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[[File:Yaesu_Install_Banner_2.jpg|center]]
This page details the installation of my Yaesu FT-7900R Dual Band (2m/70cm, 144MHz/430MHz), Mobile, Ham Radio in my 2012 (Gen2) Nissan Frontier Crew Cab. I wanted a clean, professional, looking install but I didn't want to make any permanent modifications to my vehicle. In doing this project I took advantage of my recent [[2012_Nissan_Frontier:_Strut_Channel_Install|DIY Utili-Track]].
I, obviously, needed to provide power to my new Radio. The Radio comes with a long pigtail that has 2 fuses built into it. The simple thing would be to run those directly to the battery and be done with it... But I don't like to do things the simple way :) I had a couple requirements that drove me to do something a bit more complicated. 1.) I wanted a separate switch to provide power to the FT7900R (and possibly to other radios in the future). This basically requires a relay. 2.) I wanted to make it look nice. 3.) I wanted to make any future accessories I installed faster and easier. In the end I decided to build a Relay/Power Distribution plate that lives in the Engine Compartment. The best location I could find was on top of the bigger fuse/relay box on the passenger side near the firewall. This was a nice flat surface, wouldn't get too hot, and was in close proximity to the battery. The plate has 5 relays on it and 6 fused power paths (1 for switches, 5 to go with the relays). Presently I'm only using 1 out of the 5 channels. For your project, you may want to relocated 2 of the Lid Mount screws. I had to make a little cut to the Fuse Box to get everything to fit. It is detailed below. Ok, here we go.
#Get a sheet of Lexan (Mine was 8"x12"x1/4") that you can cut to size to fit on top of the lid for the Nissan Fuse/Relay Box. I found that 6.5"x8" was just about perfect. Mark of a 6.5"x8" rectangle and start laying out your components. As shown in the photo, I placed the fuse block in the lower left, put the relays along the right side, put the connectors at the top left and the negative Barrier Strip just above the fuse block. This gave me a vertical and horizontal channel for all my wires to live. I've included a diagram showing how I laid out my components<br />[[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_33.png|400px]][[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_1.jpg|400px]]
#Now trace around all your components and mark off the mounting holes.<br />[[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_2.jpg|400px]]
#At this point you need to drill out all the holes to the appropriate sizes. If you used the same parts as me the Fuse Block uses #8 screws, the Relays use #10 screws, and the Terminal Block uses #6 screws. I chose to use #8 screws to mount the plate to the lid of the fuse/relay box. In my design, the Fuse Block and the plate mounting to the lid share a hole. A drill press would be best for this, but a hand drill will work. Check out the drill guide for help making sure you do everything right.<br />[[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_34.jpg|400px]][[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_3.jpg|400px]]
#We now need to countersink all the holes since most of the screws will have components on top of the or need to be flush to not interfere with the top of the Lid. You need to make sure that you countersink the right side of each hole! The Barrier Strip needs to have the bottom of the hole countersunk. The Relays need to have the bottom of the hole countersunk. The Fuse Block needs to have 3 of it's holes (all but the one at the corner) countersunk from the bottom. The 3 mounting holes that mate with the lid that are not shared with the fuse block need to be countersunk from the TOP.<br />[[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_4.jpg|400px]][[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_5.jpg|400px]][[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_6.jpg|400px]]
#Now bolt the components to the top of the plate. Notice that the corner hole in the fuse block is left empty and that the bottom relay is tightened down, but twisted out of the way. This is too allow us to mount the entire thing to the lid. Now place the entire plate on the lid and put in the rest of the bolts.<br />[[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_7.jpg|400px]][[File:Yaesu_Install_Power_8.jpg|400px]]
