The best way to hook up power for the radio is directly to the battery! It will help keep noise of all types out of the radio as well as the electrical system. If you want the radio to switch off when you turn the switch off then use a relay and you can add a switch in the dash to turn off the radio as well. For the remote head you could have fabricated a mount to attach it to the seat base with ⅜ soft copper tubing and run the cable inside the copper tubing and out the end where the head mounts.
Just bought a second hand 2018 F150 XLT. I have the exact radio to install in my truck and your video has helped me out on how to install the unit. 73's VE1SMC
8900R is a quad band radio (discontinued). 2m, 6m, 10m, and 70cm. I have owned one since 2015 (now 2023). Great radio! Exceptional range! Edit: Oops commented before end of video. 1643 miles on 10 meter FM SIMPLEX.
I love it too. One of the volume squelch knobs broke and struggling to get a replacement. So don’t want to replace this radio it’s so good and easy to operate.
Thanks for sharing the video. I am wanting to install a radio in my F150 Platinum Ford Truck and did not want to drill any holes for the antenna mount. This gave me some good ideas. Thanks again.
That looks to be a remote head unit system. Check out this video for the built right underwear base install we used. And I have my head unit mounted on a mob Armor mount.
If you had mounted the head unit up high like you showed in the video you'd have blocked your inside security motion detectors. As an example It sets of an alarm when windows are left open and someone reaches inside of you vehicle. Very nice video although it would be great to get some good shots of how you get some of those panels loose and maybe a few close ups like when you're talking about reinstalling the rubber door trim and doing something to keep it from rattling. Appreciate all of the hard effort required to make the video.
sixshooter4570 the sensors at the top as far as I know are glass break sensors. They are like tiny mics. I don’t think they are motion sensors based on the grill on them. The video did include how to pop off the panels. Closeups aren’t really needed since they all just pop off It’s really easy to pop them all off.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad All sensors monitors the following: Doors. Hood. Tailgate. Movement inside your vehicle. Change in vehicle inclination, for example, unwanted towing. Note: Do not choose all sensors monitor mode when the vehicle is in transport or if movement within the vehicle is likely to occur. Note: For correct operation of the interior motion detection system, make sure you close all the windows prior to arming the system. This helps prevent accidental alarm activation due to external influences. Additionally, the interior motion sensing system does not arm if any door is ajar. There are I believe four sensors two for the front and two for the rear.
Go ahead and get your ham license. It's almost a give away from when I got mine. Go for the general at least. Working the world from your camp site is a blast. No radios in my Raptor but my 2015 Jeep Wrangler W.W runs all bands, all modes on HF@100 watts plus 144 -440 but that is another story. Good video on the install!!
PSA to all watching - It is ILLEGAL to transmit on a MURS frequency with this radio unless it is a life and death situation. FCC law says MURS cannot transmit more than 2watts. The lowest this radio can do is 5W. If you get caught (which is easier than you think) there are not only potential massive fines but you may never be able to get your amateur radio (ham) license. If people start lawlessly using ham bands the FCC will crack down hard. Just get your amateur radio (ham) technicians license. It costs about $15, the test is easy, and then you can transmit full power on the 2 meter and 70 cm bands. Plus with a license you can use repeaters which gives you a massive increase in range.
WeThePeople we get this a lot and I’ve checked with our local radio shops as well as some of the local Offroad radio distributors. We are not transmitting freely on all MURS frequencies. It’s a short list of public offroad frequencies reserved by big Offroad companies like BFG, and rugged radios. New rules were introduced this year that made it much stricter and limits us to only those frequencies and radios sold by PCI, Rugged radios, and even amazon can only transmit on those frequencies. As long as we stay on those frequencies, a radio license is not required. That being said, I’m getting mine to use the repeater network when I’m in some remote locations.
I agree but if I am going to be honest the fcc stopped caring about transmitting illegally on MURS but mostly GMRS a while ago. I am not encouraging anyone to freely transmit illegally like that without proper licenses but unless you interfere with anyone, more than likely nothing will happen.
I am learning that the off road enthusiasts community (Jeep’s, etc.) is transitioning to GMRS radio. While there are numerous GMRS radio manufacturers, the push to GMRS was led by Midland.
Thanks for the video! I'll be installing a AnyTone tri-band (2m, 220MHz, 440MHz) ham radio in my F-150 next week. The head doesn't detach, so the entire unit will sit atop the dash, I think. It comes with a mounting bracket but I may upgrade to the BuiltRight (and add some of their gear organizers as well). I'm using a tri-band COMPACtenna on a Diamond lip mount on the hood: the COMPACtenna works best on or near a corner, so that's nearly perfect: I may do some SWR tests to determine optimum placement along the length of the engine compartment. I also like your idea of plugging into an always-on circuit. BTW, I'm at the big, red T in Fremont. 73, KN6NPZ
Thanks man. It’s worked for me so far. I’ve seen guys hide a head unit in the cubby under the climate controls or in the center console. May be a little cleaner and avoid any overheating from sitting on the dash.
I tried to catch a photo of this lime green Raptor over in Huntington Beach for you the other day. There has to be photos of it somewhere on the internet.
Was going good until we got to the power portion... always go direct to the battery for a list of reasons: power pull and, yes, interference are the top two. But hey, like I always say, it's your install so go subpar if you prefer. Hopefully it's working but still risky.
It worked for the year I owned this truck without issue. Current truck has it directly wired to the battery. But I have a question for you. I need to run a radio and a in cab intercom on my current truck. Was thinking about getting a power distribution block with fuses to use a single wire to the cab for power. You have any experiences with those and will they add any interference?
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad That's what I do for multiple radios. RigRunner from West Mountain Radio is a good line to go with for that. Of course there are other brands and 'off brands' but I've had good luck with stuff from West Mountain.
Nice video on the install. Curious where you got your information about the off-road frequency. I’m a licensed HAM and to the best of my knowledge that doesn’t exist. Note, the MURS freqs are limited to 2 watts if that’s what you are referring to. Also one thing to note with that radio is you’re not going to be able to transmit on any of the common “race“ frequencies. The ones used for BITD or score racing. You will be able to listen to them though. I have found that even if you don’t go to races, many other people that you’re out running Raptors with will have radios programmed to listen and talk on those frequencies.
Info has come from talking to the big companies that sell to off-roaders like PCI and Rugged Radios. New laws were even implemented this year - the radio they sell are locked to only pre-programmed public offroad frequencies. A short list of about 200 channels like weatherman, Baja pits, etc...... These radios are only single band, VHF only and cannot access HF. Your very basic VHF radio setup that can’t use repeaters. I plan on getting my license eventually to use repeaters and access the other 2 bands on this radio.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Thanks for the reply. Yes, they're "locked" but can be programmed relatively easily to work with other frequencies via a computer with software. That is a good mobile radio. We use them in desert racing all the time for their simplicity. +1 on getting licensed. There are many repeaters and networks all over S. CA and a very active community of HAMS.
