Colorado guy new to the forum

[snowboarder919]

whats up guys? my name is reilly, im 18, and i have a Black 2002 Toyota 4Runner.
ohhh ya i live in highlands ranch, co but i will be going to school in fort collins, co. GO RAMS!!

here she is:

a list of some of the mods i have done:
TRD Supercharger
Toytec 3" ultimate lift kit (Bilstein 5100 front coilovers | OME 891 rear coils | rear Bilstein 5125 shocks)
Cobra 29 WX NW BT radio w/ a 4' firestik antenna
Trail Gear rock sliders
1.5" 4Crawler Body Lift
Diff Breather Mod
and a pretty kick ass sounds system (2 10" JBL 1000 Watt subs w/ kenwood 1000W amp)

im looking to put in a HAM radio soon since a lot of people now are getting them now
ive been looking at these 2 but dont know which one to get!
kenwood TM-D710A - http://kenwoodusa.com/Communications...biles/TM-D710A
or the yaesu FTM-350R - http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd...5&isArchived=0
i would then go with an antenna w/ a NMO mount as well

feel free to ask any questions as well! thanks for having me here!

[oly884]

Welcome aboard!

Nice looking rig you got there.

I too am figuring out where, and how, to mount my ham setup, it's a bit harder trying to find a spot since I have a double din unit in my dash, be sure to post something up when you get your setup in!

[4x4mike]

I've got my 2m radio installed in one of my DIN slots. My 4Runner had a stock CD player below the factory head unit. When I put my stereo in it left the lower spot empty. I did have my Cobra DIN sized CB in there but swapped it out for a Yaesu 2800-M. I now have a Cobra 75 wx st for CB needs with the hook ups behind the dash. I thought I had some piutures but I don't so I'll have to get some.

Nice setup snowboarder919. Those are some serious radios you're looking at. Do all your friends run something similar? Are you going to use dual band, APRS, or packet radio?

[snowboarder919]

thanks for the complement!

4x4mike - the main reason for one of those radios is because i met someone that lives close to me and he told me that when i do get a ham to join their local ARES group. i looked into it and it seems very interesting so im gona give it a shot.

one of their requirements is to have a dual band radio though, so thats why i was looking at those radios

plus they have a remote face setup so i can put the radio portion under one of my seats and then put the face somewhere else.

i was thinking about taking out the sunglass storage by the map lights since i never use it and mount it right there. i measured everything out and the face fits perfect in there!

heres a pic of where i would put it

[4x4mike]

That spot is perfect assuming the face fits in there. The units you linked have large faces but either way it is better to have it mounted high and out of the way. Hardest part will be running all the wires and removing the headliner. You'll have wires for the mic, faceplate, speaker, power and antenna. Since you don't have a sunroof I'd go with a hardmount NMO as they are the most versatile. You can get different types and sizes both being dual band.

Seems like dual band is necessay for the ARES groups but you can find much more basic dual band radios that aren't as expensive. If the group is really into the hobby I'd get what they have. It'll help a lot in knowing how to use the radio and they might be able to clone yours and you'd be done. Programming and understanding a radio takes some time and it'll help to have someone there that has already been down that road.
I do like the fact that the Yaesu that you linked has cross band repeat. They aren't the only ones that do but it would be helpful with a handheld if you're working events or SAR.

[snowboarder919]

alright i found a couple companies that make the NMO type mount antennas

http://www.comtelcoantennas.com/mobileantennas.htm
http://www.wpsantennas.com/antenex-l...as-mounts.aspx

but i dont know what antenna to get! i need some help! haha

ohhh heres another one i found - http://www.hamcity.com/store/pc/view...&idproduct=240

[L33T35T Tacoma]

Are those the Michelin A/T2s? Nice lookin truck!

[4x4mike]

Here is my double DIN setup.

[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Ham/0811001626a.jpg[/img]

I spent a lot of time and asked a ton of questions regarding antenna choice. For the most part everyone runs a Comet or Larson antenna. There are other brands out there but those are the 2 that were suggested to me. I have limited roof space because of the sunroof (the glass retracts under the sheetmetal), cargo rack and mag mount cb antenna. I ended up getting a Larson magnet mount base with FMe end on the coax. I think it's FMe, anyways it's a very small connector that allowed me to route the coax the way I wanted. With a PL259 connector the end is too large and I didn't want to drill any holes in my door or weather stripping. The magmount I got has the NMO receiver on it and allows me to connect all kinds of antennas. I have a short 1/4 wave and a larger 5/8 wave antenna. I haven't had time to play around with both and have been running around with just the 1/4 wave. The 5/8 wave will get me more gain but I haven't seen, yet, that it will get me more distance.

Mag mount. The only one with the coax end I wanted and NMO is this square one.

[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Ham/DSC08039.jpg[/img]


1/4 wave

[img width=800 height=600]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Ham/DSC08036.jpg[/img]

Dual Band Larsen 2/70

[img width=599 height=800]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Ham/DSC08056.jpg[/img]

I got the mount and 2/70 wave from HRO. They have a lot of stuff but are horribly expensive. I got the 1/4 wave from some online ham place that has skipped my mind.

[snowboarder919]

Are those the Michelin A/T2s? Nice lookin truck!

yes they are the A/T2s! and thank you very much!

[PismoJoe]

Welcome man! This forum has some really cool people!!