Gen 4 Amateur radio installation

D-Star in the Prime.

Icom ID-4100a fits nicely in the center console, control head on suction mount on windshield, and Diamond NR770HRKS glass mount antenna on hatchback.

12 volt direct from battery.

Works great, and no emi/rfi with any of the electronics at any power level, or during L2 charge.

Usually on reflector 030C or 030B.

73
KI4EGQ

 

Are you sure it does not interfere with the vehicle's electronics?

 

I have 3 radios installed in my gen 4. Dual band mobile 50 watts, 220mhz 5 watts and DMR dual band 5 watts. I have even used them well auto parking my car. No problems at all.

And, no, I don’t talk on all three at the same time. Two at a time is the best I have been able to manage. 8)

 

I tested VHF, UHF, D-Star at all power levels while driving EV and hybrid mode over the course of a day, even while charging at a Chargepoint station; Nothing popped, fizzed or ordered Dominos on one-touch, so I'm satisfied that with the external antenna directing the RF energy that there is no harmful effect.

Of course it will be good practice to check the SWR every once and a while.

 

I haven't done it in my G4 Prius yet, but on my Accord, I liked the simplest installation the best: mag mount in the center of the roof gets the signal out best. Trunk lid is lower, but not quite as good at getting the signal out. The signal radiates most evenly when there's an equal amount of sheet steel in all directions from the base. (Capacitive coupling to the virtual ground plane)

I ran the cable just pinched in the passenger door seal, never had any leaks. The most challenging party of the installation was routing the cables in a neat way. I used zip tie bases, but they couldn't handle the summer heat. Made a mess to clean up when it was time to trade in.

 

Is the radio head unit bracket attached to the underside of the dash using 2 sides sticky / mounting tape ?

 

I tried two kinds of tape including 3M trim tape. Nothing would hold. I decided that nobody was ever going to look at that surface so I drilled a couple of holes and put fender washers on the inside to spread the load over a larger chunk of plastic.

It’s solid as a rock now.

 

Tape alone would have been a easy solution.. Guessing you removed the piece to drill the holes ? If so do you have any instructions / tips to remove it ?

 

Tape alone wouldn’t hold. I tried a couple of different kinds. I only removed the shifter bezel so I could reach in to tighten the bolts. I drilled the holes without having to remove anything else.

 

Locksmith:

This is my first use of Priuschat. I am K9IQ and I will be adding a VHF/UHF radio to my 2017 Prius 4. I am probably going to purchase the Icom ID-5100AE. I see how you mounted the antenna and I have a similar bracket to do the same. I will follow your method and use inserts to attach the bracket to car body. My question has to do with the mounting of the control head to the underside of the dash, as shown in the picture you posted. How did you attach your 90 degree control head custom fabricated mounting bracket to your car?

I just purchased this used 2017 Prius and traded in a 2010 Prius. I had a Yaesu FT-8800 in that car with a dual band antenna mounted on the rear hatch. I hid the radio body in the trunk and powered the radio directly from the battery below through inline fuses. This car is going to be a bit more complex.

73's
Larry