They can be unlocked, but most wont pay for the software and cable and getting a radio is a daunting tasks for most novices. Programming carries a lot of risk of screwing things up so very few try.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad There are no channels in that radio you can legally transmit on without a license.. Sure, you are out in the middle of no where and more than likely never effect anyone, but still illegal. Per Rugged radio's site "Under this FCC license, Rugged Radios' customers are authorized to transmit on Rugged brand mobile and handheld radios only, on the pre-programmed channels, in the locations designated by its license." So their radios are covered by a license to operate THEIR pre-programed channels and only in certain areas. Using any other radio, would be illegal as its not covered by the FCC license. Has nothing to do with HF, VHF/UHF needs a license as well. Don't care what you do, but just don't want miss information, we already deal with enough QRM. Get your ticket, its $5 bucks
PS you also don't need a "dual band" radio for repeater usage... People get dual band radios so they can listen to two different frequencies. As example, you could have a repeater programmed in A band and a simplex over in the B band. Or you could have repeaters in both A and B bands. I have (although don't use anymore) a Kenwood TM-V71A, which is for most part the same radio. I kept our "home" repeater programmed in A band which was a low trafffic repeater. If I wanted to listen to stuff, I'd use the B band to listen to a more active repeater and at the same time hear if someone keyed up our home repeater. The dual band has absolutely nothing to do with using a repeater, you can have a single band radio and work a repeater without any issues at all. Nice install btw.. Although I would not trust a fuse box install on a Raptor or really any modern car with an ECU. Asken for trouble.
SD Cruiser most of the repeaters I would use out in the middle of nowhere designate 2 separate frequencies. One for receive and one for transmit. That’s why a dual band radio. For for fuse box wiring please explain. Last truck I wired the radio to the fuse box using the truck ore wired up fitter switches and it worked great.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Yes, repeaters have an input and output frequency. The input/output is done on one channel the radio handles it, you dont need to use two different bands. You could have two repeaters programed in that radio at once. One could be on the A band the other on B band. You "can" put the input requency on A band and output on B band, but you are wasting the feature of a dual band radio.. As for the fuse box, if something were to go south you have the potential to push RF right into the fuse box. Also, with a 60 watt radio you have to question the wireing on the fuse box and the super thin wire used on that fuse tap. Realllly high potential of issues with such a thin gage wire. But you do you 👍
@@Joe-629 Given that radio only does a minim of 5w and its not type 95 accepted it would still be illegal to operate on. Not to mention the MURS is out of band for those radios. Technically there are mods for some radios (not sure if you can mod the 8900) to open those bands, but still technically illegal.
Love the detailed walk through, very helpful for planning out my own install. It looks like that model of radio is now discontinued. Do you have any recommendations for what might be a good alternative?
If your looking for a radio to use for off-road runs check with PCI race radios or rugged radios. Their kits take a lot of the guess work and come pre programmed. If you in SoCal, look for Ham Radio Outlet. They can also help. Just make sure you get a 50 watt and have them do the MURS mod to it so you can talk. Outside of that it gets more complicated to recommend a radio and antenna and everything else
Nice install video. Just one thing… My B.S. meter went off… lol. You buy and install a dual band ham radio and tell us you will “eventually” get a license? Yeah sure….
I have been waiting for this install. Never used one, but it's looking like the whole setup is cheaper than a cell phone. I may have to watch it again. Was the mic wired to the head unit or the body of the radio? You washed the truck....
Dont ask VHF radios are a must for group runs. For this unit the mic is connected to the head unit. Body just needs power, antenna. You can get a regular VHF radio without the detachable face for less and just wire it all to one location like in the arm rest or at the top of the dash
hey bud, I just got a 2018 f150, Im here in AZ I installed my last one in my 07 Jeep Patriot, any pointers on where to put the darn thing in it, I want it still looking clean
We called out a few in the video. Best option is a remote head unit setup. Otherwise it’s in the glove box, or on the dash with the built right base. We also have an updated video where we used built rights under seat base.
Nice setup, ran my cb antenna just about the same way. And just about the same mounting solution for the antenna. My group runs cbs so that was what we decided to run. Enjoyed the video
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad we have a good mix, alot of jeep guys here in southern Oregon, but also tacos, and some full sized rigs. My buddy drives a power stroke diesel. And we have spent a ton of time making it better. Sadly I hardly ever see any other raptor owners around. But anyway we have had a good mix of terrain, from the sandy beaches, to marshes, old logging roads, and some high desert stretches too.
@@jasonperry2244 that explain the CB then. Jeep and taco groups tend to run slower and closer to together. CB is perfect for that. On a Raptor run we could see a mile between each truck because of how fast we are running. You should try and find some raptor owners. It's so much fun. Where you based out of? A buddy of mine has a group, Raptor Junkies that has a lot of raptor guys all over the country on it to help find other off-roaders.
Enjoyed the video; some great tips here on install. I never was able to catch what phone mount you used for the head. Also unclear why a magnet was used and what kind/brand? wouldn't a magnet affect the head display?
We used a Mob Armour mount. And no impact to the head unit. Remember they are all shielded and have an even larger magnet in them for the integrated speaker.
Very nice... love everything you did. Just got a F350 and need to mount my Kenwood TM-D710GA in it. The question I have is what is the name/type of felt you used for the antenna to prevent scratches on the hood/fender? I had a fender mount antenna on a RAM 3500 and it got scratched. The felt is a great idea... just need to know the type you used and recommend.
jgenender it’s just standard felt tape. I’ll link it on my amazon page under tools section if you want the one I used. www.amazon.com/shop/heliomuro But for me, overtime it did not work. Well not on both sides anyway. The felt side worked great. But the other side, hood, was too tight for felt and over the course of a few months the vibration wore down a small grove on the Raptor Giberglass hood.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad That's great info. That's exactly the problem I ended up having a groove on my RAM on the hood. I may try electrical tape and see if that helps since its thinner. Love your install! I was looking for a no-drill installation and had real issues finding a place for the radio unit (I have a Platinum and most space is used up). Your L-bracket was genius. Nice job and I love your channel!
jgenender thanks man. Appreciate it. Without drilling the only options are the third brake light mounts from GJ motor sports and PCI race radios. Both are pricy though.
Bracket is linked on my amazon page in the description. If it’s not there check Ham Radio outlet. just be careful with it. It will move a bit and on my fiberglass hood is wore a groove in it
They are going to leave the nest soon so I'm enjoying every minute we have left. They are a big part of working on the truck and I hope they are learning something too and be self sufficient.
