Batboard

Because i'm getting quotes from "$30 bucks cash and route the wire yourself"

to "labor is $80, done in an hour" (even though they charge me for 2 hours)

You're mileage is gonna vary as it's only part of an install. Most shops
have set prices on a complete install. You can buy the hole saw for about $20. and you have it for future installs as well. If you're not comfortable doing it and a shops gonna do it measure out and mark where you want it to go (one of those cloth tape measures like they use for sewing works best) as the guy drilling would only eye it and drill, let's face it they're not installing many antenna's on POV's. An inch or so off on a PD vehicle or a taxicab don't really matter. You POV is a different story!

Hi:

30.00 ~ 40.00 is Cheap when they take the
responsibility for a screw up.

Under the headliner, sometimes you will find
a support header, wires, Auto-controls as for
a Sun Roof.

I would make dam sure they do a good job, and
take the responsibility if something shoukd go wrong
like drilling a hole all the way through the head liner.

If its a Concret Truck, I would not worry, if its a 50,000
SUV, then worry !

Monty

I'm having one done next Friday. I figure it will cost me about $80, including the mount and cable. This is a job done in a major market, and if you live where labor costs less it may cost you less.

First I tell the guy where I want the hole, then he drops the headliner and measures carefully, then he drills the hole, then he installs the NMO and runs the wire and terminates it, then tests it with a ohmmeter. Then, and this is the hard part, he puts the headliner back the way it was. My experience has been that these guys know their job and it pays to have it done right.

Monty wrote:
Under the headliner, sometimes you will find
a support header, wires, Auto-controls as for
a Sun Roof.

Monty

Here is a real shocker for an "under headliner" mounted item. I have been told that some models of Jeep Cherokees had the computer mounted under the headliner! The local /\/\ shop found out about this when an NMO connector leaked on one. No, it wasn't their fault. The customer hit a tree branch and bent the roof under the antenna. Problems arose when the computer got wet and went a little crazy .

Gerbil, see if you can find a major MSS or shop that does this. It may cost a little more but you should be paying for the installer's knowledge and experience. If you get the local radio guru that knows all about what you want but has only drilled 2 holes then yes it might be worth about $30 and hope that's all you have to pay in the long run. However, if you go to a shop that has done this 1000's of times or more and has insurance then peice of mind may be worth $80. I have been doing installs since 1992 and have put antennas on everything from golf carts to $50,000+ SUVs and even a few cellular antennas in exotic luxury cars. I am from the Midwest and the biggest market is pickup trucks and SUVs. You dont have to take down the headliner in newer vehicles but a fishwire is nice. My biggest trick to getting an antenna in the center of a vehicle is very simple, just drop your dome light. It normally does not have a second liner or a brace underneath it but there are some exeptions. If you measure the distance of the dome light it is normally 4-6 inches across so get the center of the hole left by the light and drill an 1/8 inch pilot hole. If you get the center of the dome light on the inside then 98% of the time you have the center of the roof from left to right. This does not work on Nissan pickups, there dome lights are offset???. Once you drill the hole for the pilot there should be no problem using the 3/4 inch saw from the outside. In my 12 year career I have only had a few mistakes that could not be avoided but where I work has insurance and it was fixed the same day. So, once again I say yes it would be worth the money to have it done right 1 time instead of not being happy for a long time. Hope this helps.

both quotes were from motorola shops.
The expensive one does the installs for some local vol. fire departments, as well as most major companies around here including the cable company, sbc and at&t

The one with $85 labor was alsop going to charge me 24.99 for the mount, 12.99 for the cable, and 3.99 for the plug.

I think i'm going to get parts and stuff off of ebay, and then decide if i'm going to do it myself or not.
I dropped the dome light, and its perfect, no headliner under it, far from support braces, and its about in the center of the roof.

You might want to try it yourself, here is how I do it. You probably will not have to drop the headliner. I remove the dome light, drill a small pilot hole up from inside, bring it up to 1/4", then use an old Greenlee 9 pin tube socket chassis punch to cut the 3/4" hole. It does a perfect job. I then use a piece of rigid wire with a bent blunt end to snake the coax to a front corner roof pilar, and from there do what it takes to get it behind the the dash board. I've done a bunch of my own vehicles for years and have never had a problem. The toughest part is pushing the drill through the first time. If you make a mistake, rubber plugs are cheap

I do the same as W2MB. except I use a holesaw because
I don't have any punches. Same predrill though...

And here is another holesaw tip, if you go that route-

Put some electrical tape on the hole saw 1/4 inch up
from the teeth.
Wrap a few layers around the circumference of the saw/bit.
This will prevent the bit from going all
the way through. and causing you to scratch/dent the
roof because you banged into it with the drill. It will
also prevent you from inadvertantly drilling through the
headliner, should it not be near the dome light.

i've been hanging around y'all too much.

I'm buying an antenna hole saw off'a ebay.

so much for no holes in my baby.

there was a thread about antenna hole saws a while back, might want to search for it..
you can get one that is designed just for doing antenna holes, they have a lip on then so they just cut through the roof and then stop.

try Tessco, I think they had on that wasn't too expensive. they have the mounts/cable/connectors too.

Just did one last evening after a team event in the field for one of the team members. But then again I have been doing them for 40 years..

I'd be glad to do yours, but I think the travel charge from Los Angeles would be a little much, and I need to be back for the L A Marathon this comming week end. Our team helps with communications for the Marathon.