Ham Radio In The C-MAX

[SnowStorm]

Any ham radio operators out there operating mobile from your C-Max?  Share your stories or pics.

[andrewthall]

I have an ICOM ID-880H in my C-MAX.  I considered putting in an HF rig but decided against it.  I have serious reservations about mixing 100 watts of rf with the highly computerized C-MAX,  The installation of the ICOM was VERY easy.  The battery access in the back made connecting the power easy -- you just need to have a long socket to allow access to the chassis ground.  I mounted the radio under the rear seat and remoted the control head to a mount between the passenger seat and the console.  The only real challenge was getting the mount fastened to the bolt that holds the seat.  The plastic cover doesn't allow easy access.  Fortunately, I have a friend, N1BM who was able to help me.  Most of the time, I monitor reflector 4-B on D-Star when I'm in the car.  If you hear me on, give me a shout.

 

Andy, K2OO

[Ryan McEachern]

Sounds perfect, did you check that the seat doesn't contact the radio when folded down? They drop quite a bit as they fold.

[ScooterS]

CQ DX!

[raymond963]

I have a Yaesu FT-7800R in my C-Max. The radio is in the storage compartment in the rear and the head is on a Ram vehicle mount that is attached to the passenger seat bolt. The bolt is in an awkward spot, inside a plastic housing, but wasn't too much trouble. I tucked the control and speaker cables under the console edge, then under the passenger seat, inside the rear floorboard storage, and then inside the passenger-side trim all the way to behind the rear seat, being careful that it can't get caught when the seats are moved. I also have a dock for my phone on the same Ram mount with the radio head directly below it. To protect the console edge, and keep the mount's vertical rod from moving around, I found some dark gray pipe insulation to put around the rod. That should also keep passengers from banging their knees on the mount's aluminum rod.

 

For radio power, right now I'm simply using the 12V Accessory outlet in the rear compartment. I seldom go above 5W output on the radio, mostly repeater use, and figure the outlet can handle that amount of current. I may move it to the 12V battery if I go on a long trip.

 

I've read of people using HF in a Prius with no problems, even at 100W, but they say that the Prius doesn't like VHF at 50W. I've been too chicken to try higher power output in my C-Max but I'm wanting to also install my Icom 706MkIIG...once I figure out an appropriate antenna setup. Right now I'm using a dual-band magnet-mount.

 

The tailpipe hanger looks like a possible spot to bolt some sort of bracket for an antenna mount, if I were to decide on a screwdriver antenna. I'm also considering a trunk lip mounting bracket, possibly motorized, for a multi-band antenna but would hate to damage the car's finish.

 

CQ DE AC9H

[SnowStorm]

Just happened across this warning in the manual under ACCESSORIES.

 

"To avoid interference with other vehicle functions, such as anti-lock
braking systems, amateur radio users who install radios and antennas
onto their vehicle should not locate the amateur radio antennas in the
area of the driver’s side hood."
 

Seems like a strange place for an antenna but I'll keep it in mind!

[wa1hco]

I installed my Yaesu FT857 in the 2013 CMAX.  The remote head got mounted on LIDO LM-300 gooseneck.  As others have mentioned, mounting under the passenger side seat bolt was a problem that required some removal of the plastic around the bolt with a sharp knife.  The next problem was power.  I wanted to follow the radio manufacturers recommendation by installing directly to the battery.  But the C-Max manual says install nothing on the battery because the battery is inaccessible and it would mess up charging measurements.  The battery jump start post terminal block and the ground lug directly below it seems the best compromise. 

 

Then the problem becomes how to  get through the firewall.  There seems to be no clear space on the vertical part of the firewall.  But after removing the two large plastic pieces that fit between the front of wind shield and the back of the hood, a space under the top of the dash becomes visible.  Remove the driver side pillar cover and pull up the felt insulation there's a flat sheet metal area.  I used a step drill to put in two 5/8 inch holes. Then one can reach a hand in from the engine side to install two rubber grommets.

