mobile amp install?
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heavyD
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mobile amp install?
Just wanted to get some opinions on the best place to mount a mobile amp in my truck. I have an 06 f150 xl. I have a kl203 in the glove box but it is about the size of a big wallet. I have a TS 250 hdv on the way to replace it. My radio is in the dash under the FM. Any ideas? Pictures if you got em I know how we like to show off
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DoubleD
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its all up to u. personally i like mine under the drivers seat. out of the way cant be seen unless u lean down to look, but yet its within reach where i just reach down to turn it on and off.
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heavyD
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Looks fine there. That was my first thought my truculent doesn't have much room under there though. Thinking maybe back seat too. Have to try that out in a couple days when I get it
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DoubleD
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yeah your just gunna have to test fit it first. thats what i did with mine my first one was the kl203 which is a great amp. i had that thing velcro to the side of the seat post. that amp you could put anywhere its very tiny lol. but just test fit it, my FB just has one ziptie going around it to the seat post. it has never moved around.
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Road King 56 mic
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bobcat235
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i had my 2 pill right under the radio, no one around where i live even knew what it was so i wasnt too worried about it being seen lol
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'Doc
There are a couple of things that you do have to keep in mind though.
One is keeping the thing cool, there needs to be some (or a lot) of air circulating around it. That's got to be one of the things that isn't always the 'best' that it could be.
Then there's routing all the necessary cables/wires. And the thing NOT being all that close to things sensitive to RF. That's usually fun too.
I guess the best advice is to try it and see what happens. Every installation is different in some way.
- 'Doc
(Nothing 'new' in any of that, is there.)
One is keeping the thing cool, there needs to be some (or a lot) of air circulating around it. That's got to be one of the things that isn't always the 'best' that it could be.
Then there's routing all the necessary cables/wires. And the thing NOT being all that close to things sensitive to RF. That's usually fun too.
I guess the best advice is to try it and see what happens. Every installation is different in some way.
- 'Doc
(Nothing 'new' in any of that, is there.)
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PoeDunk
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I still have a KL203 form mobile days gone by. I don't use it anymore, but I remember that mounting it was the most difficult part of owning it. The little red heat sink case is barely big enough to keep the thing cool enough to touch. The fact that the bottom of it is only plastic also didn't help. It was extremely sensitive to electric motor noises (wipers, heater, fuel pump, etc.). I tried mounting a PC fan to the top of it to keep it cooler, but the fan generated noise that came in to the receiver.
The only place I ever found to mount it and have it work reliably and stay cool, was against the firewall on the passenger side just above the carpet line. This made it impossible to reach the switches, so I used an aftermarket foglight relay with a little dashboard switch to turn on the power, and I kept the SSB switch in the on position. It never seemed to adversely affect the AM operation of the amp. In that location the only thing that really affected the amp was the wiper noise, but with an unshielded amp you gotta look for the compromises.
If you don't over drive it, you will like the amp for what it is.
PoeDunk
The only place I ever found to mount it and have it work reliably and stay cool, was against the firewall on the passenger side just above the carpet line. This made it impossible to reach the switches, so I used an aftermarket foglight relay with a little dashboard switch to turn on the power, and I kept the SSB switch in the on position. It never seemed to adversely affect the AM operation of the amp. In that location the only thing that really affected the amp was the wiper noise, but with an unshielded amp you gotta look for the compromises.
If you don't over drive it, you will like the amp for what it is.
PoeDunk
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sparky17
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Goal #1 should be to get coax length as short as possible. Decide where your antenna will be, and pick a spot closest to the firewall bulkhead nearest there for your kicker.
I used epoxy putty and stuck the kicker under the dash near the bulkhead. If you want to control anything on it, use relays... I have mine set to a switch that turns it on/off, and also another relay for it to turn OFF when the truck is OFF.
As far as mounting, I found a spot that the kicker could fit on a panel that could be removed, I glued the kicker on, and installed the panel back in.. Originally I used thick superglue and accelerant. The shear strength on superglue is poor, so to remove it you just 'twist' and it all pops off, cleanup excess glue with acetone.. I tried commercial grade adhesive velcro, only to have the glue 'melt' in the summer heat, velcro doesn't handle shock loads well, so if you do use it, also attach with a rubber band or bungie cord to slap it back into place after a shock. I also tried foam tape which was also not very effective.
Epoxy putty is nice because you can just put a ball at each corner of the kicker and squish it onto any spot and it will mold to shape. If you use superglue, I *highly* recommend getting accelerant or having lots of patience. You can buy accelerant at a hobby shop as well as large quantities of thick superglue. You don't have to wait for it to dry, so you can just spritz the mounting spot with the spray, put glue on your part, stick it on, count to three and it's done, otherwise you'd need about an hour for it to cure well enough...
I used epoxy putty and stuck the kicker under the dash near the bulkhead. If you want to control anything on it, use relays... I have mine set to a switch that turns it on/off, and also another relay for it to turn OFF when the truck is OFF.
As far as mounting, I found a spot that the kicker could fit on a panel that could be removed, I glued the kicker on, and installed the panel back in.. Originally I used thick superglue and accelerant. The shear strength on superglue is poor, so to remove it you just 'twist' and it all pops off, cleanup excess glue with acetone.. I tried commercial grade adhesive velcro, only to have the glue 'melt' in the summer heat, velcro doesn't handle shock loads well, so if you do use it, also attach with a rubber band or bungie cord to slap it back into place after a shock. I also tried foam tape which was also not very effective.
Epoxy putty is nice because you can just put a ball at each corner of the kicker and squish it onto any spot and it will mold to shape. If you use superglue, I *highly* recommend getting accelerant or having lots of patience. You can buy accelerant at a hobby shop as well as large quantities of thick superglue. You don't have to wait for it to dry, so you can just spritz the mounting spot with the spray, put glue on your part, stick it on, count to three and it's done, otherwise you'd need about an hour for it to cure well enough...
