Cleaned Up Hand Mic Mess in this Updated Tacoma Ham Install
My initial Tacoma Ham Radio Install blog post was meant to be an exceptionally clean looking install. I did not want to clutter the dash with wires or ham radio components. One part that I could not install cleanly, however was the hand mic. This was dangling from the head unit mount that I created and always got in the way of the truck’s radio. I knew that I was going to want to relocate the mic to a different position in the truck but did not know what parts I would need until now. This is a remarkably simple change that you can do in about 10 minutes and greatly enhances the functionality of this updated Tacoma ham install.
Parts list:
- Short Toyota Switch Blank Keystone Holder
- CAT6 RJ45 Keystone Coupler, Inline Female to Female
- CAT6 RJ45 Ethernet Cable
Toyota Short Switch Keystone holder
After reading many clean ham radio install posts on TacomaWorld.com I came across a member of the forum that creates these short switch blank adapters that hold keystones. With my Toyota TRD Off Road I have quite a few blank switches that I can use so I figured this might be a great option for connecting my hand mic.
Before I did anything, I tested that the RJ45 coupler and the cable worked by connecting all of these components and sending a test transmission to my handheld transceiver. It worked perfectly so I could proceed.
Removing trim
As done in the previous Tacoma ham radio install instructions, I first had to remove some of the trim in the center console. You can find many YouTube videos showing how to do that if you are not sure.
Accessing the switch blanks
I removed enough trim to be able to access the back of the switch blanks and I popped out the one I wanted to replace. I then snaked the ethernet cable from underneath the driver’s seat, up through the channel next to the QI charger and then into the empty switch blank.
Connecting the cable to the coupler
I connected the RJ45 coupler to the cable and then pushed the switch blank back into the slot.
Reattaching the trim to finish this Updated Tacoma Ham Install
I reattached all the trim and connected the ethernet cable to the mic input connection on the radio body.
After everything was put back in place, I removed the radio head unit from the vehicle to trim down the mounting plate. You can find how I made this mounting plate in the original Tacoma Ham Radio Install post.
I trimmed the plate down and reinstalled the head unit. I think this looks even cleaner than before.
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