It’s a standard Coax line. Very simple and easy to shield and will work fine as long as its not right next to power. Keep in mind that shielding has to be thicker when your doing long runs, like over 100ft. In most cars you won’t pass 20 ft. So a less shielded cable is perfect and easier to run and conceal
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Not sure what standard coax line is. All coax is not created equal, you can find charts of coax attenuation for the frequency you're using in dB/100 feet. I found one chart for 150MHz that shows RG 58/U to have a 6.2dB attenuation vs LMR 1200 which has an attenuation of 0.481. Of course the LMR 1200 is 1.2" diameter vs 0.195" diameter for the RG58/U. LMR200 however is the same diameter as RG58/U but only has a loss of 4dB/100' @ 150MHz. So the goal is to pick a coax that gives you the best balance of diameter to loss at the frequency you are operating. This is also a good reason to keep antenna feed lines as short as possible. The above is independent of shielding or emf interference. I wouldn't run out and change the coax you used but if you find that you're not getting the performance from your radio you expected it would be a good place to start investigating. Don't wait to long to get your ham license, you've done all the hard work and spent the money you may as well use that radio all the time. The tech license is super easy to get.
@@slosolo2 our runs are way to short for all of that to come into play. trucks won't see more than 20 ft, with most truck having around 10-15 ft runs. For the most part, Off-roaders are not going to make their own custom runs. They will buy prebuilt NMO cables from the same place where they got the radio like Ham Radio outlet, Rugged Radios, or PCI race radios. All of them provide or recommend the proper cable for the application. We end up having more problems with proper grounding or interference from running cables too close to power. Working on the license.
The display they gave me to test was not compatible with the new truck with B&O speakers. They made a new version earlier this year for it, but they have not sent us one yet to try.
Curious where you are mounting the handset I still haven't found a good place other than my lap or cupholder and we know how well that works when you hit a washout lol.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad same hahah. I went to the Ford raptor assault classes last year and they had it with a magnetic mount from the air vent but for the life of me I can't find the mount they used.
I like the NightIze Steelie mounts. You can use the adhesive disk to stick the magnet to your handset and then use the vent mount or mount a ball to a convenient place for you. The little balls are pretty low profile and they've held up well to off-roading for me.
Nice video. Is there a link to the FCC page that defines 'Public Offroad Frequencies'? You captioned that a couple of times, but I've never heard of them, and 20min of Googling hasn't come up with the frequencies or any reference to 'Public Offroad Frequencies'. Is there by chance another name for them? I have a new truck coming in a few weeks, and was thinking of adding both a dual-band and a GMRS radio, but maybe with these 'public' frequencies, I may not need both. Thanks.
You won’t see many Raptors using GMRS. Effective range of those radios is very limited unless you have line of sight. With Raptors ending up 1-2 miles apart you need something more powerful. Most will run 50 watt VHF radios. If you don’t want to get a license, get a licensed radio like those from rugged radios and PCI race radios that use the offroad frequencies classified as business frequencies I think. I know rugged radios licenses the radios and they recommend you get your license, but it’s not not needed as long as you use their radio that is limited to those frequencies.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Thanks. My truck is actually an F350 Tremor, so no high-speed running. ;) I have my Ham (Tech), but would also like the ability to comm w/ people that may not be licensed. I have an FTM-400 for UHF/VHF for the truck that will cover the ham bands and repeaters, and I also have a BTECH GMRS-50X1 (50W) new in-box that I may use if I can find someplace to mount it. Otherwise, I was thinking the Midland MTX275 15W GMRS (with all the controls right on the mic) may be an option, as it can easily be tucked away somewhere. With the GMRS radios, I could keep a couple of the GMRS handhelds in the truck to hand out as needed for convoying and use around camp, the mall (to talk to my Homies!), etc... I'm looking at the Rugged Radios page. I think the radios you referenced are Part 90 radios, and I think need to be licensed to a business or organization (like a race team) to operate at full power. There's a few frequencies that are available in that range w/o licencing (known as MURS / Multi Use Radio Service), but I think power output is limited to 2w in those cases. Are these maybe the frequencies you referred to as the 'Public Offroad Frequencies'?
@@lmychajluk thats correct. All those business frequencies is what off-roaders use. No one else. You should be able to talk to them no problem. For mounting options take a Look at Built right industries. We have a few of their mounts. From a dash plate or a rear under seat plate that can be used to mount just about anything.
I have a stryker SR-94HPC 10-meter amateur radio. This good enough? Only have it setup as a CB right now. Would have to get a splitter for the ham frequency.
Nationwide. VHF has better range than CB. But you need a ham radio armature license to fully take advantage of the range and everything VHF a radios have to offer
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad yeah I have a cb because of work and it looks like I'll be looking for a new radio to install. Hopefully I can find something small and mountable. Don't like handheld ones.
Not if installed under the rubber. I ran it like this for 6 months and with heavy off-roading I did not see any damage to the cable. Unfortunately, my hood was not so lucky. Too much movement in the lip mount
We modified a magnetic cell phone mount that we showed at the end of the video. But eventually we moved the connection over to the top of the dash and used a built right dash mount plate with screw for a more solid mounting point
What was the reason why you moved away from the cellphone mount. I would think the light from the radio at night would be annoying that close to the windshield.
We moved it because the cellphone magnet was not strong enough for off-roading. Any big wash hit at speed and it would fall. As for the light, it’s not a problem. My cell phone up there is much brighter.
Please tell me the off-road freqs your using? If your using murs ok but other that that you need a lic. Also the rugged radio folks are shut down due to lic issues.
Offroad frequencies are easily available online and last I checked rugged is running 🤷♂️. Radios are programmed different since 2019, restricted to offroad frequencies, but that’s it. Still selling radio kits.
@@Pops_607 talk about recent news. Within the last 2 weeks recent. Radios are still selling on their site though. They even had a big Black Friday sale. Very interesting.
taylor cox I’ve had this discussion with a few people. If you plan on transmitting over the repeater network or HF, yeah. You must have a license. But single channel transmission using private offroad frequencies then your OK to use without a license. That’s why companies like rugged radios have disabled the ability to type in any frequencies on their radios. Only pre-programmed frequencies can be used on those radios. Yeah it’s easy to program out, but most wont bother risking screwing up their radios.
Don't run coax through the fender and under weather seals. It's going to get broken. Also the mount solution I get you were thinking about a solution but adding a lip mount to the fender mount is a little sloppy. Just use the lip mount on the hood and give some strain relief for opening and closing the hood. Get your ham licence and enjoy the privileges of being a licensed amateur! 73 de VE9EUV
You shouldn't misinform people. If you're operating in the amateur frequency space, you do need a license to do so. Even if you are not using the Ham bands, your radio must be type accepted for the radio service you plan to use it on. Transmitting on a Ham radio in bands that the radio is not type certified for is illegal, excepting emergencies. I'm not gonna rat you out or anything, I'm no snitch, just don't be surprised if you do get a visit from the FCC because an amateur radio operator reports you. It is not hard for a Ham to direction find a transmitting radio and triangulate the location. If you're using these radios in an area where you could be causing interference, someone will take notice and will find you. I encourage you to become licensed as you said you where, and use the bands lawfully like everyone else. You'd be surprised the ranges you can talk when you're leveraging a repeater. I consistently talk 30 plus miles using a 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna. Line of sight and all.
