JDP your insight into setting up the perfect radio is appreciated, I just don't think I guy who is asking such basic questions about how to mount an antenna etc is going to be out there any time soon using UHF repeaters and even if he did its doubtful he'd know anybody to talk to. If they guys he rides with are set up like that surely one of them would be helping him set up his own radio. The reality is that 99.9% of the riders just want to be able to ask the guy 1/2 mile in front of them which way they turned at the fork in the road. I'm just advocating the KISS method here to get these guys up and running. My biggest beef with Rugged is that they use ham radios in the first place instead of the commercial ones that PCI uses because they just bring way too much complication and variables into what should be a pretty simple system for off roaders.

 

Most people don't even know how to use all the features of the radio. I know I am guilty of not knowing them.

OP - you got the hard part done, which was cutting up the dash on a new ride. The wiring is straight forward. Everything is labeled as far as where you plug wires into the back of the intercom and radio. The power cable can be run directly to the batter and you can run the ground to the ground on the bus bar in the center counsel. I ran all the headset cables threw the center counsel as well. As to running the antenna I cut a hole in the plastic roof and mounted it on the metal brace on the rear driver's side of the stock cage. I then ran the antenna cable down from there and followed the frame under the driver side kick plate and ran it on the rail under the steering wheel back to the radio. It seemed to use up most of the length of the cable so I did no have to worry about coiling it up.


Rugged sets up the kits to have everything you need. As Zambo pointed out no need to over think it.

Tim and JDB have some great technical knowledge and are great resources if you really want to fine tune stuff at a later date.

Enjoy you new ride and radio set up.

 

All of you have bern great help! Thanks Sand Shark, you just cleared up another dilemma I had last night for routing the antenna cord!!

 

I absolutely agree with Zambo's Kiss theory. Rugged doesn't have any UHF or GMRS frequencies programed into their radio offerings and I doubt many people will want to learn how to program.

I am a newly licensed ham and I'm amazed at how many different aspects there are to this hobby. As mentioned, there are linked repeater systems that allow you to talk from Las Vegas to Northern Cal. If you are in a remote area, the radio will get you help when the cell phone has no service. Getting licensed is easy, cheap and very rewarding. I never have to share my race frequency with other groups when Glamis is packed.

My one recommendation is to buy and use an SWR meter to check your antenna. I bought one of the newer antennas from Rugged and couldn't get the SWR below 3 to 1 on VHF and it was over 10 to 1 on UHF.

 

WOW, thanks for the input however I believe you are incorrect. According to the FCC documentation, Rugged has licensed 30 UHF channels for their use (and ours). They are labeled 1-30 but I doubt they are programmed sequentially on their dual-band radios. Rugged customer service was reluctant but did verify this. They were however tight-lipped about exact frequencies and programming nomenclature as they have entered into a partnership with RT systems to provide the software and code plugs. While the majority of users will not get this deep into the whole radio thing, I still feel as though educating the OP is the best and they can decide for themselves. Based on your photo you are running a very nice radio in your car, much nicer than I would ever use simply because of the environmental issues here in the desert. I don’t care for Rugged’s antennas and chose to get my own center loaded dual band antenna that when tuned, gave me 1.2:1 on VHF and 1.4:1 on UHF, obviously using the center of the frequencies I typically use on both bands. In addition, I fully believe if the majority of dual band radio owners were properly informed of the capability of the radio, more would go UHF and make use of the repeaters available in an emergency and possibly clear some of the already over crowded VHF frequencies typically used in popular destinations on popular weekends, etc.

Congrats on your new license. My dad turned me on to the whole ham thing when I was a kid and I was just too lazy to learn Morse code so I didn’t get my license until they dropped the code requirement for technician years ago.

 

I run APRS and there aren't a whole lot of capable cheap radio options. So far the dust hasn't bothered the 710, and I cover it when washing the XRC.

I could be wrong, but I don’t believe the new digital radios come with UHF channels programmed.

 

So back to the basics...

 

PNW the answers you seek are far too technical in nature for a UTV forum. The group you seek is the Amateur radio world. From experience, these guys are amazing at what they know, what they do, and have a thorough understanding of the topics you’re most interested in. I recommend you look into a local ham radio club in your area. Go to a meeting (zoom probably nowadays) and get to know the members. I’ve found them to be welcoming and enthusiastic to share their hobby. As to which frequencies are for distance, typically the rule of thumb is the lower the frequency the further it travels, given that obstacles will always be a factor. Higher frequencies do a better job at penetrating obstacles, like forest, which can make UHF a good choice. As to DIY stuff, most of us here use purpose built OTS equipment designed for the off road use. You will find that off road headset wiring is different from standard wiring and different across many other racing standards. It’s also very different from aviation, although there are some that adapt aviation portable intercom systems for the off-road usage. As to antenna propagation, it’s mostly science with some trickery and magic. I leave that to the ham experts.

Best of luck as you start your learning!