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[AC1LC]

I've got the shack where I want it so now I'm looking towards putting a mobile rig in my vehicle. I have a 2020 Jeep Wrangler 2 door so space is at a minimum. Because of that my primary requirement is a separatable head from the radio body.

I started thinking about a Yaesu FT8900 (if I could find one) or TYT 9800 but realistically I don't need 10m/6m in the vehicle. Those bands would only work with repeaters and there's only two 6m repeaters in my area and they don't have a lot of traffic. So, a duel band VHF/UFH rig is priority #2.

It would be nice to have duel scan or duel frequency monitoring at the same time but it's not a deal breaker.

I've looked at the Yaesu FTM-6000, FTM-200 and FTM-300. I don't need Fusion as there are not that many fusion repeaters where I live, there's more DMR and D-star so the FT-300 and FT-400 don't really interest me that much, particularly for the extra $.

Because of the availability of D-star repeaters I looked at the Icom IC-4100 and IC-2730 (I know, no D-star on the 2730)

The other option, because of the number of DMR repeaters where I am is the Connect Systems CS-800D. It's got the seperatable head, it's got VHF/UHF, it's got DMR but it's not duel scan and prior to two days ago I never heard of Connect Systems.

Anyway, I figured I'd check in with the collective and see what users think about what's available, what you have and used, what you like and don't like.

Right now my #1 contender is the Icom IC-4100 simply based on size - it's tiny - but could that be a drawback because the screen is too hard to read? Or perhaps the Yaesu FTM-6000, but it as well as the FTM-200 are so new that there's no real hands on reviews yet. The thing that worries me about the IC-4100 is that I was at HRO on Saturday and the sales guy told me Icom is discontinuing the IC-4100. I don't want to buy one for big $ and have Icom come out with something better the next day.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
     

[VE3TMT]

FWIW, I use an older Kenwood TM-732A in my 2017 Sportage. The detachable face mounts quite nicely with Gorilla tape in the bottom center of the dash and the chassis under the driver's seat. Mounted an external speaker to the right of the steering wheel. Works great.

Not sure if new gear is a requirement, but you might find something used to fit the bill.

[K5LXP]

For every car I've installed a radio in the last 30 years or so, the primary consideration was form factor.  Deciding where the radio would go, and narrowing the search field based solely on dimensions.  From there, single, dual band, dual RX, half/full duplex and other features became the final decision.  If you have any interest in "digital" (DMR, DStar, Fusion, NXT, P25, etc) then you may have to compromise on size, as there are limited models that support these specialized modes.  I've traveled a bit with DStar and DMR and can't say it's a hill to die on.  I would rather have a "nice" dual band FM rig, though as time goes on the feature set has blended a bit.  I have both an 8800 and 8900 and like what that style of rig offers - deep feature set, computer programmable, both dash mount and remote head mountable.  The only dig I would say is the display is small (goes with the form factor).  If you have the option to install a rig with a larger display or remote head with larger display, readability is a bonus.  Once you get past the ergonomics and digital capable, I would consider the rest of minimal consequence as all radios will have nominally all the same performance and feature sets.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM

[K4GTE]

Take a look at the Icom ID 5100a. Head unit can be positioned anywhere, and the main radio unit can go under a seat or anywhere . Great Dstar dual band, I like it so much I have two, one in my truck, and one in a go box.

[K6LCS]

Need antenna system recommendation?

[LA9XNA]

Look for a radio that can split the display form the radio.
The installation will be simpler.