The law's are pretty clear on this one based on what I have heard from a few shops. As long as your on designed off-road frequencies and transmitting 5watts or less you don't need a license. Anything outside that really short list of frequencies and you can get in trouble. Luckily most offroad radios are limited to just those frequencies. Most of my audience will get handhelds from the 2 big offroad shops PCI & Rugged radios. All those radios are restricted and meet requirements. As for me, I'm getting my license. But keep in mind that repeaters offer no benefit to us in the offroad worlds. Most offroad radios are hard coded to a short list of frequencies and we can't use the repeaters. And in an emergency situation a Sat Phone with GPS coordinates is a whole lot more reliable to get help. Our focus is comms between trucks. To call out obstacles and stay safe. We are always in the middle of nowhere in some very remote locations. Comms out there with your average 50 watt radio only only good for a few miles and in the canyons even less. We can't even access repeaters in most remote locations. For the most part we are so remote there are only military bombing ranges around us and we are well outside of their frequencies.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad So what frequencies are you using specifically? Do you know what they are? If I am wrong I would like to learn more, but I don't believe that to be the case. If range was a big concern for you, you might consider HF radio, but not everyone has HF radios, so it may not be beneficial for large groups if only one or two people have them. If you are going to be camping/offroading in a centralized location you can bring a portable repeater and put it up on a hill somewhere.
Fmamarksman PCI race radios list usually limits us. It includes Baja pits, BFG relay, locomoco..... it’s a short list of about 20 frequencies that off-roaders stick to. VHF is the standard for the races so it’s what most Raptor guys use so we can also listen in on the local races here in SoCal. HF could be beneficial but for the most part VHF limitations are perfect for off-roading. Raptor end up about a mile a part at speed (45-65mph average on dirt) and I structure my runs so a truck(s) on the same frequency with a hard wired radio serves as relay. As for a base camp, Raptor runs usually don’t stay in one spot. Normally we end 90-200 miles away from our initial starting point. Fast off-roading is more about putting in the miles than staying in a single spot.
Coiling, not such a big deal. I recommend a figure 8 for excess. If the cable crosses itself at 90°, EMF is broken up. A figure 8 crosses 90° every loop.
So you illegally modified an amateur radio, to use frequencies that a 50w radio can’t legally use, and then installed it like a ham-fisted oaf? Got it. Dear RUclips, do not follow any of this guy’s advice.
I’m really starting to hate you HAM radio guys. Rather than educate and help, you would rather insult. Even at my local stores, the guys selling them don’t really want to answer questions or educate those that want to try and get into hobby. I’ve gotten a lot of bad info that got put into this video. Specially around needing a license. But that’s because rugged radios were the only ones willing to help. They gave me a lot of bad info. When guys ask me about getting into the hobby I used to tell them find a local HAM radio store or a local hobby group. And every last one of them got treated like shit by guys like you more concerned with being right than helping someone out. And they all went to PCI and rugged radios for a hassle free way to get into the hobby. Why don’t you tell me what you feel is wrong with the install so we can have a discussion. And don’t mention the license, I’m well aware and in the process of getting mine.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad cry me a river. The problem with people like you is that you think rules don’t apply to you...only everyone else. There are rules, like it or the not. Do it right or don’t do it.
@@SIGINT007 this is what I mean exactly. Did you read my comment? I was told you don’t need a license for what I do. I know now that I was wrong and rugged got in trouble for telling their customer the same. I’m correcting myself. How is that thinking the rules don’t apply? Now you said this was a bad install. Please educate me on what is wrong. I don’t think I got anything wrong with the install. Or are you like every other HAM radio snob? Educate or shut the fuck up.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad you acknowledge there is incorrect information in this video, therefore you should probably take this video down so you’re not spreading incorrect info. Also people don’t like it that you’re not licensed as it gives the rest of us a bad image. Thanks in advance for doing the right thing.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad No one at Ham Radio Outlet would have said that you don't need a license. I enjoy your videos and appreciate what you do but you put out erroneous information here and it should be corrected.
You must have not watched the whole video then. Antenna location is temporary. Why would I drill a hole for a temp install? Permanent install is at the top of my chase rack thru a grommet in the back of the cab. Now as far as pro Install. Looking at your channel I don't see a process on how to do a VHF radio install. In fact ai see a bunch of motorcycle stuff. You don't like my content don't watch it and make your own. Don't want to make your own then just keep your uninformed comments to yourself.
MrJohnsonx3 🤦♂️🤦♂️again, sounds like you did not actually listen to what I was saying. Antenna location was TEMPORARY. I’m not putting holes in firewalls or grommets for temp installs. Then I would have an open holes. So please just go away and take your dumbass comments elsewhere.
The best way to hook up power for the radio is directly to the battery! It will help keep noise of all types out of the radio as well as the electrical system. If you want the radio to switch off when you turn the switch off then use a relay and you can add a switch in the dash to turn off the radio as well.
For the remote head you could have fabricated a mount to attach it to the seat base with ⅜ soft copper tubing and run the cable inside the copper tubing and out the end where the head mounts.
Just bought a second hand 2018 F150 XLT. I have the exact radio to install in my truck and your video has helped me out on how to install the unit.
73's VE1SMC
Awesome. Glad we could help.
8900R is a quad band radio (discontinued). 2m, 6m, 10m, and 70cm. I have owned one since 2015 (now 2023). Great radio! Exceptional range! Edit: Oops commented before end of video. 1643 miles on 10 meter FM SIMPLEX.
I love it too. One of the volume squelch knobs broke and struggling to get a replacement. So don’t want to replace this radio it’s so good and easy to operate.
Thanks for sharing the video. I am wanting to install a radio in my F150 Platinum Ford Truck and did not want to drill any holes for the antenna mount. This gave me some good ideas. Thanks again.
Glad we could help.
ur one boy is hilarious . Ur a very lucky guy to have ur boys enjoying working on ur raptor with u
thanks man. Love my little goof ball.
I’m going to install my Yaesu FT 7900 in my 2010 F150. This helped immensely.
That’s awesome man. Glad the video could help.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad yeah I have the icom 4100
That looks to be a remote head unit system. Check out this video for the built right underwear base install we used. And I have my head unit mounted on a mob Armor mount.
If you had mounted the head unit up high like you showed in the video you'd have blocked your inside security motion detectors. As an example It sets of an alarm when windows are left open and someone reaches inside of you vehicle.
Very nice video although it would be great to get some good shots of how you get some of those panels loose and maybe a few close ups like when you're talking about reinstalling the rubber door trim and doing something to keep it from rattling.
Appreciate all of the hard effort required to make the video.
sixshooter4570 the sensors at the top as far as I know are glass break sensors. They are like tiny mics. I don’t think they are motion sensors based on the grill on them.
The video did include how to pop off the panels. Closeups aren’t really needed since they all just pop off It’s really easy to pop them all off.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad
All sensors monitors the following:
Doors.
Hood.
Tailgate.
Movement inside your vehicle.
