A AUX1 power (Since I won't be transmitting on both radios at the same time, this was a perfectly reasonable approach. Even if I needed to in an emergency, I wouldn't exceed the max amperage draw of both. I ran the dashcam wiring into AUX3. Jeep definitely took a different approach on capping off all the AUX wiring. I wasn't pleased, but they definitely capped it so there was zero chance of open wires touching anything.
And there you have it, my little wiring project. I hope this helps some folks!
- 2020 Ecodiesel Wrangler Rubicon, in the rare Bikini color
- Kenwood TM-D710GA (VHF/UHF Amateur Bands)
- Midland MXT400 (UHF GMRS)
- 2 Comet CA-2X4SR Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antennas CA-2X4SR (yes, works with GMRS). I also got the antenna spring with them, because I learned that lesson two years ago.
- 2 Comet CP-5M Mobile Antenna Adjustable Lip Mounts
- 1 CB Bar (overhead mount rail) that is sold by a place I can't link to on this site (which just seems silly, but I don't make the rules)
This first image is the completed setup inside the jeep. The Kenwood head unit is literally a few inches above my head (but far enough forward that I can easily read the numbers). You will also notice the dashcam which has not yet been attached to the windshield.
Image 2: I started from the top and worked my way down. First, I lowered the windshield, then pulled back the plastic molding at the top (across the visors), then I pulled the A-pillar handles. It was tricky running the wiring. One antenna feed went to the left toward the driver's side, but there were3 pairs of power wires and the antenna wiring for the right side antenna. It took a little cussing to make everything fit correctly. I was so engrossed in my work that I forgot to take pics as I was running the wires. All I can say is that snapping that header back into place was a real pain! The pic shows the single antenna wiring that will be threaded with the wire running up and down the A-pillar.
Image 3: Lots of people talk about the challenges of threading wiring through the firewall. I took a different approach. The junction between the door and the A pillar has some comfy space for adding wiring. I had a similar wiring setup with my '18 JL and had zero issues (no abrasions, no crimping, no water leaks). Personally, I find this method to be ideal for my needs.
Image 4: The view where the antenna wiring is bundled and zip-tied (Notice the burly ferrite loop -- makes a HUGE difference keeping transmission noise down)
Figure 5 is the lip mounts attached to the hood. I stuck some prootective rubber on each side to significanly reduce the wear that the mounts put on the side of the hood (learned that the hard way with my '18).
Image 6 is the finished look for the antennas. They're both a safe distance form occupants for short-duration RF transmission.
Image 7 - Here you can see all the wires that descended from the passenger side of the A-pillar. I popped out the side panel so that they would tuck away nicely
Image 8 - Here is is all tidied up.
Image 9 The last part of the wiring journey was under the passenger seat to get to the AUX wiring. I first had to pull the kick panel and access the chassis ground bolt (Jeep puts an extra one there just for this kind of stuff. Since a well-engineered vehicle! Removing the kick panel was....unpleasant. Fortunately, the LineX guys posted some easy instructions on YouTube.
Image 10 - The AUX wiring bundle (I didn't take a pic of the final wiring...it was a bit of a rats nest so I bundled everything up with zip ties and secured it appropriately. I have both radios wired into the 40A AUX1 power (Since I won't be transmitting on both radios at the same time, this was a perfectly reasonable approach. Even if I needed to in an emergency, I wouldn't exceed the max amperage draw of both. I ran the dashcam wiring into AUX3. Jeep definitely took a different approach on capping off all the AUX wiring. I wasn't pleased, but they definitely capped it so there was zero chance of open wires touching anything.
And there you have it, my little wiring project. I hope this helps some folks!
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