I'm working on adding an antenna to my spare tire carrier and was trying to figure out a good way to pass the feedline through to the inside of the vehicle. The plan was to use a connector on the outside of the vehicle so the spare tire carrier could be removed easily without cutting lines.

I was thinking about passing the feedline through where the factory wiring loom goes through but I'm open to opinions. I think the loom goes through on the drivers side but this is going on the passengers side. I'd rather go behind the twilight housing as the female feedline connector I'd going to be mounted through the taillight housing.

 

I *think* I remember that there is a rubber plug up under the rear fender, that leads into the inside where the wiring is. You can pop it out, cut a small hole in it, and then run your feedline through there.

 

Well what I ended up doing was popping a new hole in the tail light wiring loom grommet where it enters the vehicle right behind the tail light housing. I think it turned out just okay.

 

That's nice work!

You might want to seal it against water intrusion, unless you need to be able disconnect it.

I used to install business radios for a living, and on tower installations, we used good quality electrical tape (3M, always!) to wrap connections. It stretches and fills in voids really well. Make sure the last turn around is NOT stretched, or it will just pull off.

When you need to remove it, it comes off cleanly and easily. I have removed antennas that had been on a mountaintop site for 20 years, and had been sealed up that way, and the metal underneath was clean and shiny. Like new.

 

That would be why I went with a type N connector. Has the seals on it. Somewhere within the last 10-15 years decibel started using them on their antennas. A lot of the ones I've taken down have them.

 

Type N has had seals for.... ever I think. At least since Noah, anyway.

We still seal them.

 

I've gotten away with not sealing N stuff. The seal works okay for weatherproofing but not waterproofing. Should be okay for the purposes of this application. Now if it was up on a tower and not easily accessible, I'd seal it, but this is just easy to get to.