so i've been running a FT-7900 just kind of loosely sitting on my passenger seat for like two years, which i know is terrible, and i finally broke down and did a real install this past weekend. got a RAM mount bracket sorted out under the dash and ran the power direct to the battery with an inline fuse on both leads like youre supposed to. also finally put a proper NMO mount through the trunk lid instead of that magnetic antenna i'd been using.

few things caught me off guard. first, routing the coax was way more of a pain than i expected, had to partially pull back the trunk weatherstripping and feed it through a rubber grommet i made myself because i couldnt find the right size at the hardware store. second, the voltage drop i was seeing before just disappeared once i had clean power from the battery, the RF noise from the alternator i'd been fighting for months is almost completely gone now too. i think my cheap power connection before was acting like a ground loop or something.

anyway if anyone is on the fence about doing this properly, just do it. took me most of saturday but it was worth it. the radio just feels solid now, transmit audio reports are way better too according to the guys on the local repeater.

yeah the direct-to-battery wiring makes such a huge difference, its one of those things that sounds optional until you actually do it and then you wonder why you waited so long. i had similar alternator whine on my old install and it turned out one of my ground connections was just bolted to a painted surface, not actually making good contact with the chassis. added a star washer and scraped down to bare metal and it cleared right up.

the NMO mount is the right call too. those mag mounts are fine for portable or temporary stuff but for a daily driver they eventually scratch the paint and the contact point corrodes. ive got an NMO through my roof and after four years its still solid, no issues. what antenna did you put on it?

this is actually really helpful to read, im about to do my first mobile install in my truck and have been kinda nervous about it. the coax routing part especially, everyone makes it sound easy but then you watch youtube videos and its never as clean as they make it look. did you have to drill for the NMO or did you use a lip mount or something?