Talon Rugged Radio Mounting

[Ezgoin]

Update on the radio saga.

So I sent in the radio and the intercom as directed by Rugged. They did some testing and found the intercom was bad. I was doubtful since the problem existed even when I used the hand mic direct to the radio and told them so. They said they'd double check. It arrived a couple days ago with a new intercom....seem to b working fine. It's mysterious to me how the intercom would have affected the radio even using the hand mic. I'm sure it is not mysterious to someone smarter. I never disconnected the intercom for self testing as I assumed the hand mic bypassed the intercom. From a tid bit I read on Facebook, it seems the older intercoms maybe connected to the radio using the hand mic port. So, I suppose the plug that Rugged installs into the back of the radio might well still be routed through the hand mic circuitry. I just did a quick test, even inside the garage and it worked. I'll update again once I finish the complete re-install and take it for a ride with my group. For the money and time spent on this, I'm just gonna talk and talk and talk to everybody to get my money's worth, lol.

Wow, hummm... that is interesting, since as far as I can tell the radio and intercom are completely separate, but who knows, as long as it’s all working now, I guess that’s all that really matters. Congrats on getting it figured out!

 

[HondaRed16]

Update on the radio saga.

So I sent in the radio and the intercom as directed by Rugged. They did some testing and found the intercom was bad. I was doubtful since the problem existed even when I used the hand mic direct to the radio and told them so. They said they'd double check. It arrived a couple days ago with a new intercom....seem to b working fine. It's mysterious to me how the intercom would have affected the radio even using the hand mic. I'm sure it is not mysterious to someone smarter. I never disconnected the intercom for self testing as I assumed the hand mic bypassed the intercom. From a tid bit I read on Facebook, it seems the older intercoms maybe connected to the radio using the hand mic port. So, I suppose the plug that Rugged installs into the back of the radio might well still be routed through the hand mic circuitry. I just did a quick test, even inside the garage and it worked. I'll update again once I finish the complete re-install and take it for a ride with my group. For the money and time spent on this, I'm just gonna talk and talk and talk to everybody to get my money's worth, lol.

Glad that all worked out for you and all is good.
I think you'll really enjoy the whole setup once you've had a chance to play with it all.
As I said earlier it's a sweet system when everything is lined up correctly.

Let's us know what you think when you've tested it all.

 

[Ragnar406]

Update on the radio saga.

So I sent in the radio and the intercom as directed by Rugged. They did some testing and found the intercom was bad. I was doubtful since the problem existed even when I used the hand mic direct to the radio and told them so. They said they'd double check. It arrived a couple days ago with a new intercom....seem to b working fine. It's mysterious to me how the intercom would have affected the radio even using the hand mic. I'm sure it is not mysterious to someone smarter. I never disconnected the intercom for self testing as I assumed the hand mic bypassed the intercom. From a tid bit I read on Facebook, it seems the older intercoms maybe connected to the radio using the hand mic port. So, I suppose the plug that Rugged installs into the back of the radio might well still be routed through the hand mic circuitry. I just did a quick test, even inside the garage and it worked. I'll update again once I finish the complete re-install and take it for a ride with my group. For the money and time spent on this, I'm just gonna talk and talk and talk to everybody to get my money's worth, lol.

Just seeing this thread. Glad it all worked out for you.

I am hoping one of you would do me a favor and list out the display names for the channels that are programmed in your radio.

 

[Killer223]

Just seeing this thread. Glad it all worked out for you.

I am hoping one of you would do me a favor and list out the display names for the channels that are programmed in your radio.

 

[Wodeman]

I sacrificed the glovebox and mounted the radio and intercom inside. Took the Rugged radio faceplate, rotated it 180 degrees, mounted each unit then attached it to the rim at the bottom of the glovebox opening. Drilled a hole in the back for the wires to exit. Little more work to access, but it's protected from the elements. Antenna is mounted on an Axia Alloys pivoting mount and grounded to the upper seat belt mount.

 

[jamesh]

I've seen one other install like that. I think that's the best way to do it.