 

The I removed the cover over the terminal block under the jump start lug and installed a ring terminal connected to about 5 inches of #6 wire and a 50 Amp automotive fuse.  A black #6 wire with ring terminal gets bolted to the ground on the frame under the jump start block.  I used a coat hanger as a fish to go through the grommets and pull the wire into the passenger compartment.  The two #6 wires then route under the plastic trim along the front and bottom of the door frame.  There's quite a bit of room.  The control wires run under the center console lip, under the front seat and into the rear seat bolt access area (remove the plastic cover) and then into the same wiring channel with the power wires.  The control and power then runs into the rear vent compartment and out through the rear vent access panel.

 

No problem with radio noise on receive using VHF, UHF or even Aircaft AM.  No alternator whine (or digital switching equivalent) with that power connection approach.

 

The antenna got drilled into the roof by accessing the sheet metal from behind the dome light. The first antenna should probably go into the rear dome light.  I used the front dome light and it leaves the antenna tilted forward slightly, and it much more difficult to access the area between ceiling and sheet metal.   Access to the roof at the rear dome light to run the antenna lead is achieved by pulling the rubber seal from the top of the rear hatch and then pulling down the ceiling a few inches.  It appears to be held in place by a strong magnet.  It's easy to route the coax into the left rear vent area to meet the power and control wires.  All the wires exit through the lower vent access.

 

I was tired by then and just put the radio into the left rear cargo net with the wires routed into the access panel behind the radio.  It's quite practical, I may leave it there.

 

This was the first time using a step drill and I will never go back, they produce a very clean round hole in sheet metal without grabbing.

 

Next up is an HF whip and a second VHF antenna on the roof.

 

jeff, wa1hco

[raymond963]

Thanks, Jeff, for the write-up. I'm thinking about following in your footsteps, except for the part about drilling into the roof...a little squeemish about that...

[N8JJ]

I just got a C-MAX Energi and did a trial install of my Yaesu FT857.  I previously has a 2010 Fusion Hybrid and the noise on HF from the electrical system made it unusable.

However my trial install showed NO perceptible noise either running in hybrid mode or pure EV on either HF of VHF!  This is great news.  They must have fixed something.

 

I order a mount for the control head from Proclip.  It worked quite well in the Fusion.  There are two version for the C-Max on their website.  I chose the one that mounts just to the right of the steering wheel.  You will have to drill a few holes in it to mount the control head, but it works much better than the goose neck type.

 

I would like to mount the radio under the shelf in the back.  The Energi has a flip up shelf made from composite that is wide enough to mount the radio to the bottom if I can figure a way to fasten it without butchering the carpet.

 

Also, the manual say not to connect to the ground side of the battery.  So I assume I can connect to the Positive side.

There is a large black wire from the negative terminal the chassis.  I don't see why I can't connect to the Chassis end of the wire or some other chassis ground in the rear.

 

N8JJ

[N8JJ]

Here are some pictures of my install

 

 

[Noah Harbinger]

Is there a Field Day bonus for contacts made from a mobile station?

[zhackwyatt]

I guess the lack of cargo space in an energi can be an advantage sometimes, everything tucks neatly under the platform.

[thanksfordrivingahybrid]

I have an ICOM ID-880H in my C-MAX.  I considered putting in an HF rig but decided against it.  I have serious reservations about mixing 100 watts of rf with the highly computerized C-MAX,  The installation of the ICOM was VERY easy.  The battery access in the back made connecting the power easy -- you just need to have a long socket to allow access to the chassis ground.  I mounted the radio under the rear seat and remoted the control head to a mount between the passenger seat and the console.  The only real challenge was getting the mount fastened to the bolt that holds the seat.  The plastic cover doesn't allow easy access.  Fortunately, I have a friend, N1BM who was able to help me.  Most of the time, I monitor reflector 4-B on D-Star when I'm in the car.  If you hear me on, give me a shout.

 

Andy, K2OO

 

What specific model of seat mount did you get?

I'm on Rams site and looking to buy the proper mount to  bolt to the seat bolt. But they don't list any compatible with C-Max so not sure which one. I'm guessing one of the mounts currently listed for other Ford vehicles must be compatible with the C-Max.

 

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

[BobE]

Hi

 

I have the CMAX Hybrid with a D700 installed for APRS and local VHF/UHF and also an ICOM 706 for HF. The VHF/UHF antenna is at the right rear of the tailgate and the ATA 120 for HF is on the left hand side.  I find that HF is almost unusable due to the RFI from the drivetrain which is much worse when it's in EV mode.

 

Does anyone have any ideas or help in how to reduce the RFI?

[mtb9153]

I installed my Yaesu FT857 in the 2013 CMAX.  The remote head got mounted on LIDO LM-300 gooseneck.  As others have mentioned, mounting under the passenger side seat bolt was a problem that required some removal of the plastic around the bolt with a sharp knife.  The next problem was power.  I wanted to follow the radio manufacturers recommendation by installing directly to the battery.  But the C-Max manual says install nothing on the battery because the battery is inaccessible and it would mess up charging measurements.  The battery jump start post terminal block and the ground lug directly below it seems the best compromise. 

 

Then the problem becomes how to  get through the firewall.  There seems to be no clear space on the vertical part of the firewall.  But after removing the two large plastic pieces that fit between the front of wind shield and the back of the hood, a space under the top of the dash becomes visible.  Remove the driver side pillar cover and pull up the felt insulation there's a flat sheet metal area.  I used a step drill to put in two 5/8 inch holes. Then one can reach a hand in from the engine side to install two rubber grommets.

 

The I removed the cover over the terminal block under the jump start lug and installed a ring terminal connected to about 5 inches of #6 wire and a 50 Amp automotive fuse.  A black #6 wire with ring terminal gets bolted to the ground on the frame under the jump start block.  I used a coat hanger as a fish to go through the grommets and pull the wire into the passenger compartment.  The two #6 wires then route under the plastic trim along the front and bottom of the door frame.  There's quite a bit of room.  The control wires run under the center console lip, under the front seat and into the rear seat bolt access area (remove the plastic cover) and then into the same wiring channel with the power wires.  The control and power then runs into the rear vent compartment and out through the rear vent access panel.

 

No problem with radio noise on receive using VHF, UHF or even Aircaft AM.  No alternator whine (or digital switching equivalent) with that power connection approach.

 

The antenna got drilled into the roof by accessing the sheet metal from behind the dome light. The first antenna should probably go into the rear dome light.  I used the front dome light and it leaves the antenna tilted forward slightly, and it much more difficult to access the area between ceiling and sheet metal.   Access to the roof at the rear dome light to run the antenna lead is achieved by pulling the rubber seal from the top of the rear hatch and then pulling down the ceiling a few inches.  It appears to be held in place by a strong magnet.  It's easy to route the coax into the left rear vent area to meet the power and control wires.  All the wires exit through the lower vent access.

 

I was tired by then and just put the radio into the left rear cargo net with the wires routed into the access panel behind the radio.  It's quite practical, I may leave it there.

 

This was the first time using a step drill and I will never go back, they produce a very clean round hole in sheet metal without grabbing.

 

Next up is an HF whip and a second VHF antenna on the roof.

 

jeff, wa1hco

please tell me you didn't drill a hole in your CMax?

[BoomerGer]

OF COURSE he drilled a hole in his C-Max!  Where ELSE are you going to mount an antenna?  And I saw a call sign that was N1BM.  Phonetically (and I am sure he has heard this before) that's Number 1 Bowel Movement.  Too bad he is not in "2" Country.

 

Ger (AKA KF6PHV)

[wab]

please tell me you didn't drill a hole in your CMax?

 

 

OF COURSE he drilled a hole in his C-Max!  Where ELSE are you going to mount an antenna?  And I saw a call sign that was N1BM.  Phonetically (and I am sure he has heard this before) that's Number 1 Bowel Movement.  Too bad he is not in "2" Country.

 

Ger (AKA KF6PHV)

 

It was sort of an inside joke, mtb is one of our more :worship: prolific modder.

His cmax looks like a piece of Swiss cheese. 

 

[BoomerGer]

N8JJ, nice pics, but what is the 1st one on top?  Can't figure that one.  And is that coax you have in a tight coil? Is that acting like a choke on your xmit?

 

KF6PHV - Ger - The Southern California Connection

[wab]

N8JJ hasn't logged on since Feb.

[rlawn]

I'm puzzled how to get sufficient power to my Icom dual band mobil radio. On one hand it looked easy since battery access seems readily available in the 2014 C-Max Hybrid - it's right under the real little cover....but what terminal is 12v + and which is negative? There is a wire going to the chassis which must be ground but I'm really hesitant to do this with out some guidance as I could tap into the wrong terminals! It seems like Ford doesn't want us to know. I'd really like to not go through the firewall which appears to be VERY difficult and of course at full power the radio will draw too much to use an accessory outlet. Any suggestions would be appreciated.....along with a picture since it's much easier to explain your solution that way.

73

Rick, W2JAZ

[SnowStorm]

Have you taken off the black plastic cover that goes all the way across the back (see this post)?  You get access to both battery posts that way.  I haven't powered anything directly from the battery though, so can't advise.

[rlawn]

Yes but connections aren't marked and I've read some cautionary statements about hooking things to the wrong terminals.

[rlawn]

If anyone has tied in to the battery in the rear under the small recessed panel I'd appreciate a photo of which terminals you used for positive and negative.

Rick

[plus 3 golfer]

If anyone has tied in to the battery in the rear under the small recessed panel I'd appreciate a photo of which terminals you used for positive and negative.

Rick

You do not want to connect a load across the battery terminals as the negative cable includes a battery monitoring sensor (see below).  All loads should be between positive and chassis ground.    If you take off the cover off as SS suggests (see image below),you will see that the negative terminal (terminal towards front of car) ties to chassis ground (cable running to ground lug) to the left of the positive battery terminal. 

 

" The Battery Monitoring Sensor continuously monitors the condition and the state of charge of the 12V battery and provides the BCM with this information. The BatteryMonitoring Sensor

also estimates losses in the battery capacity over time. The Battery Monitoring Sensor should only be reset when the battery is replaced. It is urgently recommended that the

replacement battery has the exact same specification as the original battery. If it does not, the accuracy of the Battery MonitoringSensor outputs will be compromised.

 

The Battery Monitoring Sensor is clamped directly to the negative terminal of the battery and grounds to the vehicle at the chassis ground connection point through the negative battery

cable and eyelet. It is part of the negative battery cable and cannot be serviced separately.

 

External customer loads must only be connected to the vehicle at the customer battery connection point. If an external customer load is connected at the negative battery post, the

Battery Monitoring Sensor accuracy cannot be guaranteed. It is recommended that the Battery Monitoring Sensor pole clamp is not removed unless a batteryreplacement is required.

Should the battery need to be isolated, this should be done by disconnecting the ground eyelet at the chassis ground.

 

Body Control Module (BCM)

The BCM monitors the Battery Monitoring Sensor and provides the PCM with battery state of charge information." 

 

[SteveT]

OK, that's pretty clear about what not to do, but where should I connect my load (amateur radio)?  Should I connect to the chassis ground point and directly to the battery + terminal or does the statement "External customer loads must only be connected to the vehicle at the customer battery connection point" mean that there's some other defined point (maybe at a fuse box) where I should connect my leads?  I'm planning to put the radio under the rear passenger seat, so connecting to power at the 12V jump terminal under the hood as some have suggested isn't a good option.

 

-SteveT  KD7MRX