Well guys, I'm a HAM, been one for probably 3 years now (KE5BRG) but I haven't been active for most of that time. I have quite a bit of gear (2 ht's, a YT-7800r, and a IC-718...not general YET, so can't use the Icom).
Well I'm wanting to set my 7800 up back in my truck. I understand from the FAQ that NMO mounts are the way to go due to mount strength (other sources agree). What I want to do is get a piece of square tube steel and bolt it into my rear truck bed stake pocket (probably 2x2 inches). Then I want to get an NMO bracket (and mount) and bolt it onto the square tube steel. This way I can have a 3foot antenna on my tundra and not have to worry as much about parking garages and drive thrus.
So my question is, where can I get brackets like this without the NMO attachment and coax?
:
www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=264_268_296_507 I would prefer a mount that has no pre drilled holes and is also only 2 inches wide so everything fits flush and I don't have to have extra holes in my mount. However the preceding question leads into another. Would it be worth it to run flexible RG-8 to run from my radio to the antenna verses RG-58 since my run is goign to be 12-17 feet? I know the loss rates are 1.5dB to about 5dB per 100feet (rg8 to rg58).
Now if RG-58 is fine, and you know of a mount that meets a couple of my needs I'd love to know about it! Otherwise, where can I get a bare NMO bracket and how do I connect it to RG-8? I'm going to run the cable thru a port behind the driver's side seat and thru the space between the body paneling and the truck bed.
Here's the antenna I'm probably going get based off of features and positive reviews off E-ham:
www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1603Thanks for any advice guys!
Here's a drawing if it helps you visualize what I'm wanting: