Newbie needs mobile rig recommendation

[ColoradoF350]

Hello all! I'm new the forum and just passed my Technician exam. My interest in ham radio is for emergency communication. I do a lot of back country camping and hunting in my Ford truck. Cell phones are useless in the mountains and I recently had a "close call" where I finally decided to get a more reliable mode of communication.

As a newbie, I would appreciate any advice the "experienced" operators may have for a mobile rig to put in a truck. I'm not a die hard radio guy so I would appreciate advice on a reliable radio / antenna that will be there if I ever need it. Don't need a lot of fancy options or anything. I did read the thread "What rig are you running" elsewhere in this forum, but, as a newbie, could not tell if those radios were more than I would need.

I'm very excited about getting started in ham and appreciate any advice you might have to get me started with the right rig. Thanks!

[2E0JTP]

Hi,

I would suggest investigating whether or not you have any amateur radio FM repeaters near where you intend to rely on an amateur mobile radio. Without a repeater tower somewhere within range (and with good coverage), you will have limited range on any VHF/UHF mobile radio. Maybe up to 60 miles from a high spot. A repeater will potentially increase this range.

If you have a 2m repeater accessible (for example), you can buy something nice and simple, say a 2m Yaesu FT-1900 or FT-2900.

If you are going way out in the wilderness and have no repeater tower to rely on, you might want to consider a HF setup. Which will require a whole lot more thought, organisation and expense.

The other thing to consider, is who are you intending on calling?

A prearranged contact or a random person who 'just happens' to be listening when you need them to be...

[M0WAO]

may be something like a yaesu ft-817nd will tick the box? then you have hf and 2 meters/70cm if there is an repeater nearby

[ColoradoF350]

Great reply, thank you. To answer your questions, I usually have a base camp with other people 10-20 miles away. In some rare instances, I may need to reach 50-100 miles and I know a repeater would be my best option for that. Most of the time when I'm out, someone would be listening on a base station, but if an SOS were ever necessary, I'd want to try and reach anyone I could get.

Thanks again.

[ColoradoF350]

may be something like a yaesu ft-817nd will tick the box? then you have hf and 2 meters/70cm if there is an repeater nearby

This looks like a great radio but expensive. I found prices around $700. Anything else you'd recommend in the $300 range?

[2E0JTP]

Ten to twenty miles is not a problem, but getting a hundred miles on a VHF radio requires lots of height and a good antenna.

You could do something simple, say an FT-2800M (FT-2900R now) with a mobile antenna for day to day use. That will easily get you twenty to fifty miles - allowing for intervening terrain. Pretty much all amateurs have a 2m radio, so this is always a safe bet for 'local' comms.

A hundred miles could be an issue though.

You either need lots of height (portable telescoping mast stashed in the back of the truck?) or you need to go HF for it to be even vaguely reliable.

...unless you have repeater coverage. Then, you could possibly do 100+ miles through a strategically located repeater.

[ColoradoF350]

Thanks for all the replies, really appreciate the info! Pretty sure I'm going to go with the FT-2900 for now, happy holidays to all!

[Mac_]

Colorado, your post here pretty much mirrors one I was about to make. Did you get the FT-2900R? How is it working out for you?

Jon, thanks for the info in this thread.

Mac_

[ColoradoF350]

Colorado, your post here pretty much mirrors one I was about to make. Did you get the FT-2900R? How is it working out for you?

Jon, thanks for the info in this thread.

Mac_

I strongly considered the FT-2900 but ultimately selected the Kenwood D710. Two primary reasons for my decision. 1) The Kenwood offered the crossband repeater function which I use and is awesome. 2) The Kenwood fit in my truck a little better with the separate removable head design. I'm VERY happy with the D710, but the FT-2900 is a fine radio as well. I would recommend going to your local shop and talking to a few of the "elmers" there.....figure out what features you really need and how it will fit in your vehicle. Hope that helps..... Obviously, I have an F350 truck, and I'm happy to post a picture of my install if you'd like to see it.

[Mac_]

Would love to see the pictures as I drive an F-250. Thanks.

[2E0JTP]

If you go to a shop and ask their advice on what you should buy ... bring lots of spare cash.

[Mac_]

So Colorado, what you bought is a Kenwood D-710A, about $550.00?

I'm in a pretty flat area, so will likely stick with the Yaesu FT-2900.

[ColoradoF350]

Here's some pics of the Kenwood mounted in a new F350 King Ranch. Took me about two weekends to do. Not because it was difficult but because I spent a lot of time investigating the best way to route cables, where to mount, etc. Plus, the wife "limited" my install time :-)

IMG_0014.jpgIMG_0017.jpgIMG_0018.jpgIMG_0022.jpgIMG_0024.jpg

[G6NHU]

Looks good to me. The only problem I see is that your steering wheel is on the wrong side