Where are you guys mounting your radios?

[Donovan]

What power are these radios? I think mine is 5 or 8 watts. My antenna is roughly 15 inches. I am basically trying to see how far I can reach.

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

What power are these radios? I think mine is 5 or 8 watts. My antenna is roughly 15 inches. I am basically trying to see how far I can reach.

handhelds, the max is 8 watts. i have a 110watt motorola. used refurbished radio from sunny communications here in denver. $225. old police radios. best deal i could find. i also run a full whip. 49 inches. thing about it is, antenna height plays a role. vhf signals can slightly bend with the terrain so the higher the better. in hilly or mountainous reigons you might get 1/2 mile or less. out in the open, we got almost 100 miles. a few years back we were in the nevada desert looking at a property and one guy headed back to reno where he lives. we were able to communicate until he got to reno which was almost 100 miles. if it werent for the mountains, it would have been a lot more. you can also get more distance by tuning (adjusting length) the antenna but then doing so, you would want to stay on that frequency only

 

[mobob]

Some clarity…my faceplate is in the passenger media bin, not the center one. It’s not the perfect answer but once we pick a channel for the group, it doesn’t change much.

I think my tmd710 will do 75 watts on some bands 50 on others, turned down to licensed levels where required. MARS/CAP mod with HAM bands used primarily but GMRS is also an option if needed. I use the APRS on it to keep the wife up to date while getting away from cell phone towers.

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

Some clarity…my faceplate is in the passenger media bin, not the center one. It’s not the perfect answer but once we pick a channel for the group, it doesn’t change much.

I think my tmd710 will do 75 watts on some bands 50 on others, turned down to licensed levels where required. MARS/CAP mod with HAM bands used primarily but GMRS is also an option if needed. I use the APRS on it to keep the wife up to date while getting away from cell phone towers.

being able to change channels is a necessity though. dont bury it. i was in arizona running with a couple guys and one of the offroad channels (used in texas) was a sherriffs channel. we quickly changed channels. they notified us that it was not to be used. also, in areas where you get just random interference, its nice to not have to stop to change channels. wife and i change channels frequently from our drive from denver to nevada due to interference. also a channel we use is an emergency channel in parts of wyoming. i pick up ambulance communications outside of rawlins. just make sure changing channels on the fly is an option.

 

[Donovan]

Interesting. Ok thanks gents.

Yeah its just for me and a few neighbors. Its really interesting that we are all of different backgrounds and flavors of ice cream in my area but we are all on the same page about where we need to be if shit gets wild. And that is what I call a community.

 

[mobob]

I agree, you need to be able to change channels and easily read the faceplate. Typically, the wife or passenger can manage the simple channel changes. My wife can sometimes be a stubborn challenge and I need to see the faceplate while driving to figure out her issue trying to help.

I can easily change programmed channels while driving. I also have a cup holder faceplate mount for trips where we have a lot going on, which is really nice, but too visible for day to day and uses the wife’s cup holder, causing other complaining and stubborn moments. Life is such a balance.

 

[vudu_raptor]

Mounted mine in the wasted space in the top of the glovebox. Routed the cat6 cable behind the dash to the steering wheel where I mounted the hand mic to the left side of steering wheel behind the blinker arm. Mounted a speaker in the forward compartment of the center console. (Where the sliding door is next to the usb ports). I like it because I don’t ever see it. The mic is readily stored and out of the way. And the copilot can always manage the comms if needed.
2019 raptor for reference.

 

[c_landd]

Anyone have a nice bolt in solution for mounting a radio in the console? I have seen the rugged kit, wondering if there are others out there too

 

[pastorwug]

I have an Rugged Radio RM-60v with 60 watts of radio power - th3ey don't make them that strong anymore apparently. Easy to program, works great as a Ham radio as well.
Perfect for SHTF scenarios. I was ready if KH took the helm.

 

[relak]

I have an Rugged Radio RM-60v with 60 watts of radio power - th3ey don't make them that strong anymore apparently. Easy to program, works great as a Ham radio as well.
Perfect for SHTF scenarios. I was ready if KH took the helm.

Right? Now what am I going to do with all these MREs and ammo I’ve been stockpiling the past 9 months lol