Subaru Coax Install

Getting an antenna onto the 2013 Subaru Forrester

Martin VK3FG writes: A job that I put off for a while but wanted to get done before the Summer Field Day ready for a visit to the club ops at McLoughlin’s Lookout. My previous ride was the Outback and that came with a handy hole where I guess a clutch would have penetrated the firewall. The Forrester has a lot more sound deadening etc so harder to find a ready made spot. (Photos – yellow is co-ax & grommet, green is washer pipe, red is air/debris ‘filter’ for cabin air – not a pollen filter in this model!)

After some careful searching I located where the washer pipe penetrates the cabin to run to the rear window. Next to that up in the left footwell is another handy hole with a grommet plug. After some exploration, I removed the glovebox – a simple job and then the air filter that has some very sharp edges. A quick sandpaper rub removed some of the hazards. The the sill and kick-plate were gently pried off without too much sacrifice – but clips are pretty flimsy. The shield over the left wheel arch is unclipped too to make it a little easier.

A length of plastic coated wire was used to gently work through the hole out to the void between the quarter panel and structural frame. There are two sections so gentle handling is required to get through – easy enough. The wire is then gently pushed up to the engine bay where it is taped to unterminated RG58 and brought back into the cabin. The hole is sharp so care is needed (some plastic shaving from the wire probe is evidenced in the photo, not from the coax) A small cut was made in the middle of the grommet and the coax passed through and reseated in the car body without issue. A bit of slack in the coax to allow for as far as possible a strain free entry at a right-angle will hopefully see no issues develop. A couple of cable ties were affixed to the coax to break drips and keep any water running down the coax from getting to the penetration. The coax was terminated with a BNC and run under the sill to the radio sitting beneath the passenger seat – remote head mounted on a magnet on the centre console; speaker sitting in centre console or in driver’s footwell – radio Yaesu FTM400. Hopefully someone finds this useful.

73.