so i've been running a little handheld in the car for the past year or so and finally decided to do a proper mobile install with a real radio. picked up a used Yaesu FTM-400 a few months back and it sat on my desk forever because honestly the install intimidated me a bit.

anyway got it done last weekend. ran the power leads directly to the battery with an inline fuse, used the split mount so the head unit sits on the dash and the main body is tucked up under the passenger seat. coax goes up through the firewall and up the a-pillar to a NMO mount i had drilled into the roof. put a Tram 1185 on there for now, figure i can upgrade the antenna later.

first real test was driving around for about an hour hitting the local repeaters and honestly the difference from the handheld is just night and day. no more dropped audio, people can actually hear me clearly, its just... better in every way. wish i had done this sooner tbh.

only issue i ran into was the head cable was just barely long enough to reach where i wanted the control head. anyone else run into that? wondering if there are extension cables available or if i just have to live with the routing i have now.

congrats on getting it done, the first real mobile install is always a bit of a project. on the head cable question -- yeah Yaesu does sell an extension for the FTM-400, its the CT-110 i think, adds another meter or so. should be able to find it pretty easily. i ran into the same issue when i put mine in my truck, the cable just barely cleared the center console and i didnt love the bend on it.

also good call going straight to the battery with fused leads. i see so many mobile installs where people tap into the fuse box and then wonder why they have noise issues or voltage drop under transmit. your way is the right way. the Tram antenna is decent enough for local stuff, if you ever want to reach out a bit further on 2m look at the Diamond NR770HB or the Comet SBB-5 when you're ready to upgrade, both are solid performers for the price.

nice setup, i just did basically the same thing a few months ago with a different radio but same idea. the split mount thing is kind of genius once you figure out where to put the body unit, i was surprised how much space there was under the seat. my only complaint with my install is that i can hear some ignition noise on certain frequencies but havent had the patience to track it down yet, probably need a ferrite bead somewhere or better grounding on the antenna mount.