Change in vehicle inclination, for example, unwanted towing.
Note: Do not choose all sensors monitor mode when the vehicle is in transport or if movement within the vehicle is likely to occur.
Note: For correct operation of the interior motion detection system, make sure you close all the windows prior to arming the system. This helps prevent accidental alarm activation due to external influences. Additionally, the interior motion sensing system does not arm if any door is ajar.
There are I believe four sensors two for the front and two for the rear.
Go ahead and get your ham license. It's almost a give away from when I got mine. Go for the general at least. Working the world from your camp site is a blast.
No radios in my Raptor but my 2015 Jeep Wrangler W.W runs all bands, all modes on HF@100 watts plus 144 -440 but that is another story.
Good video on the install!!
isldtime in the process of getting it man.
PSA to all watching - It is ILLEGAL to transmit on a MURS frequency with this radio unless it is a life and death situation. FCC law says MURS cannot transmit more than 2watts. The lowest this radio can do is 5W. If you get caught (which is easier than you think) there are not only potential massive fines but you may never be able to get your amateur radio (ham) license. If people start lawlessly using ham bands the FCC will crack down hard. Just get your amateur radio (ham) technicians license. It costs about $15, the test is easy, and then you can transmit full power on the 2 meter and 70 cm bands. Plus with a license you can use repeaters which gives you a massive increase in range.
WeThePeople we get this a lot and I’ve checked with our local radio shops as well as some of the local Offroad radio distributors. We are not transmitting freely on all MURS frequencies. It’s a short list of public offroad frequencies reserved by big Offroad companies like BFG, and rugged radios. New rules were introduced this year that made it much stricter and limits us to only those frequencies and radios sold by PCI, Rugged radios, and even amazon can only transmit on those frequencies. As long as we stay on those frequencies, a radio license is not required.
That being said, I’m getting mine to use the repeater network when I’m in some remote locations.
I agree but if I am going to be honest the fcc stopped caring about transmitting illegally on MURS but mostly GMRS a while ago. I am not encouraging anyone to freely transmit illegally like that without proper licenses but unless you interfere with anyone, more than likely nothing will happen.
I am learning that the off road enthusiasts community (Jeep’s, etc.) is transitioning to GMRS radio. While there are numerous GMRS radio manufacturers, the push to GMRS was led by Midland.
On the Jeep side yeah. Better range and better audio quality. But for Raptor runs, GMRS range is still limited
Nice video and I always run my radios to the battery only
...and good luck with your ham licensing....it is a great hobby, even when you aren't off roading
Thanks for the video! I'll be installing a AnyTone tri-band (2m, 220MHz, 440MHz) ham radio in my F-150 next week. The head doesn't detach, so the entire unit will sit atop the dash, I think. It comes with a mounting bracket but I may upgrade to the BuiltRight (and add some of their gear organizers as well). I'm using a tri-band COMPACtenna on a Diamond lip mount on the hood: the COMPACtenna works best on or near a corner, so that's nearly perfect: I may do some SWR tests to determine optimum placement along the length of the engine compartment. I also like your idea of plugging into an always-on circuit. BTW, I'm at the big, red T in Fremont. 73, KN6NPZ
Thanks man. It’s worked for me so far.
I’ve seen guys hide a head unit in the cubby under the climate controls or in the center console. May be a little cleaner and avoid any overheating from sitting on the dash.
I upgraded my radio setup a few months back. I will have to make a run with you someday.
Awesome man. Hopefully soon. Still working on getting the truck setup and dialed in.
I tried to catch a photo of this lime green Raptor over in Huntington Beach for you the other day. There has to be photos of it somewhere on the internet.
Carl Black 🤣🤣🤣 we’ve gotten a few pics. Ethan keeps telling me we should wrap the truck green
Now I want a detachable face radio 😯😯
Well then, Go get one.
Was going good until we got to the power portion... always go direct to the battery for a list of reasons: power pull and, yes, interference are the top two. But hey, like I always say, it's your install so go subpar if you prefer. Hopefully it's working but still risky.
It worked for the year I owned this truck without issue.
Current truck has it directly wired to the battery.
But I have a question for you. I need to run a radio and a in cab intercom on my current truck. Was thinking about getting a power distribution block with fuses to use a single wire to the cab for power. You have any experiences with those and will they add any interference?
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad That's what I do for multiple radios. RigRunner from West Mountain Radio is a good line to go with for that. Of course there are other brands and 'off brands' but I've had good luck with stuff from West Mountain.
Thanks man. That’s exactly what I was looking for because I do plan to wire a 2nd radio and this helps immensely. Thanks you 🙏
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad No problem. Glad to help. Run a heavier gauge to the RigRunner and you’ll have no issues. 👍🏻👍🏻
Nice video on the install. Curious where you got your information about the off-road frequency. I’m a licensed HAM and to the best of my knowledge that doesn’t exist. Note, the MURS freqs are limited to 2 watts if that’s what you are referring to.
Also one thing to note with that radio is you’re not going to be able to transmit on any of the common “race“ frequencies. The ones used for BITD or score racing. You will be able to listen to them though. I have found that even if you don’t go to races, many other people that you’re out running Raptors with will have radios programmed to listen and talk on those frequencies.
Info has come from talking to the big companies that sell to off-roaders like PCI and Rugged Radios. New laws were even implemented this year - the radio they sell are locked to only pre-programmed public offroad frequencies. A short list of about 200 channels like weatherman, Baja pits, etc...... These radios are only single band, VHF only and cannot access HF. Your very basic VHF radio setup that can’t use repeaters.
I plan on getting my license eventually to use repeaters and access the other 2 bands on this radio.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Thanks for the reply. Yes, they're "locked" but can be programmed relatively easily to work with other frequencies via a computer with software. That is a good mobile radio. We use them in desert racing all the time for their simplicity. +1 on getting licensed. There are many repeaters and networks all over S. CA and a very active community of HAMS.
They can be unlocked, but most wont pay for the software and cable and getting a radio is a daunting tasks for most novices. Programming carries a lot of risk of screwing things up so very few try.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad There are no channels in that radio you can legally transmit on without a license.. Sure, you are out in the middle of no where and more than likely never effect anyone, but still illegal. Per Rugged radio's site "Under this FCC license, Rugged Radios' customers are authorized to transmit on Rugged brand mobile and handheld radios only, on the pre-programmed channels, in the locations designated by its license." So their radios are covered by a license to operate THEIR pre-programed channels and only in certain areas. Using any other radio, would be illegal as its not covered by the FCC license. Has nothing to do with HF, VHF/UHF needs a license as well.
Don't care what you do, but just don't want miss information, we already deal with enough QRM. Get your ticket, its $5 bucks
@@kabish0603 Pretty sure they are modding the radios to use business or MURS frequencies.
