....now to find a handheld or vehicle mount transceiver. Would like to be able to do cb frequencies.
Got a weekend with the SoCal rover club in Big Bear this month.

 

Amazon has some inexpensive 2m handhelds that work OK, programming is a bit tricky but they can put out a good signal. puts out 8 watts


KE0JRT

 

I hear good things about the Baofeng, but really want a Yaesu vx-8 series.
I don't know enough about the different bands and what will really be useful. Off road clubs are often using CB or GPRS/FRS. A do it all radio would be my preference.
Then there's handheld versus mobile/mounted.....

 

Congratulations on passing the test. The biggest problem with ham radio is the vast expanse of activites. It almost impossible to be involved with every aspect. VHF / UHF mobile operation is most popular and easiest to do.

I enjoy HF mobile and HF APRS / Win net as welll as SSB voice. iF you decide to venture into the HF mobile I am more than happy to help with the Rover Quarks in building a good HF installation.

Don't. Forget eham and QRZ forums for ham radio specifics.

When it comes to Rover istallation..... This form has sevel people more than willing to share thier installtion ideas.

Welcome and good luck

Jeff
AA0ST

 

Much appreciated! Install tips will be very helpful. I actually Googled your setup in you sig line from a prior post. Hope things are settling down for you in Houston. Good luck on the search for replacement Rovers.

 

I installed both a CB and Ham radio in my car. I'm pretty sure I did a write up on here if you can find it. FYI, you cannot get both in one unit. That's illegal here in the US. You will need two distinctly different radios with two distinctly different antennas in order to do both 2m/70cm and the CB which is 11m.

When I started, I had mounted my head unit on the overhead console (the thing with the sunroof switch). That proved to be too heavy for the console though and just had too many vibrations (especially when offroad), so I ended up moving it down into the cubby in front of the gear shift. I was sad to lose that storage space and sad that the audio is a little muffled now (my speakers are in the head unit), but it works out much better overall.

 

Check out Radioddity and this CB model (small and compact) but lower power output.

For the Ham/GMRS frequencies, remember the Baofengs are GREAT radios with LOUD speakers but they are fairly DEAF when it comes to receivers. You are going to hear faint signals BETTER with the better brands like Yaesu, Kenwood, Icom, etc. My favorite HT at this exact moment is the Color Screen FT-5DR

For mobile installation, most overlanders use the Yaesu FTM-400.

Tip: You can pay someone like Ham Radio Outlet or DIY a simple hack to do what's called a MARS/CAP mod which will allow your ham radio to talk on both HAM and GMRS frequencies. I find this to be most convenient for Overlanding trips.

Tip #2: Get a good antenna. Will help loads! Congrats and good luck!!

 

Trophy - the post is 4 years old.

 

awesome.. still getting used to this forum software lol

 

I added an external mag mount antenna, ext mic and ext speaker to my Baofeng, made itr much nicer to use. then went with a 2m/70cm dual channel mounted on the dash. works great! I use the Baofeng at home now.