 

[PaulF]

I LOVE that Glove Box install! Now why didn't I think of that?

Here is a heads up for anyone chasing interference/noise issues. I had a hum/buzz when transmitting that was driving me and my riding party nuts. It was always there but sometimes worse than others.

Everything was installed per RR instructions, Wired directly to the 2nd battery, all the proper grounds, no coiled wires, etc. Rerouted every cable at least once. I tried different antenna locations and even went as far as to put a Ground Plane on the underside of my roof and shorten the antenna cable, tune the antenna and everything else I could think of to no avail.

RR said they have not had major issued on a stock Talon that fine tuning didn't fix so I decided to start disconnecting any installed aftermarket electrical item one at a time to see if I could resolve it.

BINGO, I finally found out what was causing it. Believe it or not, it was this really nice looking (apparently POS) dual voltmeter that I liked because I had a spare switch mount hole available and wanted to monitor both batteries...

Turns out with the ignition is connected to this meter (on either Main or Aux), it causes some sort of awful feedback that the radio picks up when transmitting. Weird thing is that when the 2nd battery is connected (to either or both terminals) there is no noise whatsoever so for now, both meters read the second battery.

I never suspected a simple voltmeter to cause such a horrible problem so of course, it was the last thing I checked. Took me almost 2 full days to figure it out.

 

[jamesh]

I LOVE that Glove Box install! Now why didn't I think of that?

Here is a heads up for anyone chasing interference/noise issues. I had a hum/buzz when transmitting that was driving me and my riding party nuts. It was always there but sometimes worse than others.

Everything was installed per RR instructions, Wired directly to the 2nd battery, all the proper grounds, no coiled wires, etc. Rerouted every cable at least once. I tried different antenna locations and even went as far as to put a Ground Plane on the underside of my roof and shorten the antenna cable, tune the antenna and everything else I could think of to no avail.

RR said they have not had major issued on a stock Talon that fine tuning didn't fix so I decided to start disconnecting any installed aftermarket electrical item one at a time to see if I could resolve it.

BINGO, I finally found out what was causing it. Believe it or not, it was this really nice looking (apparently POS) dual voltmeter that I liked because I had a spare switch mount hole available and wanted to monitor both batteries...

View attachment 188703

Turns out with the ignition is connected to this meter (on either Main or Aux), it causes some sort of awful feedback that the radio picks up when transmitting. Weird thing is that when the 2nd battery is connected (to either or both terminals) there is no noise whatsoever so for now, both meters read the second battery.

I never suspected a simple voltmeter to cause such a horrible problem so of course, it was the last thing I checked. Took me almost 2 full days to figure it out.

Rugged told me to connect straight to main batter, bypassing second battery. I don't have a second battery. I have installed a switch module since getting my radio back from Rugged and still have not had a chance to really test the radio out past testing in my driveway. Hopefully the addition of the module to control the new light bar, rock lights and light whips doesn't mess with it.

 

[PaulF]

Rugged told me to connect straight to main batter, bypassing second battery. I don't have a second battery. I have installed a switch module since getting my radio back from Rugged and still have not had a chance to really test the radio out past testing in my driveway. Hopefully the addition of the module to control the new light bar, rock lights and light whips doesn't mess with it.

RR says that to cover their ass and I don't blame them. They instruct you to make the most direct connections to eliminate additional troubleshooting.

I have actually tried wiring directly to the main, 2nd and through a relay and they are all the same for me as far as I can tell. I currently have mine connected to the 2nd battery running through a 40 amp relay so it goes on/off with my accessory setup. I tend to forget and leave stuff on so if this works, I will leave it that way. If not, I will wire it directly to the 2nd battery just in case I leave it on. I will probably never wire it permanently to the main battery (unless I absolutely have to) or I will find myself with a dead battery someday.

 

[PaulF]

RR says that to cover their ass and I don't blame them. They instruct you to make the most direct connections to eliminate additional troubleshooting.

I have actually tried wiring directly to the main, 2nd and through a relay and they are all the same for me as far as I can tell. I currently have mine connected to the 2nd battery running through a 40 amp relay so it goes on/off with my accessory setup. I tend to forget and leave stuff on so if this works, I will leave it that way. If not, I will wire it directly to the 2nd battery just in case I leave it on. I will probably never wire it permanently to the main battery (unless I absolutely have to) or I will find myself with a dead battery someday.

Another thing that makes me scratch my head a little. RR does have a tenancy to contradict themselves on occasion. They preach to hook the radio DIRECTLY to the battery, PERIOD. You are to put nothing in between the radio and battery except for their filter. Warnings about this is all over their website and instructions.

Then they market this switch that introduces ignition power and an LED (both can potentially cause interference when in close proximity to the radios power wires) and sell it on their website?

 

[jamesh]

Another thing that makes me scratch my head a little. RR does have a tenancy to contradict themselves on occasion. They preach to hook the radio DIRECTLY to the battery, PERIOD. You are to put nothing in between the radio and battery except for their filter. Warnings about this is all over their website and instructions.

Then they market this switch that introduces ignition power and an LED (both can potentially cause interference when in close proximity to the radios power wires) and sell it on their website?

View attachment 188734

View attachment 188736

Lol, yeah, and the only thing that blue wire does is light up the switch if the switch is turned off, but the car is turned on. I just taped it off.

 

[Cowboy02]

So I spent the biggest part of yesterday and this morning installing the radio and intercom with the Rugged Radio Talon mounting plate. They really leave you in the air about the install because they provide no installation instruction for any of the equipment. The radio/intercom hookup is pretty straight forward and they do have a connections diagram available on their website, but the mounting plate is another issue!
It would be very helpful and could save you from making a huge mistake if they’d at least provide some basic information like:
* Pretty much the entire cubby hole compartment has to be cut out.
* The bracket that supports the instrument cluster off the back of the cubby has to be cut off above the support.
* There is a wire bundle from the ignition switch that lays against the left side of the cubby that you can’t really tell is there until you cut the cubby...CAUTION!!!
* You’ll have to trim the bottom of the cubby hole about 1/4” across the front.
* You’ll have to notch the sides of the cubby hole face to clear the provided acorn nuts that mount the radio to the face plate bracket.
* The bracket that comes with the face plate is designed to bolt to the back of the radio and then screws to the remainder of the original support to support the instrument cluster left unsupported when the bracket was cut.
* it’s up to you to figure out how to protect the radio from potential water damage since they aren’t really water proof, front or back!

Depending on your own level of anality, the routing of cables and wires can be pretty simple or significantly taxing, depending on how clean you want the install! I happen to be pretty anal about the finished product so it took me a good long time to figure out how I wanted everything to look and work. I needed the PTT (push to talk) buttons logically mounted for easy access when strapped into harnesses etc, the antenna cable hidden rear to front, the headphone jacks flush mounted etc, so it took a lot of disassembly and push pin removal to get it all the way I wanted it.

I think it turned out great, and I’m still waiting to receive the headphone jack mounts and the antenna mount, even though the cables are all in place and functional. But, be advised their advertising this install as Quick and Easy is pretty misleading!

The intercom works great and the Alpha Bass headphones are expensive but seem to work very well for communications. I opted for the Alpha Bass headphones because I wanted good sound quality for music. Rugged advertises the Alpha Bass headphones as these great audiophile quality headphones with amazing bass etc. well, I am a bit of an audiophile, and I’d give these headphones about a 3 on a scale from 1-10 for audio quality, but, with the right music source and proper adjustment, they can make a decent amount of bass via their built in bass amplifier, but they are certainly not a real musical headphone. They do however do a good job in muffling the loud Talon engine noise, work well for Bluetooth connection to your smart phone, and have great clarity for communication between those in your car and car to car with other radio equipped cars.

I javent had the opportunity to take the system out for a real world trail test yet, but I have every confidence that it will perform as advertised on the trail.

All in all, I think My wife and I will enjoy the system and I’m happy with the ascetics.

