WSHB846

Thank you @Imply4907 and @Hoppyjr! I live close-by to an offroad-specific autoshop, will give them a ring to see if they've done similar for radio enthusiasts in general. Not trying to mess with any of the pillars/rails since I want to keep them fully functional. I don't need a big 50W, any recommendations for something that can get plugged into the cigarette lighter (or an inverter I have for normal three-prong 120v which plugs into the lighter port)? The Forester also has a lighter port in the back. Also, for antennas, I know GMRS you typically want them upright hence the recommendations, but are there any decent options which could run horizontally along my rails? Looking for functional/compatible with concurrent kayak/gear use rather than objective best case for radio alone. Thanks!

I'm so afraid to drill into my Forester to get a mobile 50W installed. The pic @tcp2525 shared is right about where I'd mount mine, but I'm having issues finding any firewall/trunk/hood grommets to get the cable inside. I also don't want to replace my car's existing radio/OnStar/Sirius/etc. stuff. I have a moon roof and could get by just using it on dry days but meh. Would a dashboard/trunk antenna with good window access suffice? What do y'all recommend?

Me and the fam go deep within North Cascades/Diablo Lake/Ross Lake, Olympic, Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie Forest, etc. fairly often and have been using just FRS+InReach the past few years. We haven't had anything scary happen, thank goodness, but this summer I plan on leaving a RT97S on battery+solar at a base camp (park rules/etc. permitting) to really extend our range. Sure we could text InReach-to-InReach but I'd rather save those for true SOS/emergency needs, besides it being expensive. Otherwise for more day-to-day stuff local drives or walks around the property have spotty cell coverage at best. Have already got the household accustomed to simplex etiquette and we're already liking the upgrade from FRS to GMRS a lot!