Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega Electrical and Audio Help => Topic started by: minifreek on 15 August 2014, 08:58:54
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Hello folks....
Im in a bit of a quandry here, I need to install a radio H/U into my Omega (Im a Radio Ham) and the only safe place I can install it is on the centre console, between my left knee and the gear selector... It is only light weight and not a heavy, I found this to be the most logical place for it to be but need to know what the centre console is made from underneath... Is it just foam all the way through or is there some sort of reinforcement underneath that I could possibly screw into...?
Im not too bothered about screw holes as the Omega is possibly gonna go for scrap when Iv done with it or it eventually decides to completely fall to bits (as it seems to be trying to do at the moment) with rust...
Any help or suggestions gratefully received :)
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Its reinforced in order to keep its shape, should be strong enough to hold a lightweight setup.
Kind of thinking passenger side might be a better location, does it have a remote mic?, if so glove box?, or if you not worried about holes etc and its small enough what about mounting it under the dash right side where the little receipt flap is near the drivers door?
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Can you get to the inside to stick a small plate there to screw into?
???
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I had my Auriga two way screwed to mine with 1/2" M8 self tappers...
There is wiring behind it, so look first. Exactly where you mount it depends on how far foward you need the seat to go... and drivers side is preferred as the fuse box is then dead handy :y
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Thoughts occurring....
Can you change channels via the mike?
Do you need visual on the rig?
Have you considered siting the rig above the sun visor?
Ron.
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About the most stupid place you can put it :o
First decent pot hole and it's in your lap... brake hard or crash, and it's in your skull :-X
If you want to pretend you're driving a truck, then simply buy a truck ::)
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About the most stupid place you can put it :o
First decent pot hole and it's in your lap... brake hard or crash, and it's in your skull :-X
If you want to pretend you're driving a truck, then simply buy a truck ::)
Perhaps stupid of you to assume Bigron didn't intend it to be securely fixed and not just sited there. See why your user name has been changed to "Doesn't play well with others..." ;)
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If you want to screw summat above your sunvisor, knock yourself out :y Because it will...
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Lots of things in front of you in a car that could damage you - thats why most cars are fitted ith set belts and airbags.
Anybody here ever caught/knocked their head on their sunvisor when it was positioned directly in front of the driver?
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Lots of things in front of you in a car that could damage you - thats why most cars are fitted ith set belts and airbags.
Anybody here ever caught/knocked their head on their sunvisor when it was positioned directly in front of the driver?
Yep :y
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Children, children. No jelly for you tonight.
OP - might be best to put a plate behind it, give it something *decent* to screw into, as Dave DND suggested :y
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Does the radio have a remote faceplate?
If so, mount it in the boot (where it's close to the antenna and away from other electronics) and then mount the faceplate where you can see it without having to look down and distract yourself from driving.
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Right folks sorry for the delay in replying, we been away for a wet weekend LOL
Anyhoo, I shall clarify..
The radio itself has a detacheable faceplate that controls the radio, it is connected via a long 6 core cable (AKA umbilical cord) it is very lightweight... The radio itself can be remotely mounted in the boot and the cord ran through the car to the faceplate. The microphone itself controls only up and down frequencies/channels and nothing else except for the PTT switch...
The faceplate itself has its own little bracket that can be mounted almost anywhere - even above your head trucker style.... :) but I dont want it mounted above my head. It will only get used whilst Im parked up as the same rules apply to using a hand held microphone as they do a mobile phone, if Im caught using it whilst driving I can be prosecuted/fines and points on my licence etc...
Only logical place I can think of mounting the faceplate is where Iv asked. I could possibly cut a piece of 1mm aluminium plate for me to screw through the centre console foam and it'll be mounted securely and with minimum damage :)
@ Doesnt Play Well With Others..... the radio itself, Im presuming you thoguth it was a complete unit the size of maybe a stereo... in itself it is, but it cannot be mounted in the roof - so in 1 way your correct in what you say, but in another not LOL Some folk know what Ham Radio equipment looks like, others think they are huge radios that gather dust whilst sat at home.... these days its not the case, as some radios can literally fit in your pocket and you can talk to the world on them... gone are the days of CB and people confusing the Ham equipment with CB's...