I have one question guys and that's who farted ? . Lol
PS you also don't need a "dual band" radio for repeater usage... People get dual band radios so they can listen to two different frequencies. As example, you could have a repeater programmed in A band and a simplex over in the B band. Or you could have repeaters in both A and B bands. I have (although don't use anymore) a Kenwood TM-V71A, which is for most part the same radio. I kept our "home" repeater programmed in A band which was a low trafffic repeater. If I wanted to listen to stuff, I'd use the B band to listen to a more active repeater and at the same time hear if someone keyed up our home repeater. The dual band has absolutely nothing to do with using a repeater, you can have a single band radio and work a repeater without any issues at all.
Nice install btw.. Although I would not trust a fuse box install on a Raptor or really any modern car with an ECU. Asken for trouble.
SD Cruiser most of the repeaters I would use out in the middle of nowhere designate 2 separate frequencies. One for receive and one for transmit. That’s why a dual band radio.
For for fuse box wiring please explain. Last truck I wired the radio to the fuse box using the truck ore wired up fitter switches and it worked great.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Yes, repeaters have an input and output frequency. The input/output is done on one channel the radio handles it, you dont need to use two different bands. You could have two repeaters programed in that radio at once. One could be on the A band the other on B band. You "can" put the input requency on A band and output on B band, but you are wasting the feature of a dual band radio..
As for the fuse box, if something were to go south you have the potential to push RF right into the fuse box. Also, with a 60 watt radio you have to question the wireing on the fuse box and the super thin wire used on that fuse tap. Realllly high potential of issues with such a thin gage wire.
But you do you 👍
@@Joe-629 Given that radio only does a minim of 5w and its not type 95 accepted it would still be illegal to operate on. Not to mention the MURS is out of band for those radios. Technically there are mods for some radios (not sure if you can mod the 8900) to open those bands, but still technically illegal.
You can mod the 8900 easily for MURS (151 - 154 MHz) & MARS (138 - 150 MHz).
Love the detailed walk through, very helpful for planning out my own install. It looks like that model of radio is now discontinued. Do you have any recommendations for what might be a good alternative?
If your looking for a radio to use for off-road runs check with PCI race radios or rugged radios. Their kits take a lot of the guess work and come pre programmed.
If you in SoCal, look for Ham Radio Outlet. They can also help. Just make sure you get a 50 watt and have them do the MURS mod to it so you can talk.
Outside of that it gets more complicated to recommend a radio and antenna and everything else
Nice install video. Just one thing… My B.S. meter went off… lol. You buy and install a dual band ham radio and tell us you will “eventually” get a license? Yeah sure….
It’s not an easy test to pass. Lots of technical knowledge required. I’ve already failed it once 🤷♂️
Why didn't you wire it to your aux switchs power is a switch away
Because the aux switch can add some interference to the radio. Best practice is to always try and wire directly to the battery.
I have been waiting for this install.
Never used one, but it's looking like the whole setup is cheaper than a cell phone.
I may have to watch it again. Was the mic wired to the head unit or the body of the radio?
You washed the truck....
Dont ask VHF radios are a must for group runs. For this unit the mic is connected to the head unit. Body just needs power, antenna. You can get a regular VHF radio without the detachable face for less and just wire it all to one location like in the arm rest or at the top of the dash
hey bud, I just got a 2018 f150, Im here in AZ I installed my last one in my 07 Jeep Patriot, any pointers on where to put the darn thing in it, I want it still looking clean
We called out a few in the video. Best option is a remote head unit setup. Otherwise it’s in the glove box, or on the dash with the built right base.
We also have an updated video where we used built rights under seat base.
Nice setup, ran my cb antenna just about the same way. And just about the same mounting solution for the antenna. My group runs cbs so that was what we decided to run. Enjoyed the video
Thanks man. It’s a good low cost option for the Raptor.
What kind of rigs you guys running in the groups?
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad we have a good mix, alot of jeep guys here in southern Oregon, but also tacos, and some full sized rigs. My buddy drives a power stroke diesel. And we have spent a ton of time making it better. Sadly I hardly ever see any other raptor owners around. But anyway we have had a good mix of terrain, from the sandy beaches, to marshes, old logging roads, and some high desert stretches too.
@@jasonperry2244 that explain the CB then. Jeep and taco groups tend to run slower and closer to together. CB is perfect for that. On a Raptor run we could see a mile between each truck because of how fast we are running. You should try and find some raptor owners. It's so much fun. Where you based out of? A buddy of mine has a group, Raptor Junkies that has a lot of raptor guys all over the country on it to help find other off-roaders.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad based out of roseburg Oregon, its pretty central in southern Oregon. And it's about an hours drive to pretty much everything lol.
@@jasonperry2244 check out Raptor Junkies then man, There is a chapter of members out there that are starting to meet regularly
Enjoyed the video; some great tips here on install. I never was able to catch what phone mount you used for the head. Also unclear why a magnet was used and what kind/brand? wouldn't a magnet affect the head display?
We used a Mob Armour mount. And no impact to the head unit. Remember they are all shielded and have an even larger magnet in them for the integrated speaker.
Very nice... love everything you did. Just got a F350 and need to mount my Kenwood TM-D710GA in it. The question I have is what is the name/type of felt you used for the antenna to prevent scratches on the hood/fender? I had a fender mount antenna on a RAM 3500 and it got scratched. The felt is a great idea... just need to know the type you used and recommend.
jgenender it’s just standard felt tape. I’ll link it on my amazon page under tools section if you want the one I used. www.amazon.com/shop/heliomuro
But for me, overtime it did not work. Well not on both sides anyway. The felt side worked great. But the other side, hood, was too tight for felt and over the course of a few months the vibration wore down a small grove on the Raptor Giberglass hood.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad That's great info. That's exactly the problem I ended up having a groove on my RAM on the hood. I may try electrical tape and see if that helps since its thinner. Love your install! I was looking for a no-drill installation and had real issues finding a place for the radio unit (I have a Platinum and most space is used up). Your L-bracket was genius. Nice job and I love your channel!
jgenender thanks man. Appreciate it.
Without drilling the only options are the third brake light mounts from GJ motor sports and PCI race radios. Both are pricy though.
How's the performance been having the power wired through the fuse box? Any issues with it?
No issues with interface or range.
What wire gauge did you use to extend the power wires and is it copper or aluminum wire?
Copper wire, I forget the gauge but it was slightly thicker than the cable that came with the radio.
Where did you get the bracket that you attached the antenna mount to? Thanks.
Bracket is linked on my amazon page in the description. If it’s not there check Ham Radio outlet. just be careful with it. It will move a bit and on my fiberglass hood is wore a groove in it
I hope ur not taking those two boys for granite lol looks like they help you alot . Lol
They are going to leave the nest soon so I'm enjoying every minute we have left. They are a big part of working on the truck and I hope they are learning something too and be self sufficient.
There going to be off to college so is that what u mean .
Did you get your ham radio license?
Great vid but that antenna wire is it good enough??? Sorry I’m not expert of the wires; but that little wire will be strong enough?
