So after running a mag mount on the roof for like two years I finally broke down and did a real install in my F-150. Got a Yaesu FTM-400 going in, ran the power leads directly to the battery with an inline fuse, and mounted a NMO through the roof. Took me most of a Saturday and honestly longer than it should have because I kept second-guessing where to route the coax.

Few things I wish someone had told me before I started — the coax routing through the firewall is way more annoying than any video makes it look, and finding an existing grommet that you can actually push more stuff through without killing yourself is like a puzzle. Also the 10 gauge power wire I used initially had way too much voltage drop over the length I needed so I ended up redoing it with 8 gauge. SWR is great now, getting into repeaters I couldn't even hear before with the mag mount.

Anyone else do a through-the-roof NMO on a newer truck? Wondering if I should have used a lip mount instead to avoid any potential rust issues down the road, I did seal it but still kind of in the back of my head worrying about it.

yeah the firewall grommet thing is no joke, took me forever on my Tacoma. I ended up using one of those rubber plugs that was already there but not actually being used for anything, poked through it with a screwdriver and called it good. Probably not the cleanest solution but its been two years and no issues.

On the roof mount — I did the same thing and havent had rust problems but I was pretty thorough with the self etching primer before I put the sealant on. What did you use to seal it? If you just used silicone I might redo it with something a bit more appropriate for bare metal. The Noalox or even just a dedicated antenna sealant compound is worth it for peace of mind.

The FTM-400 is a great radio for mobile, the waterfall display is actually useful for finding activity on a band you're not super familiar with. I ran one for about three years before I moved to the 500 series.

On the voltage drop thing — good call going to 8 gauge. A lot of people underestimate how much difference that makes especially if you're running any kind of digital mode or even just transmitting at full power for any length of time. I always tell people to run the heaviest wire they can reasonably get through the firewall and not to cheap out on the fuse holder either, the crappy blade fuse holders can add resistance over time especially if they get any corrosion under the hood. ANL fuse right at the battery is the way to go if you haven't already done that.