Dual Band Mobile Ham Radio Recommendations

[Ridge Runner Tundra]

I am looking at getting a new Mobile Dual Band Ham Radio for my rig. I would like to find one with a detachable face plate so that I could mount the main unit some where else. What do you guys and gals like? Where do you month them? Any recommendations on the the antenna location? Any help would be great.

Thank you

 

[brien]

I currently just have an HT mounted semi-permanently in the rig and attached to a remote dual band antenna mounted on my front bumper. I will be upgrading to a legit mobile unit in the near future, it just always gets bumped back down the priority, as most of my radio usage is HF (I use an Elecraft KX2, for the curious). When I do upgrade, I've narrowed it down to either the Yaesu FTM-400XDR, or the Kenwood TM-D710GA, with the Kenwood taking the top spot in my current thinking. They are both fantastic dual band radios, and meet all of my needs:
1) dual band
2) cross band repeat
3) APRS w/ built in GPS
4) 50W

Kenwood eeks ahead for me because of a couple more features that i would use:
Dual receive on same band (i don't think the Yaesu can do this)
Much better interface to connect to a PC

but the Yaesu also has a killer APRS grouping feature - lets you group call signs in your party, so you can see at a glance where they are, in addition to being able to send messages and have them broadcast to the group.


gah, it's such a difficult decision for me, and this is a big reason why i've been paralyzed into not buying one yet

as for your mounting questions:
I plan on mounting the "base" under my drivers seat or possibly under the dash, and then mounting the head unit on my dash or up near the rear view mirror.
Antennas: As i said, i have one dual band antenna mounted on the driver corner of my front bumper, I also have a dual band mag-mount in the center of my hood (which i currently use as a separate APRS antenna), I also have an NMO mount up on my rack, I used to have a foldable dual band antenna mounted up there but have since removed it since it wasn't regularly hooked up to a radio. when you add in the CB antenna and the FM antenna, my rig is a bit of a porcupine.

 

[Ridge Runner Tundra]

I will have to look at both of those, thank you for the recommendations.

 

[TOMB]

I am partial to my Yaesu Ft-8900 quad band, but in the jeep I have an older Icom. Can't remember the model. It receives 70cm and transmits and receives on 2 meters. Weird, I know. What makes it special it can cross band repeat. On my pickup I have an nmo right in center of crew cab. On the jeep, nmo mounted on cargo rack over rear tire. Both locations have low swr and work great. I've had Icom, Kennwood, and Yaesu, they all been great. I do have a TYT Chinese dual band that I haven't used enough to give a valid opinion. It is identical to the Rugged Radio 25 watt model.

 

[Jedi]

I am a huge fan of Yaesu radios and have been using them since I got my ticket 16 years ago. In my JKU I have a Yaesu FT-8900R and it has performed perfectly over the years. Looking at the dual band equivalent, the Yaesu FT-7900R, is rather inexpensive and very sturdy. If you want to play with digital modes, you can move up to the FTM-100DR. Both of the Yaesu mobile radios have detachable heads, so you can mount the body some place hidden and have just the head in your view.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I have a Icom id-5100. It’s a great radio, but so are the other radios already listed.