It’s a standard Coax line. Very simple and easy to shield and will work fine as long as its not right next to power. Keep in mind that shielding has to be thicker when your doing long runs, like over 100ft. In most cars you won’t pass 20 ft. So a less shielded cable is perfect and easier to run and conceal
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Not sure what standard coax line is. All coax is not created equal, you can find charts of coax attenuation for the frequency you're using in dB/100 feet. I found one chart for 150MHz that shows RG 58/U to have a 6.2dB attenuation vs LMR 1200 which has an attenuation of 0.481. Of course the LMR 1200 is 1.2" diameter vs 0.195" diameter for the RG58/U. LMR200 however is the same diameter as RG58/U but only has a loss of 4dB/100' @ 150MHz.
So the goal is to pick a coax that gives you the best balance of diameter to loss at the frequency you are operating. This is also a good reason to keep antenna feed lines as short as possible.
The above is independent of shielding or emf interference. I wouldn't run out and change the coax you used but if you find that you're not getting the performance from your radio you expected it would be a good place to start investigating.
Don't wait to long to get your ham license, you've done all the hard work and spent the money you may as well use that radio all the time. The tech license is super easy to get.
@@slosolo2 our runs are way to short for all of that to come into play. trucks won't see more than 20 ft, with most truck having around 10-15 ft runs. For the most part, Off-roaders are not going to make their own custom runs. They will buy prebuilt NMO cables from the same place where they got the radio like Ham Radio outlet, Rugged Radios, or PCI race radios. All of them provide or recommend the proper cable for the application. We end up having more problems with proper grounding or interference from running cables too close to power.
Working on the license.
Love the videos. Question why did you not continue using the Guo 12.5 inch screen?
The display they gave me to test was not compatible with the new truck with B&O speakers. They made a new version earlier this year for it, but they have not sent us one yet to try.
Was wondering what the name of the tape you placed on the mount is? Thanks
Jeff B it’s just called Felt Tape. That’s it. I think we have some linked on our amazon page. Link is in the video descriptions
Curious where you are mounting the handset I still haven't found a good place other than my lap or cupholder and we know how well that works when you hit a washout lol.
Just sits on the cup holder or on my lap. No real good option really. And I don’t want to drill into those sections of the dash.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad same hahah. I went to the Ford raptor assault classes last year and they had it with a magnetic mount from the air vent but for the life of me I can't find the mount they used.
@@sergioacevedo2874 tons of magnetic mounts options. Do a search for CB Mic Mag mount and you will find a few options.
I like the NightIze Steelie mounts. You can use the adhesive disk to stick the magnet to your handset and then use the vent mount or mount a ball to a convenient place for you. The little balls are pretty low profile and they've held up well to off-roading for me.
T C that’s is a great option. May try it for my truck and do a video for it later.
Nice video. Is there a link to the FCC page that defines 'Public Offroad Frequencies'? You captioned that a couple of times, but I've never heard of them, and 20min of Googling hasn't come up with the frequencies or any reference to 'Public Offroad Frequencies'. Is there by chance another name for them? I have a new truck coming in a few weeks, and was thinking of adding both a dual-band and a GMRS radio, but maybe with these 'public' frequencies, I may not need both. Thanks.
You won’t see many Raptors using GMRS. Effective range of those radios is very limited unless you have line of sight. With Raptors ending up 1-2 miles apart you need something more powerful. Most will run 50 watt VHF radios.
If you don’t want to get a license, get a licensed radio like those from rugged radios and PCI race radios that use the offroad frequencies classified as business frequencies I think. I know rugged radios licenses the radios and they recommend you get your license, but it’s not not needed as long as you use their radio that is limited to those frequencies.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Thanks. My truck is actually an F350 Tremor, so no high-speed running. ;)
I have my Ham (Tech), but would also like the ability to comm w/ people that may not be licensed. I have an FTM-400 for UHF/VHF for the truck that will cover the ham bands and repeaters, and I also have a BTECH GMRS-50X1 (50W) new in-box that I may use if I can find someplace to mount it. Otherwise, I was thinking the Midland MTX275 15W GMRS (with all the controls right on the mic) may be an option, as it can easily be tucked away somewhere. With the GMRS radios, I could keep a couple of the GMRS handhelds in the truck to hand out as needed for convoying and use around camp, the mall (to talk to my Homies!), etc...
I'm looking at the Rugged Radios page. I think the radios you referenced are Part 90 radios, and I think need to be licensed to a business or organization (like a race team) to operate at full power. There's a few frequencies that are available in that range w/o licencing (known as MURS / Multi Use Radio Service), but I think power output is limited to 2w in those cases. Are these maybe the frequencies you referred to as the 'Public Offroad Frequencies'?
@@lmychajluk thats correct. All those business frequencies is what off-roaders use. No one else. You should be able to talk to them no problem. For mounting options take a Look at Built right industries. We have a few of their mounts. From a dash plate or a rear under seat plate that can be used to mount just about anything.
I have a stryker SR-94HPC 10-meter amateur radio. This good enough? Only have it setup as a CB right now. Would have to get a splitter for the ham frequency.
As long as you can access the offroad frequencies in the 150-154 range, sure
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Just called my cb guy and he said no. I gotta get a VHF radio now.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad Is that frequency nation wide for all offroad?
Nationwide. VHF has better range than CB. But you need a ham radio armature license to fully take advantage of the range and everything VHF a radios have to offer
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad yeah I have a cb because of work and it looks like I'll be looking for a new radio to install. Hopefully I can find something small and mountable. Don't like handheld ones.
Will the door not pinch the cable on that exact location??
Not if installed under the rubber. I ran it like this for 6 months and with heavy off-roading I did not see any damage to the cable.
Unfortunately, my hood was not so lucky. Too much movement in the lip mount
thanks for the video. which fuse did you tap into?
Fuses we tapped are listed in the video. this was over a year ago so I don't remember off the top of my head.
Did you get your Amateur Radio operator's license yet?
What did u use to
Mount the remote head?
We modified a magnetic cell phone mount that we showed at the end of the video. But eventually we moved the connection over to the top of the dash and used a built right dash mount plate with screw for a more solid mounting point
How hard was it to route the cord threw the dash??
What was the reason why you moved away from the cellphone mount. I would think the light from the radio at night would be annoying that close to the windshield.
Easy to run through the dash with a metal rod/ cable pulling tool.
We moved it because the cellphone magnet was not strong enough for off-roading. Any big wash hit at speed and it would fall.
As for the light, it’s not a problem. My cell phone up there is much brighter.
Please tell me the off-road freqs your using? If your using murs ok but other that that you need a lic. Also the rugged radio folks are shut down due to lic issues.
Offroad frequencies are easily available online and last I checked rugged is running 🤷♂️. Radios are programmed different since 2019, restricted to offroad frequencies, but that’s it. Still selling radio kits.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad you might wanna google rigged radios and the fcc lol
@@Pops_607 talk about recent news. Within the last 2 weeks recent. Radios are still selling on their site though. They even had a big Black Friday sale. Very interesting.
