Ham radio

Does anyone have any recommendations for ham radios and how they mount them?

 

Are you licensed? This question is a bit like me asking, "I need a truck, which one should I get?"

• What are you planning on using the HAM radio for?
• What bands do you plan to talk on?
• Are you looking to talk when you are driving or will you be parking and setting up a dipole or other type of antenna?

The general nature of your question leads me to believe you are not a licensed operator and you don't have a local club. I could be wrong though, so my apologies if this assumption is incorrect. The AARL Ham Radio License manual has ads in the back for retailers like Ham Radio Outlet and other retailers. If you are looking for QRP and have the budget I recommend an ICOM IC-705 and the best antenna you can afford. Your rig is only as good as its antenna so choose the right one for your use case.

I recommend going to the AARL's website and searching for a local club in your area. Connect with other HAMs, get to know them, ask your questions and get their input. It really is a friendly community and they will know better than any the total cost of ownership for most setups.

• Most importantly, if you aren't licensed to talk on the HAM bands you should not be transmitting on them. Listening is fine but as soon as you key the PTT and transmit you are violating federal law.

 

I have a Yaesu FT-65 and a

$40 Baofeng UV5R Dual Band 3800mAh Rechargeable Two Way Radio Walkie Talkies for Adults with Earpiece,Speaker Mic and Programming Cable Full Kit (Black-1Pack)

Baofeng UV5R which are both pretty popular 2m/70cm dual band hand held radios. I can use them by themselves or can connect them to a mag mount antenna with a jumper for a little extra range. I use a Ram x grip on an Expedition Essentials PAM. Doesn’t hold them perfectly but it does the job. I do plan on getting a mobile radio in the future like an Icom 2730 that has a removable head in which you can mount any where and store the main unit under the seat or somewhere out of the way. But if you’re just starting out the Baofeng is a great radio to learn on. They are pretty affordable so I got a couple with the extended batteries. They’ll last a couple days if you’re not talking on it a lot. I have my license and mostly use it off roading. I don’t belong to any Ham clubs but you can learn a lot by just listening to your local groups.

 

If you haven’t done it yet, here’s how I got it set up. I have a Yaesu FTM 300DR. I mounted it on a Rago Fabrication molle console mount. The head unit can be separated from the radio itself so the head unit is what’s mounted on the top portion of the dash while the main unit is attached to the passenger side Molle panel. I’m running the Larsen 2/70 antenna and mounted on a Bingfu vehicle mobile radio mount on my hood.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RBNVVZZ?_encoding=UTF8

Ran the wire under the hood then down to the firewall by passenger side. Same for the power source, both ran through the firewall. It’s a tight fit through the grommet but it will work with some elbow grease. You can also opt to run it through the grommet under the passenger seat.