Just a quick note to thank those who gave me some direction on Vehicle
Manufacturer's policies. I found the following ARRL link helpful along with
the letter from Toyota which they have as well.
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/carproblems.html
Also, from my own experience, I installed my IC-2800H in my new 2006 Prius.
Quick install. Just plugged it into the dc outlet in center console and put
a Comet hatchback NMO mount on the back and used a dual band antenna. No
RFI issues on VHF or UHF to or from the vehicle. All working great for 2
weeks now. In fact my mpg has been increasing from an average of 46 to 47
on the car's display for the first 1100 miles. Actual gas mileage from the
2 fillups is dependent on trips (48 mpg on 700 highway mile roundtrip and 55
mpg on local trips the first couple of weeks). I will try HF next. I will
do some more detailed noise tests across the spectrum. Also check K9HI's
website for HF antenna installations on his Prius:
http://temples.com/article.php?sid=2177 .
In fact, here are some of his comments:
Issues--let's see... I should state up front that the Prius is an
extremely _noisy_ car at HF frequencies. While I haven't suffered
terribly on VHF/UHF, however. I have yet to invest any time or effort in
solving the RF interference and hash present on the HF bands; e.g.,
grounding the trunk lid, engine hood, tail pipe, etc. And I haven't yet
installed any ferrite beads on various wires, cables, etc. I've spoken
to others who have taken some time and effort in this regard. The
consensus seems to be that you'll never get rid of the noises generated
on HF when the car switches between its various modes but you can knock
it down a bit. Right now, the antenna gets out like gangbusters but I
can only hear the loudest of the signals on the band.
I had my 706MKIIG installed at Beltronics in your home town. They did a
tremendous job.
The car lends itself very nicely to the 706 in the trunk, and the
control cables snaked up on the driver's side on the floor. You'll not
want to snake any cables along the ceiling or side panels or you could
interfere with the air bags.
For the mounting, I purchased the Coastal Electronics
(http://www.coastaletech.com) custom receiver hitch. It accommodates the
High Sierra (http://www.cq73.com) HS-1800/Pro antenna that includes a
vertical mounting bracket.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance, Bill. Also, the hams at
Beltronics can no doubt give you some helpful advice on Prius
installations since they have at least one under their belt (so to speak ;-)
73,
Bill
NE1B
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