High frekuensi 144 -147 mhz
Soo you dont need a license... to listen. To transmit, you need a license... which im sure youre aware of.
that correct. to listen your fine. But to transmit it's required.
Not repeater sir and point to point ya
You need a license to transmit.
taylor cox I’ve had this discussion with a few people. If you plan on transmitting over the repeater network or HF, yeah. You must have a license. But single channel transmission using private offroad frequencies then your OK to use without a license. That’s why companies like rugged radios have disabled the ability to type in any frequencies on their radios. Only pre-programmed frequencies can be used on those radios. Yeah it’s easy to program out, but most wont bother risking screwing up their radios.
Don't run coax through the fender and under weather seals. It's going to get broken. Also the mount solution I get you were thinking about a solution but adding a lip mount to the fender mount is a little sloppy. Just use the lip mount on the hood and give some strain relief for opening and closing the hood. Get your ham licence and enjoy the privileges of being a licensed amateur! 73 de VE9EUV
MURS IS DIFFERENT FROM MARS.
I was actually wondering about that because I saw people saying both for the same mod across different videos and websites. What is the difference?
You shouldn't misinform people. If you're operating in the amateur frequency space, you do need a license to do so. Even if you are not using the Ham bands, your radio must be type accepted for the radio service you plan to use it on. Transmitting on a Ham radio in bands that the radio is not type certified for is illegal, excepting emergencies. I'm not gonna rat you out or anything, I'm no snitch, just don't be surprised if you do get a visit from the FCC because an amateur radio operator reports you. It is not hard for a Ham to direction find a transmitting radio and triangulate the location. If you're using these radios in an area where you could be causing interference, someone will take notice and will find you. I encourage you to become licensed as you said you where, and use the bands lawfully like everyone else. You'd be surprised the ranges you can talk when you're leveraging a repeater. I consistently talk 30 plus miles using a 5/8 wave 2 meter antenna. Line of sight and all.
The law's are pretty clear on this one based on what I have heard from a few shops. As long as your on designed off-road frequencies and transmitting 5watts or less you don't need a license. Anything outside that really short list of frequencies and you can get in trouble. Luckily most offroad radios are limited to just those frequencies. Most of my audience will get handhelds from the 2 big offroad shops PCI & Rugged radios. All those radios are restricted and meet requirements.
As for me, I'm getting my license. But keep in mind that repeaters offer no benefit to us in the offroad worlds. Most offroad radios are hard coded to a short list of frequencies and we can't use the repeaters. And in an emergency situation a Sat Phone with GPS coordinates is a whole lot more reliable to get help. Our focus is comms between trucks. To call out obstacles and stay safe. We are always in the middle of nowhere in some very remote locations. Comms out there with your average 50 watt radio only only good for a few miles and in the canyons even less. We can't even access repeaters in most remote locations. For the most part we are so remote there are only military bombing ranges around us and we are well outside of their frequencies.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad So what frequencies are you using specifically? Do you know what they are? If I am wrong I would like to learn more, but I don't believe that to be the case. If range was a big concern for you, you might consider HF radio, but not everyone has HF radios, so it may not be beneficial for large groups if only one or two people have them. If you are going to be camping/offroading in a centralized location you can bring a portable repeater and put it up on a hill somewhere.
Fmamarksman PCI race radios list usually limits us. It includes Baja pits, BFG relay, locomoco..... it’s a short list of about 20 frequencies that off-roaders stick to.
VHF is the standard for the races so it’s what most Raptor guys use so we can also listen in on the local races here in SoCal. HF could be beneficial but for the most part VHF limitations are perfect for off-roading. Raptor end up about a mile a part at speed (45-65mph average on dirt) and I structure my runs so a truck(s) on the same frequency with a hard wired radio serves as relay.
As for a base camp, Raptor runs usually don’t stay in one spot. Normally we end 90-200 miles away from our initial starting point. Fast off-roading is more about putting in the miles than staying in a single spot.
Pinched coax sucks.
In these short distances it does not matter. Coiling the cable is worse than a pinch. And it worked for the few months we had it setup like this.
Coiling, not such a big deal. I recommend a figure 8 for excess. If the cable crosses itself at 90°, EMF is broken up. A figure 8 crosses 90° every loop.
So you illegally modified an amateur radio, to use frequencies that a 50w radio can’t legally use, and then installed it like a ham-fisted oaf? Got it.
Dear RUclips, do not follow any of this guy’s advice.
I’m really starting to hate you HAM radio guys.
Rather than educate and help, you would rather insult. Even at my local stores, the guys selling them don’t really want to answer questions or educate those that want to try and get into hobby.
I’ve gotten a lot of bad info that got put into this video. Specially around needing a license. But that’s because rugged radios were the only ones willing to help. They gave me a lot of bad info.
When guys ask me about getting into the hobby I used to tell them find a local HAM radio store or a local hobby group. And every last one of them got treated like shit by guys like you more concerned with being right than helping someone out. And they all went to PCI and rugged radios for a hassle free way to get into the hobby.
Why don’t you tell me what you feel is wrong with the install so we can have a discussion. And don’t mention the license, I’m well aware and in the process of getting mine.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad cry me a river.
The problem with people like you is that you think rules don’t apply to you...only everyone else.
There are rules, like it or the not. Do it right or don’t do it.
@@SIGINT007 this is what I mean exactly. Did you read my comment?
I was told you don’t need a license for what I do. I know now that I was wrong and rugged got in trouble for telling their customer the same. I’m correcting myself. How is that thinking the rules don’t apply?
Now you said this was a bad install. Please educate me on what is wrong. I don’t think I got anything wrong with the install.
Or are you like every other HAM radio snob?
Educate or shut the fuck up.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad you acknowledge there is incorrect information in this video, therefore you should probably take this video down so you’re not spreading incorrect info. Also people don’t like it that you’re not licensed as it gives the rest of us a bad image. Thanks in advance for doing the right thing.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad No one at Ham Radio Outlet would have said that you don't need a license. I enjoy your videos and appreciate what you do but you put out erroneous information here and it should be corrected.
11:25 what a trashy ass way to route wiring. Easily the fastest way to tell if rookie installed this at home, or if a pro installed it
You must have not watched the whole video then. Antenna location is temporary. Why would I drill a hole for a temp install?
Permanent install is at the top of my chase rack thru a grommet in the back of the cab.
Now as far as pro Install. Looking at your channel I don't see a process on how to do a VHF radio install. In fact ai see a bunch of motorcycle stuff. You don't like my content don't watch it and make your own. Don't want to make your own then just keep your uninformed comments to yourself.
@@KeepItDirtyOffRoad pass thru a grommet in the firewall.. you even pointed it out as an option
MrJohnsonx3 🤦♂️🤦♂️again, sounds like you did not actually listen to what I was saying. Antenna location was TEMPORARY. I’m not putting holes in firewalls or grommets for temp installs. Then I would have an open holes. So please just go away and take your dumbass comments elsewhere.