Anyone mod the 3rd brake light for an antenna?

Been searching high and low for a third brake light bracket that allows for mounting an antenna (be it HAM, GMRS, Lora etc)- of course no love for the 1st gen.

But I did find this third brake light replacement

https://ekodesign.co/products/tacoma-led-pod-third-brake-light

Honestly not a big fan of the aesthetic but it looks easy enough to mod for addition of an antenna mount (though maybe questionable durability? Is it 3D printed?)

Anyone rocking this thing and can comment?

 

Idk if HAM/GMRS radio antennas are different from CB but I have my CB antenna attached to a ditch light bracket. It works pretty decent and sits nice and high.

 

The ditch light brackets that go up around the hood? I already have a HAM antenna on one on the driver's side, and a Rabo fab rear antenna mount (up by the rear tail light) for a 10 and 11m setup. Looking to install a permanent(ish) meshtastic setup with a really small antenna (meshtastic is very low power, the 900MHz antennas can be very small) and figure somewhere near the roofline would be great.

So many other platforms have off-the-shelf options from third brake light mounts but of course no first gen love. I was hoping to avoid cutting holes, but if there are no third brake light options there are aftermarket shark fin housings I can use, and there is this magnetic option where I'd just need to find a nice spot to run the coax into the inside:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806482004556.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

That amount of coax is far from ideal for meshtastic though. Even thinking of a really small fully self contained solar setup that I mount externally, no need for power and antenna wires getting into the cab.

 

Wait so do you want the 3rd brake light to actually hold the antenna or just an adapter for a wire to slip through...?

 

Im game for either - there are kits that keep the light functional and provides a mount for an nmo or CB or whatever antenna mount you want.

But those are $$$ and none for first gen so if just a nice clean PNP thing for wire routing up in that area im game to get it.

Routing long runs through the firewall or below the passenger seat via the OEM grommet etc is all well and fine for HAM but for Meshtastic I'd like to keep the coax as short as possible.

 

I mean I can probably 3D print you something if you show me what you're looking for exactly

 

Blacksport…

might help you with install once you decide what you will install

I was not going to drop my fragile headliner to install a new 3rd brake light
It worked like a charm
GL

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-brake-light-install…-the-easy-way.813581/

 

Bulletproof has a lot of the brackets for other models:

https://bulletproofdiesel.com/produ...-with-backup-camera-2019-2021-ram-1500-trucks

And i found a dead thread of a pretty cool concept/bracket that would have worked with the OEM housing

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-brake-light-antenna-mount.530201

 

want to see your results! that eckodesign one looks mint