I need suggestions for a 2 meter Ham radio for my Tacoma.

I don't have much to offer with respect to which rig to buy but I can tell you that there is a full DIN space in the 2nd gen after installing my Alpine CDA-117 using the scosche installation kit. Most of the modern Icom, Kenwood, or Yea rigs would fit nicely. I've been using my handheld 2 meter rig for so long, I've lost track of what's available in multi-band mobile radios. You all inspire me to get back to it! N7CKI soon to be something else for the East coast. I did like the 5/8 Larsen whip on a fat bracket...patterned well.

 

I had my radio in the space under the HU for a little while. I really dislike that position. Ham radios put out a lot more power than a CB and under heavy usage at full power can get quite hot. There already is a good amount of heat generated by equipment in that area. I generally recommend new hams to spend a few more bucks and get a rig with a detachable face so they can mount the main body in a place with more air around it. The FT-7900 is the most economical choice for this.

 

WTS
Hey all. I thought this might be a spot to post this. I have an Icom 208H with an Icom HM-133 that I would like to sell or trade. Was in a vehicle that a friend bought from a Border Patrol guy. And he(my friend) didn't want it so I said I'd take it off his hands. I hooked it up(not knowing what I had). It works fine but I'm not a ham guy and am just looking for a cb. Would be willing to trade for the right cb setup or sell out right. Make an offer.

http://tacomaworldforums.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5

 

That i208h radio is a nice radio. I would suggest in looking it up before you trade it for a CB radio, you might be surprised how much it maybe worth

 

Thanks for the input. I did look it up. Everything's negotiable. I'll only trade if it's the right setup otherwise I'll sell it outright.

 

Yeah this is old but it's what I'm about to do right now with my ft-7900r. Mtucker what are the two screws of your remote mounting kit screwed into? Maybe my compartment under my cd player goes further back because if you screwed into the back wall it looks like your compartment is only a couple inches deep. Did you use a dremel to notch under the cd player in order to fit your ham faceplate?

 

Good observation. My remote mounting kit is screwed into a piece of wood. That piece of wood is mounted part way back in the plastic pocket. I have two screws that come from under the plastic pocket, through the bottom of the pocket, and into the piece of wood. Then I screw the remote mounting kit into that piece of wood. I test fitted the setup to see how deep I needed the piece of wood to make my FT-8800 faceplate about even with the faceplate of my stereo. After that, I noticed the face plate needed a little upward slant to match the stereo and to help me see it. I wound up using a few pieces of thick double sided tape along the bottom of the piece of wood. That pushes out the bottom of the remote mounting kit/faceplate a fem millimeters and gives it a upward slant.

Yes, I had to Dremel a rectangular piece out of the plastic pocket. I chose to cut into the top of the plastic pocket. With that piece cutout, the faceplate/remote mount slides right in there.

 

I've thought about getting my HAM radio liscense, I've got a couple friends who have theirs and I find it fascinating.

for you guys who have it, is it worth doing?


PS: sorry to thread jack, just dont want to start a new thread

 

Cool thanks bud. Your setup looks slick. Good idea with the wood, I wouldn't have thought of that.

 

Built a custom center console and mounted / relocated the radios


D-700 forward and ft350 by shifter

 

I used the rails from a havis unit. Made my own panels from 1/8" aluminum. I will have to get more pics. What angles do you wanna see?

 

im trying to figure out how im going to fit a cb/pa system in my truck. i have a stereo and it left half the space free so itll be going in there but i have no clue what brands are good and what features to look for.