Marine Radio/antenna mounting on a MX 2025

Looking for ideas of how/where to mount a Marine radio and Antenna on a MX 2025. Pictures would be great!

TIA.

FDR

Below and just to the right of the steering wheel is where mine is mounted.
Don’t get to close to the starboard side of the boat though. If you do you may not be able to plug anything into the accessory power source. (cigarette style power outlet)
I just moved mine a few inches further away from the starboard side of the boat for that very reason.

Install a flush mount female cable connector and ram ball where you want the antenna and a male connector about a foot from the antenna. This way you can remove the antenna and put it away while not in use.

Have not done it yet but it sounds good….

kroger3 wrote:

Install a flush mount female cable connector and ram ball where you want the antenna and a male connector about a foot from the antenna. This way you can remove the antenna and put it away while not in use.

Have not done it yet but it sounds good….

Kroger,

With this idea, do you plan on keeping the antenna in a rod locker?

FDR

Joel,

What size antenna dod you go with and where did you mount it?

Thanks,

FDR

francisco4 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>kroger3 wrote:</div>
Install a flush mount female cable connector and ram ball where you want the antenna and a male connector about a foot from the antenna. This way you can remove the antenna and put it away while not in use.

Have not done it yet but it sounds good….

Kroger,

With this idea, do you plan on keeping the antenna in a rod locker?

FDR

Yes. That is pretty much the last item to install in my new boat and I am at a toss up of going that route or getting rid of my radio and antenna and just going to a handheld unit.

Yes. That is pretty much the last item to install in my new boat and I am at a toss up of going that route or getting rid of my radio and antenna and just going to a handheld unit.
[/quote]

I recommend NOT going with a handheld unit. In my experience, if you are on a water body that requires a marine radio, hand held units range is poor. Somewhat useless except for weather reports.

Gary Sanders wrote:

Yes. That is pretty much the last item to install in my new boat and I am at a toss up of going that route or getting rid of my radio and antenna and just going to a handheld unit.

I recommend NOT going with a handheld unit. In my experience, if you are on a water body that requires a marine radio, hand held units range is poor. Somewhat useless except for weather reports.
[/quote]
x2 And get a quality 8 ft antenna with 6db gain for better range.

francisco4 wrote:

Joel,

What size antenna dod you go with and where did you mount it?

Thanks,

FDR

I’ll get a picture of what I have and did on my 2025 tonight or tomorrow morning and post it here.

I’d recommend mounting on starboard side forward of the console or where best to get wires to the radio assuming the radio is mounted at the console.
The other consideration is what side of the boat you usually climb in and out of with boat on the trailer to load it, clean it etc. It’s best not to have it on the side where you’ll be climbing over it all the time.

carnivore wrote:

I’d recommend mounting on starboard side forward of the console or where best to get wires to the radio assuming the radio is mounted at the console.
The other consideration is what side of the boat you usually climb in and out of with boat on the trailer to load it, clean it etc. It’s best not to have it on the side where you’ll be climbing over it all the time.

My external GPS puck is just in front of the drivers console on the gunnel. How close can the puck and antenna be without having any issues?

FDR

francisco4 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>hjnacht wrote:</div>
I’d recommend mounting on starboard side forward of the console or where best to get wires to the radio assuming the radio is mounted at the console.
The other consideration is what side of the boat you usually climb in and out of with boat on the trailer to load it, clean it etc. It’s best not to have it on the side where you’ll be climbing over it all the time.

My external GPS puck is just in front of the drivers console on the gunnel. How close can the puck and antenna be without having any issues?

FDR

4 feet is the standard recommendation on Lowrance GPS antennas.

What’s the location have to do with the cig lighter power source? Does the cig lighter power source affect the radio/antenna signal, or does the antenna affect the accessory power?

splitshot wrote:

What’s the location have to do with the cig lighter power source? Does the cig lighter power source affect the radio/antenna signal, or does the antenna affect the accessory power?

If you mount the radio to close, you won’t be able to get accessories in or out of the cigarette lighter/power source.
I moved my VHF radio over 3″ just the other week for this reason.

Its a little hard to see but the handheld microphone is hanging on the starboard side of the boat. The cigarette light/power source is right behind the handheld mic.
2nd pictures shows the mounting SBC did for me on the VHF radio antenna.
I always keep a piece of 3″ diameter soft foam pad stuck on the tip of the antenna to keep it from banging against the drivers side windshield. Don’t have a picture of that but it does work very well, is easy to do and doesn’t blow off in the wind.

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kroger, doesn’t look like you’ve done it yet, but do you have a photo of the RAM and quick disconnects? This is a good idea to be able to remove the antenna entirely if performance of the antenna is not affected. Joel, your installation looks clean. Does your antenna’s location affect fishing in the bow when it’s raised? Primarily pitching?

Joel,

Thanks for the pictures! Unfortunately I cannot mount my Antenna in the same place as my external GPS puck is already mounted in that spot. I will have to keep brain storming.

FDR

socoeyechaser wrote:

Does your antenna’s location affect fishing in the bow when it’s raised? Primarily pitching?

It probably would but I’ve never found that I use the antenna or the radio when pitching.
For the most part, we only use the VHF radio while out on Lake Michigan.

socoeyechaser wrote:

kroger, doesn’t look like you’ve done it yet, but do you have a photo of the RAM and quick disconnects? This is a good idea to be able to remove the antenna entirely if performance of the antenna is not affected. Joel, your installation looks clean. Does your antenna’s location affect fishing in the bow when it’s raised? Primarily pitching?

I have not done it yet but the RAM antenna mount is just a standard mount that RAM sells and after a couple google searches there is a lot of different connectors on the market to make it work.

Like I said I am in a toss up on doing this or a handheld. 99% of the time I just use a radio for tournament takeoffs so for the most part I need one to work with in a couple 100 yards.

Bringing this to the top as I have yet to add this to my boat. With a trip to Erie planned for April, this has pushed its way to the top of the priority list. Has anyone come up with any other good options?

TIA,

FDR