With so many newly licensed Technician Class radio amateurs in the club, I thought it might be useful to post a discussion of what things to consider when selecting equipment for your tow vehicle, trailer queen, overland project vehicle or daily driver/weekend fun machines.
- Don't get carried away buying one or more radios until you have assessed your real needs
- The following points are made in the context that CLCC uses UHF frequencies in the GMRS band to communicate between vehicles and base camp while on the trail
- If you drive your wheeling rig on the road on a regular basis, consider having both UHF and VHF capabilities, either with two separate radios or a single dual band radio; you never know when you'll need to reach out for help or to assist someone else
- If your rig is a trailer queen, you probably don't need both UHF and VHF unless you are driving well off the beaten path out west, where you need the added range of VHF; that said, many event organizers use VHF frequencies if you tend to go to various Land Cruiser events and wheel with non-CLCC members
- Tow vehicles should have both VHF and UHF, but if cost is a concern, VHF is probably more useful for most long distance travel situations; you can always use your CLCC HT for comms between convoy vehicles
- consider the possibility of buying two mounting brackets, power harnesses, and co-axial cable/antenna mounts so you move the radio between the tow vehicle and the trailer queen; or take security measures
- Dual band (VHF/UHF) radios are convenient, but significantly more expensive than a VHF and your club UHF HT or a used commercial UHF radio that is reprogrammed for the CLCC frequencies
- I run 40 watt mobile UHF radios in both the FJ40 and the 4Runner; these radios cost me less than $50 each including the antennas.
- I picked up an almost new used VHF radio at a Hamfest for half what a new one costs
- If you are allowed to drill only one antenna hole into perfectly finished sheet metal , I suggest going with a dual band radio; easier to mount only one radio, reduces clutter in the cockpit of two mics and two controls, and most dual banders have removable control heads that greatly expand your installation options
- I have both ICOM and Kenwood radios and I find the Kenwood radios to be much easier to program
- take your time and do the radio install right the first time, making all connections as robust as possible; you don't want a flaky, unreliable radio