Let’s see your amateur radio setups!

[drewmcmanus]

I’m thinking about putting a mobile Amateur Radio rig in my 2022 Model X, and would love to see what others have done. I want to have a super-clean install, so would love to see photos of your setups!

 

[DCGOO]

I’m thinking about putting a mobile Amateur Radio rig in my 2022 Model X, and would love to see what others have done. I want to have a super-clean install, so would love to see photos of your setups!

I had a very clean installation of a TM-V71A Kenwood in my 2018. Control head mounted inside the cubby, the transceiver itself in the back under the deck, antenna on the roof, through the top spline and spline appliqué. The roof on my new 2022 X is the same as earlier years, so I don’t think the antenna will be a problem. Power can come from the brake controller connector (unswitched). But I remain baffled as to how/where to place the control head and speaker up front. I might have to resort to removing the cell phone charging deck, and seeing if I can use that space. I’ve not checked that out yet.

 

[drewmcmanus]

I had a very clean installation of a TM-V71A Kenwood in my 2018. Control head mounted inside the cubby, the transceiver itself in the back under the deck, antenna on the roof, through the top spline and spline appliqué. The roof on my new 2022 X is the same as earlier years, so I don’t think the antenna will be a problem. Power can come from the brake controller connector (unswitched). But I remain baffled as to how/where to place the control head and speaker up front. I might have to resort to removing the cell phone charging deck, and seeing if I can use that space. I’ve not checked that out yet.

I like that Kenwood. Does the control head have a speaker? Or do you need to add one?

I wonder if the control head could be up on top of the dash…?

 

[DCGOO]

I like that Kenwood. Does the control head have a speaker? Or do you need to add one?
I wonder if the control head could be up on top of the dash…?

The speaker is in the main unit, useless when mounted remotely in the back, under the deck. In the 2018, I installed an external speaker in the smaller of the two chambers in the center console, and left the lid open all the time. I suppose the head could go on top, but that is pretty awful IMO. I spent some time thumbing through the service manual on-line, and I think it is possible for it to be mounted in place of the charging pads. That seems a reasonable sacrifice, I will never use them anyway.

 

[drewmcmanus]

The speaker is in the main unit, useless when mounted remotely in the back, under the deck. In the 2018, I installed an external speaker in the smaller of the two chambers in the center console, and left the lid open all the time. I suppose the head could go on top, but that is pretty awful IMO. I spent some time thumbing through the service manual on-line, and I think it is possible for it to be mounted in place of the charging pads. That seems a reasonable sacrifice, I will never use them anyway.

Cool. I’ll be interested to see how that turns out!

We use the phone chargers a lot, so I am looking at other places to mount. Currently thinking either down in the console, or up on the dash far to the left (driver) side.

Had not thought about the speaker—I’d like to have one on the head unit if possible. I’ve also seen some Bluetooth integrations, but i often listen to music while the ham radio scans, so that’s not ideal.

 

[DCGOO]

Cool. I’ll be interested to see how that turns out!

We use the phone chargers a lot, so I am looking at other places to mount. Currently thinking either down in the console, or up on the dash far to the left (driver) side.

Had not thought about the speaker—I’d like to have one on the head unit if possible. I’ve also seen some Bluetooth integrations, but i often listen to music while the ham radio scans, so that’s not ideal.

We also have to figure out if our gear will be okay running from 16V. Most Ham gear is spec'd for 13.8, it might complain about Tesla's high voltage. I haven't tried anything yet myself.