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Fair dos, in which case, above the climate panel would be a good place to mount the control panel :y
My mike had a cradle screwed to the blank where the boot release switch would be, (mine being an estate).
Regarding use of a handheld mike, they are exempt from hand held device legistlation :y
Obviously, if using it affects your driving, expect to get tugged, and it should be cradled when not actually using it :y
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I thought about mounting it above the heater control panel, but then thought it'd leave nasty holes behind and Im not 100% on the availability of the MV6 titanium plastics, if they're easy to obtain then I might just mount it there, otherwise it'll be in the foam part by my knee...
I got a pull off a copper a few years ago and he said that I couldn't use a microphone whilst driving... it may be different if I was driving a taxi, but a normal road car I think may be covered under different legislation... I could be wrong, but the lawman who pulled me seemed to know what he was talking about... he let me on my way with a slapped wrist and a good talking to....
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Might be a different tolerance to commercial use then, certainly never had an issue round here :-\
Use some aluminium plate to make a bracket to slot behind the trim :y neat, tidy and leaves no evidence should you wish to remove it later on.
If you want it more secure, remove the trim panel and make the bracket to wrap around the edge of the dash so that it's then clamped in place by the trim panel :y
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Thanks for the suggestions :)
Im thinking that commercial use might have a different legislation when it comes to hand held equipment, as you would need to use it whilst driving, whereas I don't need to use it whilst driving...
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You could always look at a different rig setup, I have a similar space issue in my beach Buggy, so use an all in one mic, with hideaway unit like this
(http://www.kcb.co.uk/shop2/contents/media/venus.jpg)
And I know that you can get similar setups with displays built into the mic for Amateur Radio too :y
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Thanks for the suggestions :)
Im thinking that commercial use might have a different legislation when it comes to hand held equipment, as you would need to use it whilst driving, whereas I don't need to use it whilst driving...
Nope. You need to find a copper who knows the law. ;) Handheld microphone use isn't in itself an offence in the same way as mobile phone use is. You could still be charged if it interfered with your proper control of the vehicle (as you could if you were eating a sandwich, etc.), so probably best to use a hands free setup if you need to talk while driving.
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Well I found a place to install it :)
The head unit itself..
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_191503_zpsf0daca96.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_191503_zpsf0daca96.jpg.html)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_191631_zps76e1c784.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_191631_zps76e1c784.jpg.html)
The radio body... yes I know the wires are a bit untidy, I'll be sorting them out tomorrow :)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_191533_zps29869595.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_191533_zps29869595.jpg.html)
And the H/U without the radio controls :)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_192048_zps84809491.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_192048_zps84809491.jpg.html)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_192054_zps2487903a.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_192054_zps2487903a.jpg.html)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_192101_zps32e16fb3.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_192101_zps32e16fb3.jpg.html)
My next problem was the antenna fitment, do I buy an expensive glass mount antenna - which work extremely well, or do I buy a bodymount antenna base... I went to my localish radio supplies shop (not Maplin a proper radio supplier) and they had no glass mount antennas in stock so had to settle for a bodymount/bootlid mount antenna base :)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_192111_zps75f18118.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_192111_zps75f18118.jpg.html)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_192118_zps3a576c29.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_192118_zps3a576c29.jpg.html)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_191620_zps7c8b98a6.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_191620_zps7c8b98a6.jpg.html)
(http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/minifreek11/20140820_191606_zps70eea94f.jpg) (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/minifreek11/media/20140820_191606_zps70eea94f.jpg.html)
Im all happy now that my 'rig' is back in my motor and it can be used when I want to :)
Thanks to all for any suggestions, but I settled on the bottom of the gearshift surround as I reckoned there was plenty about in scrappies etc.. if I need to replace it for some reason :)