Just an FYI for those considering adding a system like this to their Talon, I bought all the equipment during Rugged’s 30% off sale and with all the equipment including the upgraded headphones, but not counting the flush mounted headphone jack mounts and the antenna roll bar clamp and mounting plate, the total was a bit over $1500! Not inexpensive, but hopefully will work as expected, and everyone at Rugged Radio has been very helpful and friendly!

View attachment 164343 View attachment 164344

Just ordered my radio kit today. Hopefully it works like they say it well

 

[Enigma]

Thanks for the information. With any radio antennas are the name of the game. If you do not have an antenna that can handle 60 watts, you have wasted your money. What antenna did you select and is it rated for the radio rig wattage? Are the CB or GMRS radios ?

 

[Cowboy02]

View attachment 172486Push to talk buttons are located on the console between the seats. Headphone jacks are located behind the seats to the outside edge where they are easily accessible ( sorry, no pic for those).

One word of caution!! Once I got my whole system installed and ready to go, I did the first functional test with the engine running. As soon as I pushed the Push To Talk button the engine died and it died pretty much every time I pushed the buttons. I tried everything to figure out what was going on. I ran ground wire from the antenna, grounds from the radio/intercom, nothing seemed to work except moving the antenna clear to the back of the Talon... which wouldn’t work as a permanent location. Long story short, and after a great deal of head scratching and discussions with Rugged Radio’s tech folks, I discovered this: Rugged Radio sells the kits with a 1/4 Wave antenna. This antenna is designed to be mounted on a Ground Plane such as a metal roof. In discussing my situation with one of their tech guys at the Scottsdale Off Road show, he admitted to me that they include the 1/4 Wave antenna in the kits because the 1/4 Wave is only 18” long and it fits in the box. He gave me a 1/2 Wave antenna at the show for free. The 1/2 Wave is 36” long (I think). I took the 1/2 Wave antenna home, stuck it on the bracket in the same location (on the vertical roll bar behind the passenger seat) and bingo... no more problems! I did go ahead and attach a ground strap to the 1/2 Wave even though it seemed to be fine without.

A friend of mine bought the same RR kit for his RZR at the same time as I bought mine. He had a similar issue with his setup except rather than killing the engine when pressing the PTT button it sent his engine control system (after market) into full lean condition. Not good! He chased this problem for days with no luck after shielding everything he could think of, rerouting cables etc. He was in Scottsdale with me and also came home with a 1/2 Wave antenna. Cured his problem immediately also. Moral of the story is... if you have issues like those described and you are using a 1/4 Wave antenna switch to the 1/2 Wave and see if that takes care of your issue. Apparently the 1/4 Wave works ok for a lot of applications, but sure caused my friend and I a lot of headaches!
The RR radio is a very powerful 60 watt radio and can cause some real interference with other electronics in the car if not properly set up!

Hope this helps others from dealing with the headaches I went through!

Thank you for the great information about the antenna. I just got my radio kit for my Talon and it came with the quarter wave antenna I called a tech at rugged radio he said they'll replace it with the correct antenna but I have to pay shipping. I'm still negotiating that due to the fact that I bought the roll bar mount so they knew I was mount it with no ground plane

 

[lowranger]

I can not answer your question on the cubby hole other than I drilled a additional hole in the backside of it to run additional wires for switches.
I have the Rugged Radio and intercom system installed in my Talon. But I installed it overhead. I wanted to keep it high so when I wash out the interior the radio will not be effected by the water and to be able to run the head phones cables overhead and behind me so they drop down out of the way.
From the pics you can see I ran the cables through a 3/4" metal tube that is secured to the roof and roll bar. I also added a 3/4" tube to the front as a added hand hold and to give support to the radio and support for the roof also.
Just trying to give you more options, because as you add accessories you will need the cubby hole for the switches...DRK

View attachment 163182

I also want to put my intercom overhead. Did you fabricate your own overhead set up or buy it somewhere? More detailed pictures?
I don't want to hack my dash either. I emailed Rugged Radio to see if they have an overhead set up for the Honda Talon. No response from them.