Hidden HAM Radio Installation in Sunglasses Compartment - TYT/Yaesu-9800

Documenting my hidden HAM radio setup with the TYT-9800 quad-band radio (Yaesu 9800 clone). Since this unit is detachable face, I got the idea to mount the face in the forward sunglasses compartment, and the radio body under the drivers seat. The TYT 9800 uses an RJ11/12 connector cable for the head unit to connect to the body and for the microphone. My favorite part is that the TYT-9800 has a headphone jack speaker output and my Pioneer headunit has an AUX input, so I ran it to the Pioneer and now I have radio coms through all the tacomas speakers!

I installed the head unit in the sunglasses compartment with minor trimming to make it fit when closed. The buttons are tall enough that they hit the plastic inner lining and the metal backing plate, so a little bit of plastic removal and metal trimming with a dremel was in order.

The sharpie outline shows the area I trimmed from the metal bracing:


With the metal trimmed and a rectangle cut out of the plastic roof console, I mounted the radio face in the sunglasses holder with 3M double sided tape. The tape is perfect for this application as it doesn't lose stick in heat or cold. See the below picture that details the metal removed and the rectangle I cut in the roof of the console. Note that I covered the exposed cut metal with electrical tape.


With the head unit mounted, I attached a pair of 6 foot RJ11/12 cables to the inputs on the side of the head unit, then routed them along the headliner, down the a-pillar, and sent one under my seat for the radio body, and another to the blank switch areas under my A/C controls. I purchased a 2nd gen switch blank w/ keystone from Shapeways:
https://www.shapeways.com/product/2...ith-keystone?optionId=62496829&li=marketplace

Then installed an RJ11/12 keystone male/male adapter for a really cool remote microphone plug.




Finally, I mounted the radio body under my seat with the included radio brackets, and wired it up on a separate circuit under the hood:


Quadband antenna mounted:


Final product:

 

Looks Good.

 

Nicely done.

 

Nice post.

 

Looks really good! Gotta love a clean install.

Can you tell me what the dimensions of the faceplate are? Looking for the width of the face and the height from the top to the bottom of that "belly" it has.

I'm looking to move to the 8900/9800 series radios from my Yaesu 7900 and need to see if it will fit where I want it to go.

 

Nice but I want a clock

 

huh

 

Do you mean temp/compass? You can get those in a rear view mirror

 

Yes, I wanted the toyota version which is in the overhead. I just can't find one for my 15.

 

You can get one in your mirror

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eplace-overhead-display.428956/#post-19379806

 

super clean and great use of the space!!

 

Except no sensor or cable. 15 sport.

 

No worries on heat damage in summer?

 

None. Been installed for a year now. Made it through a hot summer and it's still fine. You could put a square of dynamat above it to cut down on heat if it really worried you.