UHF aerial wiring

[tez]

Im just hooking up my uhf in the old Hilux and was wondering where the wiring should be fed through?

I can cut a slit in one of the wiring grommets that go through the firewall to the passenger side footwell, or run the cable in the inner guard and yhrough the aerial grommet?

I just dont want water to get through the grommets, although if I cut a small slit and push the cable through it should be fine.

Any ideas?

[Wozza244]

Thru the grommet, silicone if needed, whatever you do dont coil up any excess coax, it will create a field and lower your radio's performance buddy

[howesy]

Mate I usually get a phillips head screw driver and poke and twist it till it punches a hole in the gromet. This way the hole has been stretched and punched and you will see when you pull it out the hole actually closes. I the liberally apply the old spit to the end of the cable (you could be nice and use a bit of dishwashing detergent) and force it through. It is then an air and water tight seal.

[tez]

Cheers for the ideas. Screwdriver it is. Is there anything a screwdriver cant do

As for the excess coax, instead of bunching it up and tying it, should I just leave it loose and tuck it up under the dash area to prevent it coiling up?

[zoook]

cut that coax as short as possable and reterminate it ....every foot of extra cable decreases your radios performance

[tez]

Which end do I reterminate it and how is this done?

[Weiner]

Probably on the Radio end, get a coax crimper.

[howesy]

I go to Jaycar (or other electronics) and buy the fitting and just dab the end with solder. You wont have a clue what I mean but the fitting is only a dollar or two take a bit of your scrap in with you and buy an extra fitting and ask him if he can show you how to terminate it with a soldered fitting. They will more than likely do it with pleasure. once you have seen it done its P@*s easy.

[flyinwall]

go to jacar or dick smiths and ask for a PL 259 plug

[thrashlux]

cut that coax as short as possable and reterminate it ....every foot of extra cable decreases your radios performance

this is true to a point but you always have swr (standing wave ratio) to worry about

some times it is nessary to have a loop to tune the antenna to the coax length to match the impedance

if you have a radio that was installed by a professional (ie a qualified communications person who has a vswr meter) and you see a loop dont cut it out as this will reduce the out put from the antenna due to reflected wave

[GeneralFubashi]

or to run the coax a bit longer around the corners. Loops just arent good.

UHF around 480Mhz has a 1/4 wave of around 11cm or so, coax should be multilpes of the 1/4 wave of the frequency. Very important for longer waves like the 27mhz CBs but UHF doesnt seem so sensitive to coax length multiples.
Short is better then a perfect cut to 1/4 wave i say.

1/4 wave 27Mhz is nearly 9foot long, so getting the length right is rather important.